See discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at: https://www.researchgate.

net/publication/372412876

SIRAH – A BIOGRAPHY OF MUHAMMAD THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

Book · July 2023

CITATIONS READS

3 2,604

1 author:

Safvet Haliovic
University of Zenica
18 PUBLICATIONS 30 CITATIONS

SEE PROFILE

All content following this page was uploaded by Safvet Haliovic on 17 July 2023.

The user has requested enhancement of the downloaded file.

 Safvet Halilović
SIRAH – A BIOGRAPHY OF MUHAMMAD
THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH
 Safvet Halilović PhD
SIRAH – A BIOGRAPHY OF MUHAMMAD
THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

Translation from Bosnian: Designed by:

Edina Neretljak Samir Kamenjaš

Reviews by: Cover design by:

Šefik Kurdić, PhD Affan Šikalo
Džemaludin Latić, PhD
Mustafa Prljača, MSc Published by:
“Dobra knjiga” – Publishing House
Edited by: in Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina
Hadeer Refaat Abo El CNS – Centre for Advanced
Nagah, PhD Studies, Sarajevo

For the publisher:

Izedin Šikalo
Ahmet Alibašić, PhD
 SAFVET HALILOVIĆ

SIRAH
A BIOGRAPHY OF MUHAMMAD
THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH
(FOURTH, ENLARGED EDITION)

Sarajevo, 1435 AH/2014 CE

We greatly acknowledge the support that Mr. Muris Muzaferija –
Tilmizus extended for the translation of this book into the English
language and its printing. Mr. Muzaferija wishes this book to be
a lasting source of truth about the personality of Allah’s Last
Messenger, Muhammad, p.b.u.h.

May Allah Almighty reward and bestow His blessings on Mr.

Muzaferija and his family for this noble deed!
 FOREWORD

The Sirah of the Prophet; Teaching by Model

Hadeer Refaat Abo El Nagah, PhD

In the lobby of one of the hotels overlooking the Pro-

phetic masjid at Al Medina, over cups of green tea, and af-
ter the performance of Hajj 2013/1434, Dr. Safvet Halilović
explained to me the idea and the importance of this book. I
personally was working on a critical reading of some British
biographers of the Prophet, p.b.u.h., like Karen Armstrong
and Sir Montgomery Watt and others. It did not come as a
surprise to me that we were both working on the Prophetic
biography and were very enthusiastic about it. The holiness
of the time/place and the valuable remarks of our spouses
gave additional depth and dimension to the discussion. Dr.
Safvet explained the importance of this book as the first to
be originally written in Bosnian in such comprehensiveness
about the life of the Prophet Mohammed, p.b.u.h., and that
was a real surprise. As Arabic speakers, we usually take for
granted the wealth of resources we have about the Prophet,
p.b.u.h., and his legacy and we fail to realize the rarity of
such information in other languages.

5
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

No other single man in history ever attracted as much

attention as Prophet Mohammed, p.b.u.h., did. He contin-
ues to inspire biographers, historians and researchers from
different parts of the world, a Muslim or not, it does not re-
ally matter, for both are equally concerned to explore what
he has to offer to humanity. As the messenger of one of the
World’s major religions and the final messenger from Allah
to mankind, interest in his personality and the message he
carried have developed across history forming a whole mass
of literature that is worth close examination.
Why do we need to study Sirah?
The book simply answers this question as it justifies the
need to “know” not only on the level of cognitive knowl-
edge but by the living example. The prophet’s Sirah is an
application of Islamic teachings in action, studying the Si-
rah enables the person to see and understand what it means
to be a Muslim and how a person should live his daily life
as one.
Very specific details of Islamic history are included in the
prophet’s Sirah, we can have a closer encounter to him as a
state’s man, politician, socialist, religious guide, man of war
and, more importantly, as a husband and father through his
biography. Especially the humane aspects of his personality
would have never been made available without such interest
in studying and documenting his biography. How he treat-
ed his neighbors, wives, family members, companions, how
he ate, sat, prayed, etc. are all documented in particular and
accurate details.
The majority of the Sirah books written so far are in Ara-
bic, very few are originally written in other languages and
with the target reader who belongs to the Western (Euro-
pean) mentality in mind. In addition to the advantage of

6
 FOREWORD

being the product of a strong scholar who is affiliated with

the prestigious Al Azhar University in Cairo, this book en-
joys the advantages of being written in the native language
of its target reader and depending on some of the most au-
thentic and original Arabic sources at the same time. The
author clearly stated his sources in collecting the prophetic
biography, starting with the Noble Quran, hadith, Arabic
poetry contemporary to the time of the Prophet, p.b.u.h.,
and authentic Sirah books, which showed that he saved no
effort in including all the needed information for the reli-
ability of his book.
Dr. Safvet’s scholarly approach distinguishes the book
and makes it a real treasure that is worth translation to
other languages. The book is not just another biography of
the Prophet, p.b.u.h. It is rather an analytical reading to his
life and actions. It encourages its reader to reflect and think
about some details of the Prophet’s life that may have been
taken for granted elsewhere. The methodology followed by
such an esteemed scholar like Dr. Safvet Halilović is note-
worthy here as he collected details about the Prophet’s life
from different authentic sources and presented his readings
of the incidents clearly and rigorously; it took a great cour-
age and effort to do so in a concise space like this. Instead of
(re)narrating the events in the life of Prophet Mohammed,
p.b.u.h., Dr. Halilović collected some of the most common
arguments about the Prophet’s life and logically and schol-
arly placed his own insights.
How Islam spread and how it affected the modern civili-
zation of today’s world are the core of Dr. Halilović’s discus-
sion here; it simply connects the reader with the issues he
daily hears about related to Islam and the Prophet, p.b.u.h.,
and responds to them without taking a defensive stand.

7
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

Al Medina as the base of Islamic culture and the founda-

tion of Islamic Ummah (nation) is dealt with in additional
attention without boring the reader with details that may
not be relevant to today’s life. An important part of this
book is dedicated to highlighting the extent and speed with
which Islam changed the Arab culture. The Medinan period
illustrates the profound impact this faith had on the people
of the time during the Prophet’s life and consequently af-
fecting all life around the world today. By introducing the
Charter of Medina (the first constitution or Al Wathiqa) and
establishing equality amongst all people, Islam changed the
social, political and economic realities of people. It is con-
sidered to be the first document of human rights and by
discussing such a significant document, the book expressed
one of the basic Islamic values which is respecting people of
the book, or any other minorities in Muslim societies, some
core Islamic values that have been disregarded for long. It
is with such respectful work that the tolerant, humane and
compassionate nature of Islam will be revealed.
It is simply, using Dr. Halilović’s own words introducing
this book, “a work of a lifetime”; I am honored to be part of
this dedicated work and sincerely indebted to my daughter
Miss Mozaynah Nofal for assisting me in the final editing
of the English manuscript. Her initial reading and remarks
provided a platform for mine.
As a researcher I understand how much it takes to pro-
duce such a meticulous work, and as a Muslim, I gratefully
appreciate all the biographers of the Prophet without which
we could have never known all the minute details we now
know about the life of the beloved Prophet, p.b.u.h. Their
work enables us to understand the valuable life lessons of
the Prophet, p.b.u.h., who gave us the model and pattern of

8
 FOREWORD

how to live our lives. May they all be rewarded for the pre-
cious gift they give to us, “living by the model”.

Hadeer Abo El Nagah, PhD

Associate Professor of English
Medinah, January 2014

9
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

A REMARKABLE CONTRIBUTION TO
THE UNDERSTANDING OF THE LIFE OF
MUHAMMAD,
OUR GREATEST AND FINEST ROLE
MODEL
(Foreword by Professor Dr. Šefik Kurdić)

Islam is a comprehensive system of values which regulates

all aspects of human life and provides for all the fundamental
needs of man. It is not only a purely emotional faith detached
from the realities of human existence, but a faith that deeply
penetrates the social, ethical, welfare, political, military, legal
and all other walks of human life.
Islam differs considerably from other ideologies, systems
and religions by its fundamental and specific characteristics.
Islam, as preached and practiced for twenty-three years by
Muhammad, the last Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him
(p.b.u.h.),1 is not a theology, because, in addition to being a
faith, Islam is also a way of life that should be implemented
in practice and cannot be reduced to the narrow field of theo-
1
Allah: the Arabic name for God. The name Allah was known in pre-
Islamic Arabia as the head of the pantheon among polytheists and as the
name for God among Arabic-speaking Christians and Jews. With the
advent of Islam, Allah is defined as the One, eternal, neither born nor
bearing and not having an equal. (Newby, G., A Concise Encyclopedia of
Islam, Thomson Press Ltd., 2004, p. 26)
M
 uslims prefer not to use the word “God”, since it is not considered a
unique name. Instead, Muslims use the name Allah, which they consi-
der to be the unique name of the One Almighty God. For the purposes
of this translation, the terms Allah and God will be used interchangeably,
as will the terms the Messenger or the Prophet of Allah/God denoting
Prophet Muhammad, p.b.u.h. (translator’s note).

10
 FOREWORD

retical theology. That is why in Islam and the Prophet’s prac-

tice, the faith was not built as a theory, ideology or dialectics,
but as a living organic unity that directly shaped the life of
the community.
An analysis of the comprehensive Islamic teachings in
general, and the Prophet’s practical application of the Islamic
tenets in particular, leads to a firm conclusion that Islam is,
in fact, a serious, dynamic and practical way of life. Islam was
indeed revealed with the objective of regulating the practical
life in line with its criteria. As it comes from the Infallible, it is
founded on knowledge, not ignorance; on perfection, not im-
perfection; on strength, not weakness; on wisdom, not whim.
All concepts, values, standards, criteria and morality come
from Him, and not from human beings as in the other sys-
tems, whose followers thus grant the power over themselves
to fellow human beings, instead to the Almighty Allah.
Islam, as presented by the Prophet, p.b.u.h., does not allow
to be represented as a spiritual and culturological category
only, as that would be in contrast with its nature and ultimate
objective. Islam never develops into a pure theory, but always
maintains the status of dynamic reality.
It should be noted that, as a religion of Divine origin, Islam
also has a Divine method of operation. That method is fully con-
sistent with the nature of Islam and that is why the substance of
Islam cannot be detached from its method in practice.
We should emphasize that, in addition to the fact that Is-
lam was revealed in order to modify the idea of mankind,
and, accordingly, of the real everyday life, it was also revealed
in order to modify the very method and program by which
the concept was developed and reality changed.
For that reason the Qur’an was revealed sequentially, in
order for the modification of the idea to be achieved natu-
rally: It is a recitation that We have revealed in parts, so that

11
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

you can recite it to people at intervals; We have sent it down

little by little. (17:106)2
We should warn of a catastrophic fallacy of some intellec-
tuals that the living Islamic faith, which must be affirmed in
real life, should distance itself from its own nature and turn
into a theory intended for studies and general education, an
Islamic theory with which the incomplete and imperfect hu-
man theories could be challenged.
Islam can perform its role only in a fortunate synthesis of
theoretical guidance and practical action. This was noted by
the late Mustafa Busuladžić, a great Bosnian Muslim intel-
lectual, who emphasized that the mission of Islam would not
have lasted 14 years, let alone 14 centuries, without the con-
sistent synthesis of the words and deeds of Allah’s Messenger
Muhammad, p.b.u.h., given that the mankind, especially in
this era, would not listen to a teaching if it could not see it
verified in everyday life!3
Contemporary Muslims are not expected to offer to man-
kind exceptional material and scientific accomplishments,
as it requires plenty of time to reach the stage achieved by
Europe and the West in that respect. They should offer what
Western culture and civilization are lacking. A contempo-
rary man, overcome by materialism and spiritually impover-
ished, lacks a genuine belief, aqidah, and the infallible Divine
method and program, manhaj, which would enable mankind
to preserve the material and scientific accomplishments un-
2
English translation of the Holy Qur’an, M.A.S. Abdel Haleem, The
Qur’an: A New Translation, Oxford University Press, 2005. Unless
indicated otherwise, Haleem’s translation is used for all quotations from
the Holy Qur’an in the translation of this Sirah. (translator’s note)
3
See more in: Mustafa Busuladžić, Harmonija između Muhammedove,
alejhisselam, riječi i djela (Harmony between the Teachings and Deeds of
Muhammad, p.b.u.h.), El-Hidaje, Sarajevo, Year VI (1942/43), No. 6-8, pp.
186-190.

12
 FOREWORD

der a different concept that would satisfy human needs. Such

belief, method and program should be practically imple-
mented in society.
To no-one does mankind owe as much as it owes to the
group of Allah’s prophets and messengers, who saved man-
kind from distorted beliefs and absolute catastrophe. Al-
Nadwi concludes accurately: “If it had not been for the mes-
sengers of Allah, the ark of mankind would have drowned
with all sciences, cultural heritage and philosophy, and the
generations of men would have turned into herds of cattle
or packs of beasts, ignorant of the Lord of the Worlds, faith
and morality, ignorant of mercy and love, and without a goal
higher than water and nourishment. For all the humane and
noble values in this world, all the refined emotions, all the
moral virtues and useful sciences, for the strength to oppose
lies and corruption, for all that and more, the credit goes to
the messengers of Allah and their guidelines, their propheth-
ood, preaching and struggle. The world still draws from their
legacy, moving toward their light and living in the harmoni-
ous structure that they constructed.”4
Adam (Adem), p.b.u.h., led the way of the large group of
prophets, and Noah (Nuh), p.b.u.h., led the chain of messen-
gers, holding high the banner of monotheism La ilaha illallah
(There is no god but Allah), shining brightly in the dark tun-
nels of history, whereupon, from one messenger to another,
that Universal Truth was transmitted until the last Messenger
in that noble line, whose revelation marked the end of the mis-
sions of the preceding messengers and prophets, their synthe-
sis, and the completion of Allah’s message that, with his mis-
sion, became the final and universal message for all times.5

4
See: Abu al-Hasan Ali al-Nadwi, Poslanstvo i poslanici u svjetlu Kur’ana
(Prophethood and Prophets in the Light of the Qur’an), p. 27.
5
Based on the Qur’an, Islamic scholars distinguish between a prophet

13
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

Muhammad, p.b.u.h., finalized the chain of Allah’s mes-

sengers and thus completed and perfected the commenced
structure, so that its beauty shall continue to fascinate peo-
ple until the Judgment Day. Look how wonderfully Prophet
Muhammad expressed it: “The connection between me and
the Prophets before me may be explained on the example of a
person who built quite an imposing and beautiful house and
made it complete, but for one brick in one of its corners. People
would go round it, appreciating its beauty, and they would say:
But for this brick your building would have been perfect. I am
that final brick! I have come to finalize the chain of Prophets!”6
This hadith, or tradition, is transmitted by Abu Hurayrah,
r.a. (abbreviated from radiallahu anhu or anha, meaning
May Allah be pleased with him or her, used after the name of
a member of the Prophet’s family or his Companion).
Having finalized the chain of Allah’s Prophets, peace be
upon them, Prophet Muhammad explicitly manifested Allah’s
genuine faith and applied the Islamic concept of life and work
in this world in its entirety. By sending Muhammad, Allah, the
Exalted, made it known that the Noble Qur’an was the last ver-
sion of His word and that it would not be altered and devalued
as had been the case with Allah’s earlier Revelations.
With the coming of Allah’s last Prophet, Allah’s earlier
Revelations were practically derogated, which was clearly
confirmed by Prophet Muhammad’s words to Umar ibn
al-Khattab, r.a. Jabir, r.a., a well-known companion of the
Prophet, transmits that Umar, r.a., was once holding a page

(nabi) and a messenger (rasul) in a sense that while both are recipients
of God’s revelation, a messenger is also entrusted with conveying
revelation to other people.
6
Hadith reported by Muslim in Sahih, hadith No. 2286. See also: Muslimova
zbirka hadisa – sažetak (Muslim’s Hadith Collection – Summary), III, pp.
13-14; chapter on virtues, hadith No. 1.527.

14
 FOREWORD

of the Torah in his hand. The Prophet asked him what it was
and Umar said that he was reading a page of the Torah. The
Prophet told him firmly: “By Allah, if Moses were alive today,
he would have no choice but to follow me!”7
Given that the Lord of the Worlds did not send His Mes-
senger to convey a mere faith, but also the guidelines for
daily affairs, we are obliged to follow his example in terms
of conduct and way of life, as only in that way shall we im-
plement the program outlined by the Noble Allah. Through
the Prophet’s deeds He revealed to us the ways of solving all
enigmas and problems in life.
In addition to it, by following the Prophet’s example in all
situations in life, we, actually, drastically reduce a possibil-
ity of erring. In other words, Prophet Muhammad, p.b.u.h.,
did not act on his wishes and appetites, but acted mindful of
what Allah, swt8 , was pleased with. This is best illustrated by
the hadith transmitted by Abdullah ibn Masud, r.a.: My Lord
has raised me and provided me with the finest upbringing!9 For
that reason, following the Prophet, p.b.u.h., is a precondition
for submission to the Lord of the Universe. The Noble Qur’an
reads: Whosoever obeys the Messenger obeys God. (4:80)
Owing to Allah’s grace, Prophet Muhammad, p.b.u.h.,
paved the way for each follower in all segments of everyday
life, hence Allah emphasizes: Accept whatever the Messenger
gives you, and abstain from whatever he forbids you. (59:7)
7
Hadith by Jabir ibn Abdullah transmitted by Abu Yala al-Mawsili in
Musnad.
8
Abbreviation for the Arabic words “Subhanahu Wa Ta’ala”, or “Glory to
Him, the Exalted”, which Muslims use to glorify God when mentioning
His name. (translator’s note)
9
Hadith is reported by Ibn al-Sam’ani in his book Adab al-imla’i.
Prominent Islamic scholar Jalal al-din al-Suyuti says that this tradition
is reliable. See: al-Jami’ al-Sagir, hadith No. 310, No. 25, Dar al-kutub
al-‘ilmiyya, Beirut, 1990.

15
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

Therefore, Allah, the Exalted, links the Prophet, p.b.u.h., to

His mercy and reward to men: The Messenger of God is an
excellent model for those of you who put your hope in God and
the Last Day and remember Him often. (33:21)
He is our role model because the Lord of the Worlds made
him a synthesis of the virtues and qualities of all the preceding
messengers of God. He radiates the very qualities that this pre-
cious book also possesses: the patience of Job, the forgiveness
of Jacob, the self-sacrifice of Abraham (Ibrahim), the obedi-
ence and submission of Ishmael (Ismail), the strength of David
(Dawud), the courage of Moses (Musa), the eloquence and per-
suasiveness of Aaron (Harun), the modesty of Jesus (Isa), the
fascinating personality of Solomon (Suleyman), and the charm
and handsomeness of Joseph (Yusuf), peace be upon them all.
This fortunate synthesis of the virtues of the preceding Proph-
ets and their missionary methods is the fundamental distinc-
tive quality of Muhammad’s prophetic mission.
Mankind stands on the brink of a catastrophe from which
scientific achievements, technological development or eco-
nomic boom cannot save it. Thus, there is a dire need for
new leadership that will stem from a synthesis of material
achievements, moral values and spiritual subtlety. Islam, as
practiced by the Last Messenger of God, p.b.u.h., generates
that perfect perception of life and the world, as well as the
concept that may save mankind from a total decline and fall
into an abyss from which there is no return.
Owing to Allah’s grace, we have before us a book entitled
Sirah – A Biography of Muhammad, the Last Messenger of
Allah by Dr. Safvet Halilović, Bosnian Islamic scholar and a
hafiz, that is, the one who knows the Qur’an by heart. This
book presents all important details from the life of the Last
Messenger, p.b.u.h., in the most illustrative way, making clos-
er to us the greatest son of mankind, his life and work from
his birth to his death.

16
 FOREWORD

The biographies of the Last Messenger of Allah, p.b.u.h.,

that we have had access to so far were translations from the
Arabic or some other language, such as, for example the
works by Ibn Hisham, Abu al-Hasan Ali al-Nadwi, al-Mu-
barakpuri, Dr. Mustafa al-Siba’i, Dr. Muhammad Hamidul-
lah and Muhammad Haykal.
Only few authors wrote original works about the Prophet,
p.b.u.h., in the Bosnian language. One of them was the late
Mehmed Handžić, who wrote a booklet entitled Muhammed
alejhisselam – život i rad u najkraćim crtama (Muhammad,
p.b.u.h. – A Brief Outline of His Life and Work).10
It should not come as a surprise that hafiz Safvet Halilović
followed in the footsteps of the late Handžić, who had gradu-
ated from the renowned Islamic University of Al-Azhar.
Hafiz Halilović, who also graduated from that prestigious
University and earned his master’s and doctor’s degrees there,
continued working on this subject and has crowned his work
with this precious book corroborated by arguments.
The first notable characteristic of this exceptionally impor-
tant book is that it has appeared at the time of an intensified
smear campaign against the Last Messenger of Allah, p.b.u.h.,
carried out in articles and cartoons which seek to minimize
and devalue his role and worth. It demonstrates the subtle feel
and exceptional ability of this distinguished university profes-
sor and missionary to recognize the time in which it is neces-
sary to react and defend the honor and dignity of the greatest
son of mankind, just as the honorable companion Hasan ibn
Thabit, r.a., did when he defended in his verses the honor and
respect of our Prophet in a dignified manner.
The second characteristic of this work is the fact that Pro-
10
This work was first published in 1935 and several editions were printed
later. See: Šefik Kurdić, Velikani hadiskih znanosti (Leading Scholars of
the Hadith Studies), Zenica, 2003, p. 373.

17
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

fessor Halilović selected the most important details from the

numerous biographies (Arabic: sirah, pl. siyar), the classical
and more contemporary ones alike, while leaving out numer-
ous traditions, long names and less important details that the
classical works abound with, and in that way he offered read-
ers the gist of the Prophet’s biography.
The third notable characteristic of Halilović’s work is that,
being a sharp-eyed and superior author, he detects numer-
ous lessons from the honorable life and work of the Prophet,
p.b.u.h., which he then conveys to readers in a straightfor-
ward manner as very useful advice and conclusions.
The fourth characteristic of this work is that the author,
like the late Handžić, corroborates with arguments all details
related to the life of Prophet Muhammad, p.b.u.h., which can
be seen from the ample and relevant supporting bibliography.
All this indicates that we have here an author of considerable
scholarly and professional credibility.
The fifth characteristic is that the author does not approach
this work as a scholar only, providing arguments, quoting
ample literature and applying the required scholarly meth-
odology in its writing. A reader can strongly feel the author’s
enormous love for Allah’s Messenger, p.b.u.h. It is owing to
this subtle and inspiring love that two books about this great
Prophet appeared in the Bosnian language in a short period
of time as hafiz Halilović was involved in both undertakings.
In 2006, together with Dr. Mehmed Kico, Safvet Halilović
translated an extraordinary study by Muhammad Rawwas
Qal’ahji, Ličnost posljednjeg Allahovog Poslanika (The Last
Messenger of Allah), and in that way heralded a more com-
prehensive personal work on the biography of Prophet Mu-
hammad, p.b.u.h.!11
11
The book was published in 2006 by El-Kalem publishing house
from Sarajevo and the Faculty of Islamic Pedagogy, Zenica, Bosnia-
Herzegovina.

18
 FOREWORD

It can be said that Professor Halilović’s work is like a most

beautiful multicolored carpet whose every thread carries an
identifiable and important detail. In the manner of a connois-
seur, experienced writer and ingenious virtuoso, the author
has successfully harmonized the colors and patterns of the
carpet and emphasized the most important from the abun-
dance of very important events of the Noble Prophet’s era so
convincingly that they become imprinted in reader’s memory
very quickly. He has not done it in a conceited, artificial or
reluctant manner, but with utmost subtlety, grace and wit.
We should also note that this book has twenty-three chap-
ters, corresponding to the twenty-three years of Muhammad’s
prophethood.
The first edition of this biography of the Prophet, p.b.u.h.,
was published in 2007 and its fourth, enlarged edition has ap-
peared recently, which is the best indication of its success with
readers. We can now also read it in translation into the Eng-
lish language. We highly recommend this book to every reader
who wishes to learn in detail about the life of the man who was
sent as a mercy unto all beings, as the Noble Qur’an reads.
We also hope that this book will serve as the best guide to
the practicing believers on how to stay in harmony with the
noble Sunnah, or practice of Allah’s Messenger, p.b.u.h., given
that his biography constitutes one of the sources of the Sun-
nah, as it reflects all stages of his prophetic mission. To other
readers it will provide sufficient information so that they may
begin to reflect on Allah’s Prophet Muhammad, p.b.u.h., with-
out bias.
We recommend this truly valuable and fully corroborated
text to everyone, especially to students, who will, hopefully,
find it to be a useful textbook from which they will learn about
Muhammad, p.b.u.h., the last Messenger of Allah.

Professor Dr. Šefik Kurdić

19
 1. THE SIGNIFICANCE OF STUDYING THE
PROPHET’S LIFE

Muhammad, p.b.u.h., is the last Messenger of Allah, the

Exalted, who chose Muhammad to convey His message and
guidance to mankind. Prophet Muhammad, p.b.u.h., is the
greatest mercy and blessing sent by the Lord of the Worlds.
As the messenger of the word and guidance of Allah, Mu-
hammad, p.b.u.h., is a role model to mankind in all aspects of
life. For that reason it is very important for every individual
to be familiar with the life of the Prophet; for Muslims, be-
cause they cannot be proper believers unless they look up to
him and his life as an example to follow; for non-Muslims,
because they should familiarize themselves with his life and
mission before making any conclusion about him.
Allah, swt, sent Muhammad, p.b.u.h., as a mercy to all
people to lead them toward the Guidance (It was only as a
mercy that We sent you [Prophet] to all people. Qur’an, 21:107).
However, the Guidance shall be accepted only by those who
are prepared and willing, although mercy is bestowed on
believers and non-believers alike. The program with which
Muhammad came is for the happiness of all mankind and
leads to perfection in this life. Its value lies in its balance and
harmony; it neither torments the body in order to elevate the
spirit nor neglects the spirit for the sake of physical pleasure;
it neither imposes restrictions on the abilities of an individu-
al and his healthy natural desires for the sake of the interests
of a community or a state, nor allows an absolute freedom to

21
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

an individual’s deviant whims and passions at the expense of

a community’s safety, nor subordinates a community to the
pleasures of an individual or a group. Mankind needs such
freshness and mercy nowadays more than ever before, be-
cause it is troubled and disoriented and has lost its way in
the wasteland of materialism, the mayhem of wars and the
dryness of souls and hearts.12
Since man is a creature with body and soul, human life is
divided into two different poles: the material and the spir-
itual. The fundamental question is how to strike a balance
between these two poles, that is, in which way to balance
man’s material (physical) and spiritual needs. The one who
succeeds in it has indeed achieved an ideal way of life.
A leader of men would undoubtedly have to find a balance
between these poles and his own life should serve as an exam-
ple to others. As a person, Muhammad, p.b.u.h., represents a
perfect balance between the matter and the spirit, a complete
harmony between body and soul, virtue and knowledge, am-
bition and ability. The greatness and success of Prophet Mu-
hammad, p.b.u.h., lie in the fact that, having been inspired
and instilled with the teachings of the Qur’an, he was able
to find his own place in this material world, which lives its
own life, to harmonize his ambitions and endeavors with the
order and laws governing that world and to apply the Word
of God in the most appropriate manner. Open and oriented
with all his being toward the Absolute Truth, he was, at the
same time, equally open and oriented toward this world that
is but a reflection and sign of that Truth. The balance, unity
and harmony are the fundamental characteristics of Prophet
Muhammad’s personality, deeds and path. They also con-
stitute an important characteristic of the teachings of Islam
12
See more in Sayyid Qutb, U okrilju Kur’ana (In the Shade of the Qur’an),
Sarajevo, Faculty of Islamic Studies, 1999, XVII, pp. 71-73.

22
 1. THE SIGNIFICANCE OF STUDYING THE PROPHET’S LIFE

and the meaning of the Qur’anic verse (ayah) emphasizing

the mediating role of Muslims. As a community of the mid-
dle way (ummatan wasatan), Muslims endeavor to maintain
balance between spirit and matter, body and soul, heart and
reason, virtue and knowledge, this life and the afterlife, death
and life, individual and society, the personal and the univer-
sal, words and deeds.13

Reasons to Study Prophet Muhammad’s Life

History offers a multitude of examples of kings, scholars
and other extraordinary persons whose lives could serve as
role models. Given this, it is legitimate to ask why one should
study the life of Muhammad, a man like so many others, who
died fourteen centuries ago, especially in the view of science
which has made an unbelievable progress ever since and liv-
ing conditions which have been completely transformed.
Dr. Muhammad Hamidullah provided an extensive and
thorough answer to this question in his famous book Mu-
hammed, alejhisselam, život i djelo (translation to the Bosnian
language of the French original entitled Le Prophète de l’Islam,
sa vie, son œuvre). We shall present a summary of his consid-
erations because of their universal and current relevance.14
As far as Muslims are concerned, the answer to that ques-
tion is clear – the one who does not follow the path of the
13
Husein Đozo, Islam u vremenu (Islam in Time), pp. 48-49. See also:
Muhammad Rawwas Qal’ahji, Ličnost posljednjeg Allahovog poslan-
ika (The Last Messenger of Allah), translated from Arabic by Safvet
Halilović and Mehmed Kico, Sarajevo, El-Kalem, 2006, Foreword to
the Bosnian Edition, pp. 5-6.
14
See: Muhammed Hamidullah, Muhammed, alejhisselam, život i djelo
(Le Prophète de l’Islam, sa vie, son œuvre), Sarajevo, 1983, Second
Edition, I, pp. 27-29. See also: Muhammed Hamidullah, Muhammad
Rasulullah, A Concise Survey of the Life and Work of the Founder of
Islam, Hyderabad-Deccan, 1974.

23
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

Prophet, p.b.u.h., cannot be a Muslim. Therefore, in order to

be able to follow that path it is necessary to first familiarize
oneself with the life, personality and deeds of the Prophet.
And it is good to remind the non-Muslims of certain facts:
1. The chief source of Islam, the Noble Qur’an, was re-
corded under the personal supervision of Prophet Muham-
mad, p.b.u.h., owing to which it has been preserved for the
coming generations in its authentic form. Unlike the other
founders of various religions, Prophet Muhammad, p.b.u.h.,
came up with a great idea: Not only would he communicate
to his people the divine revelations and commandments, but
would also dictate them to scribes. Owing to this fact, his
teachings have been preserved in the original form.
2. Prophet Muhammad, p.b.u.h., did not claim that he was
the only one who had been sent down to mankind; on the
contrary, he asserted clearly that Allah, swt, had earlier sent
down similar messengers to almost all nations. In the No-
ble Qur’an, Muhammad is commanded: Say, ‘I am nothing
new among God’s messengers …’ (46:9) Prophet Muhammad,
p.b.u.h., mentioned some of those messengers by name, such
as Adam (Adem), Noah (Nuh), Abraham (Ibrahim), Moses,
David and Jesus, peace be upon them.
For himself Muhammad, p.b.u.h., kept only the role of the
restorer of the Eternal Truth and the teachings of the pre-
ceding Messengers which had been distorted and devoid of
authenticity over centuries due to many a turmoil and war
and other reasons.
3. From the onset of his mission, Muhammad, p.b.u.h.,
addressed the whole humankind. He did not restrict himself
to a particular era or a particular nation, nor did he tolerate
racial or class inequality. He proclaimed an absolute equal-
ity of all people: People, We created you all from a single man
and a single woman, and made you into races and tribes so

24
 1. THE SIGNIFICANCE OF STUDYING THE PROPHET’S LIFE

that you should recognize one another. In God’s eyes, the most
honoured of you are the ones most mindful of Him. (49:13)
4. The history of mankind abounds with examples of great
kings, conquerors, reformers and ascetics. However, the ma-
jority of them acted in one capacity only. It was rarely the case
that different capacities were combined in one person, and
this is exactly what is so special about Muhammad, p.b.u.h.,
who practiced what he preached, so his teaching is balanced
by his own experience.
5. The life of Muhammad, p.b.u.h., was impeccable. He
started from naught, in a society divided by inter-tribal con-
flicts and wars, but some ten years later he founded a state
spreading on three million square kilometers, encompassing
the whole Arabian Peninsula and the southern parts of Persia
and Palestine. As a military leader, Muhammad demonstrat-
ed great aptitude. In the military campaigns in which he par-
ticipated there were only a few hundred casualties on both the
Muslim and the adversary sides. That is a unique case in the
history of warfare, usually characterized by mass casualties.
The Prophet, p.b.u.h., achieved a tremendous success in his
lifetime, which was demonstrated by the gathering of more
than a hundred thousand people whom he addressed on Mt.
Arafah during his Farewell Pilgrimage in 10 AH.15 It should
be borne in mind that there were many Muslims who stayed
at home and were not present at the Farewell Pilgrimage,
which means that the Muslim community comprised several
hundred thousand persons at the time of the Prophet.

15
AH -- abbreviation for Anno Hejirae, or the year of Hijra, Prophet
Muhammad’s migration from Mecca to Medina in 622 CE. The event
marks the beginning of the Islamic calendar, which is a lunar calendar
of twelve months. See more in Cyril Glassé, The Concise Encyclopedia of
Islam, Harper and Row, San Francisco, 1989, pp. 81-84.

25
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

6. Muhammad, p.b.u.h., did not place himself above the

laws he imposed to the faithful. On the contrary, he gave
alms, fasted and prayed more prayers than he asked from his
followers. He was just and gracious, even toward the bitterest
enemies in wartime and peacetime alike.
7. The teaching of Muhammad, p.b.u.h., concerns all walks
of life - faith, spiritual life, ethics, economy and politics. In
short, everything that concerns the individual and the col-
lective, as well as the spiritual and the secular life, as he per-
sonally participated in all of them.
For all these reasons, it would be beneficial if even non-
Muslims studied the life of Prophet Muhammad, p.b.u.h.,
before passing a judgment on him and the tenets of the reli-
gion he called for - Islam. As far as Muslims are concerned,
according to the Qur’an, they cannot be true believers unless
they look up to the life and work of the Messenger of Allah,
p.b.u.h. Let us heed the messages in the following verses of
the Noble Qur’an:

The Messenger of God is an excellent model for those of you

who put your hope in God and the Last Day and remember
Him often. (33:21)

Whoever obeys the Messenger obeys God. (4:80)

The meaning of this verse is that obedience to Muham-

mad constitutes obedience to Allah and, consequently, diso-
bedience to him constitutes disobedience to Allah.

Accept whatever the Messenger gives you, and abstain from

whatever he forbids you. (59:7)

26
 1. THE SIGNIFICANCE OF STUDYING THE PROPHET’S LIFE

Those who go against his order should beware lest a trial

afflict them or they receive a painful punishment. (24:63)
By your Lord, they will not be true believers until they let
you decide between them in all matters of dispute, and find
no resistance in their souls to your decisions, accepting them
totally. (4:65)

These verses from the Qur’an clearly point out that believ-
ers are obliged to follow the example of Allah’s Messenger
since that is the path toward achieving the true happiness in
this world and Allah’s pleasure and grace in the Hereafter. To
be able to do so, believers should familiarize themselves with
the life of Allah’s Prophet. For that reason, studying of his
biography is a religious duty of Muslims. Therefore, study-
ing Prophet Muhammad’s biography is vitally important for
every believer, as, according to the Qur’an, the Prophet is the
role model the believers should look up to.
A detailed knowledge of the Prophet’s biography is espe-
cially necessary for anyone who wishes to get to know and
properly understand the Islamic law (Sharia), particularly for
those who explain the faith and call on people to embrace it,
such as Muslim religious teachers, scholars, leaders and mis-
sionaries. They must be well-versed in the Prophet’s biogra-
phy, and to achieve it, they need to study his life in detail and
read numerous works on the subject. That will enable them
to present Islam and Sharia to others as a sanctuary where
they could seek salvation in face of adversities.

27
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

The Prophet’s Biography and Contemporary Age

The need to know the facts of the Prophet’s life and under-
stand the values he promoted is particularly great in this age
in which a contemporary man, exposed to materialism and
other destructive ideologies, has constantly been losing, more
than ever, the core quality that makes him a human being, his
humanity, that is, fine and humane behavior, called insaniyya
in Islamic sources. And when a man loses humanity, that is
extremely dangerous, not only for mankind, but for all the
other creatures on planet Earth as well. We witness a general
commotion and corruption (what the Qur’an calls fasad) on
the land and sea alike, which is a direct consequence of the
failure to follow the path that Muhammad, the last Messen-
ger of God, called to. According to the Qur’an, Muhammad,
p.b.u.h., is a mercy sent to all people, so it is important to fa-
miliarize oneself with his life to attain that mercy.
The problems of modern man have been treated in a mul-
titude of books and studies written around the world. One
such author, Dr. Javed Jamil, wrote about it in a very con-
vincing and inspiring manner in his article Muhammad, the
Best Product of the Creation, from which we will quote some
excerpts. The whole article is available online.16
“We are living in a world where, thanks to the
designs of merchants, immorality reigns. Where it
is easier to be bad than good. Where wearing a scarf
is banned and baring the body is promoted. Where
being a wife or husband is outdated and being a bed
partner is smartness. Where piety is ridiculed and
impudence glorified. … We are living in a world
where children are aborted in the name of women’s
16
h
 ttp://www.irfi.org/articles/articles_2101_2150/muhammad%20%20
the%20best%20product%20of%20creationhtml.htm.

28
 1. THE SIGNIFICANCE OF STUDYING THE PROPHET’S LIFE

rights. Where murderers and rapists are protected in

the name of ‘right to life’. Where criminals are given
all amenities of life in the name of human rights.
Where sexual perverts receive all kinds of sympathy
and attention. Where those talking of righteousness
in life are condemned as ‘bloody moralists’. Where
the media do everything to change the choices of
the people, but if some reformer tries to warn them
against evils, he is dubbed as a retrogressive who
has no business to teach lessons of good behaviour
to the people. Alcohol, smoking, gambling and
unrestrained sex are considered to be the biggest
symbols of liberty; brothels, beaches, bars and
casinos the citadels of ‘freedom’. One third of the
total population of the world smokes, millions
of people take drugs, millions drink and gamble
and a sizeable percentage indulges in all forms of
unhealthy sexual behaviour, including promiscuity,
homosexuality, purchased sex. In short, we are
inhabitants of a world where the biggest virtue is
to openly indulge in the biggest sin; and the biggest
sin is to try to exhibit virtuousness. The globe of the
New World Order is therefore rapidly developing
into nothing but a fireball of chaos. It is hardly
surprising then that:

· More than 1 million people are murdered every

year (More than 240 million people lost lives in
wars in the last century);

· More than 2 million people commit suicide;

· More than 5 million people die of sex related

diseases …; more than 100 million suffer from

29
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

sexually transmitted diseases (42 million from

HIV/AIDS);

· More than 2.2 million die of alcohol related

problems; more than 100 million suffer from
alcohol related illnesses;

· More than 5 million die of smoking related

problems; more than 2.000 million people smoke;

· Hundreds of millions indulge in gambling; 500

million are now using Internet alone for gambling
(in the United States alone, 20 million people show
some signs of gambling addiction and 2 million
divorces had gambling as a significant factor);

· Tens of millions of women are in prostitution and

other sex related businesses (more than one million
Americans alone have served as prostitutes);

· More than 1.2 million children are exploited

annually in prostitution and other sex trades;

· More than 800 million watch pornography;

· Millions of homes are broken every year;

· Millions of women are raped every year; … the

total number of women who have been raped at
least once is in hundreds of millions;

· Sexual abuse of children is on the rise all over

the world; in many Western countries up to one
third of all people have been sexually abused in
their childhood;

30
 1. THE SIGNIFICANCE OF STUDYING THE PROPHET’S LIFE

· Drug addiction is also persistent; tens of millions

of people are addicted to harmful drugs;

· Civil wars, wars and riots for various reasons

are also not showing any remarkable decline,
consuming thousands of lives every year;

· Economic disparity between different countries

and people of the world and among the people
of the same countries is continuously growing;
poverty may be on the decline but relative poverty
is showing steep rise.”
The author then stresses that it is in this very backdrop
that Islam, in the form established by Prophet Muhammad,
has to play its role, since the whole social, legal, economic, ad-
ministrative, scientific, health and educational set-up all over
the world is founded on un-Islamic premises. He also notes
that everything that the Qur’an explicitly prohibits nowadays
destroys the social fabric everywhere, while international or-
ganisations, including the United Nations, the World Health
Organization, the World Trade Organization and Amnesty
International, have been dancing to the melody of globaliza-
tion, trampling, in the process, individual’s physical, mental
and spiritual health, family peace and social order.
Dr. Jamil finishes his article with a message that it is neces-
sary to fight the New World Order and establish the Natural
World Order, in accordance with the principles laid down by
the Book of God and implemented in the life of the Prophet.
The uniqueness of Muhammad’s mission was its totality, com-
prehensiveness and perfection. In order to change the world
in accordance with Islam and the Prophetic Mission, it is nec-
essary to find the best methods to apply its message in the
modern world. Muhammad’s revolution was not an ordinary

31
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

revolution; it was an ideological, intellectual, social, economic,

political, moral and spiritual revolution molded into one single
system based on the unity of mankind and the faith in the One
and Only God. From the human point of view, Muhammad
was a genius unparalleled in the history of mankind. Never-
theless, he was more than that; he was the Chosen One, chosen
not by human beings, but by the Exalted Creator. He was the
final destination in the evolution of conscious beings. There-
fore, the earlier the inhabitants of the globe recognize him as
the sole Role Model, the better it will be for them individually
as well as collectively, concludes Dr. Jamil.

Specific Qualities of the Prophet’s Biography

There are many qualities specific for the biography of the
Prophet, p.b.u.h. It is fair to say that each biographer focused
on certain characteristics of the Prophet’s biography, in lesser
or greater detail. This was emphasized by the well-known con-
temporary Syrian scholar, Dr. Mustafa al-Siba’i, in his small,
but very useful, work entitled al-Sirah al-nabawiyya, durus
wa ‘ibar (The Life of the Prophet: Highlights and Lessons). Due
to the importance and systematic nature of al-Siba’i’s writ-
ings, we shall provide a summary of his ideas.
One: A biography of a prophet or sirah (Arabic: al-sirah
al-nabawiyya or sirat al-rasul) is the most credible report on
the life of a prophet. It has been transmitted to us by the most
reliable traditions, which enables us to familiarize ourselves
with the life of Prophet Muhammad, p.b.u.h., accurately and
in detail and to distinguish what might have been added to
his biography in the course of time.
Generally speaking, the degree of reliability of the biogra-
phy of Prophet Muhammad, p.b.u.h., is such that it does not

32
 1. THE SIGNIFICANCE OF STUDYING THE PROPHET’S LIFE

leave any room for doubts, which is not the case with biog-
raphies of the previous prophets. For example, we have reli-
able reports about Moses, p.b.u.h., but they have been mixed
with Jewish tales and modifications so we cannot rely on the
existing Torah (or the Old Testament) if we wish to recreate
a credible biography of Moses. Many commentators, even in
the West, overtly doubt certain books of the Old Testament,
arguing that they were not recorded in Moses’ lifetime or im-
mediately after his death, but much later, and their author is
not identified. This is sufficient to doubt the authenticity of
Moses’ biography featuring in the Old Testament.
A similar problem arises with respect to the biography
of Jesus, p.b.u.h. The Gospels recognized by the Christian
Church were not recorded in Jesus’ lifetime, but much later.
Those particular Gospels were selected, without any sup-
porting scientific study, among hundreds of Gospels that had
been in the possession of Christians at the time. Likewise,
the authorship of these Gospels has not been established sci-
entifically, so it is hard to accept them without reservations.
These Gospels also do not have an uninterrupted chain of
transmitters (sanad muttasil) that goes back all the way to
the author. In addition, the Western commentators differ
with respect to the names of certain authors, their identity
and the century they lived in. All this casts a shadow of doubt
on the authenticity of the contents of the Gospels.
If that is the case with biographies of the great prophets
who are the key persons of the most widespread religions of
the world, it is logical that the biographies of the founders
of other, minor religions and schools of philosophy (like the
Buddha and Confucius) shall be even less credible. The tradi-
tions their followers transmit do not have substantial schol-
arly bases. The priests pass them on from one to another,
every new generation adding a bit of superstition and myths

33
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

which are unacceptable to rational minds, free of religious

fanaticism.
We, thus, realize that the most authentic and reliable biog-
raphy is the biography of Prophet Muhammad, p.b.u.h.
Two: All stages of Muhammad’s life have been described
clearly, from the marriage of his father Abdullah with his
mother Aminah until his own death. The biographies of the
Messenger of Allah, p.b.u.h., provide detailed information
about his birth, childhood, youth, sources of income before
the prophethood, travels outside of Mecca. The information
about the Prophet becomes even more precise and detailed
from the moment he starts receiving the Revelation, which is
why the famous US historian Philip Hitti said that Muham-
mad, p.b.u.h., was “the only one of the world prophets to be
born within the full light of history”, alluding to the precise
information about his life from the cradle to the grave. We
cannot find anything similar in the biographies of the ear-
lier prophets. We do not have a complete picture of Moses,
p.b.u.h., as we do not know anything about his childhood,
youth and way of life before the prophethood and we know
just a little about him during the prophethood. The same is
the case with Jesus, p.b.u.h., about whose childhood we do
not know anything beyond the reference in the existing Gos-
pels about him entering the Jewish Temple and engaging in
a discussion with Jewish rabbis. This is the only event from
his childhood that is referred to. What we know about Jesus,
p.b.u.h., during his prophethood is only what is most strictly
related to his missionary work, but we know very little about
how he lived. His life path is clouded in a thick haze.
On the other hand, Prophet Muhammad’s complete life
is recorded in detail and transmitted reliably. His biography
includes not only the details regarding the religious practice
(ibadah), but many other details as well, such as the physical

34
 1. THE SIGNIFICANCE OF STUDYING THE PROPHET’S LIFE

appearance of the Prophet, p.b.u.h., his diet, the way he was

sitting and standing, his sleep, walk, clothes, physiognomy,
the manner of speech and behavior toward his family, neigh-
bors, relatives, friends and foes. Moreover, the Companions
of the Prophet (sahaba), who conveyed to us the Prophet’s
life, went into such small detail, they even mentioned the
number of white hairs in the Prophet’s beard and hair.
Three: Biographies of the Messenger of God, p.b.u.h.,
record the traditions about the man whom Allah, swt, hon-
ored with prophetic mission, but they do not attempt to strip
him off his human nature or link his life to myths. The sirahs
do not attribute divine characteristics to the Prophet in any
way. When that is compared with what Christians say about
Jesus, Buddhists about the Buddha and polytheists about
their deities, the difference between the biography of Prophet
Muhammad, p.b.u.h., and the biographies of the referenced
persons becomes obvious. The result is a weak influence of
these persons on their followers’ social and private lives. At-
tributing divine nature to Jesus and the Buddha makes them
an unattainable ideal in an ordinary person’s private and
public life. Contrary to that, Muhammad, p.b.u.h., has re-
mained a realistic human role model and the best example to
everyone who wants to live happily and honestly, deep down
in his heart, in his family and society. Therefore Allah tells
in His Book: The Messenger of God is an excellent model for
those of you who put your hope in God and the Last Day and
remember Him often. (33:21)

Four: The Prophet’s biography encompasses all aspects of

human life. It tells us of Muhammad, p.b.u.h., as an honest
and reliable young man even before he received the Revelation.
Then it tells us about a missionary seeking the best methods of
calling into faith in order for it to be accepted. It then reports

35
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

about him as a ruler enacting the most just and efficient laws in
his state. In that biography we read about a gentle husband and
a loving father of immaculate manners, aware of his rights and
duties as a husband and a parent. We then read about a teacher
and an educator caring about the education of his Compan-
ions and the community and generously giving to them a part
of himself and his spirit, as a result of which the Companions
followed him with respect to all matters of life, minor and ma-
jor alike. His followers love him as they love themselves, more
than they love their own families and relatives. That biography
also tells us about the Prophet as a courageous warrior, victori-
ous leader, successful politician, reliable neighbor and a man
who keeps his promises.
In a nutshell, the biography of Muhammad, p.b.u.h., en-
compasses all aspects of human life, which makes him a
great model to every leader, father, husband, friend, educa-
tor, politician, state president. That is unique, as it is not con-
tained in the biography of any other prophet, founder of a
religion or a philosophy, in ancient or more recent history.
Moses, p.b.u.h., is an example of a leader who rescued his
people from slavery and gave them certain laws and princi-
ples. However, we do not find anything in his biography that
would make him a role model to warriors, educators, poli-
ticians, presidents, parents and husbands. The same can be
said about Jesus, p.b.u.h. He was an ascetic missionary who
shunned the pleasures of this world and never possessed any
house or property. His biography, as preserved by Christians,
does not refer to him as a war-time leader, head of a state,
parent or husband, since, unlike Prophet Muhammad, Jesus
never married or headed a state.
This also applies to the Buddha, Confucius, Aristotle,
Plato, Napoleon and other leading figures in the history of
humankind. They cannot serve as universal role-models, but
can perhaps be regarded as models in one walk of life only,

36
 1. THE SIGNIFICANCE OF STUDYING THE PROPHET’S LIFE

the one in which they stood out and which made them fa-
mous. The only historical figure that can serve as a paragon
to people of different orientations is Muhammad, p.b.u.h.
Five: The biography of the Prophet, p.b.u.h., provides
an irrefutable proof of the truthfulness of his mission and
prophethood. That is a complete biography of a man who
went from one victory to the next owing to the strength of
his call, not owing to myths and miracles, but in a purely
natural way. We see that he was on his own in the beginning,
that he invited to faith, found supporters, struggled and ul-
timately triumphed. When the time of his death came, the
whole Arabian Peninsula believed in his calling by convic-
tion, not as a result of coercion or military defeat. Whoever is
familiar with the customs and beliefs of Arabs of that era and
with everything that they opposed the Prophet’s call with,
including an assassination attempt, whoever is familiar with
the fact that the Prophet did not pay his troops in any of the
battles he won, and whoever bears in mind the short span
of only twenty-three years of his mission, will undoubtedly
realize that Muhammad, p.b.u.h., is indeed a Messenger of
God and that the steadfastness, strength, influence and tri-
umph that Allah gave him were a result of his prophethood.
In other words, would Allah the Exalted have helped in such
an unprecedented way someone who had lied about Him?
Thus the biographies of Muhammad, p.b.u.h., provide a ra-
tional proof of the truthfulness of his prophethood.
The Messenger of Allah, p.b.u.h., could not take another
course in life but the one ordained by the unchangeable laws
of nature – the course of struggle and endeavors. Although
he was Allah’s favorite, the Prophet, p.b.u.h., nevertheless had
to undergo all kinds of tribulations in life. He paid for every
success with struggle and sacrifice, since success cannot be
accomplished in any other way.

37
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

What the Leading World Figures Said About Prophet

Muhammad
When speaking about Muhammad, p.b.u.h., and the im-
portance of studying his biography, it is useful to note what
the great minds in history said about him. In this chapter
we will quote some leading figures who stood in awe at the
magnificent personality of Allah’s Messenger Muhammad,
p.b.u.h., despite the fact that they did not convert to Islam.
In their works, they pointed at the truth recorded firmly in
history. They held Muhammad in high esteem primarily be-
cause mankind achieved the highest level of moral and civili-
zational progress owing to his deeds. Many authors admired
him for this so much that they composed works about the
exemplary personality of the Prophet, p.b.u.h. The selection
that follows makes up just a small fraction of what such au-
thors said about the Prophet’s extraordinary qualities.17

Mahatma Gandhi
“I wanted to know the best of the life of one who holds
today an undisputed sway over the hearts of millions of man-
kind.... I became more than ever convinced that it was not the
sword that won a place for Islam in those days in the scheme
of life. It was the rigid simplicity, the utter self-effacement of
the Prophet, the scrupulous regard for pledges, his intense
devotion to his friends and followers, his intrepidity, his fear-
lessness, his absolute trust in God and in his own mission.
These and not the sword carried everything before them and
surmounted every obstacle. When I closed the second vol-
ume (of the Prophet’s biography), I was sorry there was not
more for me to read of that great life.”18
17
The statements quoted in this section downloaded from
www.islamonline.net. The text was compiled by Mahmud Ahmed Ismail
and the title of the original is Ma’a al-Habib (With Allah’s Favorite).
18
Mahatma Gandhi is a famous Indian leader and freedom fighter. He wrote

38
 1. THE SIGNIFICANCE OF STUDYING THE PROPHET’S LIFE

Michael H. Hart, US author

“My choice of Muhammad to lead the list of the world’s
most influential persons may surprise some readers and may
be questioned by others, but he was the only man in history
who was supremely successful on both the religious and sec-
ular levels.
… Muhammad played a far more important role in the
development of Islam than Jesus did in the development of
Christianity. Although Jesus was responsible for the main
ethical and moral precepts of Christianity (insofar as these
differed from Judaism), it was St. Paul who was the main de-
veloper of Christian theology, its principal proselytizer, and
the author of a large portion of the New Testament. Muham-
mad, however, was responsible for both the theology of Is-
lam and its main ethical and moral principles. In addition,
he played the key role in proselytizing the new faith, and in
establishing the religious practices of Islam.
Furthermore, Muhammad (unlike Jesus) was a secular as
well as a religious leader. In fact, as the driving force behind
the Arab conquests, he may well rank as the most influential
political leader of all time. … It is this unparalleled combina-
tion of secular and religious influence which I feel entitles
Muhammad to be considered the most influential single fig-
ure in human history.”19

Leo Tolstoy, Russian writer20

“It suffices Muhammad for pride that he was able to res-
cue a humiliated and bloody people from the devil of blame-
this article about Prophet Muhammad for the Young India journal.
19
Michael H. Hart, The 100: A Ranking of The Most Influential Persons in
History, New York: Hart Publishing Company, Inc., 1978, p. 33.
20
Leo Tolstoy (1828-1910) is a world famous writer whose works are
considered the best study of human soul in the world literature.

39
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

worthy habits and opened to them the way of development

and progress. Islamic law will prevail in the world because it
agrees with reason and wisdom.”

Alphonse de Lamartine, French Writer and Politician

“If greatness of purpose, smallness of means, and as-
tounding results are the three criteria of human genius, who
would dare compare any great man in modern history with
Muhammad. The most famous men created arms, laws, and
empires only. They founded, if anything at all, no more than
material powers which often crumbled away before their eyes.
This man moved not only armies, legislations, empires, peo-
ples, dynasties, but millions of men in one-third of the then
inhabited world; and more than that, he moved the altars, the
gods, the religions, the ideas, the beliefs and the souls.
His life, his meditations, his heroic revilings against the
superstitions of his country, and his boldness in defying the
furies of idolatry, his firmness in enduring them for thirteen
years at Makkah [Mecca], his acceptance of the role of public
scorn and almost of  being a victim of his fellow countrymen:
all these and finally, his migration, his incessant preaching,
his wars against odds, his faith in his success and his super-
human security in misfortune, his forbearance in victory, his
ambition, which was entirely devoted to one idea and in no
manner striving for an empire, his endless prayers, his mys-
tic conversations with God, his death and his triumph after
death; all these attest not to an imposture but to a firm con-
viction which gave him the power to restore a dogma. This
dogma was twofold, the unity of God and the immateriality
of God; the former telling what God is, the latter telling what
God is not ....

40
 1. THE SIGNIFICANCE OF STUDYING THE PROPHET’S LIFE

Philosopher, orator, apostle, legislator, warrior, conqueror

of ideas, restorer of rational dogma, of a cult without images;
the founder of twenty terrestrial empires and of one spir-
itual empire, that is Muhammad. As regards all standards
by which human greatness may be measured, we may ask, is
there any greatest man than he?”21

William Montgomery Watt, Scottish Historian

“His readiness to undergo persecution for his beliefs, the
high moral character of the men who believed in him and
looked up to him as a leader, and the greatness of his ultimate
achievement - all argue his fundamental integrity. To sup-
pose Muhammad an impostor raises more problems than it
solves.” 22

Reginald Bosworth Smith, English Author

“Head of the State as well as of the Church, he was Caesar
and Pope in one; but he was Pope without the Pope’s pre-
tensions, and Caesar without the legions of Caesar. Without
a standing army, without a body-guard, without a palace,
without a fixed revenue, if ever any man had the right to say
21
Alphonse de Lamartine, Histoire de la Turquie, Paris, 1854, vol. II, pp.
276-277.
22
W. Montgomery Watt, Mohammad at Mecca, Oxford, 1953, p. 52. Watt
often expressed favorable views on Islam and Muslims, as the one that
can be found in his book Islam and Christianity Today, London, 1983,
p. IX: “I am not a Muslim in the usual sense, though I hope I am a
‘Muslim’ as ‘one surrendered to God’, but I believe that embedded in
the Quran and other expressions of the Islamic vision are vast stores
of divine truth from which I and other occidentals have still much to
learn. Islam is certainly a strong contender for the supplying of the
basic framework of the one religion of the future.”

41
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

that he ruled by a right Divine, it was Mohammed, for he

had all the power without its instruments and without its
supports.”23

Edward Gibbon and Simon Ockley, British Historian

and British Orientalist
“It is not the propagation but the permanency of his re-
ligion that deserves our wonder: the same pure and perfect
impression which he [Muhammad] engraved at Mecca and
Medina, is preserved, after the revolutions of twelve centu-
ries, by the Indian, the African and the Turkish proselytes of
the Koran.”24

George Bernard Shaw, British playwright

“The world is in the utmost need of a man with the men-
tality of Muhammad. I have always held the religion of Mu-
hammad in high estimation because of its wonderful vital-
ity. It is the only religion which appears to me to possess the
assimilating capacity to changing phase of existence, which
can make itself appeal to every age. If any religion had the
chance of ruling over England, nay Europe, within the next
hundred years, it could be Islam.
The medieval ecclesiastics, either through ignorance or
bigotry, painted Muhammadanism in the darkest colours. …
23
R. Bosworth Smith, Mohammed and Mohammedanism, London, 1874,
p. 92.
24
Gibbon, Edward, History of the Saracen Empire. Ockley, Simon, History
of the Saracens, London, Alex Murray and Son, 1870, p 54.

42
 1. THE SIGNIFICANCE OF STUDYING THE PROPHET’S LIFE

To them Muhammad was Anti-Christ. But I have studied his

life, and found him to be extraordinary. I have reached the
conclusion that he was never an enemy to Christianity. He
must be called the Saviour of Humanity. I believe that if a
man like him were to assume the dictatorship of the modern
world he would succeed in solving its problems in a way that
would bring it the much-needed peace and happiness.”25

Annie Besant, British Theosophist and Women’s

Rights Activist
“It is impossible for anyone who studies the life and char-
acter of the great Prophet of Arabia, who knows how he taught
and how he lived, to feel anything but reverence for that
mighty Prophet, one of the great messengers of the Supreme.
And although in what I now put to you I shall say things
which may be familiar to many, yet I myself feel, whenever I
re-read them, a new way of admiration, a new sense of rever-
ence to that mighty Arabian Teacher.
But do you mean to tell me that the man who in the full
flush of youthful vigour, a young man of four and twenty,
married a woman much his senior, and remained faithful to
her for six and twenty years, at fifty years of age when the
passions are dying married for lust and sexual passion? (Not
thus are men’s lives to be judged.) And you look at the women
whom he married, you will find that by every one of them an
alliance was made for his people, or something was gained for
his followers, or the woman was in sore need of protection.” 26

25
George Bernard Shaw in paper entitled Muhammad, burnt by the
British authorities.
26
Annie Besant, The Life and Teachings of Muhammad, Madras, 1932, p. 4.

43
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

2. SOURCES OF THE PROPHET’S

BIOGRAPHY

There is not anyone in the history of mankind whose life

has been studied to such an extent, by followers and oppo-
nents alike, as has been the life of Muhammad, p.b.u.h.
Hundreds of books have been written about his life. Mus-
lims and non-Muslims, the ones who love him and the ones
who hate him, have all written about his life and personal-
ity.
These works are worth to the extent to which they are
based on historical facts and, consequently, impartial in their
conclusions, all of which depend considerably on the sources
that their authors used.
Numerous are the sources of the life of the Prophet,
p.b.u.h., the most important and reliable being:
1) the Noble Qur’an,
2) the Hadith,
3) the Arabic poetry from the time of the Prophet,
p.b.u.h., and
4) biographies of the Prophet, p.b.u.h. 27
We will deal with these sources in more detail in the text
below.

27
See: Mustafa al-Siba’i, Poslanikov životni put (The Life of the Prophet:
Highlights and Lessons), pp. 11-14; Muhammed Hamidullah,
Muhammed, alejhisselam - život i djelo (Le Prophète de l’Islam, sa vie,
son œuvre), I, pp. 32-33.

44
 2. SOURCES OF THE PROPHET’S BIOGRAPHY

The First Source: The Noble Qur’an

The Qur’an is the speech of Allah, swt, revealed to Mu-
hammad, p.b.u.h., to communicate it to the whole mankind.
The Qur’an was revealed to the Prophet, p.b.u.h., gradually
over the period of twenty-three years. The revelation of the
Qur’an followed his life and the circumstances surrounding
him and the first community of Muslims. This is why the
Qur’an represents the primary source of information about
the Prophet’s life.
The Qur’an refers to the Prophet, p.b.u.h., repeatedly, in-
cluding a reference to his childhood. Did He not find you an
orphan and shelter you? Did He not find you lost and guide
you? (93:6-7) Reference is also made to his high ethics: Truly
you have a strong character. (68:4)
The Qur’an also refers to the hardship and sufferings that
the Prophet, p.b.u.h., experienced while calling people to Is-
lam: Yet perchance, if they believe not in this tiding, thou wilt
consume thyself, following after them, of grief. (18:6)
So [Prophet] are you going to abandon some part of what is
revealed to you, and let your heart be oppressed by it, because
they say, ‘Why is no treasure sent down to him? Why has no
angel come with him?’? You are only there to warn; it is God
who is in charge of everything. (11:12)
The Qur’an also makes reference to the allegations by the
pagans that the Prophet, p.b.u.h., is possessed, that he deals
in witchcraft, that he is instructed by some people.
The disbelievers almost strike you down with their looks
when they hear the Qur’an. They say, ‘He must be mad!’ but
truly it is nothing other than a Reminder for all peoples. (68:51-
52)
They say, ‘Receiver of this Qur’an! You are definitely mad.
(15:6)

45
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

Alif Lam Ra. These are the verses of the wise Book. Is it
so surprising to people that We have revealed to a man from
among them that he should warn people, and give glad news
to those who believe, that they are on a sure footing with their
Lord? [Yet] those who disbelieve say, ‘This man is clearly a
sorcerer.’(10:1-2)
We know very well that they say, ‘It is a man who teaches
him,’ 28 but the language of the person they allude to is foreign,
while this revelation is in clear Arabic. (16:103)
The Qur’an also makes references to the Prophet’s fam-
ily life and wives, his most important military campaigns,
such as the Battle of Badr, the Battle of Uhud, the Treaty of
Hudaybiyyah, the liberation of Mecca and Hunayn. It also
refers to some miracles performed by Muhammad, p.b.u.h.,
such as Isra’ and Mi’raj (Muhammad’s night journey from
Mecca to Jerusalem and subsequent ascent to Heaven). In a
nutshell, the Qur’an refers to many events from the Prophet’s
life. Given the fact that the Noble Qur’an has been transmit-
ted to the succeeding generations by way of the mutawatir
tradition, or, the tradition that is beyond any doubt as there
is such a great number of transmitters in every generation
that the authenticity of the transmitted message cannot be
doubted, it is clear that what the Qur’an says about the life
of the Prophet, p.b.u.h., is the most credible reference to the
matter.
It should be noted that the Qur’an provides only a general
reference to the events in the Prophet’s life without giving
much detail. For example, when a reference is made to a bat-

28
This is an allusion to the pagans’ allegation that the Prophet, p.b.u.h.,
was taught by a Greek blacksmith who forged swords in Mecca. The
Qur’an denies this allegation, repeated throughout history by many
Christian authors, who claimed that the Prophet, p.b.u.h., had been
taught by someone.

46
 2. SOURCES OF THE PROPHET’S BIOGRAPHY

tle, there is no mention of its causes, the number of com-

batants or the number of casualties on the Muslims’ or the
pagans’ side, but rather of the lessons drawn from the battle.
Generally speaking, this is typical of the Qur’anic accounts
of the ancient peoples and the messengers sent to them. For
that reason, if we wish to have a full picture of the Prophet’s
life, we cannot restrict ourselves to the Qur’anic narrative
only, but we need additional pieces of information as well,
which we can obtain from the other sources on the life of the
Prophet, p.b.u.h.

The Second Source: The Hadith

In Islamic tradition hadiths are reports on what the Proph-
et, p.b.u.h., said, did or (tacitly) approved. They also comprise
the sayings of the Companions describing the Prophet’s
physical appearance and morals.29
A hadith is, therefore, a detailed report about what the
Prophet said and did. Actually, that is the most detailed
source of information on the Prophet’s life and work. That
source has also been preserved faithfully owing to the enor-
mous efforts of the Islamic scholars, who developed a whole
number of disciplines called the Sciences of Hadith (‘ulum al-
hadith). These men meticulously recorded everything related
to the Prophet and his life, applying rigorous measures of
verification and protection of facts.
The hadiths of the Prophet, p.b.u.h., are recorded in nu-
merous Hadith collections, which bear different names de-
pending on the method applied by the author, such as sahih,
sunan, musnad, musannaf, and juz.
The most famous Hadith works, whose authenticity is rec-
29
See: Dr. Rajab Ibrahim Saqr, Manhaj al-tahdith fi ulum al-hadith, Cairo,
1984, p. 12. The whole body of hadith literature is known collectively
as the Hadith.

47
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

ognized in the Muslim world, are the Six Hadith Collections

(al-Kutubu al-sitta), comprising the respective Sahihs by al-
Bukhari and Muslim, and the respective Sunans by al-Tir-
midhi, Abu Dawud, al-Nasa’i and Ibn Majah. With another
three collections added, we refer to the Nine Hadith Collec-
tions (al-Kutubu al-tis’a). These are: Malik’s al-Muwatta’, Ah-
mad’s al-Musnad and al-Darimi’s Sunan. The relevant Ha-
dith literature also comprises al-Tabarani’s Mu’ jam (al-Ka-
bir, al-Awsat and al-Sagir), al-Haythami’s Majma’ al-zawa’id,
al-Bayhaqi’s Shu’ab al-iman, and al-Hakim’s Mustadrak.
These collections contain dozens of thousands of ha-
diths dealing with different aspects of the life of the Prophet,
p.b.u.h. They provide detailed information about the Proph-
et’s manner of speaking, movements, family, companions,
battles, events and the era he lived in. Based on the informa-
tion provided in these works we can form a detailed picture
of the Prophet, p.b.u.h., and his life. Particularly valuable is
the fact that these works have been transmitted to the later
generations by the connected chains of transmitters (asanid
muttasila) that go all the way back to the Prophet’s Compan-
ions, who spent their lives with him or near him, following
closely every deed or utterance of his. All of that has been
transmitted to the generations to come owing to the authors
of the aforementioned Hadith collections. With exception
to al-Bukhari’s and Muslim’s works, these collections may
contain a hadith or two whose chain of transmitters is weak
(da’if), but it is something the Hadith experts are aware of.

The Third Source: Arabic Poetry from the Time of the

Prophet, p.b.u.h.
It is commonly known that the pre-Islamic Arabs were
excellent orators and that poetry of that time was of an
outstanding quality. The Prophet, p.b.u.h., said: “Truly, in

48
 2. SOURCES OF THE PROPHET’S BIOGRAPHY

some poetry, there is wisdom, just as in some rhetoric there

is illusion.”30 According to some traditions, the Prophet lis-
tened to poetry and particularly appreciated certain poets,
like Hassan ibn Thabit and Ka’b ibn Zuhayr.31
Actually, Hassan ibn Thabit is also called sha’ir Rasulillah,
the poet of the Messenger of Allah, p.b.u.h. In his poetry he
defended the Prophet from the pagan poets’ attacks. There
were other poets who also did it, such as Abdullah ibn Raw-
wah and al-Khansa among others.
Arabic literary works contain much of that poetry in
which we can find plenty of information about the milieu in
which Allah’s Prophet Muhammad, p.b.u.h. lived.
Generally speaking, the Arabic poetry is very important
for an accurate understanding of many terms referred to
in the Qur’an and the Hadith.32 That is the reason why the
Prophet’s Companions and the second generation Muslims
frequently resorted to poetry when interpreting unusual and
difficult words in the Qur’an. Ibn Abbas remarked in that
respect: “Poetry is the archives of the Arabs (al-shi’r diwan
al-Arab). If something is unclear in the Qur’an, which Allah,
swt, revealed in their language, they turn to their archives

30
Reported by al-Bukhari in Sahih, X, p. 17, No. 5.444 by Ubayy ibn Ka’b;
al-Tirmidhi in Sunan, V, p. 137, No. 2.844 by Abdullah ibn Mas’ud; Abu
Dawud in Sunan, IV, p. 303, No. 5.011 by Ibn Abbas.
31
See: al-Jurjani, Dala’il al-i’jaz, Dar al-Manar, Cairo, p. 18.
32
See more in the author’s PhD dissertation entitled al-Imam Abu Bakr al-
Razi al-Jassas wa manhajuhu fi al-tafsir, Dar al-Salam, Cairo, 2001, pp.
338-353. See, also, the translation of the dissertation into the Bosnian
language, Metodologija tumačenja Kur’ana u hanefijskome mezhebu,
studija na primjeru El-Džessasovog tefsira Ahkam al-Qur’an (Propisi
Kur’ana) [The Methodology of Exegesis of the Qur’an in the Hanafi
Madhhab – A Case Study of al-Jassas’ Tafsir Ahkam al-Qur’an (Rules
from the Qur’an)], translated from Arabic by Dr. Mehmed Kico, Faculty
of Islamic Studies and El-Kalem, Sarajevo, 2004, p. 351 and onward.

49
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

and find the meaning.” He also said: “If you wish to ask me
about an unclear language point, you should turn to poetry,
since poetry is the archives of the Arabs.”33

The Fourth Source: Biographies of the Prophet, p.b.u.h.

Plenty of works have been written about the life of Mu-
hammad, p.b.u.h. To write a biography of the Messenger of
Allah, p.b.u.h., is a tremendously complex job involving a
high degree of responsibility. The author must be aware that,
in addition to material facts common to all mortals, the mes-
sengers of God also receive the Revelation and perform mira-
cles, which does not happen in the lives of ordinary people.
For that reason, the task of describing the life of God’s Mes-
senger, p.b.u.h., which combines different qualities, requires
exceptional qualities on the part of the biographer as well. In
order to be able to paint an unbiased picture, he must possess
a sincere wish to understand the person he portrays to the
smallest detail, which means that his motives and approach
must be free from prejudice.
The biographer must also be well-versed in the ancient
history of mankind to be able to evaluate the Prophet’s per-
sonal contribution to it, as well as in the international rela-
tions in the given era, to be able to trace the effects Prophet
Muhammad’s mission had on the world history. The biogra-
pher must also be knowledgeable in sociology to be able to
explain the effect that Muhammad had on the cultural and
civilizational upliftment of his followers; in literature, to ap-
preciate the exceptional artistic value of the Qur’an; in psy-
chology, to understand the transformation of his community
after its conversion to Islam.34
33
See: al-Zarkashi, al-Burhan fi ‘ulum al-Qur’an, Dar al-Ma’rifa, Beirut, I,
pp. 293-294.
34
See: Hamidullah, Muhammed alejhisselam - život i djelo (Le Prophète

50
 2. SOURCES OF THE PROPHET’S BIOGRAPHY

Muslims started writing biographies of their Prophet very

early in their history. Among the most famous writers of the
Prophet’s biographies or Sirahs are Muhammad ibn Ishaq
(died in 151 AH/768 CE)35 and al-Waqidi (died in 207 AH/822
CE).36 The former is the author of al-Sirah al-nabawiyya (Bi-
ography of the Prophet, p.b.u.h.), and the latter of al-Maghazi
al-nabawiyya (Military Campaigns of the Prophet, p.b.u.h.).
Ibn Ishaq’s Sirah was adapted by Ibn Hisham (died in 213
AH/828 CE)37. He systematized the Sirah, relieved it of a great

de l’Islam, sa vie, son œuvre), I, p. 31.

35
Muhammad ibn Ishaq ibn Yasar al-Muttalibi al-Madani (80-151
AH/699-768 CE), was a hafiz al-Hadith (the one who memorized the
Hadith) and one of the earliest historians of the Arabs. He was born
and grew up in Medina. He devoted his scholarly efforts to compile the
traditions about the life of the Prophet, p.b.u.h. Hafiz al-Dhahabi said
about him: “He was the first one to compile the traditions about the
Prophet’s military campaigns. He had a very broad knowledge span-
ning various subjects. As a rawi (transmitter), Ibn Ishaq is reliable and
great authorities on the Hadith took over from him.” For a more de-
tailed biography, see al-Dhahabi, Siyar a’alam al-nubala’, Mu’assasat al-
Risala, Beirut, 1983, VII, pp. 13-32; al-Dhahabi, Mizan al-i’tidal, Dar
al-ma’rifa, Beirut, III, pp. 468-475; al-Zirikli, al-A’alam, Dar al-’ilm li
al-malayin, Beirut, 1990, VI, p. 28.
36
Muhammad ibn ‘Umar ibn Waqid al-Sahmi al-Madani, Abu Abdullah
al-Waqidi (130-207 AH/747-822 CE), was one of the earliest histori-
ans of Islam and a hafiz al-Hadith. He was born in Medina. He moved
to Iraq during the reign of Caliph Harun al-Rashid and was a judge
in Baghdad. He wrote many works: al-Magazi al-nabawiyya, Futuh al-
Sham, Fath Ifriqiyya, Fath Misr wa al-Iskandariyya, Tarikh al-fuqaha’,
Kitab Siffin. See: al-Khatib al-Bagdadi, Tarikh Baghdad, al-Maktabah
al-salafiyya, Medina, III, pp. 3-21; al-Dhahabi, Tadhkirat al-huffaz,
Dar ihya’ al-turath al-’arabi, Beirut, I, p. 317; al-Zirikli, al-A’alam, VI,
p. 311.
37
Abd al-Malik ibn Hisham ibn Ayyub al-Himayri al-Mu’afiri, also
known as Ibn Hisham, a historian and a great connoisseur of genealogy,
philology and oral tradition. He was born and grew up in Basra and
died in Egypt. He authored many works, of which the most famous are

51
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

number of poetic verses, removed from the poetry the parts

he thought spoke in favor of the pagans, explained the unclear
terms from the oral tradition, commented on many verses
and terms of the Noble Qur’an which had been quoted by Ibn
Ishaq without any commentary or explanation, and also made
some other useful interventions, whereby he made the Sirah
so much more comprehensible that we nowadays still use that
adapted version. That is the reason why Ibn Hisham is credited
with that biography (Sirah Ibn Hisham – Ibn Hisham’s Sirah),
although Muhammad ibn Ishaq is its original author.38
Ibn Hisham’s Sirah is one of the oldest and most reliable
written biographies of the Messenger of Allah, p.b.u.h. Since
it is firmly founded on facts and comprehensive (as it cov-
ers the Prophet’s complete life), it was reprinted many times
across the Muslim world. Abridged editions of Ibn Hisham’s
Sirah have appeared in recent times. One such abridged ver-
sion was made by the well-known Egyptian scholar Abd
al-Salam Harun, who entitled it Tahdhib Sirat Ibn Hisham
(Adaptation of Ibn Hisham’s Sirah). He abridged and system-
atized the work supplying it with very useful comments and
explanations, which made it even more valuable.39
There were also other authors in the early days of the Is-

al-Sirah al-nabawiyya (also known as Sirah Ibn Hisham – Ibn Hisham’s

Sirah) taken over from Ibn Ishaq, and al-Qasa’id al-himyariyya (on
Yemen and its rulers in the pre-Islamic era). See: al-Zirikli, al-A’alam,
IV, p. 166.
38
See: Foreword to Ibn Hisham’s al-Sirah al-nabawiyya edited by Sidqi
Jamil al‑’Attar, subtitled al-Sirah al-nabawiyya bayna Ibn Ishaq wa Ibn
Hisham, Dar al-fikr, Beirut, 1998, pp. 8-16.
39
Translation of Harun’s Tahdhib Sirat Ibn Hisham into the Bosnian
language, entitled Poslanikov životopis (A Biography of the Prophet), was
published in 1998 by Bemust in Sarajevo. This brilliant translation by
Mustafa Prljača from Sarajevo is a major contribution to the studies of
the biography of Allah’s Messenger, p.b.u.h., in the Bosnian language.

52
 2. SOURCES OF THE PROPHET’S BIOGRAPHY

lamic history who wrote about the Prophet’s life and whose
works have been preserved to the present day. Admittedly,
these writings did not appear as separate works, such is Ibn
Hisham’s Sirah, but made a part of other historical works of
enormous scholarly and historical value. One such work is
Tabaqat Ibn Sa’d (Classes by Ibn Sa’d), named after its author
Muhammad ibn Sa’d (died in 230 AH), who was a scribe of
al-Waqidi, referred to earlier. In that work, Ibn Sa’d wrote
about the Prophet’s life and provided the names and short
biographies of the Companions, the second generation Mus-
lims and other leading figures from the first generations.
Tabaqat Ibn Sa’d is considered one of the most reliable his-
torical works from the early period of Islam and is particu-
larly appreciated for the great number of the Companions
and second generation Muslims it listed.40
With respect to the works by classical authors who wrote
about the Prophet’s life especially important are Tarikh al-Tabari
(Tabari’s History) by Muhammad ibn Jarir al-Tabari (died in 310
AH), Zad al-ma’ad by Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah (died in 751
AH), and al-Bidaya wa al-nihaya by Ibn Kathir al-Dimashqi
(died in 774 AH). Ibn Kathir’s al-Bidaya wa al-nihaya is, actu-
ally, an eight-volume encyclopedia of the world’s history. The
entire second and third volumes and a considerable portion of
the first volume (around 1,500 pages of dense text in total), are
dedicated to Prophet Muhammad’s biography.41
Some authors also wrote about the Prophet’s virtues
40
The late Professor Mustafa al-Siba’i claims that this work mentions
the biggest number of the Companions and the second generation
Muslims. See: al-Siba’i, Poslanikov životni put (The Life of the Prophet:
Highlight and Lessons), p. 13.
41
The major part of the first volume treats the lives of the preceding
prophets. It was translated into Bosnian by Ahmed Adilović from
Travnik and published in 1417 AH/1997 CE under the title Kazivanja o
vjerovjesnicima (Stories of the Prophets).

53
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

(shama’il muhammadiyya). Such works include al-Tirmidhi’s

al-Shamail al-Muhammadiyya42, al-Qastalani’s al-Mawahib
al-ladunniyya and Qadi ‘Iyad’s al-Shifa bi ta’rif huquq al-
Mustafa.
* * *
In the recent times many contemporary authors have
written biographies of Muhammad, p.b.u.h., the most prom-
inent ones being Fiqh al-sirah, by sheikh Muhammad al-
Ghazali; Fiqh al-sirah al-nabawiyya by Dr. Muhammad Sa’id
Ramadan al-Buti; Fiqh al-sirah and al-Manhaj al-harik li al-
sirah al-nabawiyya by Munir Muhammad al-Ghadban; al-
Sirah al-nabawiyya fi daw’ al-Qur’an wa al-Sunna by sheikh
Dr. Muhammad Abu Shahbah (this work is highly appreci-
ated by the scholars of Al Azhar University in Cairo); The
Life and Work of the Prophet of Islam, by Muhammad Ha-
midullah; Sirah khatam al-nabiyyin by sheikh Abu al-Hasan
Ali al-Nadwi; al-Sirah al-nabawiyya: durus wa ‘ibar by Dr.
Mustafa al-Siba’i; al-Rahiq al-makhtum (The Sealed Nectar)
by al-Mubarakpuri; Hayat Muhammad (The Life of Muham-
mad, p.b.u.h.) by Muhammad Haykal.

42
Translated into Bosnian by Husejn Omerspahić and published by the
El-Kalem publishing house in 1995 under the title Vrline Allahovog
Poslanika (The Virtues of the Messenger of Allah, p.b.u.h.).

54
 3. THE WORLD AND ARABIA BEFORE
ISLAM

Geopolitical and Religious Situation

Scholars often point out that history of mankind is but a
succession of events, causes and consequences. To under-
stand the times and the circumstances in the Arabian Penin-
sula before Allah’s Prophet Muhammad, p.b.u.h., appeared
on the scene, we should learn about its most important
neighbors.
In the sixth century of the Common Era, the Arabian Pe-
ninsula was surrounded by two great empires, the Byzantine
Empire and the Persian Empire. As a matter of fact, Byzantium
and Persia were the two leading world powers at that time.
In the sixth century, the competition between the East-
ern and the Western Roman Empires was intensified. Rome,
which had ruled the West as far as Gaul and England for a
long time, and which looked proudly back to the age of Julius
Caesar, gradually started losing its glory, whereas the glory
of Byzantium (the Eastern Roman Empire) was increasing.
After the decline of Roman power following the raids of the
Vandals and their conquest of Rome in 476 CE, Byzantium
became the only successor of the wide Roman World. Natu-
rally, these significant events were not without influence on
Christianity, which began to divide into various sects, and
every sect began in turn to divide into factions, each of which
held a different opinion concerning the religion and its prin-
ciples and foundations.43
43
See: M. H. Haykal, Život Muhammeda, alejhisselam (The Life of
Muhammad, p.b.u.h.), El-Kalem, Sarajevo, 2004, pp. 85-86.

55
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

In the absence of commonly held principles owing to

which these differences might have been reconciled, the
various sects became antagonistic toward one another. This
led to prejudice, antagonism and many conflicts. Some of
the sects denied that Jesus, p.b.u.h., ever had a body other
than a ghostly shadow by which he appeared to men. Oth-
ers regarded the person and soul of Jesus as related to each
other with such extraordinary ties that only the most fastidi-
ous imagination could grasp what they meant. While some
worshiped Mary (Maryam), p.b.u.h., others denied that she
remained a virgin after the birth of Jesus. Religious disputes
were very common and only deepened the gap between fol-
lowers of different Christian sects. One of the monks of the
Church wrote describing the situation of his day: “The city
and all its precincts were full of controversy - in the market
place, in the shops of apparel, at the changers, in the grocery
stores. You ask for a piece of gold to be changed at the chang-
ers and you find yourself questioned about that which in the
person of Jesus was created and that which was not created.
You stop at the bakery to buy a loaf of bread and ask concern-
ing the price, only to find the baker answer: ‘Will you agree
that the Father is greater than the Son and the Son is subor-
dinate to the Father?’ You ask your servant about your bath,
whether or not the water is warm, and your servant answers
you: ‘The Son was created from nothing.’”44
However, the decay which befell Christianity and caused
it to split into factions and sects did not shake the political
foundations of the Byzantine Empire. In the sixth century,
Byzantium ruled the territories of modern Syria, Jordan and
Palestine, that is, the territories in the northern and north-
western parts of the Arabian Peninsula. The Byzantine rule
also extended to the North Africa, where Egypt occupied
44
Ibid, pp. 86-87.

56
 3. THE WORLD AND ARABIA BEFORE ISLAM

prominent position, and to some parts of the East Africa,

such as Abyssinia (modern Eritrea and parts of Ethiopia). Ab-
yssinia, the land of an ancient civilization, seized from Arabs
the fertile province of Yemen. In the year when Muhammad,
p.b.u.h., was born, Abyssinians (who were Christians) set off
on a campaign against Mecca with their mind set on destroy-
ing the Ka’bah, but, as the Qur’an reads, God sent “ranks of
birds against them, pelting them with pellets of hard-baked
clay”, and thus they were destroyed.45 That year was named
The Year of the Elephant and Arabs used to calculate time in
terms of that event.46
The other great Arabian neighbor was Persia (Arabic:
Faris). Its rule stretched in vast territories northeast of the
Arabian Peninsula. Persia waged long and exhausting wars
against Byzantium. The official religion in Persia was Mazda-
ism, also called Zoroastrianism or fire-worship. Like Christi-
anity in the Byzantine Empire, so was Zoroastrianism in Per-
sia in the stage of decay. Although the fire worship continued
to give the various factions a semblance of unity, the religion
and its followers divided into sects which contended with one
another. Apparently unaffected by the religious controversy
around the divine personifications and the meanings behind
them, the political structure of the country remained strong.
All sects sought protection of the Persian emperor, and he
gave it to them if only to increase his power and to use them
one against the other whenever he wanted to make a political
gain or prevent any one sect from becoming too strong.47

45
This event is referred to in the Qur’an, in surah, or chapter, 105, entitled
The Elephant.
46
For example, they would say that something had happened “two years
prior to the Year of the Elephant” or “five months after the incident with
the elephant”, and so on.
47
M. H. Haykal, supra at 87.

57
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

One indication of the prevailing moral decay in Persia of

the time is the fact that the Mazdaism founder, Mazdak, had
the nerve to tell before the complete court entourage that the
empress did not belong to her imperial husband only, since
every man was entitled to every woman, the empress includ-
ed. This statement did not embarrass the empress or make
the emperor jealous.48
The situation in other parts of the world was not any bet-
ter, either. Chinese civilization reached its peak in the era of
Confucius (Kung Fu Tzu, 551-479 BCE). In general, chaos and
decadence reigned there on the eve of the rise of Islam: the
Confucian state system was disintegrating, and Buddhism,
which had come from India, added even more to the general
turmoil in China. Ascent to the throne by any of the three
dynasties (Wei, Wu and Shu) prompted fratricidal wars.
The situation in the Indian subcontinent was equally un-
satisfactory. The Hindu society reached a troublesome state
with its system of castes and the principle of not mixing with
non-Aryans, the admiration for phenomena rather than for
the Creator of the phenomena (which resulted in the number
of gods exceeding the number of adorers – there were nearly
400 million gods in the Indian pantheon), the teaching of
forgoing the world as the only way of attaining perfection,
and the belief in transmigration of souls that leads to the vol-
untary submission of lower castes to their cruel destiny.49
Therefore, generally speaking, the whole humankind was
in a difficult condition and needed a new leadership and a
religion that would take it to the proper path and enable a
harmonious and positive development of both the material
and the spiritual dimension of human being.
48
Muhammad Hamidullah, Muhammed, alejhisselam, - život i djelo (Le
Prophète de l’Islam, sa vie, son œuvre), Second Edition, Sarajevo, 1983,
I, p. 39.
49
Ibid, pp. 36-37.

58
 3. THE WORLD AND ARABIA BEFORE ISLAM

Byzantine-Persian Wars Over Yemen

Yemen, located in the southern part of the Arabian
Peninsula, was for generations ruled by the sovereigns from
the Banu Himyar dynasty. One of their kings, Dhu Nuwas,
disliked his people’s paganism and eventually converted to
Judaism, to which he was induced by the Jews who had set-
tled in Yemen. Historians agree that it was this Himyarite
king that the Qur’an referred to in the story of the makers
of the trench (ashab al-uhdud):
“Damned were the makers of the trench, the makers of the
fuel-stoked fire! They sat down to watch what they were doing
to the believers. Their only grievance against them was their
faith in God, the Mighty, the Praiseworthy, to whom all control
over the heavens and earth belongs: God is witness over all
things.” (85:4-9)
Historians state that this is a story of a pious Christian50,
named Qaymiyun, who had emigrated from Byzantium, set-
tled in Najran (a town on the present-day border between
Saudi Arabia and Yemen), and converted to Christianity
all people of that town by his piety, virtue and good man-
ners. When the news of the converts and the ever stronger
influence of Christianity reached Dhu Nuwas, he went to
Najran and warned its citizens that they had to either con-
vert to Judaism or be killed. When they refused, Dhu Nu-
was ordered that wide and deep trenches be dug in which
fire would be fueled and that whoever disobeyed his order
about conversion be thrown into the trenches and burned.
According to historians, some 20,000 people were killed in
50
This is most probably a reference to the follower of Jesus’ original
teachings, still uncorrupted by the alterations that affected the
Christianity after his death. That was probably the reason for Qaymiyun’s
emigration from Byzantium, as those who did not accept the decisions
of the Ecumenical Council were persecuted.

59
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

that manner. Some managed to escape and they sought help

from Byzantine Emperor Justinian, with whom they pleaded
to take revenge for the slaughter of the Christians in Najran.
Since Byzantium was too far from Yemen, the Byzantine Em-
peror wrote to the Negus, that is, the King of Abyssinia ask-
ing him to avenge the Yemenite Christians. At that time (the
sixth century CE), Abyssinia was at the height of its power,
dominating the maritime trade and imposing its influence
upon its neighbors. The Abyssinian Kingdom was an ally of
the Byzantine Empire and the advocate of Christianity on
the Red Sea just as the Byzantine Empire was its advocate in
the Mediterranean. When the Abyssinian King received the
Byzantine Emperor’s message, he asked the Emperor to pro-
vide him with ships to carry his troops across the Red Sea.
When that was done, the Abyssinian army, commanded by
Aryat, crossed to the Arabian Peninsula and occupied Yemen.51
One of the commanders of this campaign was Abraha al-
Ashram, who became Abyssinian governor in Yemen after
Aryat’s death. He was the one who afterward lead the army
into the hinterland of the Arabian Peninsula with the aim of
destroying the Ka’bah, the focus of pilgrimage of many Arab
tribes from different corners of the Peninsula. However, Ab-
raha and his troops were destroyed and that event is referred
to in the Qur’anic surah The Elephant.
Abraha’s successors ruled Yemen tyrannically. One of the
descendants of the Himyar dynasty, whose name was Sayf ibn
Dhi Yazan, approached the Byzantine Emperor complaining
of the injustice by the Abyssinians and pleading for a Byz-
antine governor to be sent to establish justice. However, the
plea was turned down because of the alliance of Byzantium
and Abyssinia. On his way back, Sayf ibn Dhi Yazan made
a stopover at the court of Nu’man ibn al-Mundhir, Persian
51
See: al-Tabari, Tarikh al-rusul wa al-muluk, II, pp. 106-108.

60
 3. THE WORLD AND ARABIA BEFORE ISLAM

governor for al-Hirah and the surrounding lands of Iraq.

Nu’man promised to take him to Persian Emperor Chosroes
and he kept his promise.
Chosroes welcomed them in his residence. His crown was
too heavy to rest on his head, so it was attached to the ceiling
by a golden chain and he would place his head under it, the
whole scene representing a symbolic portrayal of the Persian
Emperor’s power. After he was informed of the tyrannical
rule of Abyssinians in Yemen, Chosroes hesitated for a while,
but then decided to send to Yemen an army under the com-
mand of Wahriz, one of his best military commanders. The
Persian army arrived in Yemen, vanquished the Abyssinians
and expelled them after their rule of seventy-two years. Yem-
en remained under Persian rule until the advent of Islam, the
embracing of Islam by all Arab countries and their entry into
the Islamic state.52

Situation in the Arabian Peninsula

The map of the Old World, which comprised three con-
tinents (Europe, Asia and Africa), shows that the Arabian
Peninsula occupies the central position. Arabia is equally
distant from all three continents. That was one of the practi-
cal reasons why that very region was chosen as the center of
Muhammad’s mission as a prophet, but there are also nu-
merous other reasons for it, all deserving a study on their
own. We shall now briefly describe the situation in the pre-
Islamic Arabia.
Some historians, such as Philip Hitti, divide the whole
Arabian history into three main periods: 1. the Sabaeo-Him-
yarite period, ending at the beginning of the sixth century
CE; 2. the Jahiliyah period, which in a sense extends from the
52
See more about the Byzantine-Persian wars for control over Yemen in
M. H. Haykal, supra at 91-95.

61
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

creation of Adam, p.b.u.h., down to the mission of Muham-

mad, p.b.u.h. (but more particularly, covers the century im-
mediately preceding the rise of Islam); 3. the Islamic period,
extending to the present day.53
Therefore, the period that preceded the prophethood of
Muhammad, p.b.u.h., is called the period of Jahiliyah. This
term usually translates as the time of ignorance or barbarism,
actually meaning the period in which Arabia did not follow
any law revealed by Allah, swt. Unlike Yemen in the south of
the Arabian Peninsula with notable Judeo-Christian and even
Persian influences, the vast majority of the Arabian Peninsula
did not prove a fertile ground for spread of the religious call,
either Christian, Judaic, or Zoroastrian. The antagonism and
desperate mutual conflicts of the numerous Christian sects are
regarded as one of the main reasons why the vast majority of the
Jahiliyah Arabs refrained from taking sides with any Christian
party. Arabs were pagans at that time, that is, they worshipped
idols and, generally speaking, did not accept either Judaism or
Christianity. They were happy with their paganism, contented
to follow in the footsteps of their ancestors, and prepared to
leave both Christians and Jews alone as long as these were not
interfering with their (polytheistic) religion. Thus, idol wor-
ship continued to flourish among them and even to spread to
the centers inhabited by their Christian and Jewish neighbors,
namely Najran and Yathrib. The Jews of Yathrib tolerated idol
worship, coexisted with the pagan Arabs and finally befriend-
ed them, forging mutually beneficial relations.54
Some scholars emphasize that polytheism most strongly
appeals to weak souls in all times and places. A weak soul is
by nature incapable of rising high enough to establish a con-
53
See: Philip K. Hitti, Istorija Arapa (History of the Arabs: From the Earliest
Times to the Present), Sarajevo, 1988, p. 94.
54
See: M. H. Haykal, supra at 98.

62
 3. THE WORLD AND ARABIA BEFORE ISLAM

tact with the Supreme Being, which is greater than all that
exists; with the Exalted Creator and the Magnificent Lord.
The weak soul therefore stops at a phenomenon, like the Sun
or the Moon or the fire, and awkwardly withdraws from ris-
ing beyond it to perceive the Creator.55
In their paganism and worship of idols, the Arabs fol-
lowed many ways. Idolatrous practices were of great variety.
Every tribe worshipped its own idol. Generally speaking, ob-
jects of worship fell into three categories: metal and wooden
statues, stone statues, and shapeless masses of stones that a
tribe “consecrated” considering it to be of divine origin. The
deities had names, some of which are even referred to in the
Qur’an. Most prominent among the idols were al-Lat, al-
’Uzzah and Manat (considered to be divine daughters), Isaf
and Nailah. Hubal was the greatest in the Arab pantheon and
was placed in Mecca, inside the Ka’bah. Pilgrims came to the
Meccan shrine from all corners of the Arabian Peninsula, of-
fering sacrifice. The idol-worship was so widespread that in
the Jahiliyah period, in addition to such a great number of
statues in and around Mecca, the Arabs used to adopt other
statues or sacred stones for domestic worship. Almost every
house in Mecca had its deity, an idol large or small which
was the center of the household. As his last act on leaving the
premises, especially if it was for a journey, a man would go to
the idol and stroke it in order to obtain blessings from it, and
this was the first act on returning home.56
They often carried their idols with them when they traveled,
and some chronicles read that some Arabs would eat their idols
made of dough when they got hungry on their journeys!
55
Ibid, p. 99.
56
See: Martin Lings, Muhammed – Život Vjerovjesnika zasnovan na
najranijim izvorima (Muhammad: His Life Based on the Earliest Sources),
Connectum, Sarajevo, 2004, p. 225.

63
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

All these statues, whether in the Ka’bah, around it or scat-

tered around the tribes or the provinces, were regarded as in-
termediaries between their worshipers and the supreme god.
The Qur’an also refers to it:
True devotion is due to God alone. [As for] those who choose
other protectors beside Him, saying, ‘We only worship them
because they bring us nearer to God,’ God Himself will judge
between them regarding their differences. God does not guide
any ungrateful liar. (39:3)
Therefore, the pre-Islamic Arabs regarded the worship of
idols as a means of getting closer to God, even though in re-
ality that same worship had caused them to forget the true
worship of God. Their rapprochement with God was becom-
ing less and less direct, due to which they were gradually
losing a sense of the future (everlasting) world, so many of
them no longer believed in life after death. Such a state of
mind brought them the widespread fratricidal wars, bury-
ing of living female children, prostitution and other negative
phenomena.
* * *
The situation in the Arabian Peninsula before the birth of
Muhammad, p.b.u.h., was chaotic. As a matter of fact, it did
not differ much from the global situation in the era. A glance
at the circumstances in the world on the eve of Muhammad’s
prophethood suffices to realize that the state of affairs was far
from good, with frequent wars, rabid intolerance of all kinds
(racial, religious, territorial, linguistic), and universal pover-
ty caused by unjust distribution of resources held tight by the
minority while the majority possessed nothing. People forgot
that they had common ancestors (Adam and Eve). The frat-
ricidal hatred they were infatuated with often downgraded
people to the level of beasts and made them follow predatory
logic in everyday lives. Those who wanted to commit to spir-

64
 3. THE WORLD AND ARABIA BEFORE ISLAM

itual life would go into seclusion and isolate themselves from

the world, but they were the only ones to benefit from the
seclusion as it did not bring any good to society. Both camps
forgot that human beings were made of body and soul and
that normal development should be provided to both aspects
of human existence. The ideologies and religions of the era,
like Judaism, Christianity, Zoroastrianism, Buddhism and
idol-worship, could not offer a solution for the accumulated
problems of mankind. For that reason the humanity needed
a new leadership and a religion that would give it a general
direction, show it both ways, the physical and the spiritual
alike, and secure the conditions for a harmonious develop-
ment of human body and soul. That harmony was made pos-
sible by Islam, a religion that the Almighty Creator revealed
to the humanity through the prophethood of Muhammad,
p.b.u.h.

65
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

66
 4. MECCA, THE CENTER OF ISLAM

Mecca, Umm al-Qura: The Mother of Cities

Muhammad, p.b.u.h., was born in Mecca in 571 CE into a
respectable Quraysh clan of Banu Hashim.
It is difficult to say with certainty when Mecca was found-
ed. In all likelihood, that happened thousands of years ago.
Mecca is located in a valley surrounded by mountains on the
road connecting Palestine and Yemen. The valley was con-
venient as a resting place for many caravans which had taken
that road even before Mecca was built.
The traditions in the Hadith collections and other Islamic
sources indicate that Ishmael (Ismail), son of Abraham (Ibra-
him), p.b.u.h., and his mother, Hagar (Hajar), were probably
the first dwellers of the valley which the Qur’an calls wadin
ghyari dhi zar’in, that is, a valley where there is no sown land
or an uncultivated valley.57 It was in that valley that the city
that the Qur’an refers to as Umm al-Qura, the Mother of Cit-
ies, that is, Mecca, was later built.58
Ishmael, p.b.u.h., arrived in these parts together with
his father Abraham, p.b.u.h., and mother Hagar. Abraham,
p.b.u.h., was born in the territory of modern Iraq. His father
made and sold idols that people worshipped at that time.
Young Abraham was very disturbed by the fact that his people
worshipped idols. The Qur’an (21:51-71) tells that one day he
asked his father for an explanation how he could worship an

57
Qur’an, 14:37
58
Qur’an, 42:7.

67
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

object of his own making. His father’s answer did not satisfy
him while the father actually threatened to punish him if he
continued criticizing the deities that were worshipped at the
time. However, this did not prevent Abraham from seeking
the Truth. He used different arguments trying to convince
his people that idol-worship was futile. He once used the ab-
sence of idol-worshippers and destroyed all statues but that of
the chief deity whose statue was the biggest. They publicly ac-
cused him of doing it: “So, art thou the man who did this unto
our gods, Abraham?” He responded: “No; it was this great one
of them that did it. Question them if they are able to speak!”
That was Abraham’s way to try to encourage them to think.
Instead of doing it, they decided to punish him by burning
him. Owing to the mercy of Allah, swt, Abraham was saved
and he left for the blessed land of Palestine together with his
nephew Lot (Lut), who was also a Messenger of God.
Abraham, p.b.u.h., was married to Sarah, a believer in one
God and a very beautiful woman.59 He went with her to Egypt,
ruled at that time by the kings of the Hyksos and the Amale-
kites. According to a sahih hadith, or a hadith of the greatest
degree of reliability, recorded by the great hadith authori-
ties al-Bukhari and Muslim, the king of Egypt abducted the
beautiful Sarah and tried to rape her when she was brought
to the court. However, owing to the mercy and providence
of Allah, she was saved from that wrongdoer who would be-
come paralyzed every time he attempted to get close to her.
When he realized that Sarah was under special protection, he
released her and sent her away with gifts and she returned to
Abraham. One of the king’s gifts was a female servant named
59
According to some traditions, Sarah was a daughter of his paternal
uncle Aran. Ibn Kathir states that Abraham, p.b.u.h., had a brother and
a paternal uncle, both named Aran. Sarah was the uncle¸’s daughter.
See: Ibn Kathir, Kazivanja o vjerovjesnicima (Stories of the Prophets),
Zenica, 1997, p. 157.

68
 4. MECCA, THE CENTER OF ISLAM

Hagar. After that they returned to Palestine. Sarah and Abra-

ham were married for a long time, yet she could not get preg-
nant, so she persuaded him to marry Hagar to have progeny
with her. Abraham did so and soon afterward Hagar gave
birth to their son Ishmael. Later, Sarah also gave birth to a
son and he was named Isaac (Ishaq).60
After that, Abraham was ordered to travel southward with
his wife Hagar and son Ishmael. He obeyed and they traveled
south until they reached the valley in which Mecca would be
built afterward. As noted earlier, the valley was most prob-
ably a resting place for caravans on their journeys between
Yemen and al-Sham (Syria). The caravans came in season, so
the place was almost always deserted. Abraham left his wife
and son there and returned to Palestine.
When Hagar and Ishmael used up the water and provi-
sions they had brought, Hagar set out to look for food and
water, but her search was in vain since the valley they stayed
in was described in the Qur’an as a valley where there is no
sown land. The traditions reported in the relevant Hadith
literature say that in her search for water Hagar ran seven
times between the hills of Safa and Marwah. Having found
no water, desperate and exhausted, Hagar returned to her
son whom she had left nearby. To be without water in a desert
means to be sentenced to the horrible death of thirst, but, Al-
lah, swt, showed mercy one more time. When she returned
to little Ishmael, she saw that a well sprang forth beneath his
feet. That well meant life and salvation for Hagar and her son
and it was exactly around that blessed well (called Zamzam)
that Mecca was built later. The tribe of Jurhum settled around
the well. Ishmael grew into a fine young man there and mar-
ried a girl from that tribe and twelve sons were born from
60
See more about Abraham, p.b.u.h., in Ibn Kathir’s major work Kazivanja
o vjerovjesnicima (Stories of the Prophets), pp. 139-170.

69
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

this marriage. They were the ancestors of the twelve Arabized

tribes or Northern Arabs.61
Abraham, p.b.u.h., used to come from Palestine to Mecca
from time to time and during one such visit, together with
his son Ishmael, he built the Ka’bah, the first house of wor-
ship in the world. The Noble Qur’an refers to it in surahs two
and three, The Cow and The Family of Imran respectively:
The first House [of worship] to be established for people was
the one at Mecca. It is a blessed place; a source of guidance
for all people; there are clear signs in it; it is the place where
Abraham stood to pray; whoever enters it is safe. Pilgrimage
to the House is a duty owed to God by people who are able to
undertake it. Those who reject this [should know that] God has
no need of anyone. (3:96-97)
As Abraham and Ishmael built up the foundations of the
House [they prayed], ‘Our Lord, accept [this] from us. You are
the All Hearing, the All Knowing. Our Lord, make us devoted to
You; make our descendants into a community devoted to You.
Show us how to worship and accept our repentance, for You
are the Ever Relenting, the Most Merciful. Our Lord, make a
messenger of their own rise up from among them, to recite Your
revelations to them, teach them the Scripture and wisdom, and
purify them: You are the Mighty, the Wise.’ (2:127-129)

Arabs and Their Prophets

Arabs are a Semitic people. Semites (Arabic al-samiyyun)
are descendants of Shem, the eldest son of Noah, p.b.u.h.62
61
See: M. H. Haykal, Život Muhammeda, alejhisselam (The Life of
Muhammad, p.b.u.h.), Sarajevo, 2004, p. 107.
62
Although the term Semitic is nowadays mostly used to denote Jews and
everything Jewish, the term is actually much broader and encompasses
many peoples and languages. For example, the Semitic group of

70
 4. MECCA, THE CENTER OF ISLAM

Etymologically, the word Arab is a Semitic word meaning

desert or its dweller.63 In the Qur’an, the word a’rab (the plu-
ral form of ‘arab) stands for Bedouin, the desert-dwellers.
Historians divide Arabs into three groups in terms of
their origins:64
The first group comprises al-Ba’idah Arabs (the
extinct Arabs), that is, the indigenous Arab inhabitants of
the Arabian Peninsula about whose origins there does not
exist sufficient written information. They comprise, among
others, the tribes of ‘Ad, Thamud and ‘Amalik, and these are
the Bedouin Arabs.
The second group includes Qahtanian Arabs or Southern
Arabs. They come from Yemen and they established many
kingdoms (the Sabaean, the Himyarite, the Kindite, the
Ghassanid and other kingdoms) as they settled in different
parts of the Arabian Peninsula. The father of the famous
Arabian poet Imru’ al-Qays traces his origin back from
them. They also include the tribes of Aws and Khazraj, which
had lived in Yathrib, the city to which Muhammad, p.b.u.h.,
would migrate. The Qahtanian Arabs are also the ancestors
of the tribe of Jurhum, which settled in and around Mec-
ca after the Zamzam well had sprung forth in the famous
episode related to Ishmael, p.b.u.h., and his mother. Ishmael

languages includes Babylonian, Assyrian, Old Hebrew, Phoenician (or

Punic), Aramaic, Syriac, New Syriac dialects, partially also Assyrian
Neo-Aramaic, Arabic, ancient language of Ethiopia (Ge’ez), Amharic –
the language of modern Ethiopia, and some other Ethiopian languages.
See more in The World Book Encyclopedia, Vol. XVII, 1994, p. 248.
63
See: Philip Hitti, Istorija Arapa (History of the Arabs: From the Earliest
Times to the Present), Sarajevo, 1988, Second Edition, p. 54.
64
See: Dr. Muhammad Abu Shahbah, al-Sirah al-nabawiyya fi daw’ al-
Qur’an wa al-sunna, Dar al-Qalam, Damascus, 1988, I, pp. 46-48;
al-Mubarakpuri, Zapečaćeni džennetski napitak (The Sealed Nectar),
Sarajevo, 2001, p. 18.

71
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

married a girl from that tribe and fathered twelve sons with
her. The sons were the ancestors of the tribes of the Northern
Arabs, known as Adnani Arabs or Arabs al-Musta’raba (the
Arabized Arabs). They make the third group of Arabs and it is
from them that Muhammad, p.b.u.h., traces back his origin.
Tribes and clans of Adnani Arabs spread from Mecca across
the Arabian Peninsula.
God sent prophets with message and revelation to the Ar-
abs in the past as He did to other peoples. One of the most
famous and important Arab prophets before Muhammad,
p.b.u.h., was Ishmael, the son of Abraham, peace be upon
them. As noted earlier, he came to Arabia together with his
father and mother Hagar. His father returned to Palestine,
while Ishmael, p.b.u.h., grew up, married and spent his life
in Arabia. There he received the Revelation and the prophet-
hood. Like his father Abraham, p.b.u.h., he, too, called to Is-
lam, a religion of pure monotheism. There were other proph-
ets of Allah in the Arabian Peninsula as well. One of them
was Hud, p.b.u.h., sent to the tribe of ‘Ad, which lived in the
north of Hadramawt. Salih, p.b.u.h., was sent to the tribe of
Thamud which lived in al-Hijr between Hijaz and al-Sham,
southeast of the land of Madyan, close to the Gulf of Aqa-
bah. Shu’ayb (Jethro), p.b.u.h., came to the people of Madyan,
which lived in the Hijaz at the time.65 During these long cen-
turies these and other Allah’s prophets called their peoples to
worship Allah alone. However, the Arabs did not heed their
message and continued with their paganism. Some of these
peoples were punished and obliterated because they had
mistreated God’s prophets and called them liars. The Noble
Qur’an refers to it several times. Relevant Islamic histori-
cal sources read that when in the year 9 AH, Muhammad,
p.b.u.h., set out with the Muslim army on the Tabuk Cam-
65
M. H. Haykal, supra at 111.

72
 4. MECCA, THE CENTER OF ISLAM

paign (Gazwat Tabuk), he passed through the al-Hijr valley,

the place where the Thamud tribe had lived once, the tribe
that had called Salih, p.b.u.h., a liar and violated the laws of
Allah, for which it was punished with obliteration. Muham-
mad, p.b.u.h., ordered his Companions to pass through that
place quickly without stopping.66

Why Was Mecca Chosen as the Center of Islam?

The episode when Abraham, p.b.u.h., left his wife Hagar
and son Ishmael in a valley where there is no sown land and
where the blessed Zamzam well sprang forth undoubtedly
indicated that this area was to become the stage of important
events later. In that valley the settlement called Mecca was to
be established, the holy shrine, the Ka’bah, built, and the last
Messenger of Allah, Muhammad, p.b.u.h., born. The revela-
tion of the last Scripture of Allah, swt, the Noble Qur’an, was
also to begin in Mecca.
Why was Mecca chosen to be the center of the mission of
Prophet Muhammad, p.b.u.h.?
Scholars offer many reasons when referring to the choice
of Mecca, in particular, and Arabia, in general, as the center
of Prophet Muhammad’s mission. In his book on the Proph-
et’s life, famous Indian-born scholar, Dr. Muhammad Ha-
midullah (1908-2002 CE), after explaining why the Arabian
Peninsula was the heart of the Old World geographically,
listed the sociological, practical, psychological and linguistic
reasons. We will summarize his thoughts.67
a) Sociological reasons. Traditionally Arabs were neither
farmers nor craftsmen. Agricultural population is too de-
66
See: Ibn Kathir, al-Bidaya wa al-nihaya, Dar al-hadith, Cairo, 1993, I,
pp. 143-144.
67
See: M. Hamidullah, Muhammed, alejhisselam, život i djelo (Le Prophète
de l’Islam, sa vie, son œuvre), Sarajevo, 1983, I, pp. 44-48.

73
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

voted to land to leave its birthplace or home so easily and be

attracted to the uncertainty and venture on discovering dis-
tant lands. And it is that adventurous spirit that is a prerequi-
site for all great undertakings. Craftsmen are also tied to one
place because of the nature of their trade. Long journeys are
attractive only to merchants and caravan leaders, since their
job takes them to road, so they get used to it. (The same goes
for nomads, who travel with their herds in search for grazing
land.) The Qur’an tells us that Mecca, the cradle of Islam, is a
valley where there is no sown land, and in such environment
craftsmanship cannot flourish, either. For two millenniums
trade was the only occupation of the sedentary Arabs. Euro-
pean trade with India and China went across Arabia at that
time. The Meccan tribe of Quraysh was the leader of the in-
ternational trade of the pre-Islamic Arabia. Quraysh entered
into trade agreements with the Byzantine and the Persian
Emperors, the Abyssinian King, the Kindite King of Yemen,
among others. Every year they traveled to Syria, Egypt, Iraq,
Yemen and Abyssinia. They had been very familiar with the
customs, character, laws and roads of those parts much be-
fore they set out on their political and religious conquest.
b) Practical reasons. There was some kind of democracy
in the triangle made by the city-states of Mecca, Yathrib (later
named Medina) and Ta’if. It was based on the equality of the
domestic population and the foreigners who settled there, and
there were no castes or high and low classes. The ruler was just
the first among equals. Race did not matter, either. Since the
inhabitants of these cities did not play any special role in inter-
national relations, they were all the more willing to consider
other peoples as equals. In other words, they did not consider
themselves the sons of heavens, or the chosen by God, or pre-
destined to be teachers or leaders of other people they might
enslave.

74
 4. MECCA, THE CENTER OF ISLAM

c) Psychological reasons. With the exception of some

coastal areas, the major part of Arabia, including Mecca, was
always independent, despite numerous attempts by the Ro-
man, Byzantine, Persian and other rulers to conquer it. The
same year when Prophet Muhammad, p.b.u.h., was born, the
“people on elephants”, that is, the Abyssinians, suffered a de-
feat just outside Mecca. A nation that will not permit itself to
live under someone else’s yoke is freedom-loving and ready
for great undertakings.
d) Linguistic reasons. The choice of the Arabic language
as the language of Muhammad’s prophethood had its advan-
tages: there is no language comparable to Arabic with respect
to rhythm, word formation, conjugation rules and phonetics.
It is a very concise language, yet very precise: in addition to
pronouns, verbs are also marked for masculine and feminine
genders. Plenty of inflexions and the rich vocabulary enable
Arabic language speakers to express very delicate nuances in
a very elegant manner. The fact that the Arabic language did
not have the need to develop and change over centuries is
fascinating and admirable at the same time – the prose and
poetry of 1,500 years ago do not differ from the modern Ara-
bic language in the grammar, vocabulary, or orthography;
the language of radio stations in Tunis, Damascus, Cairo or
Baghdad is the language Muhammad, p.b.u.h., spoke when
he addressed his contemporaries. The same can be said for
poetry, too. The teachings expressed in that language are
as clear and comprehensible to the modern Arab world as
they were to the people whom Allah’s Prophet Muhammad,
p.b.u.h., addressed for the first time.68
68
Prominent Bosnian scholar, the late Dr. Teufik Muftić, was among the
many authors who wrote about the features of the Arabic language. In
his Gramatika arapskoga jezika (A Grammar of the Arabic Language),
he says that the Arabic language is exceptionally rich, both in terms of
roots and expressiveness. The Arabic language has the biggest number

75
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

5. PROPHET MUHAMMAD’S BIRTH AND

CHILDHOOD

Prophet Muhammad’s Ancestors

Historians divide the family tree of the last Prophet
of Allah, Muhammad, p.b.u.h., into three periods: the first
period includes the ancestors going way back to Adnan (a
descendant of Ishmael), the second period goes back to
Abraham, p.b.u.h., and the third to Adam, p.b.u.h.
All famous biographers of the Prophet, p.b.u.h., agree
about the accuracy of the first period, but there are certain
disagreements with respect to the second period. As it is
difficult to authenticate the ancestors referred to in the third
period (from Abraham back to Adam, peace be upon them),
the historians’ views on this issue differ. For that reason
we will not mention the ancestors from the second and the
third period.
of roots among the Semitic languages (more than 10,000 of which more
than 6,500 are triliteral) and the biggest number of derivative words.
The Arabic language shares the majority of the roots with the other
Semitic languages, but also has many others that are distinctly its own.
In addition, the Arabic language has a very large number of synonyms.
Linguists note that the Arabic language has 500 names for lion; 200 for
fox; more than 80 for honey; at least 1,000 for saber; more than 400 for
misfortune; 20-30 synonyms each for rain, wind, light, darkness, stone,
water, water-well, camel (for example, Hammer compiled all terms re-
lated to camel and the list exceeded 5,640 words). Likewise, certain ad-
jectives in the Arabic language have a large number of synonyms, such
as: long, short, generous, tightfisted, courageous, timid and so on. See:
Dr. Teufik Muftić, Gramatika arapskoga jezika (A Grammar of the Ara-
bic Language), Sarajevo, 1998, p. 12.

76
 5. PROPHET MUHAMMAD’S BIRTH AND CHILDHOOD

There is a consensus of scholars about the lineage in the

first period (from Muhammad, p.b.u.h., to Adnan): Mu-
hammad, p.b.u.h., son of Abdullah, son of Abd al-Muttalib
(Abd al-Muttalib’s real name was Shaybah), son of Hashim
(Hashim’s real name was Amr), son of Abdu Manaf (whose
real name was al-Mughirah son of Qusayy (whose real name
was Zayd), son of Kilab, son of Murrah, son of Ka’b, son of
Lu’ayy, son of Ghalib, son of Fihr (his nickname was Quraysh
and Quraysh tribe was named after him), son of Malik, son
of al-Nadr (his real name was Qays), son of Kinanah, son of
Khuzaymah, son of Mudrikah (whose real name was Amir),
son of Ilyas, son of Mudar, son of Nizar, son of Ma’add, son
of Adnan.69
The eleventh ancestor of Muhammad, p.b.u.h., was Fihr,
whose nickname was Quraysh and after whom the tribe was
named. The information about Prophet Muhammad’s ances-
tors is recorded in many historical sources. These sources
elaborate in minute detail on the fifth ancestor, whose name
was Qusayy ibn Kilab (Qusayy son of Kilab). Qusayy was born
around 400 CE. His father Kilab died while he was still an
infant, whereupon his mother Fatimah married Rabi’ah ibn
Haram, who took them with him to al-Sham where Qusayy
grew up. When a quarrel broke out between Qusayy and
some members of the Rabi’ah tribe, they offended him and
called him a foreigner. Qusayy complained to his mother and
she answered: “Oh, my son, your lineage is nobler than theirs,
you are the son of Kilab ibn Murrah, and your people live in
the proximity of the holy house in Mecca!” Qusayy returned
to Mecca after that and his seriousness and wisdom soon won

69
See: Ibn Hisham, Poslanikov životopis (A Biography of the Prophet),
Sarajevo, 1998, p. 13; al-Mubarakpuri, al-Rahiq al-makhtum, Dar al-
fijha’, Damascus, 1994, p. 48; al-Mubarakpuri, Zapečaćeni džennetski
napitak (The Sealed Nectar), Sarajevo, 2001, p. 45.

77
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

him the respect of the Meccans. He worked hard, acquired

much affluence and married a daughter of Hulayl from the
Khuza’ah tribe, in whose hands was the guardianship of the
Ka’bah. When his father-in-law died, Qusayy became the
guardian of the Holy House and the leader of Quraysh tribe.
His guardianship of the Ka’bah was confirmed by several
neighboring tribes and after the tribe of Khuza’ah withdrew,
Qusayy assumed all offices associated with the Holy House
and became the absolute ruler over Quraysh. He also estab-
lished the Dar al-Nadwah (the Council), which had the role
of a town hall where prominent Meccans met for deliberation
and arbitration on important affairs.
Historians state that the Ka’bah had several offices: al-
hijabah, al-siqayah, al-rifadah, al-nadwah and al-liwa’ (also
called al-qiyada). Al-hijabah involved the maintenance of
the Ka’bah and guardianship over its keys. Al-siqayah meant
supplying pilgrims with fresh water, and supplying them
with food was al-rifadah. Al-nadwah meant presiding over
all councils, while al-liwa’ (or al-qiyada) was composed of a
standard fixed to a staff, escorted by troops whenever they
confronted an enemy, hence it signified subordinate com-
mand at times of war. Qusayy combined all of these offices
when he became the ruler of Mecca in the middle of the fifth
century CE.70
Qusayy had a lot of children. His eldest son’s name was
Abd al-Dar, but his son Abdu Manaf (born circa 430 CE), al-
though younger, commanded greater respect with the people.
However, before his death Qusayy delegated all the Ka’bah-
related offices to his eldest son Abd al-Dar. His sons did like-
wise after him, but they could not match the sons of Abdu
70
See: al-Zirikli, al-A’lam, Beirut, 1990, V, pp. 198-199.; Muhammad
H. Haykal, Život Muhammeda, alejhisselam (The Life of Muhammad,
p.b.u.h.), pp. 112-114.

78
 5. PROPHET MUHAMMAD’S BIRTH AND CHILDHOOD

Manaf in honor and popular esteem. Hence Abdu Manaf’s

sons (Hashim, Abd al-Shams, al-Muttalib and Nawfal) de-
cided to take over these privileges from their cousins. This
almost caused a tribal war, but an agreement was reached
under which Abdu Manaf’s descendants were granted two
offices, the siqayah and the rifadah, while Abd al-Dar’s de-
scendants kept the other three offices. Thereafter the two
parties lived in peace until the advent of Islam.71
The Prophet’s great-grandfather Hashim (born circa 464
CE) was a very capable and successful man. Even in years of
drought he succeeded in providing water and food for pil-
grims. Also, he was the one who standardized the two main
caravan trips of the Meccan traders, the winter trip to Yem-
en, and the summer trip to al-Sham. The trips are referred
to in surah 106, Quraysh, of the Noble Qur’an. Mecca pros-
pered under his wise leadership and its position strengthened
throughout the Arabian Peninsula, so it was soon recognized
as the capital of Arabia. Hashim went in person to Byzantium
and to the great Arab tribe of Ghassan to conclude treaties of
friendship and good neighborly relations. From Byzantium
he obtained a safe-passage permission for Quraysh valid
across the whole al-Sham. Hashim’s brothers were also ac-
tive: Abd al-Shams concluded a trade treaty with the king of
Abyssinia, and Nawfal and al Muttalib concluded a treaty of
friendship with Persia and a trade treaty with the Himyaris
of Yemen. All this secured progress and prosperity for Mec-
ca. The Meccans became adept in trade and caravans came
to Mecca from all directions. On one of his trips to al-Sham,
Hashim stopped in Yathrib (Medina) where he saw Salma,
daughter of Amr of the Khazraj tribe. He was attracted to her
so he proposed to her. She accepted and in that marriage she
gave birth to Shaybah, who was the Prophet’s grandfather,
also known as Abd al-Muttalib.
71
M. H. Haykal, supra at 115.

79
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

Prophet Muhammad’s Grandfather Abd al-Muttalib

Abd al-Muttalib was born in 497 CE in Yathrib. When
his mother Salma was marrying Hashim, she put a condition
that she should live in Yathrib, so their son grew up there,
too. Several years later Hashim died on one of his journeys
and was buried in Gaza. His brother al-Muttalib succeeded
him in the honorary offices related to the Ka’bah. Since he
did not have children, he decided to bring his young nephew
Shaybah from Yathrib. He went to Yathrib and persuaded
Salma to hand him over the boy who was to be prepared to
succeed him as the chief of Mecca. She agreed and on their
way to Mecca, al-Muttalib allowed Shaybah to ride in front of
him. When Quraysh saw them, they thought Shaybah was al-
Muttalib’s servant so they called him Abd al-Muttalib, which
means al-Muttalib’s slave or servant. The grandfather of the
Prophet, p.b.u.h., became known by that nickname and his
true name (Shaybah) was almost forgotten.
After al-Muttalib died, Abd al-Muttalib was assigned the
offices occupied by Hashim: the duty to supply the pilgrims
with water and food (al-siqayah and al-rifadah respectively).
He experienced a lot of difficulties in discharging these du-
ties because at that time he had only one son, Harith. The
Zamzam well had been filled with dirt in the wars of the ear-
lier generations, so water had to be brought in from the wells
in the outskirts of Mecca and stored in small reservoirs near
the Ka’bah. That was a very hard job, especially for Abd al-
Muttalib, who had only one son at the time, so he had to pay
for transportation of water.
Abd al-Muttalib was preoccupied with this problem. Like
many other Meccans, he, too, listened to the tales about the
blessed well of Zamzam that had sprung forth in that area
beneath the feet of his ancestor Ishmael (Ismail), but was cov-
ered up and lost several centuries later in the war chaos. Eve-

80
 5. PROPHET MUHAMMAD’S BIRTH AND CHILDHOOD

ryone wished that Zamzam be discovered and reactivated.

One night, Abd al-Muttalib heard in his dream a voice telling
him where he should dig in order to find the well. He had
the same dream several times, so he decided to start digging.
He dug at the place of two idols, Isaf and Na’ilah, until water
sprang forth and two golden gazelles and swords of Mudad
ibn Amr of the Jurhum tribe appeared. Quraysh wanted to
share his find with Abd al-Muttalib. The dispute was resolved
by a draw among three parties, namely, the Ka’bah, Quraysh
and Abd al-Muttalib. God’s providence worked out that Abd
al-Muttalib won the largest share. Now that the Zamzam wa-
ter was close to the Ka’bah, Abd al-Muttalib performed his
duties with ease.72
Quraysh respected Abd al-Muttalib for his generosity, re-
liability and wisdom. The unearthing of the Zamzam well
increased his reputation. All that time Abd al-Muttalib had
only one son (Harith) and the discovery of Zamzam encour-
aged him to hope for more children. Abd al-Muttalib was a
hanif, that is, the one who never worshipped idols 73 and he
prayed to Allah to give him more sons, adding the vow that,
should Allah bless him with ten sons and let them all grow
to manhood, he would sacrifice one of them to Him at the
Ka’bah.74 His prayer was answered: the years passed and nine
sons were born to him.75 One of them was named Abdullah
72
Ibid, p. 119.
73
See: Martin Lings, Muhammed, život vjerovjesnika islama zasnovan
na najranijim izvorima, (Muhammad: His Life Based on the Earliest
Sources), Sarajevo, 2004, p. 23. This fact is frequently mentioned in
Prophet Muhammad’s biographies.
74
This event is referred to in almost every sirah. See, e.g. Dr. Muhammad
Abu Shahbah: al-Sirah al-nabawiyya fi daw’ al-Qur’an wa al-Sunna,
Damascus, 1988, I, pp. 160-162.
75
According to Ibn Hisham and other sirah authors, Abd al-Muttalib had
nine sons and six daughters. His sons were: Abbas, Hamzah, Abdullah,

81
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

(born circa 545 CE) and he was Abd al-Muttalib’s favorite.

When his sons grew up, the time came for him to fulfill his
vow. He called his sons and informed them of his intention.
As they were raised to obey their parents, they agreed. It was
decided that each should make his mark on an arrow and that
the one whose arrow were drawn would be sacrificed. The
lots were cast and it was Abdullah’s arrow that was drawn.
When Abd al-Muttalib took his son in order to sacri-
fice him, the men and women who were watching the scene
knew that he was absolutely determined to fulfill his vow.
Abdullah’s mother Fatimah, who came from the promi-
nent Quraysh clan of al-Makhzum, was the mother of three
of Abd al-Muttalib’s ten sons, Abdullah, Abu Talib and al-
Zubayr, and several daughters. She was against her son be-
ing slaughtered as a sacrifice and she had the support of the
people present. The problem was solved when, following the
advice of one wise woman from Yathrib, it was offered that
ten camels be sacrificed in Abdullah’s stead. The draw was
repeated and Abdullah’s name came out again, and it did so
with every new draw until the number of camels reached a
hundred. Only then was the camels’ arrow drawn. Abd al-
Muttalib cast lots three more times and each time the ar-
row fell against hundred camels. It was a clear sign that he
should sacrifice the camels, not his son. That was done and
Abdullah, Prophet Muhammad’s father, was allowed to live

Abu Talib, al-Zubayr, al-Harith (the eldest), Hijl, al-Maqwam, Darrar

and Abu Lahab (his real name was Abd al-’Uzza). The daughters
were: Safiyyah, Umm al-Hakim (called al-Baida), ‘Atiqah, Umaymah,
Arwah and Barrah. See: Tahdhib sirat Ibn Hisham, edited by Abd al-
Salam Harun, Maktabat al-sunna, Cairo, 1989, p. 31. Cf. Ibn Hisham,
Poslanikov životopis (A Biography of the Prophet), translated by M.
Prljača, Sarajevo, 1998, p. 26; al-Mubarakpuri, Zapečaćeni džennetski
napitak (The Sealed Nectar), p. 49. Therefore, Prophet Muhammad,
p.b.u.h., had nine paternal uncles and six aunts.

82
 5. PROPHET MUHAMMAD’S BIRTH AND CHILDHOOD

and he grew into a remarkably handsome man.76 That event

later prompted the Prophet, p.b.u.h., to say: “I am a son of the
two men who were to be sacrificed” (Ana ibn al-Dhabihayn),
referring to Ishmael, p.b.u.h., and his own father Abdullah,
the former having been ransomed with a ram (qurban or sac-
rificial animal) and the latter with hundred camels.

Prophet Muhammad’s Birth

When Abdullah turned twenty-five, his father, Abd al-
Muttalib, decided to find him a wife. As Abdullah was of no-
ble descent and very handsome, many girls desired him for
a husband, but the choice fell on Aminah, the daughter of
Wahb, a grandson of Zuhrah, the brother of Qusayy. Wahb,
formerly the chief of the Zuhrah clan, had died some years
previously and Aminah was now a protégé of his brother
Wuhayb, who had succeeded him as the chief of the clan.
Wuhayb himself also had a daughter of marriageable age,
whose name was Halah, and when Abd al-Muttalib had ar-
ranged his son’s marriage to Aminah, he asked for Halah’s
hand in marriage for himself. Wuhayb agreed and prepara-
tions were made for double wedding. That was in 570 CE. The
year following it has been known ever since as the Year of the
Elephant and it was momentous for more than one reason.
As noted earlier, the southern part of the Arabian Penin-
sula (Yemen) was under the rule of Abyssinia and an Ab-
yssinian named Abraha was its governor. He built a huge
church in San’a’, hoping thereby to entice the Arab tribes to
choose it for pilgrimage instead of the Ka’bah in Mecca. He
decorated it with crosses of gold and of silver and a pulpit of
ivory and ebony, had marble brought to it from one of the
76
Some sirahs state that Abdullah was “the Joseph of his times” for his
beauty. Even the oldest men and women of Quraysh could not remem-
ber having seen his equal. See: Martin Lings, supra at 27.

83
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

derelict palaces of the Queen of Sheba, and he wrote to the

Negus of Abyssinia: “I have built thee a church, O King, the
like of which was never built for any king before thee; and I
shall not rest until I have diverted unto it the pilgrimage of
the Arabs.” 77
His intentions echoed throughout Arabia causing anger
with its people, until a man of the Kinanah tribe went to
San’a’ for the purpose of defiling the church, which he did
one night and then returned to his people.
When Abraha heard of this, he vowed that in revenge he
would raze the Ka’bah to the ground. Having made his prep-
arations he set off for Mecca with a large army, in the van of
which he placed a gigantic elephant. Some of the Arab tribes
attempted to put up resistance, but Abraha defeated them
easily and captured their leader, Nufayl, who offered to act as
a guide to Abyssinians in exchange for his life.
When the army reached the outskirts of Mecca, their
advance party had already seized the first plunder there,
including two hundred camels which were the property of
Abd al-Muttalib. As the leader of Mecca he went to negoti-
ate with the Abyssinians. When Abraha saw him, he was so
impressed by Abd al-Muttalib’s appearance that he rose from
his royal seat to greet him. Abd al-Muttalib requested from
Abraha to have his camels returned, which disappointed Ab-
raha as he expected the Meccan leader to seek protection for
his religion and the shrine which they had come to destroy.
‘Abd al-Muttalib replied: “I am the lord of the camels, and
the temple likewise has a lord who will defend it.”
It was on the following day, when Abraha wanted to enter
Mecca with his army headed by the elephant, that the event
referred to in the Noble Qur’an in surah 105, The Elephant,

77
Ibid, p. 28.

84
 5. PROPHET MUHAMMAD’S BIRTH AND CHILDHOOD

happened: Do you [Prophet] not see how your Lord dealt with
the army of the elephant? Did He not utterly confound their
plans? He sent ranks of birds against them, pelting them with
pellets of hard-baked clay: He made them [like] cropped stub-
ble. (105:1-5). Abraha and his army were crushed and that
year was called The Year of the Elephant and Arabs of the
pre-Islamic era took this event as the reference point in time.
They would say that something had happened “two years
prior to the Year of the Elephant” or “five months after the
incident with the elephant”, and so on.78
That was the year of birth of the last Messenger of Allah,
Muhammad, p.b.u.h. Historians disagree about Muhammad’s
birthday. Reliable reports note that it was on a Monday in the
month of Rabi’ al-Awwal in the Year of the Elephant. From
the authentic traditions recorded by imam Muslim and other
Hadith authorities we learn that the Prophet, p.b.u.h., lived
full sixty-three years of the lunar calendar. The date when
the Prophet passed away is also a well-known fact. Based on
these facts, the Islamic scholars calculated that Prophet Mu-
hammad’s birthday was 20 or 22 April 571 CE. When de-
termining this date, the author of the famous book al-Rahiq
al-makhtum (The Sealed Nectar) relied on the precise astro-
nomical calculations made by experts. The disagreement
about the Prophet’s birthday (20 or 22 April) is a result of the
existence of different calendars in the Common Era.79
78
Al-Mubarakpuri says that that the event took place in the Arabic lunar
month of Muharram 50 or 55 days before the birth of Muhammad,
p.b.u.h., which corresponds to late February or early March 571 CE.
See: Zapečaćeni džennetski napitak (The Sealed Nectar), p. 49.
79
See: al-Mubarakpuri, al-Rahiq al-makhtum, Dar al-fijha’, Damascus,
1994, p. 54; Zapečaćeni džennetski napitak (The Sealed Nectar), p. 51.
Interestingly enough, April 22 has been declared the Earth Day, which
is a fine message indeed: there is no better and safer path for Planet
Earth and its population to follow than the one called to by Allah’s last

85
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

Prophet Muhammad’s Childhood

Muhammad’s father Abdullah died before his son was
born. It happened during the return from one trip to al-Sham.
On his way back he stopped for a rest in Medina, where his
maternal uncle lived. There he fell ill and could not contin-
ue the journey with his caravan. When the caravan reached
Mecca, Abd al-Muttalib sent his eldest son Harith to Medina
to help Abdullah return home. Upon arriving in Medina,
however, Harith learned that Abdullah had died and that
he had been buried in Medina. Harith returned to Mecca
to inform his father and Abdullah’s wife Aminah about the
sad event. Aminah was pregnant at that time and about two
months later she gave birth to Muhammad, p.b.u.h. Every-
thing Abdullah left behind was five camels, a small flock of
sheep and an Abyssinian female slave Barakah, nicknamed
Umm Ayman, who raised the Prophet, p.b.u.h., according to
biographers.80

In the Care of Wet Nurse Halimah of the Banu Sa’d

Tribe
At the time when Muhammad, p.b.u.h., was born, it was a
custom of prominent Arab families to send their sons to the
desert to be cared for by wet nurses and to spend part of the
childhood with a Bedouin tribe. It was done for several rea-
sons: (a) the infant mortality rate was far lower in the desert
than in the cities where all sorts of epidemics often raged; (b)
the fresh desert air was agreeable to children’s bodies, but
was also beneficial for their souls; c) in the desert the chil-
dren could learn the pure Arabic language more easily, since
urban areas had some contacts with foreign peoples and cul-
Prophet, Muhammad, p.b.u.h., born on that day.
80
Al-Mubarakpuri, al-Rahiq al-makhtum, p. 53; M. H. Haykal, supra at
127.

86
 5. PROPHET MUHAMMAD’S BIRTH AND CHILDHOOD

tures which brought about certain changes to the language.

Arabs considered it tremendously important to know their
language well, because a man’s worth was largely assessed by
his eloquence, and the crown of eloquence was poetry. To
have a poet in the family was indeed something to be proud
of; and the best poets were nearly always from one or another
of the desert tribes, for it was in the desert that the spoken
language was nearest to poetry.81
These were the main reasons why prominent Arab fami-
lies sent their children to spend their early childhood in the
desert. Mecca, as the center and holy place of the pre-Islamic
Arabs, was not an exception, particularly since it was fre-
quently plagued by epidemics which resulted in a high-rate
infant mortality. That is why the Meccans sent their children
into the desert so that in the desert’s fresh air they would
strengthen their bodies and souls and learn the pure Arabic
language. The desert also provided an excellent opportunity
for children to learn to ride at an early age.
Some of the desert tribes had a high reputation with the
Arabs for nursing and rearing children, and amongst these
were the Banu Sa’d ibn Bakr, whose territory lay to the south-
east of Mecca. The Prophet’s mother Aminah was in favor of
entrusting her son to the care of a woman of this tribe.82

81
Martin Lings, supra at 33-34.
82
It should be noted that the Prophet, p.b.u.h., had several wet nurses: he
was first breastfed by his mother Aminah, who did so for a few days
only, as was the custom at the time. Before Halimah, he was breastfed
by Thuwaybah, a slave of his paternal uncle Abu Lahab. At that time
Thuwaybah was breastfeeding her son Masrah. She had previously
breastfed the Prophet’s paternal uncle Hamzah and Abu Salamah, a son
of the Prophet’s aunt on his father’s side. All of them, in addition to the
children who were breastfed by wet nurse Halimah in the tribe of Banu
Sa’d, are the Prophet’s brothers- and sisters-in-nursing. On the wet
nurses of the Prophet, p.b.u.h., see more in: Dr. Muhammad Abu Shah-

87
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

In his Sirah the famous historian and biographer Ibn

Hisham quoted Halimah, a wet nurse from the tribe of Banu
Sa’d. At the time when Muhammad was born, she set off with
her husband Harith to Mecca to find a newborn to nurse from
some respectable and wealthy Quraysh family:
“It was a year of drought,” she said, “and we had nothing
left. I set forth on a grey ass and we had with us an old camel.
That night we were kept awake all night by our son who was
wailing out of hunger, for I had not enough in my breasts to
feed him nor could the camel yield a drop of milk. We just
waited for a cloud and rain to bring relief. I rode the ass and
I was so weary of the ride as we were so weak and exhausted
that we barely made it. Thus, looking for nurselings, we ar-
rived in Mecca. Each of us was offered Muhammad, p.b.u.h.,
but each turned him down upon hearing that he was an or-
phan. We hoped for some favor from a nurseling’s father and
we thought: ‘What will his mother and his grandfather be
able to do for us?’ That is why we did not want him. However,
all women but me had already taken one nurseling each and
when we were preparing to return, I told my husband: ‘By
God, I do not want to be the only one who’ll return without
a baby to suckle. I shall go to that orphan and take him!’ ‘As
you will,’ he said. ‘Perhaps Allah will bless us in him!’
“So, I went and took him,” Halimah continued, “for no
reason save that I could find nobody else. But when I car-
ried him to my mount and put him in my bosom, then my
breasts overflowed with milk for him! He drank his fill, and
with him his foster-brother drank likewise his fill. Then they
both slept, although the night before we had not had any
sleep because of our son. My husband then went to our old
she-camel and suddenly found out that her udder was full.
He milked her and we drank our fill and were no longer hun-
gry or thirsty. We spent a wonderful night, and in the morn-
bah, al-Sirah al-nabawiyya fi daw’ al-Qur’an wa al-sunna, I, p. 191.

88
 5. PROPHET MUHAMMAD’S BIRTH AND CHILDHOOD

ing my husband said to me: ‘By God, Halimah, it is a blessed

creature that you have taken.’”83
The biographies read that God’s blessing followed the
Prophet, p.b.u.h., wherever he went. On their return from
Mecca to the Banu Sa’d territory, Halimah’s and Harith’s fel-
low companions were taken by surprise: the ass that Hali-
mah rode was so quick that nobody could keep pace with it.
Halimah’s friends said: “You, daughter of Abu Dhu’ayb, wait
for us! Is that the same ass that you came on?” “Yes, the very
same,” replied Halimah.
When they arrived in the Banu Sa’d country, a barren
land with hardly any grazing grass, Halimah and her hus-
band noticed that, after they had brought the blessed infant,
their flock came every evening replete and full of milk. They
milked the flock and drank the milk, whilst their neighbors’
animals’ udders were dry. The flocks’ owners would tell their
shepherds: “Good grief! Go graze your flocks where Hali-
mah’s shepherd grazes his!” Yet still their flocks were hungry,
yielding no milk, while Halimah and her family had plenty
and even more than they needed for the whole two years that
Muhammad, p.b.u.h., spent with them as an infant.
The Prophet, p.b.u.h., grew fast in the pure desert air. By
the time he was two years old he was a well-built child and
spoke Arabic fluently. Halimah then weaned him and took
him to his mother Aminah in Mecca, although she was eager
to have him stay with them for the prosperity and blessings
he brought to them. So she tried to persuade Aminah to leave
Muhammad with them for some time until he grew strong-
er. As Mecca was frequently struck by epidemics, Aminah
agreed, so Muhammad returned with his foster mother to
the desert where he spent about two more years.
In that period he became stronger and learned the Arabic
83
Ibn Hisham, Poslanikov životopis (A Biography of the Prophet), p. 32.

89
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

language even better. When he turned four84 , one event made

Halimah and her husband Harith hastily return the blessed
child to his mother. One day, while Muhammad, p.b.u.h.,
was with lambs behind the tent, Halimah’s son (the Prophet’s
brother-in-nursing) came running and said, scared: “That
Qurayshite brother of mine! Two men clothed in white have
taken him and have laid him down and opened his chest and
they are stirring it with their hands.” Halimah and Harith
rushed to Muhammad, p.b.u.h., and found him standing, but
his face was very pale. They asked him what had happened
and he said: “Two men clothed in white came to me and laid
me down and opened my chest and searched it for I know
not what.”85 As an adult, the Prophet, p.b.u.h., referred to this
event in more detail: two men clothed in white were actually
two angels Gabriel (Jibril) and Michael (Mika’il) and they
took out of his chest the Satan’s part and malevolence that
human beings may possess.
That event is recorded in almost every sirah and in the
relevant Hadith collections, such as Muslim’s Sahih and Abu
Yala’s Musnad. It was also recorded by other Hadith authori-
ties, like imams Abu Nu’aym and Ibn ‘Asakir.86 The opening
of the Prophet’s chest happened two more times: before the
receiving of the Revelation and during the Isra’ and Mi’raj.87
Certain authors tried to deny that event calling into ques-
84
The sirahs give different views on the period that the Prophet, p.b.u.h.,
spent in the desert with nurse Halimah. The most accurate view is that
he returned to his mother when he had full four years, that is, in his fifth
year of age. This view is based on the authentic Hadith traditions and
is advocated by prominent Islamic scholars such as sheikh al-Mubarak-
puri, Dr. Mustafa al-Siba’i and Dr. Muhammad Abu Shahbah. See their
respective Sirahs.
85
See: Martin Lings, supra at 37.
86
See: Dr. Muhammad Abu Shahbah, supra at 196-198.
87
Ibid, p. 199.

90
 5. PROPHET MUHAMMAD’S BIRTH AND CHILDHOOD

tion the authenticity of the relevant tradition or trying to

prove that the Prophet’s life was free of anything irrational
and mysterious.88 We consider that this event had happened
indeed as it was transmitted through the authentic tradi-
tion in the relevant Hadith literature and it constitutes one
of the miracles (supernatural acts) of the Prophet, p.b.u.h. In
his biography of the Prophet, Dr. Muhammad Abu Shahbah
offered very sound and corroborated answers to those who
have dilemmas about this event.89
After this event, Halimah and Harith, fearing for the life
of the child in their care, rushed to Mecca and returned Mu-
hammad to his mother Aminah. That marked the beginning
of a new phase of the Prophet’s childhood.
It should be noted that the time the Prophet, p.b.u.h., spent
in the desert had a lasting influence on him, and Halimah
and her people remained the object of his love and admira-
tion all of his life. When Halimah came to visit him following
his marriage to Khadijah, it was a period of drought, and she
went back home with a camel loaded with water and forty
heads of cattle. Whenever Halimah visited Muhammad, he
stretched out his mantle for her to sit on out of respect. When
Shaymah, Halimah’s daughter and the Prophet’s sister-in-
nursing, was taken captive by the Muslim forces together
with members of the Banu Hawazin tribe after the siege of
Ta’if, the Prophet released her and sent her back to her people
as she wished.90

Prophet Muhammad as an Orphan

It was God’s will and providence that Muhammad,
88
See: M. H. Haykal, Život Muhammeda, alejhisselam (The Life of
Muhammad, p.b.u.h.), pp. 130-131.
89
See: Dr. Muhammad Abu Shahbah, supra at 199-203.
90
M. H. Haykal, supra at 132.

91
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

p.b.u.h., did not live long together with his mother, either. In
his sixth year he went to visit his kinsmen in Medina in the
company of his mother and slave Umm Ayman. On that oc-
casion his mother showed him the house in which his father
had died and his father’s grave. After a month in Medina, his
mother Aminah decided they should return to Mecca and
on their way back, in a place called al-Abwa’, 23 miles south
of Medina, she fell ill and died soon afterward. She was bur-
ied there and Umm Ayman returned the grieving child to
Mecca. It was then that Muhammad became an orphan in
the true meaning of the word: his father had died before his
birth and he was now also left without his mother. The No-
ble Qur’an refers to it: Did He not find you (Muhammad) an
orphan and shelter you? Did He not find you lost and guide
you? (93:6-7).
After that, his grandfather Abd al-Muttalib, who was very
old at that time, took complete charge of him. Abd al-Mut-
talib was very fond of his grandson. As a man of great repu-
tation, he commanded a special authority with Quraysh and
he would often sit next to the Ka’bah, the Holy House of the
Arabs. A special cushion was laid out at the place where he
used to sit and his children would never sit on it, but next to
it. However, when Muhammad, p.b.u.h., came to the Ka’bah,
his grandfather would always place him to sit by his side on
the cushion, which was a great honor.
When Muhammad, p.b.u.h., was left without both parents,
his grandfather showed an even stronger affection toward him.
Abd al-Muttalib even took Muhammad with him to attend the
Council (Dar al-Nadwah), where the leading men of the town,
all over forty, would meet to discuss various matters. Abd al-
Muttalib, who was around eighty at that time, did not refrain
from asking the seven-year-old boy for his opinion on the mat-
ters discussed; and when asked about it by his peers, he would

92
 5. PROPHET MUHAMMAD’S BIRTH AND CHILDHOOD

always say: “A great future is in store for my grandson.”91

Two years after his mother’s death, when Muhammad
turned eight, his grandfather died, too. It happened in the
ninth year after the Year of the Elephant.92 After that, Mu-
hammad came under the care of his paternal uncle Abu Talib
and his wife Fatimah.
As Abd al-Muttalib’s son, Abu Talib commanded great re-
spect, but he was poor and had a lot of children. Despite his
poverty, Abu Talib was an exceptionally noble and hospitable
man, which earned him a great expect of Quraysh. At that
moment, when Muhammad, p.b.u.h., entered his house as an
eight-year-old orphan, Abu Talib became the Prophet’s pro-
tector, the role he played until the end of his own life (that is,
for more than forty years).
When Muhammad came to his uncle’s house where there
were many mouths to feed, he started working and earn-
ing his livelihood. For small money he shepherded flocks of
sheep of some Quraysh families on the hills around Mecca.
He reminisced on that period later, and, according to a hadith
recorded in al-Bukhari’s Sahih, he said: “There was no proph-
et sent by Allah who was not a shepherd” (Ma ba’athallahu
nabiyyan illa wa qad ra’a al-ghanam).
The Prophet, p.b.u.h., did that job for almost thirteen
years, until he was twenty-one, when he started working as a
tradesman. In that way he earned his bread-and-butter and
was not a burden to his uncle and his large family.
Once, when Muhammad, p.b.u.h., turned twelve, Abu
Talib, who was a tradesman, set off on a journey to al-Sham.
His nephew asked if he could come along and Abu Talib
agreed. When they reached Busra, a place close to al-Sham,

91
Martin Lings, supra at 39.
92
Ibn Hisham, Poslanikov životopis (A Biography of the Prophet), p. 35.

93
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

they stopped at a resting place in whose vicinity there was a

cell inhabited by a Christian monk for generation after gen-
eration. When one died, another took his place and inherited
everything in the cell, including some old manuscripts. Ba-
hira (Arabic: Buhayra), the monk who lived in the cell at that
time, was well versed in the contents of the manuscripts, one
of them containing the prediction of the coming of a prophet
to the Arabs, and he felt that that time was near.93
When the caravan with Abu Talib and Muhammad ap-
proached, he saw something unusual: a small low-hanging
cloud moved slowly above the caravan so that it was always
between the sun and one or two of the travelers. This at-
tracted his attention, especially when he noticed that the
cloud ceased to move, remaining stationary, whenever the
caravan stopped. He decided to examine this case closely, so
he prepared food and invited the travelers to his cell. When
Bahira saw Muhammad, p.b.u.h., he recognized the signs of
prophethood on him and was fully assured of it after talking
with him. He advised Abu Talib to return the boy home and
guard him from the Jews, since they could harm him if they
recognized on him the signs that he recognized. The caring
uncle heeded the advice and sent his nephew back to Mecca
under escort while he continued his journey to al-Sham.

Lessons to Parents, Young Persons and Missionaries

The Prophet’s biography is a tremendously useful and edu-
cational narrative. Each stage of his life carries plenty of mes-
sages and lessons. We can draw the following lessons from
the events in the Prophet’s childhood:
1) What Allah Almighty disposes – that is man’s fortune.
Muhammad, p.b.u.h., grew up as an orphan, but that was not

93
Martin Lings, supra at 40.

94
 5. PROPHET MUHAMMAD’S BIRTH AND CHILDHOOD

an obstacle to his maturing and preparing for the prophet-

hood. On the contrary, it helped him to take care of him-
self from early childhood without waiting for someone else
to work and earn livelihood in his stead. Instead of spoiling
their children, parents should prepare them for life by teach-
ing them how to handle tasks and responsibilities.
2) Children who live under their parents’ wing and care
should be aware how fortunate they are since they may be
deprived of it.
3) A person calling to Islam should possess high ethical
values. He should be very sensitive and have compassion for
the weak and the desperate in their suffering and tribula-
tions. The best way to achieve it is a personal experience of
going through the adversities suffered by the unfortunate,
the orphaned, the impoverished and the homeless.
4) If a person calling to Islam, or a person wishing to im-
prove the condition of a society, comes from a respectable
family, people will pay more attention to his message, as peo-
ple usually reproach low-born missionaries and reformers or
those of unknown lineage for that very trait. It is, therefore,
useful for multiple reasons that respectable social classes give
people who will work on reforming a society, in general, and
calling to Islam, in particular.
5) Only a clever and reasonable person can call to Allah,
swt, and run an organization dedicated to that activity. Per-
sons of mediocre intellectual capacity are far from being ca-
pable of leading the spiritual, intellectual and social reforma-
tion of a society.
6) A missionary should rely on his own work and source
of income which does not involve pleading, humiliation and
contempt. Sincere and proud missionaries despise the liveli-
hood earned on alms and handouts. By avoiding to live that

95
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

way they can confront evil and disorder in society, without

fear and concern, and revive the spirit of honor, sincerity and
righteousness with members of the Muslim community.

96
 6. LIFE BEFORE THE PROPHETHOOD

Adolescence Prepares Man for Life

Muhammad, p.b.u.h., grew up an orphan. His father Ab-
dullah had died before his birth and his mother Aminah died
when he was six. His grandfather Abd al-Muttalib died when
he turned eight. Authors of biographies of the Prophet, p.b.u.h.,
note that when escorting his grandfather’s funeral party, young
Muhammad was sobbing with sorrow and pain.94
When he was nine he moved to his uncle Abu Talib’s
household. The choice of Abu Talib as a guardian was a for-
tunate circumstance as he was a very noble man. Abu Lahab,
another paternal uncle of Muhammad’s, took to debauchery
after Abd al-Muttalib’s death and once even stole the valu-
ables from the Ka’bah shrine in order to buy wine and pay
female singers. Unlike him, Abu Talib was a man of virtue,
which earned him great respect and trust of his fellow citi-
zens. In addition, he was also very generous, so much that he
often ran into debt, according to some biographies.95
Abu Talib and Muhammad’s father Abdullah were children
of the same father and mother.96 Abu Talib and his wife Fati-
mah97 had a lot of children and it was not easy to provide for
94
M. Hamidullah, Muhammed, alejhisselam, život i djelo (Le Prophète de
l’Islam, sa vie, son œuvre), I, p. 73.
95
Ibid.
96
It is important to take note of this because polygamy was widespread at
that time. The Prophet’s grandfather Abd al-Muttalib had several wives,
so Prophet’s paternal uncles were not all the sons of one mother.
97
Like Abu Talib, Fatimah was also a grandchild of the Prophet’s great-

97
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

them. After Muhammad had arrived in his uncle’s house, he

started working and earning his livelihood already then, in the
tender age of nine, in order not to be a burden to his uncle. He
shepherded flocks of sheep of some Quraysh families on the
hills around Mecca for “few pennies”. He did not regard the
small salary he earned as a reason to quit the job. In that way,
early in his youth the Prophet learned to do a useful job and
contribute to the family in which he lived. This is an important
lesson for the parents who give everything to their children
without requiring any useful work from them. Such children
reach maturity without having learned to work, that is, grow
up having taken everything they needed from their parents
without getting used to do some useful work on their own,
which can turn into a huge problem for them in the future.
Prophet Muhammad, p.b.u.h., pastured (other people’s)
sheep for a very small pay because that was the only job he
could do and get paid for at that moment. How wrong are the
ones who say they do not want to do a “low-paid” job and
who, instead of doing some useful work, sit idly expecting
their bread-and-butter to “fall from sky”. This is a wrong ap-
proach, as one should strive not to live off someone else, but
to give his contribution to the advancement of human life on
Earth. Islam teaches us that every job is honorable as long as
it is permissible and that is why one should use the opportu-
nities that come by.
The Prophet, p.b.u.h., was a shepherd for many years, until
he turned twenty-one when he started dealing in trade. As a
shepherd, the Prophet also learned something else: it is not
easy to hold a flock together! In that way he was being pre-
pared for the mission whose goal was to hold the people to-
gether and unite them in promoting the good. Whoever was
grandfather Hashim. She was a daughter of Asad, Abd al-Muttalib’s
half-brother.

98
 6. LIFE BEFORE THE PROPHETHOOD

a shepherd must have had an opportunity to see the sheep

often going “astray” and it is not easy for a shepherd to bring
them together. Likewise, people often get dispersed and go
“astray”, since every individual has his own ideas, plans, am-
bitions, passions, so it is not easy at all to bring them together
around a single idea or goal. In a certain way, the shepherd-
ing he did in his youth prepared the Prophet for that task.
As a shepherd the Prophet learned to be patient, gentle and
sympathetic even toward animals, given that, as the Qur’an
notes, he was sent as a mercy unto all beings (21:107).98 People
who have no gentleness and pity for animals are hardly likely
to show these traits toward other human beings, and Allah,
swt, said about the Prophet, p.b.u.h.:
A Messenger has come to you from among yourselves. Your
suffering distresses him: he is deeply concerned for you and full
of kindness and mercy towards the believers. (9:128)
Abu Talib’s wife Fatimah was a noble woman and she was
generous with the young Muhammad. Later, when she died,
someone asked: “O, Messenger of Allah, why do you grieve so
much for one old woman?” He answered: “Why not? When I
was an orphan in her home, she left her own children with-
out food in order to feed me; she would neglect her own child
in order to take care of me, she was like a mother to me.” Ibn
Sa’d reports in his Tabaqat that when breakfast was served in
the morning, Abu Talib’s children would tuck into the food
and grab it before Muhammad even touched it. When Abu
Talib noticed it, he ordered that food be served separately to
his nephew because he was very shy.99

98
Arthur J. Arberry’s translation of the Qur’an used in this example as it
more precisely conveys the author’s meaning than does M.A.S. Abdel
Haleem’s translation. (translator’s note)
99
M. Hamidullah, supra at 72-74.

99
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

An Honorable and Virtuous Life

As noted earlier, the Prophet, p.b.u.h., started earning his
livelihood very early by doing what he could do. He spent his
youth pasturing sheep, which is an indication of the honor-
able life he lived.
Muhammad, p.b.u.h., lived virtuously even before the
prophethood. He did not drink alcohol, did not eat the meat
of animals slaughtered at an altar, did not celebrate festivals
in honor of the idols or participate in related ceremonies.
He never worshipped idols; on the contrary, he was the first
one to refrain from polytheism. He did not swear by the pre-
Islamic deities and could not stand hearing anyone else do
it. He spoke the truth and was very gentle and trustworthy.
He kept every promise and honored every pledge. Because of
these qualities Quraysh called him al-Sadiq, the Truthful One
(the one who always speaks the truth only), and al-Amin, the
Trustworthy One.100
Describing Muhammad’s virtuous life before the prophet-
hood, famous historian Ibn al-Athir wrote that the Prophet,
p.b.u.h., had said: “I was never interested in the things the pre-
Islamic Arabs indulged in, except in two cases, but each time
Allah, swt, protected me, so it never again occurred to me to
do it… One evening I told a young boy who pastured the sheep
together with me on the hills around Mecca: ‘Will you take
care of my flock for a while, so that I could go to the town to
party like other young men?’ He said he would and I set off.
When I reached the first houses in Mecca, I heard the music
playing and I asked: ‘What is this?” I was told: ‘This is a wed-
ding party; two young people are getting married.’ I sat down
to listen to the music, but it was the divine providence that
100
Al-Mubarakpuri, Zapečaćeni džennetski napitak (The Sealed Nectar),
pp. 59-69. See also: al-Siba’i, Poslanikov životni put (The Life of the
Prophet: Highlights and Lessons), p. 17.

100
 6. LIFE BEFORE THE PROPHETHOOD

made me fall asleep at once. I didn’t wake up before the next

day when the Sun’s heat woke me up. I returned to my fellow
shepherd and he asked me what it had been like. I told him and
I decided I would go again the following evening. When I en-
tered Mecca in the evening, the same thing happened… After
that, it never occurred to me to do something bad.”101
This tradition carries a lesson for parents to pay attention
to the places their sons and daughters go to and the company
they keep. This tradition, actually, speaks in favor of the view
that children and adolescents should not be permitted to
“have a go” at everything in their early days lest they should
later crave some thing they have not tried. When a young
person gets into the habit of indulging in a vice, it will be very
difficult for him to quit it later in life. The Exalted Allah, who
chose Muhammad to reveal His last message to mankind
through him, protected him from going to places where vice
was indulged in. This is a clear message that parents should
not permit their children to go to such places.
Imam al-Bukhari transmits from Jabir ibn Abd Allah:
“During the reconstruction of the Ka’bah (which happened
before the prophethood), the Prophet, p.b.u.h., went together
with his uncle Abbas to carry the stone for the reconstruc-
tion. Abbas told the Prophet to throw his izaar (lower gar-
ment) over his shoulder in order not to get blisters from the
stones. When he was about to do it, the Prophet, p.b.u.h.,
fell on the ground and fainted with his gaze directed at the
heaven. When he regained consciousness he cried ‘My izaar,
my izaar!’, and pulled tight his lower garment.” Another ver-
101
See in Arabic: al-Mubarakpuri: al-Rahiq al-makhtum, p. 63. This event
is recorded in many biographies. Certain Hadith authorities (such as
imam Ibn Kathir in al-Bidaya wa al-nihaya) challenge the authenticity
of the tradition by which this event was transmitted. However, some
other Hadith authorities, like imams al-Hakim and al-Dhahabi, say
that this tradition is reliable (sahih).

101
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

sion of this hadith reads: “Never again were his private parts
seen.”102

League of the Virtuous (Hilf al-Fudul) and Participation

in War (al-Fijar)
The pre-Islamic Arab tribes often started wars that would
last for years. Sometimes a mere trifle served as justification
for war. For example, a camel of one tribe would wander off
to another tribe’s territory and if the latter tribe did not re-
turn the camel to its owners, a war would break out.
It was a custom of the pre-Islamic Arabs not to wage wars
during the sacred months (al- ashhur al-hurum),103 more pre-
cisely, not to start a fight first. However, defense from an at-
tack was permitted. When a tribe violated this rule, the ensu-
ing war would be called Harb al-Fijar (Sacrilegious War).
At the time when the Prophet, p.b.u.h., grew into a young
man and turned fifteen104 , war broke out between the respec-
tive tribes of Kinanah and Amir. Being allies of the Kinanah
tribe, Quraysh were involved in this war. The Prophet’s un-
cles al-Zubayr (the head of the Hashim clan at the time) and
Abu Talib took him with them into a battle, but told him that
he would not participate in the battle directly, as he was too
young, but would help by collecting the enemy arrows that
had missed their mark and hand them to his uncles to use
them against the enemy. However, at one of the subsequent
battles, where Quraysh and their allies had the worst of the
day, he was allowed to shoot arrows and he proved to be a
skilful archer.105
102
See: al-Bukhari’s Sahih with Qastalani’s Commentary, chapter on the
reconstruction of the Ka’bah. Quoted from al-Rahiq al-makhtum, p. 63.
103
These are the four months as follows: Rajab, Dhu-al-Qa’da, Dhu-al-
Hijjah and Muharram.
104
Al-Mubarakpuri, Zapečaćeni džennetski napitak (The Sealed Nectar), p. 56.
105
Martin Lings, supra at 43-44.

102
 6. LIFE BEFORE THE PROPHETHOOD

Later, when a peace deal was brokered, Prophet’s uncle al-

Zubayr launched an initiative for the restoration of Hilf al-
Fudul, a centuries old order of chivalry. Many people attend-
ed the restoration ceremony in the house of the affluent and
respectable Abdullah ibn Jud’an. They vowed that henceforth
no-one in Mecca must be oppressed or be a victim of vio-
lence, whether a Meccan or a foreigner, and that they would
all stand together on the side of the oppressed against the
oppressor until justice was done.
Among the ones who made a vow were the clans of Banu
Hashim (the clan of the Prophet, p.b.u.h.), their kinsmen
and allies (Banu al-Muttalib), Banu Zuhrah (the clan of the
Prophet’s mother) and Banu Taym (Abu Bakr’s clan). Mu-
hammad was always proud of his presence at the ceremony
of Hilf al-Fudul, which is a kind of a pact of chivalry. Much
later, when he became the Messenger of Allah, he said: “I was
present in the house of Abdullah ibn Jud’an at so excellent
a pact that I would not exchange my part in it for a herd of
red camels; and if now, in Islam, I were summoned unto it, I
would gladly respond.”106 Red camels were a priceless treasure
for Arabs.
One of the reasons of the Prophet’s enthusiasm with this
pact is the fact that it actually represented the beginning of
an abolition of the pre-Islamic fanaticism (‘asabiyyah), which
implied an unconditional loyalty to one’s clan and tribe.

Marriage to Khadijah
Muhammad, p.b.u.h., was still a shepherd when he turned
twenty. As time went on, he received more and more invi-
tations to join his trading kinsmen on their travels outside
Arabia. Finally the day came when they asked him to take

106
Al-Mubarakpuri, al-Rahiq al-makhtum, pp. 59-60.

103
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

charge of the goods of a merchant who was unable to travel

himself, and told him that his success in this capacity would
secure him the funds for new assignments. Muhammad ac-
cepted it and so became more involved in the trade business.
He started earning more, so marriage became a possibility.107
Meccans were traders as the area does not have enough
water to allow for farming. There were some excellent mer-
chants among the Meccans. Khadijah bint Khuwaylid was an
exceptionally capable merchant and her fellow citizens nick-
named her Tajira (tradeswoman) and Tahira (the Pure) for
her honesty. She was a double widow; she had married twice
and had two children, one from each husband. She was still
young, yet she refused to re-marry after the death of her sec-
ond husband although she had many suitors in the city.108
Ibn Ishaq recorded: “Khadijah, daughter of Khuwaylid,
was a tradeswoman of great reputation and honor. She used
to hire traders who traded with merchandise on her behalf
and she paid them out regularly. Quraysh were famous trad-
ers. When Khadijah heard about a sincere, reliable and honest
young man named Muhammad, she sent for him. When he
came, she offered to him to take her merchandise to al-Sham
for a substantial fee. Her slave Maysarah was to accompany
him on the trip. The Prophet, p.b.u.h., accepted the offer and
set off with Maysarah to al-Sham.” 109
When they returned from the trip, Khadijah was fascinat-
ed by Muhammad’s great trade success. Maysarah informed
her about the details of the journey and Muhammad’s hones-
ty and fine manners. All of that made a profound impression
on Khadijah, who was filled with admiration for Muham-
mad’s beauty. That is why she began considering a marriage
107
Martin Lings, supra at 46.
108
M. Hamidullah, supra at 86.
109
Al-Mubarakpuri, al-Rahiq al-makhtum, p. 60.

104
 6. LIFE BEFORE THE PROPHETHOOD

to this wonderful man. She confided in her friend Nafisa re-

vealing her thoughts and hopes, and Nafisa then passed it on
to Muhammad, p.b.u.h., and soon afterward their wedding
was arranged.
The Prophet was twenty-five and Khadijah forty at that
time. She was the Prophet’s first wife and he had no other
wife while she was alive. They were married for twenty-five
years, until the tenth year of the prophethood, referred to in
the Islamic literature as the Year of Grief, since the Prophet’s
uncle Abu Talib and wife Khadijah died that year.
Khadijah, r.a., was the mother of all of the Prophet’s chil-
dren except his son Ibrahim.110 She first gave birth to their son
Qasim and it was after him that the Prophet was nicknamed
Abu al-Qasim (Qasim’s father). She then gave birth to daugh-
ters Zaynab, Ruqayyah, Umm Kulthum and Fatimah, and son
Abdullah. Abdullah was nicknamed Tahir (pure) and Tayyib
(sweet).111 The sons died in childhood, while the Prophet’s
daughters lived to see the advent of Islam and the Revelation,
became Muslims and migrated from Mecca to Medina. All
daughters of the Prophet, p.b.u.h., died during his lifetime, ex-
cept for Fatimah, r.a., who died six months after her father.112
Khadijah was not only the Prophet’s wife, but also his

110
Ibrahim was born by Mariya, the Copt, a slave he was given as a gift
by the Muqawqis, the ruler of Alexandria. Ibrahim was born in the
month of Dhu al-Hijjah 8 AH and died in the month of Shawwal 10
AH, approximately four months before the Prophet’s death.
111
These nicknames made some authors think that the Prophet had sons
named Tahir and Tayyib respectively. That is a mistake, as these two
nicknames pertain to one child, the son Abdullah. It is surprising that
such mistake also occurred in the abridged version of Ibn Hisham’s
Sirah, edited by Abd al-Salam Harun. See: Tahdhib Sirat Ibn Hisham,
Maktabat al-sunna, Sixth Edition, Cairo, 1989, p. 44.
112
Al-Mubarakpuri, Zapečaćeni džennetski napitak (The Sealed Nectar), pp.
57-58; al-Rahiq al-makhtum, p. 61. See also: Martin Lings, supra at 51.

105
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

friend who shared his interests and ideals. She was the first
person who trusted him when he started receiving the Reve-
lation and she helped him with her fortune, too. The Prophet
lived a life full of love and harmony with Khadijah, r.a. Their
marriage was very good and fruitful, and a symbol of true
love, success and fortune in life.

106
 7. THE PROPHET’S FAMILY AND
CHILDREN

In Khadijah’s House
After the wedding ceremony and a dowry (mahr) of twen-
ty camels, the Prophet, p.b.u.h., moved to Khadijah’s house.
He continued to provide for himself and his family as a mer-
chant. According to biographers, Khadijah’s trade business
was so large in scope that it equaled the trade business of
the whole Quraysh tribe.113 Having married a very affluent
woman, Muhammad, p.b.u.h., could have stopped working,
but he did not want that; instead, he continued working and
personally earning his own and his family’s livelihood. This
is a lesson that every person should strive to live off one’s own
work and not be a burden to others, as it is one of the condi-
tions for a dignified and honorable life. The ones who act so
deserve respect of others. This should particularly be borne
in mind by the young men who wish to marry girls from af-
fluent families primarily for financial reasons. According to
the Islamic teachings, a wife is entitled to have her own prop-
erty and to manage it independently while married, and it is
a husband’s duty to provide for his wife and family.
In an idyllic family setting full of great affection, harmony,
mutual understanding and assistance, the Prophet, p.b.u.h.,
spent with Khadijah the most beautiful days of his life.
113
This information is reported by the prominent Kuwaiti Islamic scholar,
Professor Dr. Tareq al-Suwaidan, in a series of his lectures on the life of
Allah’s Messenger. See: al-Sirah al-nabawiyya, audio-cassettes, published
by Qurtuba li al-intaj al-fanni, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, [n.d.], cassette No. 2.

107
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

Owing to her outstanding qualities as a wife and mother

and her loving care for Muhammad, p.b.u.h., Khadijah, r.a.,
enjoyed his special love and respect. The Prophet showed
his love for her during his whole life, even after her death in
the tenth year of the prophethood.
Numerous traditions recorded in the relevant Hadith col-
lections state that the Prophet often mentioned Khadijah.
The famous Hadith authority, imam Ibn Abd al-Barr, states:
“It was narrated in a number of traditions that the Prophet,
p.b.u.h., had said: ‘Khadijah, Gabriel sends his greetings of
peace to you’”. Gabriel is the angel who delivered to the mes-
sengers the Revelation by Allah, the Exalted. Some traditions
read: “O Muhammad, give Khadijah greetings of peace from
her Lord (Allah, the Exalted)!”114
Abu Hurayrah, r.a., narrates that the Messenger of God,
p.b.u.h., said: “The four best women in the world are: Mary,
daughter of ‘Imran (Amram or Joachim), Asiyah, daughter
of Muzahim and wife of the Pharaoh, Khadijah, daughter of
Khuwaylid, and Fatimah, daughter of Muhammad.”115
Al-Bukhari and Muslim report that angel Gabriel once
came to the Prophet, p.b.u.h., and told him to give Khadijah
greetings of peace from Allah, the Exalted, and the glad tid-
ings of a palace prepared for her in Paradise.116
The carefully worded praise with which the Prophet ex-
pressed his love and respect for Khadijah made his other
wives jealous. Recounts A’ishah, r.a.: “I never felt as jealous of
anyone as I did of Khadijah, although I did not live with her.
That was because the Prophet, p.b.u.h., mentioned Khadijah
114
See: Sa’id Harun ‘Ashur, Nisa’ al-Nabiyy, siyar wa qadaya, Maktabah
al-adab, Cairo, 1996, p. 31.
115
Reported by: al-Tirmidhi in Sunan, hadith No. 3.878; Muslim in Sahih,
chapter on Khadijah’s virtues.
116
See: al-Bukhari’s and Muslim’s respective Sahihs, chapters on Khadijah’s
virtues. See also: al-Tirmidhi in Sunan, Hadith No. 3.876.

108
 7. THE PROPHET’S FAMILY AND CHILDREN

often. Sometimes he would slaughter a sheep and distribute

the meat to Khadijah’s female friends.”117
Another tradition reports that A’ishah, r.a., said: “When-
ever Allah’s Prophet, p.b.u.h., mentioned Khadijah, he praised
her a lot. One day jealousy overcame me and I said: ‘You talk
so much of that toothless old woman! Allah gave you some-
one better in her stead!’ ‘No!’, answered the Prophet, p.b.u.h.,
‘Never did Allah give me a better wife than her! She believed
in me when many did not want to; she confirmed I was tell-
ing the truth when many called me a liar; she helped me with
her wealth when others refused to do so; Allah gave me chil-
dren with her and not with other wives!”118
Khadijah, r.a., died in the month of Ramadan of the tenth
year of the prophethood, soon after the idol-worshippers had
suspended their boycott of Muslims, or three years prior to
the migration to Medina. The gravity of the event made the
Prophet call that year the Year of Grief (‘Am al-huzn). Khadi-
jah’s body was washed by Umm Ayman, the Prophet’s slave
whom he had inherited from his father119, and Umm al-Fadl,
the wife of the Prophet’s uncle Abbas. Allah’s Prophet, p.b.u.h.,
personally laid her body to rest in the grave, but there was no
funeral prayer, as it was not yet prescribed at that time. She
was buried on the hill called al-Hajun, above Mecca.120
117
Hadith is reported by al-Tirmidhi in Sunan, No. 3.875, in the chapter
on Khadijah’s virtues. See: al-Tirmidhi, Sunan, Dar al-hadith, Cairo,
V, p. 702.
118
Hadith is reported by Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal in Musnad.
119
Her name was Barakah and Umm Ayman was her nickname. Some
sirahs say that she raised the Prophet, p.b.u.h., after his mother
Aminah’s death. On the day of his marriage to Khadijah, the Prophet
set Barakah free and she was then married to a man in Yathrib. A boy
named Ayman was born in that marriage after whom she was called
Umm Ayman, the mother of Ayman.
120
See: Sa’id Harun ‘Ashur, supra at 30.

109
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

Prophet Muhammad’s Children

As noted earlier, the Prophet, p.b.u.h., had seven children:
three sons and four daughters. Khadijah, r.a., gave birth to
all children except Ibrahim. Islamic scholars researched the
lives of the children of the Last Messenger of God, as they
did every other detail of his life and deeds. We will briefly
present the most important biographical information on the
Prophet’s children and grandchildren.121
Qasim and Abdullah are the names of the two sons of
the Prophet from Khadijah. She first gave birth to Qasim
and it was after him that the Prophet was nicknamed Abu
al-Qasim (the father of Qasim). After Qasim, she gave birth
to the daughters and then to son Abdullah. Both sons died
in Mecca, in early childhood, which is why the information
about them in the biographies is scarce. The death of a child
is a very hard experience for parents anywhere anytime, and
it was also very hard for the Prophet, p.b.u.h., and his faith-
ful wife Khadijah when their sons died. In the pre-Islamic
era (Jahiliyah), some Arabic tribes had an awfully inhumane
custom of burying alive female children (wa’d al-banat).
They did so because of their pagan belief that female children
brought misfortune to the families they were born to, so they
used to let only few girls live for procreation purposes. Natu-
rally, the Prophet, p.b.u.h., never demonstrated any kind of
pagan belief nor took part in the pagan rites.
In a society where female infants were buried, the death
of male infants was considered a real tragedy. The idol-wor-
121
Numerous sources report about the Prophet’s children. The information
for the present book was taken mainly from the following works: Sa’id
Harun ‘Ashur, Nisa’ al-Nabiyy, siyar wa qadaya, Maktabah al-adab,
Cairo, 1996; Ibn Hajar al-‘Asqalani, al-Isaba fi tamyiz al-sahaba (and
on the margins thereof: Ibn Abd al-Barr’s work al-Isti’ab fi ma’rifa al-
ashab), Dar al-kitab al-‘arabi, Beirut [n.d.]; Muhammad Muwaffaq
Sulayma, Kćerke Vjerovjesnika, sallallahu alejhi ve sellem (The Daughters
of the Messenger of God, p.b.u.h.), Novi Pazar, 2004.

110
 7. THE PROPHET’S FAMILY AND CHILDREN

shippers used that as an argument when they criticized the

Prophet, p.b.u.h. They said that, since the Prophet’s male
children had died, he would become abtar, that is, ‘cut off’
without name or issue. There is a reference to it in the Noble
Qur’an in surah 108, Abundance: We have truly given abun-
dance to you [Prophet] – so pray to your Lord and make your
sacrifice to Him alone – it is the one who hates you who has
been cut off.
All sirahs read that on the day the Prophet, p.b.u.h., mar-
ried Khadijah, she made him a gift of a young slave named
Zayd ibn Harithah.122 Soon afterward the Prophet released
Zayd and adopted him as a foster son since his own sons had
died. Zayd was then called Zayd ibn Muhammad, or Zayd,
son of Muhammad, and he became a member of the Prophet’s
family.123 The Revelation afterward put an end to that custom
and standardized the rules on children adoption. Until the
end of his life, Zayd ibn Harithah enjoyed a special status with
the Messenger of Allah, p.b.u.h. He is the only Companion of
the Prophet mentioned by name in the Noble Qur’an (33:37),
which is a special honor. He died a martyr (shahid), May Allah
be Pleased with Him, in the Battle of Mu’tah, 8 AH, as he held
the standard of Islam and bravely fought Byzantines and their
Arab allies.
Zaynab was the Prophet’s eldest daughter. He gave her
hand in marriage to Abu al-Aas ibn al-Rabee, son of Khadi-
122
Slavery was widespread at that time, not just among the Arabs, but all
over the Old World.
123
S irahs read that Zayd’s family searched for him after his disappearance.
When a group of pilgrims from his tribe recognized him in Mecca, they
hurried to pass on the news to his father Harithah. Soon afterward,
Harithah arrived in Mecca and when Zayd was offered to choose
whether he would return to his native family or stay in Mecca with
the Prophet and his family, he chose the latter. This example speaks
volumes of the Prophet’s refined behavior toward everyone, even
slaves. See more about this event in: Martin Lings, supra at 53.

111
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

jah’s sister Hala. When the Prophet, p.b.u.h., started receiving

the Revelation, the idol-worshippers asked Abu al-Aas to di-
vorce Zaynab, but he refused. Abu al-Aas fought in the Battle
of Badr on the idol-worshippers’ side and was captured. There
is a moving story related to this event: Zaynab sent a necklace,
which had been a gift from her mother Khadijah, as a ransom
for her husband. The Prophet had previously given that neck-
lace as a gift to his beloved wife. After consultations with the
Companions, the necklace was returned to Zaynab and her
husband was released. He then vowed that upon his return to
Mecca he would permit Zaynab to move to Medina. He kept
his word and soon afterward he, too, became a Muslim and
came to Medina. The Prophet then re-married him to Zaynab.
Zaynab passed away in the early 8 AH. In her marriage to Abu
al-Aas she gave birth to a daughter who was named Umaymah.
The Prophet, p.b.u.h., loved his granddaughter very much and
liked to play with her. Later, when her aunt Fatimah passed
away, Umaymah married Ali, but she did not have children
with him. After Ali’s death, she married al-Mughira ibn-Naw-
fal with whom she had a son named Yahya. Biographies state
that Yahya was without progeny.
After Zaynab, Khadijah gave birth to the Prophet’s daugh-
ters Ruqayyah and then Umm Kulthum. When they grew
up, they married sons of the Prophet’s uncle Abu Lahab: Ru-
qayyah married ‘Utbah and Umm Kulthum married ‘Utay-
bah. Abu Lahab and his wife Umm Jamil became Muham-
mad’s fierce opponents when he started calling to Islam. In
order to harm Muhammad even more, the two of them per-
suaded their sons to divorce his daughters and the sons did
so. After that, Ruqayyah married Uthman ibn Affan, with
whom she migrated from Mecca, first to Abyssinia and then
to Medina. In Abyssinia she gave birth to a boy whom they
named Abdullah. Abdullah did not live long: he died at the

112
 7. THE PROPHET’S FAMILY AND CHILDREN

age of six in Medina, and his body was laid to rest by his
grandfather, Prophet Muhammad, p.b.u.h. Ruqayyah’s life
was short, too: she died in the month of Ramadan 2 AH, dur-
ing the Battle of Badr.
After Ruqayyah’s death, Uthman asked the Prophet for
her sister Umm Kulthum’s hand in marriage and the Prophet
agreed. Owing to the fact that he was twice the Prophet’s son-
in-law Uthman was called Possessor of Two Lights (Dhu al-
nurayn), an allusion to the Prophet’s two daughters whom he
married. Umm Kulthum passed away in 9 AH. According to
the records, she did not have children.
Fatimah al-Zahra’ was the Prophet’s youngest daughter.
She was born when he was approximately thirty-five years
old and her birth corresponds with the placing of the Black
Stone (al-Hajar al-Aswad) during the reconstruction of the
Ka’bah. We will get back to that event later. The Prophet’s un-
cle Abu Talib had a big family and needed some assistance,
so that year the Prophet made a deal with his uncle Abbas
that each should take to his respective households one child
of Abu Talib’s. The Prophet, p.b.u.h., took Ali, r.a., and Abbas
took Ja’far. Thus, Fatimah grew up playing with Ali, as her
sisters were married and lived in their respective husbands’
homes. Fatimah was a sweet creature and the Prophet was
particularly fond of her. The Prophet narrated several ha-
diths about her and her virtues. When she grew up, he gave
her hand in marriage to Ali, r.a., in the year after the Hijra,
and they started living as a couple one year later. From that
marriage the following Prophet’s grandchildren were born:
boys Hasan, Husayn and Muhsin, and girls Umm Kulthum
and Zaynab. Fatimah, r.a., passed away six months after her
father, on 3 Ramadan 11 AH. The posterity of Muhammad,
p.b.u.h., the last Messenger of Allah, continued through her
sons Hasan and Husayn, May Allah be pleased with them.

113
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

The Prophet’s Family Is Ahl al-Bayt, the Noblest Family

Muhammad, p.b.u.h., is Allah’s chosen one and favorite.
There is not a shred of doubt that by its glory, beauty and lin-
eage, his family constitutes the noblest house on Earth. For
this reason it is very important to study different aspects of
his noble family’s life.
The Noble Qur’an calls the Prophet’s family ahl al-bayt.
Allah says: “God wishes to keep uncleanness away from you,
people of the [Prophet’s] House (ya ahl al-bayt), and to purify
you thoroughly” (33:33). This is, actually, the final part of the
ayah, or verse, whose beginning reads: “Stay at home (this is
an address to the Prophet’s wives), and do not flaunt your fin-
ery as they used to in the pagan past; keep up the prayer, give
the prescribed alms, and obey God and His Messenger.”
Given the fact that in the foregoing example the term
ahl al-bayt was used in the context entirely dedicated to the
wives of Allah’s Messenger, p.b.u.h., the Islamic scholars un-
derstood the term to comprise his wives, too. Based on an
authentic tradition, this term also includes his close relatives
who are entitled to khums (one fifth of war booty).
The famous Qur’an commentator, Imam Ibn Kathir, says:
“The referenced ayah is a nass124 , on the basis of which it is
proven that the wives of Allah’s Messenger, p.b.u.h., are in-
cluded in the ahl al-bayt.” They are the cause of the revela-
tion of that particular ayah, and the cause of a revelation fa-
cilitates correct understanding of the Qur’anic text. Ibn Jarir

124
N
 ass in the usul al-tafsir (hermeneutics) terminology denotes a Sharia
text (either a Qur’anic verse or a hadith) which has one clear and exact
meaning without another being implied. If a Sharia text indicates one
meaning, but also implies other meanings, it is called zahir. See more
in: Manna’ al-Kattan: Mabahith fi ’ulum al-Qur’an, Maktaba al-Wahba,
Cairo, 1990, pp. 257-258.

114
 7. THE PROPHET’S FAMILY AND CHILDREN

transmits from ‘Ikrimah125 that Ikrimah once spoke at a pub-

lic place: “The words of the Exalted, People of the House (ya
ahl al-bayt), God wishes to keep uncleanness away from you
and to purify you thoroughly, were revealed specifically in re-
lation to the wives of Allah’s Messenger, p.b.u.h.”126 Also, Ibn
Abi Khatim transmits that Ibn Abbas said: “This ayah was
revealed regarding the wives of Allah’s Messenger, p.b.u.h.”
‘Ikrimah used to say: “I dare everyone who wants to engage
in mubahala with me127 -- I am ready! This ayah was revealed
regarding the wives of the Messenger of Allah, p.b.u.h.”128
After he cited the traditions on the cause of the revelation
of this verse, Ibn Kathir was more specific: “If the aim was to
emphasize that the Prophet’s wives, and not someone else’s
wives, were the cause of the revelation, that is true; but if the
aim was to say that they alone constituted the ahl al-bayt,
that is problematic, as there is a number of hadiths indicating
that the intention in the specific case was far more general.”129
Subsequently, Ibn Kathir refers to many traditions that
may be classified as follows:
a) the traditions restricting the ahl al-bayt to the closest
125
The famous mufassir (commentator of the Qur’an) from the second-
generation followers, who was taught by Abdullah, son of the Prophet’s
uncle Abbas.
126
The tradition is recorded by imam Ibn Jarir al-Tabari in the famous
commentary (tafsir) Jami’ al-Bayan, Dar al-kutub al-‘ilmiyya, Beirut,
1992, X, p. 298, No. 28.503.
127
Mubahala – verbal noun of the verb bāhala, yubāhilu, meaning to curse
one or invoke a curse on one. This term is used in the Arabic language
when a speaker is absolutely certain that what he says is true, so much
so that he is ready to curse himself should his words turn out to be
untrue. It is interesting to note that this manner of expression was used
in the Qur’an, in 3:61, in the context of the Qur’anic polemics with
Christians about Jesus, p.b.u.h.
128
See: Ibn Kathir: Tafsir al-Qur’an al-azim, Kuwait, 1994, III, pp. 637-638.
129
Ibid, p. 638.

115
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

family of the Prophet, p.b.u.h., or, more precisely, to five per-

sons: the Prophet, his daughter Fatimah, her husband Ali
and their children, Hasan and Husayn;
b) the traditions including into the ahl al-bayt some of the
wives and some of the Companions of Allah’s Messenger,
p.b.u.h., in addition to the five persons referred to above,
c) the traditions expanding the ahl al-bayt to the Prophet’s
cousins who were prohibited from taking the proceeds from
zakat (the obligatory giving of alms from the surplus of a
Muslim’s wealth, aimed for the needy) because they were en-
titled to khums (one fifth of war booty).130
The Prophet’s grandsons Hasan and Husayn and their de-
scendants were seen as obstacles to and fell victims of the
totalitarian regimes that wanted to keep the power at the
times of great political turmoil in the Islamic world. This is
an issue that merits a special treatment. We pray to Allah,
swt, to give to all people love for His favorite and chosen one,
Muhammad, p.b.u.h., his noble family and the path to which
he called. O Allah, unite the hearts of Muslims on the path of
promoting the truth and common good!

The Prophet’s Wives and Reasons for His Multiple

Marriages
The wives of the Messenger of Allah, p.b.u.h., occupy a
special place in the Islamic tradition. The Qur’an refers to
them as Mothers of the Faithful (Ummahat ul-Mu’minin):
130
In May 2002, an international symposium was held in Sarajevo on The
Ahl al-Bayt in Bosnia and Herzegovina (Ehli-bejt u Bosni i Hercegovini).
The author of this book participated in it and presented a paper entitled
The Ahl al-Bayt in the Traditional Tafsir (Ehli-bejt u tradicionalnom
tefsiru), in which he gave a detailed review of the referenced traditions.
The paper was published in 2003 in the Proceedings of the Symposium,
issued by the Ibn Sina Research Institute in Sarajevo. See more about
the referenced topic in the paper.

116
 7. THE PROPHET’S FAMILY AND CHILDREN

The Prophet is more protective towards the believers than they

are themselves, while his wives are their mothers. Wa azwa-
juhu ummahatuhum… (33:6)
The Prophet’s wives enjoyed a special status after his death.
They were not permitted to re-marry. There is a general con-
sensus about this issue among all Islamic scholars.
It is well-established that the Prophet of Allah, p.b.u.h.,
left behind nine wives after his death. One of his exclusive
qualities and privileges was that, unlike other men, he was
permitted to have more than four wives at the same time.131
There are a number of reasons why the Prophet opted for
multiple marriages, of which Islamic scholars point out the
four essential ones:
a) teaching Islam,
b) establishing certain Sharia regulations,
c) social reasons, and
d) political motives.132
Before we deal with each of these reasons, we should stress
that the Prophet’s polygamy should also be regarded in its
historical context. In other words, it should be noted that
Islam was not the first religion to allow polygamy, but that
polygamy had actually been practiced by almost all ancient
peoples: Athenians, Chinese, Indians, Babylonians, Sumer-
ians and Egyptians. The majority of them did not even put
any limits to polygamy. Under an ancient Chinese law, a man
was permitted to have hundred and thirty wives. Moreover,

131
See: Muhammad Rawwas Qal’ahji, Ličnost posljednjeg Allahovog
poslanika (The Last Messenger of Allah), Sarajevo-Zenica, 2006, p. 147.
132
See: Muhammad ‘Ali al-Sabuni, Tafsir ayat al-ahkam, Dar al-Sabuni,
[n.p] [n.d.], II, pp. 318-326. Also cf.: Professor Dr. Hamid Tahir, Islam
između istine i optužbe (Islam Between the Truth and Accusations),
Sarajevo, 2004, pp. 50-53.

117
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

it was recorded that one Chinese emperor had several thou-

sand wives!133
Judaism also permitted men to have an unlimited number
of wives. All Prophets referred to in the Torah were polyga-
mous. The Torah also reads that Solomon, p.b.u.h., had seven
hundred wives, who were free women, and three hundred
concubines, who were slaves. Likewise, there is no text in
Christianity explicitly prohibiting polygamy. Moreover, it is
a historical fact that the ancient Christians had several wives
and that some Church dignitaries had more than one wife.134
It should, therefore, not be surprising that the idea of po-
lygamy exists in Islam, too. However, Islam limits polygamy
to four wives at maximum, provided that the prescribed re-
quirements are met. The Messenger of Allah, p.b.u.h., was
permitted to have more than four wives and that was one of
his privileges and special qualities. We shall touch on briefly
on the reasons for the multiple marriages of the Prophet,
p.b.u.h.
a) Teaching Islam. One of the fundamental objectives
of the Prophet’s polygamy was to provide qualified female
teachers who would teach Muslim women the rules of Islam.
The Islamic society was in the making and the wives of the
Prophet, p.b.u.h., had a very important role when it came to
teaching the female population about Islam. The Prophet
needed women who could successfully spread the teachings
and rules of Islam to an ever growing number of women, es-
pecially when the rules exclusively concerned female issues
that men would feel uncomfortable to discuss with women.
It is a common knowledge that the Islamic family and
marital life are associated with numerous Sharia rules re-
133
See: Dr. Mustafa al-Siba’i, Žena između šerijatskog i svjetovnog prava
(Women Between the Sharia and the Secular Law), Zenica, 2004, p. 68.
134
Ibid, pp. 68-69.

118
 7. THE PROPHET’S FAMILY AND CHILDREN

lated to the intimate relations of the spouses, women’s men-

struation (hayd) and postnatal bleeding (nifas), spouses’
post-intercourse bath, women’s hygiene, and so on. It is also
well-known that Allah’s Prophet, p.b.u.h., was a person with
a pronounced sense of shyness. The hadiths read that “the
Prophet’s sense of shyness was stronger than that of a virgin
hiding in her chambers”.
It is, therefore, understandable that he could not direct-
ly answer all questions of other women regarding spouses’
marital and intimate relations. Sometimes his answers were
metaphorical, and often his wives would directly convey to
other women the Sharia rules on family and marital mat-
ters. The classical Islamic literature abounds in the related
traditions. For example, al-Bukhari and Muslim report from
A’ishah that one woman from the ranks of the Ansar (help-
ers) from Medina asked the Prophet, p.b.u.h., how to wash
herself after menstruation. He instructed her: “Take a piece
of cloth doused with musk and wipe yourself with it.” She
asked: “How should I wipe myself with it?” He responded:
“Wipe yourself.” She asked again: “How should I do that?” He
retorted: “Praise be to Allah, wipe yourself with it.” A’ishah
reports: “I drew her close and told her: ‘Wipe yourself by re-
moving the marks of blood.’”135
The Hadith literature abounds with similar examples
where the Prophet’s wives emerged as teachers of the later
generations of Muslims. This is particularly the case with
A’ishah, r.a., whom the Prophet, p.b.u.h., married when she
was very young, owing to which she was raised under his
supervision and taught the rules of the faith by him. She out-
lived the Prophet for almost half a century, teaching many
generations the tenets of Islam throughout all that time.
135
 l-Bukhari, Fi al-hayd, Gasl al-mahid; Muslim, Fi al-hayd: istihbab
A
isti’mal al-mugtasila firsatan min misk.

119
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

b) Establishing certain Sharia regulations is referred to

as the second reason for the Prophet’s multiple marriages.
It is well-known that the pre-Islamic Arabs had a custom of
adopting sons (Arabic: al-tabanni). Under that custom, the
adopted child would be named after the adoptive father al-
though he was not the child’s biological father.
In the Islamic law (Sharia) the institute of adoption was
abolished. Naturally, the Sharia law recommended care for
orphans and the children unprovided for, but did not allow a
full adoption which implies a change of the child’s name by
attributing the child to the adoptive parent.
Sirahs read that prior to the prophethood, Muhammad,
p.b.u.h., adopted Zayd ibn Harithah, whom he had received
as a slave from his wife Khadijah. Since the Prophet’s male
children had died, he adopted Zayd whom people started
calling Zayd ibn Muhammad – Zayd, the son of Muham-
mad. Under a custom of the time, if a foster son divorced
his wife, his foster father was not permitted to marry her.
That custom was abolished and the Prophet married Zaynab
bint Jahsh. She had previously been married to his foster son
Zayd, but that matrimony was not successful and ended in a
divorce. This is referred to in the Noble Qur’an:
When you [Prophet] said to the man who had been favoured
by God and by you, ‘Keep your wife and be mindful of God,’
you hid in your heart what God would later reveal: you were
afraid of people, but it is more fitting that you fear God. When
Zayd no longer wanted her, We gave her to you in marriage
so that there might be no fault in believers marrying the wives
of their adopted sons after they no longer wanted them. God’s
command must be carried out. (33:37)
It is worth mentioning that Zayd ibn Harithah, r.a., is the
only companion of Allah’s Prophet, p.b.u.h., who is mentioned
by name in the Noble Qur’an, as the cited verse shows.

120
 7. THE PROPHET’S FAMILY AND CHILDREN

c) Social reasons are emphasized in the literature as the

third reason for the Prophet’s multiple marriages. It is well-
known that Islam devotes great attention to the institute of
marriage, as it is through marriage that close human ties, re-
lationships and friendships are established and fostered.136
For these reasons the Prophet, p.b.u.h., married A’ishah,
who was a daughter of his loyal friend and companion Abu
Bakr, r.a. This marriage additionally fostered the ties between
Abu Bakr and the Prophet since they became in-laws.
The Prophet forged the same kind of ties with the famous
Umar ibn al-Khattab, having married his daughter Hafsa,
r.a. After her husband had got killed, the Prophet, p.b.u.h.,
took her under his protection thus becoming even closer to
Umar, r.a.
It is necessary to point out that among the social reasons
for the Prophet’s multiple marriages was also his effort to fi-
nancially secure as many widows as possible who had become
unprovided for. This is obvious in the case of his marriage
to Zaynab bint Khuzaymah, whose husband Abdullah ibn
Jahsh fell as a martyr in the Battle of Uhud. Zaynab needed
to be taken care of and this is exactly what the Prophet did.
The same is the case with his marriage to Umm Salamah,
who was a widow of Abu Salamah. Classical biographies
state that she had small children and the Prophet, p.b.u.h.,
assumed the care for them.
d) Political motives constitute a very important reason
for the Prophet’s multiple marriages. The Prophet, p.b.u.h.,
was at the helm of a newly-created state in Medina and he
136
Enes Karić, Muhammed, alejhisselam, važniji aspekti ljudskog
posvjedočavanja njegova života i djela (Muhammad, p.b.u.h. – Some
Important Aspects of Witnessing His Life and Work), afterword to the
Bosnian edition of Ibn Hisham’s Sirah (A Biography of the Prophet),
Bemust, Sarajevo, 1998, p. 317.

121
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

had to reason as a politician as well. One such example is his

marriage to Juwayriya bint al-Harith, who was a daughter of
a tribal chief. She was assigned to the Prophet as a captive
taken in a war against the tribe of Banu Mustaliq. Since the
Prophet was very considerate toward the ones who fell into
disgrace after living a life of honor, he married her to save her
from ending as someone’s servant and with the expectation
that by releasing the captives he would win over the hearts
of the Banu Mustaliq tribesmen. The Muslims released the
captured members of that tribe calling them the in-laws of
the Messenger of Allah, p.b.u.h. After that, the whole tribe
converted to Islam.
Similar was the case of his marriage to Safiyyah bint
Huyayy, daughter of the head of the Jewish tribe of Banu Na-
dir. With these matrimonies the Prophet, p.b.u.h., tried to re-
duce the enmity between the Muslims and the People of the
Book. Likewise, with his marriage to Umm Habibah, daugh-
ter of the Meccan chief Abu Sufyan, the Prophet wanted to
improve his relations with the Meccans and win them over
for Islam.
* * *
Based on the foregoing, it is clear that Allah’s Prophet,
p.b.u.h., did not opt for multiple marriages in order to satisfy
his lust. Those who, nevertheless, criticize him arguing that
he did so in order to satisfy the needs of the flesh should be
reminded of the following indisputable historical facts:
First, the Prophet, p.b.u.h., could have chosen the most
beautiful young girls as his wives and thus have great physi-
cal pleasure. However, he did not do so: the only virgin he
married was A’ishah, r.a., whereas all his other wives had
been married previously and the majority of them were of an
advanced age. This, beyond doubt, indicates that satisfying
the needs of the flesh was of secondary importance for the

122
 7. THE PROPHET’S FAMILY AND CHILDREN

Prophet, p.b.u.h., as his primary objective was compliance

with high ethical requirements. In that way the Prophet reaf-
firmed that he possessed the noblest human virtues. This is
clear from the specific reasons that motivated his respective
marriages, as it is obvious that physical pleasure was never a
decisive factor behind them.
Second, it is well-known that Muhammad, p.b.u.h., spent
his childhood and adolescence in Mecca, living an honorable
and virtuous life, on which Muslim and non-Muslim schol-
ars agree. Even in that young age he possessed high moral
qualities and was known under the nicknames al-Sadiq,
the Truthful One, and al-Amin, the Trustworthy One. The
Prophet’s biographers recorded that while the Meccan youth
indulged in wine, gambling and womanizing, he refrained
from such vices.
Third, the Prophet, p.b.u.h., spent the major part of his life
married to one woman, from the age of twenty-five to the age
of fifty. He was married for twenty-five years to Khadijah,
who was fifteen years his senior. It was only after her death,
when he was in his fifties, that he had more than one wife and
important reasons were behind each of these marriages. For
a better understanding of the reasons for the Prophet’s multi-
ple marriages, we shall briefly explain the circumstances sur-
rounding each one.

Mothers of the Faithful (Ummahat al-Mu’minin)

Ibn Hisham, one of the earliest biographers of the Proph-
et, p.b.u.h., writes that the Prophet married thirteen women
in total.137 He did not have sexual intercourse with two of the
wives, so they do not enjoy the status as Mothers of the Faith-

137
See: Ibn Hisham, Poslanikov životopis (A Biography of the Prophet), p. 281.

123
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

ful (Ummahat ul-Mu’minin).138 Two wives died during his

lifetime: Khadijah bint Khuwaylid and Zaynab bint Khuzay-
mah, known as Mother of the Poor (Umm al-Masakin). He left
behind nine widows, and eleven of his wives had the status as
Mothers of the Faithful. We shall give short biographies of the
wives of the Messenger of Allah, p.b.u.h.
1. Khadijah bint Khuwaylid was the first wife of the
Prophet, p.b.u.h. She had been married twice before she
married Allah’s Prophet, who was not older than twenty-five
at the time while she was forty. This is a proof that the Proph-
et’s motive to marry Khadijah was not physical pleasure only,
but also something else -- her honor and her renowned sharp
mind. She gave birth to all children of the Prophet, p.b.u.h.,
except Ibrahim.
The Prophet, p.b.u.h., spent the most beautiful days of his
life with Khadijah enjoying in mutual love, harmony and
understanding. Owing to her outstanding qualities as a wife
and mother and her loving care for Muhammad, p.b.u.h.,
Khadijah, r.a., enjoyed his special love and respect. The
Prophet showed love for her during his whole life, even after
her death. We have already portrayed Khadijah and her vir-
tues earlier in this book.
2. Sawdah bint Zam’ah was the second wife of the Proph-
et, p.b.u.h., who married her in the month of Shawwal in the
138
Ibn Hisham gives the names of the wives with whom the Prophet
did not have sexual intercourse: “One was Asma bint al-Nu’man al-
Kindiyya. When he married her he noticed that she suffered from
leprosy, so he sent her back to her family. The other was Umra bint
Yazid al-Kilabiyya. She had just abandoned idolatry and when she was
brought before Allah’s Prophet, she sought refuge with Allah from
him. The Prophet then said ‘That which is protected by Allah is beyond
reach!’, and he sent her back to her family.” See: Ibn Hisham, supra at
284. The Islamic literature refers to this woman as al-Musta’iza (the
one who sought refuge with Allah from His prophet).

124
 7. THE PROPHET’S FAMILY AND CHILDREN

tenth year of the prophethood. Before marrying the Prophet

she was married to Sakran ibn Amr with whom she migrated
to Abyssinia. She returned to Mecca after he had died there
(although some historians claim that he returned to Mecca
and died there before the Muslims’ migration from Mecca
to Medina). As a widow she was left without a protector and
provider. This meant that she would either have to return to
her family where she was likely to be mistreated and exposed
to tribulations because of her faith, or be a burden to the so-
ciety as a widow. There was also a third option – to marry
someone not from her social class, which would have been
inappropriate as well. The Prophet, p.b.u.h., married her and
thus protected her faith and honor.
3. A’ishah, daughter of Abu Bakr, was the only wife
whom the Prophet, p.b.u.h., married a virgin. All his other
wives had been married before and their husbands had ei-
ther died or got killed. The Prophet did not even think of
marrying A’ishah, as she was very young. However, Hawla
bint Hakim, the wife of Uthman ibn Maz’un, came once after
Khadijah’s death and asked: “O, the Prophet of Allah, would
you like to get married?” The Prophet asked: “To whom?” She
answered: “Do you want a girl who hasn’t been married yet
(bikr), or a woman who was married before (thayyib)?” He
asked: “Who is the girl?” She replied: “A’ishah, the daughter
of Allah’s creature dearest to you” (she was referring to Abu
Bakr). He put another question: “And who is the woman who
was married before?” “Sawdah bint Zam’ah”, she responded.
The Prophet, p.b.u.h., then told her to go and ask for their
hands in marriage on his behalf.139
After that A’ishah started appearing in the Prophet’s
dreams. A’ishah says that the Prophet, p.b.u.h., told her: “I saw
you in my dreams three times. After that, an angel brought
139
The tradition narrated by Ahmad in Musnad.

125
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

you to me secretly – you were clad in silk – and told me: ‘This
is your wife.’ When I unveiled your face I recognized you and
I said: ‘If Allah wills it, so be it.’”140
This tradition tells clearly that the Prophet, p.b.u.h., mar-
ried A’ishah after a revelation, that is, that he was ordered to
do so. For that reason is her marriage specific: the Prophet
married her when she was a girl, with the approval of her
father, Abu Bakr. This happened in the month of Shawwal in
the eleventh year of the prophethood, that is, one year after
marrying Sawdah, or, two years and five months before the
Hijra. At that time A’ishah was not yet a major under the
terms of Sharia, so she stayed in her father’s house. When
she came of age (baligah), she moved to the Prophet’s house.
That happened in the month of Shawwal, seven months after
the Hijra, in Medina, when the Prophet’s mosque was built.
Many scholars state that A’ishah, r.a., was the most learned
woman in the fields of fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence) and the
Sharia regulations, and, generally, the most educated Muslim
woman.141
Throughout history, people who misunderstood Islam
used the Prophet’s marriage to A’ishah, who was very young
when she got married, in order to heavily criticize and smear
Islam and the Prophet, p.b.u.h. Such attacks have not ceased
to the present day and nowadays we witness the publishing
of blasphemous cartoons in some Western media. In that re-
spect, we find it important to point out the following facts:
First, marriages of young persons in that era should be
viewed in the context of the then historical and cultural
backdrop. Marrying young girls was a common thing, so
140
Transmitted by al-Bukhari and Muslim in their respective collections,
chapters Fi fada’il al-sahaba, fadl A’isha.
141
See: al-Mubarakpuri, Zapečaćeni džennetski napitak (The Sealed
Nectar), p. 431.

126
 7. THE PROPHET’S FAMILY AND CHILDREN

nobody really took any notice of the Prophet’s marriage

to A’ishah, not even his enemies. It is well-known that the
Prophet’s enemies from the ranks of Arab idol-worshippers
voiced all kinds of criticism of him. They, actually, used every
possible opportunity to attack and reproach him. The biogra-
phies are abundant with numerous objections voiced to the
Prophet by his Arab and other enemies. However, there is no
record of anyone criticizing him at that time for marrying
virgin A’ishah. That was an absolutely normal phenomenon
in that era. This is a very important fact that should be borne
in mind when discussing the Prophet’s marriage to A’ishah,
r.a. So, it is necessary to take into account the cultural and
historical context when considering this event in the life of
the Messenger of Allah, p.b.u.h., which can be incorrectly
and, unfortunately, often malevolently interpreted from the
contemporary point of view.

Second, it should be pointed out that, although at the time

of her marriage A’ishah, r.a., was very young, she was a major
in terms of the Sharia law. The reason why she did not imme-
diately move to the Prophet’s house is the fact that the Sharia
regulations prohibit sexual intercourse with a woman who is
not yet of age, that is, has not reached puberty (baligah). Un-
der Islamic regulations, a man reaches puberty with the first
nocturnal emission, and a woman with the first menstrua-
tion. So, A’ishah was a major under the Sharia law when she
started her marital life with the Prophet, p.b.u.h.
Third, the objective of the Prophet’s marrying A’ishah as
a very young girl was that she should spend her adolescence
next to him and be brought up and trained under his per-
sonal guidance and thus grow into a highly-qualified teach-
er and educator. As such, she taught many generations for
almost half a century. According to the relevant historical

127
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

literature, the Prophet, p.b.u.h., passed away in 11 AH and

A’ishah passed away in 57 AH. So, she outlived the Prophet
for nearly half a century and all that time she was involved in
the education of the coming generations who spread the mis-
sion of Islam. Famous biographer and historian Ibn Hajar
al-’Asqalani says in his capital work Taqrib al-tahdhib, in the
chapter on biography of A’ishah, r.a., that she was “the most
knowledgeable woman in fiqh, Sharia regulations, and gener-
ally the tenets of the faith.”142 This fact is also very important
in order to understand properly why the Messenger of Allah,
p.b.u.h., married A’ishah when she was so young.
4. Hafsa, daughter of Umar ibn al-Khattab, was mar-
ried to Khunays ibn Hudhaifah al-Sahmi before marring
the Prophet, p.b.u.h. After Khunays’ death, Umar offered her
hand in marriage to Uthman ibn ‘Affan. Uthman refused po-
litely, so Umar made the offer to Abu Bakr. Since Abu Bakr
did not give him any answer whatsoever, Umar went to com-
plain with Allah’s Prophet, p.b.u.h., who married her to spare
her father the worries over her marital status and to dissuade
him from believing that no-one wanted his daughter. The
Prophet married her in 3 AH.
5. Zaynab bint Khuzaymah, known by her nickname
Mother of the Poor (Umm al-Masakin) because of her great
care for the poor and orphans. The Prophet, p.b.u.h., mar-
ried her out of respect for her and her work for the common
good. Before marrying the Prophet, she was married to Ab-
dullah ibn Jahsh, who fell as a martyr in the Battle of Uhud.143
142
See: Ibn Hajar al-’Asqalani, Taqrib al-tahdhib, Dar al-kutub al-’ilmiyya,
Beirut, 1993, II, p. 651. Ibn Hajar’s comment in Arabic reads as follows:
“Kanat afqah al-nisa’ mutlaqan.”
143
Some sirahs state that prior to her marriage with the Prophet she
was married to Ubayda ibn al-Harith, a companion who got killed
in a duel (mubaraza) on the eve of the Battle of Badr. However, the
famous Hadith commentator Ibn Hajar al-’Asqalani states that she was

128
 7. THE PROPHET’S FAMILY AND CHILDREN

The Prophet married her in 4 AH, but she did not live long
together with him as she died soon afterward, two or three
months after the wedding.
6. Umm Salamah al-Makhzumiyah was married to Abu
Salamah ibn Abd al-Asad, before marrying the Prophet,
p.b.u.h. She was an adult woman with small children. Her hus-
band succumbed to the injuries he had sustained in the Battle
of Uhud. Umm Salamah sincerely mourned her husband. Sev-
eral men proposed to her, including Abu Bakr, r.a. She turned
down her suitors, probably because of concern for her children
and her mourning. The Prophet, p.b.u.h., took pity on her and
married her promising he would take care of her children. This
happened in the month of Shawwal in 4 AH.
7. Zaynab bint Jahsh was the Prophet’s cousin on his fa-
ther’s side. The Prophet, p.b.u.h., gave her hand in marriage
to his adopted son Zayd ibn Harithah. Allah, swt, afterward
abolished the custom of adopting sons and everything en-
suing from it. The marriage of Zayd and Zaynab was not a
happy one and it ended in divorce. Allah, swt, commanded
the Prophet, p.b.u.h., to marry Zaynab, the former wife of his
adopted son, and thus verify the abolition of the adoption
custom in practice. The Qur’an reads: When Zayd no longer
wanted her, We gave her to you in marriage so that there might
be no fault in believers marrying the wives of their adopted
sons after they no longer wanted them. God’s command must
be carried out. (33:37) The Prophet married Zaynab in the
month of Dhu-al-Qa’da in 5 AH.
married to Abdullah ibn Jahsh, whereas he classifies the other options
as sigat al-tamrid (that is, qila), a term in the Hadith literature denoting
something not completely verified. See: Ibn Hajar al-’Asqalani, al-Isaba
fi tamyiz al-sahaba, Dar al-kitab al-‘arabi, Beirut, p. 309. Also, cf: Ibn
Abd al-Barr, al-Isti’ab fi asma’ al-ashab (printed on the margins of al-
Isaba), pp. 305-306.

129
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

8. Juwayriya bint al-Harith was a daughter of a tribal

chief. She was assigned to the Prophet, p.b.u.h., as a captive
taken in the campaign against the tribe of Banu Mustaliq in
the month of Sha’ban 6 AH. Since the Prophet was very con-
siderate toward the ones who fell into disgrace after living a
life of honor, he married her soon afterward to save her from
ending as someone’s servant. This also had another effect: the
Muslims released the captured members of the Banu Mustal-
iq tribe calling them the in-laws of Allah’s Messenger. After
that, the whole tribe converted to Islam, thus the Prophet’s
marriage to Juwayriya turned out to be very fruitful.
9. Umm Habibah Ramlah bint Abu Sufyan, daughter
of Abu Sufyan. She was married to ‘Ubayd-Allah ibn Jahsh,
brother of Zaynab bint Jahsh. Together with her husband she
converted to Islam at an early stage and split with her family,
whereupon the couple migrated to Abyssinia. However, after
a short stay in Abyssinia, her husband converted to Christi-
anity and died soon afterward. Ramlah lived her immigrant
days in solitude. When the Prophet, p.b.u.h., learned of it,
he sent a letter to the Negus of Abyssinia authorizing him,
after the Negus had accepted Islam, to solemnize a marriage
between the Prophet and Ramlah, and the Negus did so. On
that occasion, the Negus gave Ramlah a dowry of four hun-
dred dinars in gold. No other wife of the Prophet’s received
such a valuable dowry. The Prophet married her to save her
from solitude and to forge ties with her father Abu Sufyan,
the leader of Mecca.
10. Safiyyah bint Huyayy ibn Akhtab, daughter of the
chief of the Banu Nadir tribe, was a captive taken in the cam-
paign on Khaybar. When she found herself at Dihya al-Ka-
lbi’s, he told the Prophet, p.b.u.h.: “She is the princess and the
belle of her tribe. She shouldn’t be anyone’s but yours.” Since
the Prophet was very considerate to the people who had had

130
 7. THE PROPHET’S FAMILY AND CHILDREN

a high social status but lost it, he made her a free woman and
then took her for his wife. This happened in 7 AH, after the
capture of Khaybar.
11. Maymuna bint al-Harith was the last woman whom
Allah’s Prophet, p.b.u.h., married. That happened at the end
of the year 7 AH, during the so-called Compensatory Um-
rah (Umrat al-Qada), the Lesser Pilgrimage to Mecca that
the Prophet made, having been prevented by Quraysh from
making it the previous year.144
* * *
The information recorded in the relevant historical lit-
erature confirms beyond doubt that the Prophet’s multiple
marriages had a much more profound rationale than a mere
satisfaction of the needs of the flesh. Actually, the allegation
that the Prophet, p.b.u.h., married so many women in order
to satisfy his sexual needs makes no sense given the fact that
he spent his youth with one woman, Khadijah, who was fif-
teen years his senior on top of it.
This loathsome allegation was contested by unbiased non-
Muslim intellectuals, too. In that respect, Annie Besant, au-
thor of the famous work The Life and Teachings of Muham-
mad, wrote:
“It is impossible for anyone who studies the life and char-
acter of the great Prophet of Arabia, who knows how he taught
and how he lived, to feel anything but reverence for that
mighty Prophet, one of the great messengers of the Supreme.
And although in what I now put to you I shall say things
which may be familiar to many, yet I myself feel, whenever I
re-read them, a new way of admiration, a new sense of rever-
ence to that mighty Arabian Teacher.

144
A
 l-Rahiq al-makhtum, pp. 473-474. Cf: Zapečaćeni džennetski napitak
(The Sealed Nectar), pp. 431-432.

131
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

But do you mean to tell me that the man who in the full
flush of youthful vigour, a young man of four and twenty,
married a woman much his senior, and remained faithful
to her for six and twenty years, at fifty years of age when
the passions are dying married for lust and sexual passion?
(Not thus are men’s lives to be judged.) And you look at the
women whom he married, you will find that by every one of
them an alliance was made for his people, or something was
gained for his followers, or the woman was in sore need of
protection.” 145

145
Annie Besant, The Life and Teachings of Muhammad, Madras, 1932, p. 4.

132
8. PROPHETHOOD FORETOLD IN EARLIER
REVELATIONS

Reconstruction of the Ka’bah

When Muhammad, p.b.u.h., was thirty-five, Quraysh
decided to reconstruct the Ka’bah. At that time the Proph-
et’s youngest daughter Fatimah was born and Ali became a
member of his household.
The reconstruction of the Ka’bah was needed because the
structure was very old and there was a risk of its collapse. The
Ka’bah had been built at the time of Abraham (Ibrahim) and
Ishmael (Ismail), peace be upon them, and was made of large
blocks of stone not connected with mortar. The sirahs read that
the Ka’bah did not have a roof at that time, so thieves could
easily steal jewels and other valuables stored inside. In addition
to it, the Iram dam burst and caused a heavy flood, so the old
Ka’bah structure could have collapsed at any moment.
At the time when the Meccans considered a reconstruc-
tion of the Ka’bah, a Roman merchant’s ship wrecked and
was driven ashore near Jeddah. Quraysh took the ship’s
timbers and processed them to be used as the Ka’bah’s roof
beams. A skilled Coptic craftsman lived in Mecca at the time
and he was hired to help the reconstruction of the Ka’bah. As
the Ka’bah was the Arabs’ Holy Sanctuary in the pre-Islamic
period as well, it was decided that the future donations for its
reconstruction should come only from the lawfully acquired
wealth, whereas the wealth acquired through usury, fraud or
embezzlement would not be acceptable.

133
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

It was necessary to first raze the Ka’bah down to its foun-

dations laid by Abraham and Ishmael, but Quraysh hesitated,
mindful of the events when Abraha had set out with his army
to destroy it. They feared a catastrophe might befall them as
it had befallen Abraha and his troops. After a while, when
it became obvious that the Ka’bah would soon collapse on
its own, they realized they had to start the job. The one who
began the demolition was al-Walid ibn al-Mughirah (the fa-
ther of the great general Khalid ibn al-Walid) and the oth-
ers followed suit when they saw that nothing had happened
to him. The Ka’bah was razed down to Abraham’s and Ish-
mael’s foundations. Prophet Muhammad also participated in
the reconstruction of the Holy Sanctuary by carrying stones
and building material.
Each Arab tribe had its own corner of the Ka’bah to rebuild,
but a row occurred concerning the Black Stone (al-Hajar al-
Aswad). Each tribe wanted the honor to place it in its posi-
tion. The argument was so heated that they almost resorted
to weapons. According to some traditions, Abu Umayyah ibn
al-Mughirah, the eldest Quraysh at that time, said: “Let the
arbiter be the first man who enters through the gate of this
Sanctuary!” Everyone agreed to it and looked in that direc-
tion. The first one who entered was Muhammad, p.b.u.h., and
when Quraysh saw him, they exclaimed, “Al-Amin! Al-Amin!
– The Trustworthy One! The Trustworthy One!”, and everyone
agreed he should arbitrate the dispute.
Muhammad asked for a cloak to be brought which he then
spread on the ground and placed the Black Stone in its center.
He then invited the lords of the disputed tribes to approach
and take hold of the cloak’s edges and lift the cloak all to-
gether. When they did so, Muhammad took the Black Stone
with his own hand and put it in its designated place inside
the Ka’bah. That is how the dispute was settled to everyone’s
satisfaction and the Prophet, p.b.u.h., demonstrated com-

134
 8. PROPHETHOOD FORETOLD IN EARLIER REVELATIONS

mon sense and wisdom, which speaks volumes of his ability

to find solutions in conflict situations, the qualities he needed
very much in his prophetic mission.146

Muhammad’s Prophethood as Foretold in Earlier

Revelations
The prophethood of Muhammad, p.b.u.h., was foretold in
the earlier Divine Revelations. The Noble Qur’an refers to it
several times.

‫ول اللَّ ِه إِلَيْ ُكم ُّم َص ِّدقًا‬

ُ ‫ِيل إ يِِّن َر ُس‬
َ ‫ِس َرائ‬
ْ ‫ِيسى ابْ ُن َم ْريمََ يَا بَيِن إ‬ َ ‫َال ع‬ َ ‫« َوإِ ْذ ق‬
َ ْ‫اس ُه أَ م‬
‫ح ُد َ�فل ََّما‬ ُْ‫ول يَْأ يِت مِن َ�ب ْعدِي م‬
ٍ ‫َّوَرا ِة َوُمبَ ِّش ًرا ب َِر ُس‬ َ ْ‫لِّ َما َ�ب ن‬
َ ‫ي يَ َد َّي م‬
ْ ‫ِن ال�ت‬
» ‫ات قَالُوا َهذَا ِس ْح ٌر ُّمبِني‬ ِ َ‫َجاء ُهم بِالَْ�بِّ�ين‬

Jesus, son of Mary, said, ‘Children of Israel, I am sent to you

by God, confirming the Torah that came before me and bring-
ing good news of a messenger to follow me whose name will be
Ahmad. Yet when he came to them with clear signs, they said,
‘This is obviously sorcery.’ (61:6)

‫َّب األُ ِّم َّي الَّذِي جَيِ ُدونَ ُه َم ْكتُوبًا عِن َد ُه ْم يِف‬ َ ‫الر ُس‬
َّ ِ‫ول الن ي‬ َّ ‫ِين َ�يتَّب ُِعو َن‬ َ ‫« الَّذ‬
ُّ ‫نك ِر َوحُي‬
‫ِل لهَُ ُم‬ َ ‫وف َوَ�يْ�ن َها ُه ْم َع ِن الْ ُم‬ ِ ‫ِيل يَْأ ُم ُرُهم بِالْ َم ْع ُر‬ِ ‫َّوَرا ِة َواإلِ جْن‬
ْ ‫ال�ت‬
‫َل الَّيِت‬
َ ‫ِص َرُه ْم َواألَ ْغال‬ ْ ‫ِث َويَ َض ُع َعْ�ن ُه ْم إ‬ َ ‫البَآئ‬ َْ‫ِم خ‬ َّ
ِ َ‫الطيِّب‬
ُ ‫ات َويحَُ ِّرُم َعلَيْه‬
‫ِي أُنزَِل‬ َ ‫ُّور الَّذ‬
َ ‫ِين آ َمنُواْ بِ ِه َو َعزَُّروُه َونَ َص ُروُه َواَّ�تَ�ب ُعواْ الن‬ َ ‫ِم فَالَّذ‬ ْ ‫َكانَ ْت َعلَيْه‬
» ‫ِحو َن‬ ُ ‫ِك ُه ُم الْ ُم ْفل‬ َ ‫َم َع ُه أُ ْولَئ‬

146
The event concerning the Black Stone is recorded in almost every sirah,
hence it is not necessary to quote any particular source.

135
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

[Those] who follow the Messenger – the unlettered prophet

they find described in the Torah that is with them, and in the
Gospel – who commands them to do right and forbids them
to do wrong, who makes good things lawful to them and bad
things unlawful, and relieves them of their burdens, and the
iron collars that were on them. So it is those who believe him,
honour and help him, and who follow the light which has been
sent down with him, who will succeed. (7:157)

Also, the Qur’an reports that Abraham (Ibrahim), p.b.u.h.,

pleaded with God to send to Arabs a messenger of their own
descent and God granted the plea by sending Muhammad,
p.b.u.h. The words of the Exalted indicate so: “Our Lord, make
a messenger of their own rise up from among them, to recite
Your revelations to them, teach them the Scripture and wis-
dom, and purify them: You are the Mighty, the Wise.” (2:129)

The Noble Qur’an emphasizes that God informed all

Prophets about Muhammad’s prophethood and ordered
them to tell their followers that they must believe in him and
that he would have followers of his own who would welcome
him. The Exalted says:

ُ ‫اب َو ِح ْك َم ٍة مُثَّ َج‬

‫اءك ْم‬ ٍ َ‫ي لَ َما آَ�تيْتُ ُكم ِّمن ِكت‬ َ َ‫« َوإِ ْذ أَ َخ َذ اللّ ُه مِيث‬
َ ْ‫اق النَّبِِّ�ي ن‬
ُْ‫َال أَأَْ�ق َرْرمُْت َوأَ َخذم‬
‫ْت َعلَى‬ ُ َ‫َر ُسو ٌل ُّم َص ِّد ٌق لِّ َما َم َع ُك ْم لَُ�ت ْؤِمنُ َّن بِ ِه َولَت‬
َ ‫نص ُرنَُّه ق‬
» ‫الشا ِهدِين‬َّ ‫َاش َه ُدواْ َوأَنَْا َم َع ُكم ِّم َن‬ ْ ‫َال ف‬ َ ‫ِصرِي قَالُواْ أَْ�ق َرْرنَا ق‬ ُ ‫َذل‬
ْ ‫ِك ْم إ‬
God took a pledge from the prophets, saying, ‘If, after I have
bestowed Scripture and wisdom upon you, a messenger comes
confirming what you have been given, you must believe in him
and support him. Do you affirm this and accept My pledge as

136
 8. PROPHETHOOD FORETOLD IN EARLIER REVELATIONS

binding on you?’ They said, ‘We do.’ He said, ‘Then bear wit-
ness and I too will bear witness.’ (3:81)

These verses from the Qur’an clearly indicate that Mu-

hammad’s prophethood was foretold in the earlier Revela-
tions. Although the earlier Divine Revelations underwent
many alterations, they still contain the texts announcing
Muhammad’s prophetic mission.

Prophethood as Foretold in the Torah, Hebrew Holy

Scripture
The Torah (Tawrat in Arabic) or, the Five Books revealed
to Moses, constitutes a part of the Hebrew Scriptures. The
version that we have today refers clearly to the prophethood
of Himdah, the one praised by all nations, as read on the mar-
gins of the original Hebrew text, which is equivalent to the
Arabic word mahmud or muhammad (the praised one).
However, the translators of the Hebrew Scriptures into the
Arabic preferred the phrase mushtaha kull al-umam (desired
of all nations) to the words mahmud or muhammad, in order
to divert the attention from the prediction of Muhammad’s
prophethood. The Book of Haggai reads: “For thus saith the
Lord of hosts; Yet once, it is a little while, and I will shake the
heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and the dry land; (II, 6).
And I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations shall
come: and I will fill this house with glory, saith the Lord of
hosts” (II, 7).147
The glad tidings in the Torah are not restricted to the men-
tion of Prophet Muhammad only, but also include the refer-

147
Muhammad Rewwas Qal’ahji, Dirasa tahliliyya li-shakhsiyya al-
Rasul, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, min hilal siratih al-sharifa (The Last
Messenger of Allah), Dar al-nafa’is, Beirut, 1988, p. 102.

137
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

ence to his lineage. It is said that he would be from the line of

Ishmael, and not of Isaac. In the Fifth Book of Moses (called
Deuteronomy), Moses is told: “The Lord thy God will raise up
unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren,
like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken.” (XVIII, 15). Then,
in the same Chapter: “I will raise them up a Prophet from
among their brethren, like unto thee; and I will put my words
in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall
command him.” (XVIII, 18).
The Scriptures not only specify the prophet’s lineage, but
also quite accurately determine the time of his sending to
mankind. The estimate is based on Prophet Daniel’s words in
captivity. The Book of Daniel reads: “Seventy weeks are deter-
mined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the
transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make rec-
onciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteous-
ness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint
the most Holy.” (IX, 24).
After quoting the referenced traditions from the Arabic
translation of the Hebrew Scriptures, Professor Muhammad
Rawwas Qal’ahji states in his book The Last Messenger of Allah:
“Here a week implies a year, as a day in Allah’s pronouncement
of punishment to the progeny of Israel means a year, as written
in Numbers (the Fourth Book of Moses): ‘And your children
shall wander in the wilderness forty years’ (XIV, 33); ‘After the
number of the days in which ye searched the land, even forty
days, each day for a year.’ (XIV, 34)148 Here a day is implied to
mean a year, hence Daniel’s dream means that the descend-
ants of Israel will suffer for 490 years (7 x 70 = 490) until the
relief comes from the hand of ‘the Seal of the Prophets’.
148
The English language citations from the Book of Haggai, Deuteronomy,
the Book of Daniel and Numbers taken from The Holy Bible in the King
James Version, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, 1984. (translator’s
note)

138
 8. PROPHETHOOD FORETOLD IN EARLIER REVELATIONS

“It is well-known that their tribulations began in the year

132 CE, when Emperor Hadrian sent against them an army
that razed Jerusalem to the ground. The oppression lasted un-
til 628 CE, when Jerusalem was liberated by Muslims. During
this period the only peaceful spell for its inhabitants was the
14 years, from 614 to 628 CE, when Persians entered Jerusalem
and liberated the Jews from the oppression. If we calculate the
time that the children of Israel spent suffering, we will see that
it amounts to 490 years, as Daniel had predicted.
“So, the fact that the oppression of the children of Isra-
el was not terminated before the coming of ‘the Seal of the
Prophets’ means that the Jews had known the approximate
time of Prophet Muhammad’s mission. That is why the an-
nouncement of Muhammad’s imminent coming was written
down in their language.”149

Prophethood as Foretold in the Gospels, Christian Holy

Scripture
The Gospels (Injil in Arabic), the book revealed to Jesus,
p.b.u.h., also foretold Prophet Muhammad’s mission as the
Torah did. The Gospels foretold Paraclete, and the Greek
word paraclete (parakletos) means: the one adorned by fine
qualities and therefore praiseworthy. The Arabic language
equivalent is mahmud, muhammad or ahmad, meaning
(highly) praised.150 This is the meaning of the word paraclete
provided by the translators of the Gospel of Barnabas: “O
blessed time, when he shall come to the world!” (XLI, 27)
“Believe me that I have seen him and have done him rever-
ence, even as every prophet hath seen him: seeing that of his
spirit God giveth to them prophecy.” (XLI, 28-29) “And when
149
See: Professor Dr. Muhammad Rewwas Qal’ahji, supra at 103-104.
150
The name Muhammad meaning highly praised is derived from the
word hamd.

139
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

I saw him my soul was filled with consolation, saying: ‘God

be with thee, and may he make me worthy to untie thy shoe
latchet, for obtaining this I shall be a great prophet and a holy
one of God.’” (XLI, 30)
However, the translators of the Gospel of John chose to
translate the word paraclete, which is used in the original text,
as al-mu’azzi (comforter), instead of muhammad (the praised
one), as chosen by the translators of the Gospel of Barnabas.
That is because the translators of the Gospel of John to the
Arabic language wanted to eliminate the name Muhammad
and, thereby, eliminate the grounds to believe in him. The
Gospel of John reads: “But the Comforter, which is the Holy
Ghost, whom God will send in my name, he shall teach you
all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, what-
soever I have said unto you.” (XIV, 26). Also: “But when the
Comforter is come, whom the God will send unto you, even
the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from God, he shall tes-
tify of me: and ye also shall bear witness, because ye have
been with me from the beginning.” (XV, 26-27).
The announcement in the Gospels is not restricted to the
mention of Prophet Muhammad’s name only, but also makes
reference to his lineage. It is said that he would be a descendant
of Ishmael, not of Isaac. The Gospel of Barnabas reads: “And
the messenger of God when he shall come, of what lineage will
he be?” The disciples answered: “Of David.” Whereupon Je-
sus said: “Ye deceive yourselves; for David in spirit calleth him
lord, saying thus: ‘God said to my lord, sit thou on my right
hand until I make thine enemies thy footstool. God shall send
forth thy rod which shall have lordship in the midst of thine
enemies.’ Believe me, for verily I say to you, that the promise
was made in Ishmael, not in Isaac.” (XLIII, 26-30)151
151
The English language citations from the Gospel of John taken from
The Holy Bible in the King James Version, Thomas Nelson Publishers,

140
 8. PROPHETHOOD FORETOLD IN EARLIER REVELATIONS

Ibn Hisham recorded in his Sirah the words of Ibn Ishaq,

famous Muslim historian and biographer, about the qualities
of the Last Messenger of God as referred to in the Gospels.
Ibn Ishaq says:
“According to my knowledge, among the other Divine
Revelations that Jesus, the son of Mary, included in the Gos-
pels for his followers was a description of the Messenger of
God, p.b.u.h. Apostle John recorded it when writing the Gos-
pel from the time of Jesus. This is what was written about the
messenger that was yet to come to them: ‘He that hateth me
hateth God also. If I had not done among them the works
which none other man did, they had not had sin: but now
have they both seen and hated both me and God. But this
cometh to pass, that the word might be fulfilled that is writ-
ten in their law, they hated me without a cause. But when the
Munhamenna is come, whom the God will send unto you,
even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from God, he shall
testify of me: and ye also shall bear witness, because ye have
been with me from the beginning. These things have I spo-
ken unto you that ye should not doubt.’”152
Professor Abd al-Salam Harun, a contemporary Egyptian
scholar who edited an abridged version of Ibn Hisham’s Sirah,

Nashville, 1984. The English language citations from the Gospel of

Barnabas taken from The Gospel of Barnabas, Edited and translated
from the Italian MS in the Imperial Library at Vienna by Lonsdale
and Laura Ragg with a facsimile, Oxford at the Clarendon Press, 1907,
reprinted by Begum Aisha Bawany Waqf, Karachi, 1973, pp. 57-59. See
also: Qal’ahji, supra at 105.
152
See: The Gospel According to John, 15: 23-27. Cited as referred to in
Ibn Hisham, Poslanikov životopis (A Biography of the Prophet), p. 42.
See, also, the Arabic original of Ibn Hisham’s Sirah: Tahdhib Sirat Ibn
Hisham, edited by Abd al-Salam Harun, Maktabat al-sunna, Cairo,
Sixth Edition, p. 48.

141
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

expounds on this quote: “Munhamenna in Syriac153 means

highly praised, as does Muhammad in Arabic. The Greek-
language equivalent of the name is Parakletos (Paraclete).”154
As their Holy Scriptures contained the texts clearly foretell-
ing Muhammad’s prophetic mission, Jewish rabbis, Christian
monks and Arab shamans talked about it stressing that his
advent was approaching. The rabbis and the priests claimed
it on the basis of their scriptures in which they found the
description of his and the attributes of the time and place in
which he would appear and act. The Arab shamans learned it
through the jinn, intelligent creatures made out of fire, which
listened in secretly in the heavens.155 Plenty of testimonies
were recorded in the historical sources about the glad tidings
(mubashshirat) and predictions (irhasat) of the prophethood
of Muhammad, p.b.u.h.156
All of the foregoing -- the foretelling in the Holy Scriptures,
the traditions of Jews and Christians, priests and shamans, and
dreams and visions -- brought about a climate rife with belief
that the time of the advent of a new prophet was near.

153
Syriac is a dialect of the Eastern Aramaic language. Aram is an ancient
name for Syria and Mesopotamia. Aramaic language belongs to the
Semitic languages group. From 300 BCE to 650 CE, Aramaic was the
most important language in the Middle East and Central Asia. It is the
language of Jesus and the Gospels, therefore extremely important for
the studies of Judaic and Christian texts. The Hebrew alphabet, and
a number of other alphabets, developed from the Aramaic alphabet.
See: Dr. Teufik Muftić, Gramatika arapskoga jezika (A Grammar of
the Arabic Language), Sarajevo, 1998, p. 9. See also: The World Book
Encyclopedia, Vol. XVII, 1994, p. 248.
154
In Arabic the word parakletos (paraclete) is pronounced baraklitis.
155
See: Ibn Hisham, Poslanikov životopis (A Biography of the Prophet), p. 41.
156
See more in M. R. Qal’ahji, supra at 106-110.

142
 8. PROPHETHOOD FORETOLD IN EARLIER REVELATIONS

Physical Appearance of God’s Messenger

A myriad of books have been written in nearly all world
languages about Prophet Muhammad’s personality and
deeds. Interestingly enough, although, according to the Is-
lamic teachings, it is not permitted to draw, paint or depict
figuratively the image of any of God’s messengers, Prophet
Muhammad’s biographers described in detail his looks in
their respective sirahs. Says Ibn Hisham in his Sirah:
“The appearance of the Messenger of God, p.b.u.h., is best
illustrated by the words of Umar ibn Mawla Gufra, who trans-
mits the description from Ibrahim ibn Muhammad ibn ‘Ali
ibn Abi Talib. He says: When ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib described the
Messenger of God, he used to say: ‘He was neither too tall nor
too short, but of medium height. His hair was neither curly
nor straight, but in between. He was neither fat nor thin. He
had a fair complexion and wide black eyes with long lashes,
big joint bones and broad shoulders, tiny hairs on his chest,
strong hands and feet with few hairs. His gait was not firm, but
he walked as if going downhill, and when he turned around he
did so with his whole body. The Seal of Prophethood was be-
tween his shoulders – he was the last Prophet. He was the most
generous, the most courageous, the most sincere, the most re-
liable, the most gentle and the most courteous man. Whoever
saw him for the first time venerated him, and as soon as one
started keeping his company one got to love him.”157
Other biographers of the Prophet provided similar de-
scriptions. Professor Muhammad Hamidullah writes in his
capital work on Prophet Muhammad’s life and deeds: “All
biographers of Muhammad agree that he had wide black
157
Ibn Hisham, Poslanikov životopis (A Biography of the Prophet), p. 42.
Finishing this description, based on the Hadith traditions, Ibn Hisham
quoted the person who described the Prophet: “Never have I seen
anyone like him. May the peace and blessings of God be upon him!”

143
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

eyes with finely veined whites. He was so sharp-sighted that

he could count eleven stars of the Pleiades constellation. He
had a fair complexion, beautiful mouth and shiny teeth that
looked like ‘pearls in a box of ruby’. He had a high forehead,
large head, finely arched joined eyebrows, hooked nose, high
cheekbones, flat stomach and prominent chest … His hair
was neither completely straight nor curly. His feet left a fully
indented trace, as he had fallen arches. He had a broad chest
and thin legs. His voice was soft and clear, and he spoke slow-
ly, word for word. He groomed his hair that reached down to
his shoulders, grew a beard and perfumed both. The upper
part of his body was so long that he always looked taller than
others while sitting. He walked fast as if going downhill. He
was beautiful, and one of his followers used to say that he was
‘more beautiful than a full moon.’”158
In his book Hayat Muhammad (The Life of Muhammad,
p.b.u.h.), Professor Haykal wrote about the appearance of
God’s Messenger: “Muhammad, p.b.u.h., was handsome of
face and of medium build, and neither conspicuously tall nor
inconspicuously short. He had a large head, very black thick
hair, wide forehead, heavy eyebrows, and large black eyes
with a slight redness on their sides and long eyelashes to add
to their attractiveness. He had a fine nose, well-spaced teeth,
a thick beard, a long handsome neck, wide chest and shoul-
ders, light colored skin, and thick palms and feet. He walked
resolutely with firm steps. His appearance was always one of
deep thought and contemplation. In his eyes there lurked the
authority of a commander of men. …”159

158
 . Hamidullah, Muhammed, alejhisselam, život i djelo (Le Prophète de
M
l’Islam, sa vie, son œuvre), I, pp. 89-90.
159
M. H. Haykal, Život Muhammeda, alejhisselam (The Life of Muhammad,
p.b.u.h.), p. 144.

144
 8. PROPHETHOOD FORETOLD IN EARLIER REVELATIONS

Names of God’s Messenger

Al-Jazuli cites in his Dala’il al-Khayrat (Guide to Good
Deeds) two hundred names of the Prophet, p.b.u.h. Other au-
thors provide even more. A number of these names is taken
from the Qur’anic and Hadith texts referring to the Prophet,
p.b.u.h., while the majority originated from what Islamic
scholars said about him, expressing their admiration and
love for him and his prophethood. This was passed from one
generation of Muslims to the next and these names also show
the enthusiasm, care and love in the Muslims’ discourse on
Allah’s favorite Muhammad, p.b.u.h. We shall quote some of
the names of the Prophet from al-Jazuli’s list.160
‘Abd Allah (the Servant of God); Abu-l-Qasim (Father
of Qasim); Abu Ibrahim (Father of Ibrahim); Ahmad (the
Most Praised); Ajmal Khalq Allah (the Most Beautiful of
God’s Creation); ‘Alam al-Huda (the Banner of Guidance);
al-Amin (the Trustworthy); ‘Ayn an-Naim (the Fount of
Blessings); Baligh (the Proclaimer); al-Bashir (the Bringer of
Good Tidings); al-Burhan (the Proof); Dalil al-Khayrat (the
Guide to Good Deeds); Dar al-Hikmah (the Abode of Wis-
dom); Dhikr Allah (the Remembrance of God); al-Fatih (the
Opener); al-Ghawth (the Redeemer); Habib Allah (the Be-
loved of God); al-Hashir (the Gatherer on the Day of Judg-
ment); al-’Ilm al-Yaqin (the Knowledge that is Certitude);
Imam al-Muttaqin (the Model Leader of the God-Fearing);
al-Kamil (the Perfect); Kashif al-Karb (the Effacer of Grief);
Khalil ar-Rahman (the Friend of the All-Compassionate);
Khatim al-Anbiya’ (the Seal of the Prophets); Khatim ar-Ru-
sul (the Seal of the Messengers); Madinat al-’Ilm (the City of
160
The list quoted verbatim from Cyril Glassé, The Concise Encyclopedia of
Islam, Harper and Row, San Francisco, 1989, pp. 297-298. (The Arabic
transcription in Glassé’s Encyclopedia diverges from the transcription
adopted in the translation of this book. – translator’s note)

145
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

Knowledge); al-Mahdi (the Rightly Guided); al-Mas’um (the

Infallible); Miftah al-Jannah (the Key of Paradise); Miftah ar-
Rahman (the Key of Mercy); al-Misbah (the Niche of Lights);
Muhammad (the Praised); al-Munir (the Illuminator); al-
Mustafa (the Chosen); an-Nabi (the Prophet); an-Nadhir (the
Warner); Al-Najm ath-Thaqib (the Piercing Star); an-Nur (the
Light); al-Qamar (the Moon); Rafi’ ar-Rutab (the Exalter of
Ranks); Rahmah li-l-’Alamin (a Mercy to the Universe); Rah-
mat Allah (the Mercifulness of God); ar-Rasul (the Messen-
ger); as-Sadiq (the Truthful); Sahib al-Bayyan (Master of the
Clarification); Sahib ad-Darajah ar-Rafi’ (Lord of the Exalted
Degree); Sahib al-Mi’raj (He of the Night Ascent); as-Sayyid
(the Liege Lord); Sayyid al-Kawnayn (Liege Lord of the Two
Worlds); Sayyid al-Mursalin (Liege Lord of the Messengers);
Shafi’ al-Mudhnibin (the Intercessor for Sinners); ash-Shahid
(the Witness); ash-Shams (the Sun); ash-Shari’ (the Legisla-
tor); as-Sirat al-Mustaqim (the Straight Path); Ta Ha (surah
of the Qur’an named by its opening words); at-Tahir (the
Pure); at-Tayyib (the Good); Wali Allah (the Friend of God);
al-Wakil (the Advocate); al-Wasil (the Joiner); Ya Sin (surah
of the Qur’an named by its opening words).

146
 9. BEGINNING OF THE REVELATION

Seclusion in the Cave of Hira

Even before the prophethood Muhammad, p.b.u.h., lived
a life free of vice and immorality. He found pleasure in medi-
tation and in order to devote himself fully to it, he used to
withdraw into seclusion ever more frequently. A few years
prior to the prophethood he used to go to the hill of Nur near
Mecca and stay in the cave of Hira, where he would spend
few days and nights in a row, as he brought food and water
along. Quraysh did not find it strange since seclusion was a
common thing among the descendants of Ishmael (Ismail),
as in each generation there were men who used to withdraw
in seclusion to some isolated place to spend some time far
away from people and their malice and corruption. As the
time of prophethood drew closer, Muhammad, p.b.u.h., grew
fonder of seclusion. He used to stay in the cave of Hira for
days and nights, spending particularly long periods of seclu-
sion in the month of Ramadan.
Seclusion is the best opportunity for one to be devoted to
contemplation. Whoever visited the cave of Hira understands
clearly what seclusion in it for one whole month means. It
means isolation from this world and human greed, mundane
delusions and ill-doing. At that elevated place, filled with ab-
solute peace and silence, with a view to the hills and valleys,
observing Mecca from distance, Muhammad, p.b.u.h., medi-
tated on himself, the existence, his and the future of his fel-
low tribesmen who worshipped idols. He contemplated Al-
lah’s blessings to people and people’s dependence on them.

147
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

Yet, despite the fact that people were absolutely dependent

on Allah and His blessings, they did not use them to attain
Allah’s pleasure. In solitude and silence, Muhammad prayed
to Allah to guide him and his people. The pre-Islamic Arabs
believed in the existence of Allah (there are several references
to it in the Qur’an), but committed the sin of associating an
equal to Him in His power.

The Beginning of the Revelation

When Muhammad turned forty, the age of man’s matu-
rity, the first signs of prophethood started appearing. He first
started having dreams that would later become reality. In the
Islamic literature these dreams of the Prophet’s are called al-
ru’ya al-sadiqa (true dreams) and the traditions on them are
recorded in the most famous and authentic Hadith collections,
such as al-Bukhari’s and Muslim’s respective Sahihs. Prophet’s
wife A’ishah, r.a., said that these dreams were “as clear as dawn”
(mithlu falaq al-subh). The dreams appeared for full six months
and the prophethood lasted for twenty-three years.161 Accord-
ing to a hadith, the Prophet, p.b.u.h., said that the dreams con-
stituted one of the forty-six parts of the prophethood.
These dreams were actually a way in which Allah prepared
the Prophet, p.b.u.h., for the receiving of the Revelation that
was to follow soon afterward. The Prophet was also being pre-
pared in another way. In that period, in search for the places
where he could isolate himself and meditate, he used to go out
of Mecca and walk until he would lose sight of the houses.
161
This is a reference to lunar years, as the Islamic (Hijri) calendar is a lunar
one. A lunar year is shorter than a solar year for approximately ten days,
so once every thirty-five solar years there is an additional lunar year. It
should be borne in mind that classical Arabic-language biographies of
Muhammad (called sirahs) follow the Hijri calendar so, when they read
that the prophethood lasted for twenty-three years or that Muhammad
lived sixty-three years, it is a reference to lunar calendar years.

148
 9. BEGINNING OF THE REVELATION

Walking down the Meccan paths and valleys he would hear

a voice telling him: “Al-salamu ‘alayka, ya Rasulallah! – Peace
Be on You, O, Messenger of Allah!” The Prophet would turn
around, but would not see anything but trees and stones, so it
looked to him that the voice had come from them.162
Having prepared Muhammad for prophethood and having
prepared the people to accept it, Allah, swt, entrusted him with
the prophetic mission and send the Revelation down on him.
Describing the beginning of the Revelation, famous Mus-
lim scholar from India, sheikh Safi al-Rahman al-Mubarak-
puri, states: “During the third month of Ramadan that the
Prophet was in seclusion in the Hira cave, Allah, swt, de-
cided to send down His mercy on earth, to bestow the gift
of prophethood to mankind, so He sent angel Gabriel with
verses of the Qur’an to Muhammad, p.b.u.h. With the calen-
dar estimates and the existing evidence we may assert that the
revelation of the Qur’an started in the evening of Monday, 21
Ramadan, which corresponds to 10 August 610 CE. The ex-
act age of Allah’s Messenger was forty years, six months and
twelve days under lunar calendar, or thirty-nine years, three
months and twenty-two days under solar calendar.”163
The first time Muhammad received the Revelation was in
one night of the last third of the month of Ramadan, when
he retreated to meditate in the cave of Hira and angel Gabriel
appeared to him and told him: “Read!” (Iqra’!).
Allah’s Messenger said about this: “I answered to him: ‘I
cannot read.’ He held me and pressed so hard that I felt sick,
162
Al-Nadwi, Život Božijeg Poslanika (The Life of God’s Prophet), Tuzla,
2004, pp. 25-26; Martin Lings, supra at 60. This is, actually, one of the
many miracles of the Prophet: he was greeted by inanimate matter
(trees and stones). This miracle was confirmed by authentic traditions
in many Hadith collections.
163
See: al-Mubarakpuri, al-Rahiq al-makhtum, p. 49, and its translation into
Bosnian, Zapečaćeni džennetski napitak (The Sealed Nectar), p. 63.

149
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

then he released me and said: ‘Read’. I replied: ‘I cannot read.’

He held me and pressed me so hard the second time that I
felt sick, then released me and said: ‘Read’. I replied: ‘I cannot
read.’ He then held me and pressed me so hard for the third
time that I felt sick, then he released me and said:

‫ ْا�ق َرأْ َوَربُّ َك‬، ‫َق‬

ٍ ‫ِن َعل‬
ْ ‫نسا َن م‬َ ِ ْ‫َق الإ‬ َ ‫ َخل‬، ‫َق‬َ ‫ِاس ِم َربِّ َك الَّذِي َخل‬
ْ ‫« ْا�ق َرأْ ب‬
، ‫ الَّذِي َعلَّ َم بِالْ َقلَ ِم‬،‫الأَْ ْك َرم‬
» ‫نسا َن َما مَْل َ�ي ْعلَم‬ َ ِ ْ‫َعلَّ َم الإ‬
“Read! In the name of your Lord who created: He creat-
ed man from a clinging form.164 Read! Your Lord is the Most
Bountiful One who taught by [means of] the pen, who taught
man what he did not know.”

The Prophet returned home to his wife Khadijah bint Khu-

waylid very disturbed and told her: “Cover me, cover me!” He
was covered and allowed to come to his senses undisturbed
after his fear subsided. He told Khadijah: “You know the
things I had seen in my dreams before – I heard that voice in
reality and it scared me. That was Gabriel who showed him-
164
In his translation of the Qur’an, M.A.S. Abdel Haleem translates the
word ‘aleq mentioned in this verse as “clinging form”, as the Arabic root
‘alq means anything that clings. Haleem indicates that it is, actually, a
reference to a stage in the development of a fetus, that is, an embryo.
The modern medicine knows that when an egg is fertilized in the
Fallopian tube it moves down to attach itself to the wall of the uterus.
This implantation is done by the division of the egg into many cells
that literally cling to the uterus and from it take everything necessary
for the growth of the egg. This verse represents one of the miracles
of the Noble Qur’an since mankind did not have any knowledge of
these facts at the time the verse was revealed. The scientific facts on the
development of embryo were discovered only in modern times.

150
 9. BEGINNING OF THE REVELATION

self to me, talked to me and taught me the utterances that

frightened me. He then returned and told me I was a prophet.
On my return here, when I approached trees and stones, they
greeted me: ‘Peace Be on You, O, Messenger of Allah!’ I fear
for myself very much.”
And Khadijah replied: “Fear not, but rejoice! By Allah,
He will never humiliate you, because you care for your rela-
tives, speak the truth, take care of everything, assist anyone
in need, you are hospitable to your guests and you help those
who advocate the truth.”
Khadijah then took him to her cousin Waraqah ibn Naw-
fal, a Christian convert who could read and write Hebrew in
which he copied something from the Gospels. At that time
he was very old and blind. Khadijah, r.a., told him: “Cousin,
please listen to what your nephew has to say.”
Waraqah asked: “Well, nephew, what have you seen?”165 The
Messenger of Allah, p.b.u.h., related to him what he had seen
and Waraqah said: “That is the same Namus (angel) that was
sent down to Moses, p.b.u.h.166 I wish I were a young man so that
I might be alive when your people cast you out!” The Prophet
exclaimed in surprise: “Would they cast me out?” Waraqah
answered: “No man has ever brought a message like yours but
was met with hostility. If I live to see that day, I will certainly
help you.”167 However, Waraqah died shortly afterward.
165
The word “nephew” is used in the Arabic language as a term of endea -
ment, so it should not be understood literally here.
166
N
 amus, from the Greek Nomos, meaning the Divine Law or Scripture,
corresponds to Gabriel, the angel of Revelation. See: Martin Lings,
supra at 62.
167
The event of the first Revelation is recorded in sirahs and the relevant
Hadith collections, such as al-Bukhari’s and Muslim’s respective Sahihs.
The version used in this book is taken from Ibn Kathir’s Sirah, I, p. 408.
Quoted as per: M. R. Qal’ahji, Dirasa tahliliyya li-shakhsiyya al-Rasul,
Dar al-nafa’is, Beirut, 1988, pp. 110-112.

151
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

There was a period during which the Revelation did not

come, which distressed the Prophet so much so that he was
about to throw himself from a cliff on several occasions.
However, every time he would climb a summit, Gabriel ap-
peared and told him: “O, Muhammad, you are indeed a Mes-
senger of God!” His distress would disappear and he would
calm down and return home. Whenever he waited too long
for the Revelation, he would go through a crisis again. When
he would come to the top of a hill in such state, Gabriel ap-
peared again and told him the same thing.168 Scholars have
different opinions about the duration of the period without
Revelation, the most accurate being the one that it lasted few
days only, since it is based on an authentic tradition.169
The Qur’an refers to this period of silence, too, in surah
93: By the morning brightness and by the night when it grows
still, your Lord has not forsaken you [Prophet], nor does He
hate you, and the future will be better for you than the past;
your Lord is sure to give you so much that you will be well sat-
isfied.” (93:1-5)
According to the information in the authentic Hadith tra-
ditions, angel Gabriel appeared in the cave of Hira in human
form. When the Prophet got out and started returning home
scared, he saw Gabriel in his true shape, which terrified the
Prophet even more and made him cry Cover me! Cover me!
as soon as he arrived home
168
Al-Bukhari, Sahih, Kitab bad’ al-wahy; Muslim, Sahih, Kitab al-iman,
Bab bad’ al-wahy.
169
According to some authors, the period of silence lasted two, even three
years. This view is controversial since the tradition on which it is based
is not authentic and contradicts the other, authentic traditions from Ibn
Abbas and other Companions stating that the period of silence lasted
few days only. The latter view is also advocated by hafiz Ibn Hajar al-
‘Asqalani, the famous Hadith scholar, and other Islamic scholars. See:
Ibn Hajar, Fath al-bari bi-sharh Sahih al-Bukhari, Dar al-rayyan li al-
turath, Second Edition, Cairo, 1987, I, pp. 36-37.

152
 9. BEGINNING OF THE REVELATION

Gabriel’s pressing of the Prophet during the delivering of the

first Revelation indicates that the Prophet was receiving the Rev-
elation of the Qur’an awake (in conscious state).170 This fact is a
good response to the numerous unfavorable theories launched
by Orientalist scholars about the state of mind that Prophet Mu-
hammad, p.b.u.h., was in when receiving the Revelation.

Reflections on the First Revelation of the Qur’an

All relevant sirahs and other historical sources are con-
sistent that the first word revealed to the Prophet was Read!
That is the first word that Allah, swt, sent down to mankind
in the Qur’an. So, before any obligation, order or prohibition,
the Almighty Creator commanded: Read! This is a mani-
festation of wisdom and an important moral as it insists on
learning and education, since the epoch that followed in the
history of mankind was an epoch of intense learning and in-
tellectual achievements.
Read, recite, study, learn, educate yourself – all of these
are appropriate translations of the Qur’anic Iqra’! Iqra’!, or
Read!, is the first word of the Qur’an, the first word of Is-
lam. In that way the Noble Qur’an motivated its followers to
study and learn. However, the word Read in this same verse
is followed by the words of the Almighty, In the Name of your
Lord, which means that learning and education should be in
the name of the Lord.
170
It is necessary to make a distinction between the revelation of the
Qur’an and the revelation of a hadith qudsi. While the Qur’an is God’s
Revelation by both its meaning and wording, a hadith qudsi is God’s
Revelation by the meaning, but conveyed in the Prophet’s words. A
hadith qudsi should be distinguished from other hadiths which report
about what the Prophet said, did, or silently approved. The revelation
of the Qur’an happened in its entirety while the Prophet was awake
(that is, not a word of the Qur’an was revealed in dreams), whereas a
hadith qudsi could be revealed even while the Prophet was asleep.

153
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

It is obvious that the first Revelation contains two key

terms: read(ing) and pen. According to Muhammad Asad,171
the pen is used in this verse as a symbol for the art of writing
or, more specifically, for all knowledge recorded by means
of writing, and this explains the symbolic summons Read!
at the beginning of verses 1 and 3. Man’s unique ability to
transmit, by means of written records, his thoughts, experi-
ences and insights from individual to individual, from gen-
eration to generation, and from one cultural environment
to another endows all human knowledge with a cumula-
tive character; and since, thanks to this God-given abil-
ity, every human being partakes, in one way or another, in
mankind’s continuous accumulation of knowledge, man is
spoken of as being “taught by God” things which the single
individual does not - and, indeed, cannot - know by him-
self. Furthermore, God’s “teaching” man signifies also the
act of His revealing, through the prophets, spiritual truths
and moral standards which cannot be unequivocally estab-
lished through human experience and reasoning alone.172
On the importance and meaning of the first Revelation we
shall cite only some of the thoughts of the famed Egyptian
writer and scholar, Sayyid Qutb, in his famous commentary
of the Qur’an, In the Shade of the Qur’an (Fi zilal al-Qur’an),

171
Muhammad Asad (1900-1992) was a modern Muslim scholar and
author of Jewish descent. He converted to Islam when he was twenty-
six. He wrote several very useful books, particularly important being
The Road to Mecca and The Principles of State and Government in
Islam, and a tremendously valuable translation and commentary of
the Qur’an in the English language, The Message of the Qur’an, that
he worked on for full eighteen years. For a more detailed biography
see: Safvet Halilović, Islam and the West from the Perspective of Asad’s
Thought, Zenica, 2003.
172
See: Muhammad Asad, Poruka Kur’ana (The Message of the Qur’an),
El-Kalem, Sarajevo, 2004, p. 988.

154
 9. BEGINNING OF THE REVELATION

the most widely read commentary in the twentieth century

according to many scholars. The late Qutb wrote:
“I reflected for a while upon this event. We have
all read it many times in books; either those of
the Prophet’s biography or those explaining the
meaning of the Qur’an. But we either read it
casually or give it little thought and go on with our
reading. Yet this is an event which has immense
significance. It is an event which has an important
bearing on the life of humanity; but much as we
try today to perceive its great value, many of its
aspects remain beyond our perception. It is no
exaggeration to describe this event as the greatest
in the long history of human existence.

The true nature of this event is that God, the

Great, the Compeller, the Almighty, the Supreme,
the Sovereign of the whole universe, out of His
benevolence, has turned to that creation of His
which is called man, and which takes its abode in
a hardly visible corner of the universe, the name of
which is the earth. He has honoured this species of
His creation by choosing one of its number to be
the recipient of His divine light and the guardian
of His wisdom.

What is the significance of this event?

With reference to God, it signifies that He is

the source of all great bounties and unfailing
compassion. He is the Benevolent, the Loving,
who bestows His mercy and benefactions for no
reason except that benevolence is one of His divine

155
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

attributes. As for man, this event signifies that God

has bestowed on him an honour the greatness of
which he can hardly ever appreciate and for which
he can never show enough gratitude, not even if
he spends all his life in devotion and prostration.
This honour is that God has taken notice and care
of him, established contact with him and chosen
one of the human race as His Messenger to reveal
to him His words; that the earth, man’s abode, has
become the recipient of these divine words, which
the whole universe echoes with submission and
devotion.

This great event began to bear on the life of

humanity as a whole right from the first moment.
It marked a change in the course of history,
following the change it brought about in the course
followed by human conscience. It specified the
source man should look up to in order to derive
his ideals, values and criteria. The source is heaven
and divine revelations, not this world and man’s
own desires.”173

Read! and Its Effect on History of Mankind

After the first Revelation, the Prophet continued receiv-
ing the Revelation of the Qur’an for twenty-three years, the
duration of his prophetic mission, in different intervals and
under different circumstances. The Revelation of the Qur’an
brought about one of the greatest transformations in the his-
tory of mankind. No other book in the history of mankind
has shaped the human thought to the extent that the Qur’an
173
Sayyid Qutb, U okrilju Kur’ana (In the Shade of the Qur’an), Faculty of
Islamic Studies, Sarajevo, 2000, XXX, pp. 250-251.

156
 9. BEGINNING OF THE REVELATION

has. No other book has been commented on, copied, studied,

memorized, translated to all relevant world languages to the
extent that the Noble Qur’an has. We shall quote two, prob-
ably most famous, European converts to Islam in the twen-
tieth century: Muhammad Asad (who converted to Islam in
1926) and Murad Hofmann (who converted in 1980).174 Before
the conversion, the former was a Jew, the latter a Christian,
and both are regarded as first-rate intellectuals who wrote
important works and studies about Islam.
According to Muhammad Asad (whose pre-conversion
name was Leopold Weiss), the Qur’an, more than any other
single phenomenon known to us, has fundamentally affected
the religious, social and political history of the world. No oth-
er sacred scripture has ever had a similarly immediate impact
upon the lives of the people who first heard its message and,
through them and the generations that followed them, on
the entire course of civilization. It shook Arabia, and made
a nation out of its perennially warring tribes; within a few
decades, it spread its world-view far beyond the confines of
Arabia and produced a global society.
Through its insistence on consciousness and knowledge
(Iqra’! – Read, learn!), the Qur’an engendered among its fol-
lowers a spirit of intellectual curiosity and independent in-
quiry, ultimately resulting in that splendid era of learning and
scientific research which distinguished the world of Islam at
the height of its cultural vigour; and the culture thus fostered
by the Qur’an penetrated in countless ways and by-ways into
the mind of medieval Europe and gave rise to that revival
of Western culture which we call the Renaissance, and thus

174
Interestingly enough, I wrote this chapter on 25 September 2005.
When I carefully reviewed Hofmann’s biography, I realized that he
had announced his conversion, or return, to Islam on that very date
twenty-five years previously (that is, on 25 September 1980).

157
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

became in the course of time largely responsible for the birth

of what is described as the “age of science”, the age in which
we are now living.175
Murad Hofmann is a former German diplomat and am-
bassador to Morocco. He was also a German representative
in the most important international organizations. He is
the author of several very useful studies on Islam, Islamic
thought, culture and problems that the modern-day Muslims
encounter, especially the Muslims living in the West. In his
invaluable work entitled Islam, the Alternative, in reference
to the first Revelation of the Qur’an, Hofmann writes:
“The true, pensive Muslim thinks about God
and creation ‘standing, sitting and lying down,’
he strives for objectivity, regardless of personal
preferences, demanding evidence, not mere
conjecture. Similarly, according to a very popular
Muslim maxim one ought to acquire knowledge
even if that meant traveling to China. Nowadays
to follow suit might correspond to a journey to the
moon. The Prophet greatly respected knowledge
and learning; he is reported to have said: ‘On the
Day of Judgement the ink of the scholars and the
blood of the religious martyrs will be weighed –
and the ink of the scholars will weigh more than
the blood of the martyrs.’

The Prophet’s Companions, including the first

Caliphs, took this call seriously, as was beautifully
illustrated by ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib’s response to the
question whether he used any written documents
other than the Qur’an. ‘No,’ he replied, ‘nothing
175
See: Muhammad Asad, Poruka Kur’ana (The Message of the Qur’an),
Foreword, p. XXIII.

158
 9. BEGINNING OF THE REVELATION

other than Allah’s book, the power of understanding

given to every Muslim and one piece of paper’
(with notes about three decisions of the Prophet).

This joyful curiosity, combined with a readiness

always to exert one’s mind, was the right platform
for the extraordinary development of the Islamic
sciences from the late eighth century onwards,
a mere fourteen striking examples of which are
outlined below:
- Ibn Firnas (died 888), to whom the first flying machine
is attributed;
- Muhammad bin Musa al-Khwarizmi (died 846),
father of algebra (al-jabr) and of the algorithm – this term
being a corruption of his name;
- Abu Bakr al Razi/Rhazes (864-935), whose medical
work Mansuri, the Liber Almansoris, was used for centuries
in European universities;
- The philosopher and physician Ibn Sina/Avicenna
(980-1037), whose medical encyclopedia was still in use in
European universities in the early nineteenth century;
- Al Hasan bin al Haytham/Alhazen (965-1039),
inventor of the camera obscura;
- Abu al-Rayhan al-Biruni (973-1050), universal genius on
a par with Goethe, historian of science, diplomat, student of
Sanskrit, astrologer, mineralogist, pharmacologist, etc.;
- Umar al-Khayyam (died between 1123 and 1131), poet
and mathematician. He also reformed the Indian calendar
with greater accuracy than the 1582 Gregorian calendar;
- The jurist/philosopher Ibn Rush/Averroës (1126-1198),
who, as a multiple commentator on Aristotle, had a great in-
fluence on Western philosophy (and who also discovered
sunspots in his spare time);

159
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

- The Egyptian physician Ibn al-Nafis (died 1288) who

discovered blood circulation;
- Ibn Battutah (1304-1368 or 1377), Moroccan globetrot-
ter on a par with Marco Polo, who reached Timbuktu, Pe-
king, and the Volga;
- Ibn Khaldun (1332-1406) whose introduction (al-Mu-
qaddimah) to his history of the world (kitāb al ‘Ibar) made
him both the founder of sociology and of modern histori-
ography, introducing a revolutionary critique of traditional
historical sources;
- The navigator Ahmad Ibn Majid, fifteenth-century au-
thority on ocean voyages;
- The Turkish ocean geographer and admiral Piri Reis
(1480-1553), whose
Kitab-i Bahriye, with its precise maps of the seas, still
amazes us, and his scientific colleague Seyyidi Ali Reis (died
1562), who measured the Asiatic coasts and developed nauti-
cal astronomy.
This short list alone shows that it was not
the Occident which inherited the Hellenistic
civilization, but the Islamic world. In view of
the explosion of knowledge and technology in
the Islamic world, it is self-evident that cultural
exchange in the Middle Ages was a one-way street.
In fact, the Muslims could find hardly anything
worth learning from the Occident (Marshall
Hodgson). The West was a ‘net importer’ – from
the windmill and troubadours’ songs to the ‘Gothic’
pointed arch. This cultural imperialism and one-
sided globalization – as we would call it today –
quite naturally left traces in European languages.
When we speak of admiral, algebra, cipher,

160
 9. BEGINNING OF THE REVELATION

amalgam, alcohol, lute, guitar, alcove, muslin or

tariff we are still using Arabic vocabulary today.”176

176
Murad Hofmann, Islam kao alternativa (Islam, the Alternative), Bemust,
Sarajevo, 1996, pp. 60-62.

161
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

10. SECRET PREACHING OF ISLAM

AND FIRST MUSLIMS

The Prophet after the First Revelation

As noted earlier, the Prophet, p.b.u.h., was very concerned
after the first Revelation. A revelation was a supernatural
phenomenon that came from the unknown and invisible
world (‘alam al-ghayb) and that caused fear and concern with
the Prophet. His truthful wife Khadijah tried to lift his spir-
its by telling him: “Fear not, but rejoice! By Allah, He will
never humiliate you, because you are kind to your relatives
and hospitable to your guests, you speak the truth, take care
of everything, assist anyone in need and help in every just
cause.” Then she took him to her cousin Waraqah ibn Nawfal,
a very learned man who was well-versed in the Christian and
Jewish scriptures. He calmed the Prophet, p.b.u.h., having
told him that he was the final Messenger of God and that his
prophethood had been foretold in the earlier Revelations.
Shortly after the first Revelation were the opening verses
of surah 68, The Pen, sent down. Allah, swt, encourages the
Prophet, p.b.u.h., and dispels his doubts:

‫ َوإ َِّن لَ َك لأََ ْج ًرا‬، ‫نت بِن ِْع َم ِة َربِّ َك مِبَ ْجنُو ٍن‬
َ َ‫ َما أ‬، ‫«ن َوالْ َقلَ ِم َوَما يَ ْس ُط ُرو َن‬
»‫ُق َع ِظي ٍم‬ ٍ ‫ َوإِنَّ َك لَ َعلى ُخل‬، ‫غَْ�ي َر ممَْنُو ٍن‬

Nun. By the pen! By all they write! Your Lord’s grace does
not make you [Prophet] a madman: you will have a never-
ending reward -- truly you have a strong character. (68:1-4)

162
 10. SECRET PREACHING OF ISLAM AND FIRST MUSLIMS

This was followed by a brief pause, and then surah 93,

The Morning Brightness, was revealed, telling Muhammad,
p.b.u.h., that Allah, swt, did not forsake him; on the con-
trary, he was Allah’s favorite and chosen one, blessed by Al-
lah’s constant protection. He was granted great honors, the
prophethood being the major one. In the last verse of this
surah, Allah, swt, says: Talk about the blessings of your Lord.
This is a clear commandment to the Prophet, p.b.u.h., to
speak about his prophethood and to call people to heed the
Divine call sent to them through his mission.
Surah 74, Wrapped in His Cloak, is among the first surahs
revealed to the Prophet, p.b.u.h. In the beginning, Allah, swt,
says:

‫الر ْج َز‬
ُّ ‫ َو‬، ‫ِّر‬
ْ ‫َطه‬ َ ‫ َوَربَّ َك ف‬، ‫ِر‬
َ ‫ َوثِيَابَ َك ف‬، ‫َكِّ�ب ْر‬ ْ ‫ ق ُْم فَأَنذ‬، ‫«يَا أَُّ�ي َها الْ ُم َّدِّ�ث ُر‬
ْ ‫ َول َِربِّ َك ف‬، ‫ َواَل تمَْنُن تَ ْستَ ْكث ُِر‬، ‫فَا ْه ُج ْر‬
»‫َاص رِ ْب‬

You, wrapped in your cloak, arise and give warning! Pro-

claim the greatness of your Lord; cleanse yourself; keep away
from all filth; do not be overwhelmed and weaken; be steadfast
in your Lord’s cause. (74:1-7)
These verses were a clear indication to the Prophet, p.b.u.h.,
of the course he should take – the course of preaching Islam.
That course was not to be easy at all, for it required a great
stamina, persistence and patience.
After the revelation of these verses, the Prophet, p.b.u.h.,
started preaching about the blessings Allah bestowed on him
and, through him, on all mankind, too. He preached about
his prophethood secretly, first to his closest ones, his house-
hold members, relatives and friends he could trust.
The secret preaching of Islam lasted three years. In that
period, in the house of a young man whose name was al-

163
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

Arqam ibn Abi al-Arqam, the Prophet secretly called people

to Islam. That house, located on the Safa hill, is referred to
in the Islamic literature as the House of al-Arqam (Dar al-
Arqam). The secret congregations in al-Arqam’s house went
on until Umar ibn al-Khattab’s conversion to Islam which
strengthened the Muslims, as they could then begin with
overt activities. It was in that house that the Prophet raised a
generation of true worshippers who would later always be by
his side, even in the most difficult circumstances.

The First Muslims (al-Sabiqun al-Awwalun)

The sirahs and other historical sources cite precisely the
names and sequence of those who first accepted the Prophet’s
call to Islam. In the Islamic literature they are known as al-
Sabiqun al-Awwalun, the foremost to embrace Islam, pursu-
ant to the reference made in the Qur’an (9:100). They will re-
ceive a particularly precious reward from Allah, swt, as he is
well pleased with them.

‫ِح َسا ٍن‬ َ ‫نصا ِر َوالَّذ‬

ْ ‫ِين اَّ�تَ�ب ُعوُهم بِإ‬ َ َ‫ِين َواأل‬ ِ ‫ِن الْ ُم َه‬
َ ‫اجر‬ َ ‫السابِقُو َن األَ َّولُو َن م‬
َّ ‫« َو‬
َ ‫َّات جَْترِي حَْتَ�ت َها األَْ�ن َه ُار َخالِد‬
‫ِين‬ ٍ ‫َّر ِض َي اللّ ُه َعْ�ن ُه ْم َوَر ُضواْ َعنْ ُه َوأَ َع َّد لهَُ ْم َجن‬
َ ‫فِي َها أَبَ ًدا َذل‬
» ‫ِك الْ َف ْوُز الْ َع ِظيم‬

God will be well pleased with the first emigrants and helpers
and those who followed them in good deeds, and they will be
well pleased with Him: He has prepared Gardens graced with
flowing streams for them, there to remain for ever. That is the
supreme triumph.
Given the merits of the first Muslims, men and women
alike, we shall provide here their names and brief informa-

164
 10. SECRET PREACHING OF ISLAM AND FIRST MUSLIMS

tion about some of them which we found in the encyclopedic

work Siyar a’alam al-nubala’ (Biographies of Famous Persons)
by the great Islamic scholar and biographer hafiz al-Dhahabi
(died in 748 AH/1374 CE). Author of many works on the
Hadith and the transmitters criticism (al-jarh wa al-ta’dil),
al-Dhahabi is regarded as one of the greatest Muslim histori-
ans, known for his precise, well-corroborated and systematic
style. For that reason we have selected the sequence that he
quoted in his work.
The first one who believed in Muhammad’s prophethood
was his wife Khadijah, with whom he lived in great love and
harmony from the beginning of their matrimony fifteen
years earlier. Khadijah is an example of a woman with a lot of
understanding for her husband, his aspirations, desires and
pursuits. She was fifteen years his senior, so, she was fifty-
five at the time of the first Revelation. For two or three years
before the Revelation, the Prophet, p.b.u.h., used to go to the
Hira cave for seclusion and contemplation. The Hira cave is
located on a rocky hill above Mecca and it is very difficult to
reach, as one has to surmount obstacles, climb a hill made of
huge sharp rocks and pass through a crevice. It takes nearly
two hours to reach the cave on such steep terrain where one
can easily slip, fall and get hurt. Despite her age, Khadijah
used to climb that terrain and bring food to her husband
when he would spend the month of Ramadan in seclusion
there. And when he received the Revelation, she was the first
one who believed in it. She stood firmly by her husband, en-
couraged him and provided material support to him. For all
that, Khadijah enjoys a special place with Allah, swt, and was
held in high esteem by His Messenger, p.b.u.h.
The second one to receive Islam was ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib,
who was only ten at the time. He lived in the Prophet’s house-
hold after the Prophet had proposed to his uncle and Ali’s

165
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

father Abu Talib, who had a lot of children, that Ali should
move to his household and Ali’s brother Ja’far to uncle Ab-
bas’ household. Following in Ali’s footsteps was the Prophet’s
foster son Zayd ibn Harithah, so the ones who were in the
Prophet’s household at that time, that is, his closest kin, em-
braced Islam. This is a message to missionaries to first invite
their nearest of kin to faith.
The following one to receive Islam was Abu Bakr ibn Abi
Quhafa.177 He was a close friend of the Prophet’s. He com-
manded great respect among Quraysh who regarded him a
very honest and reasonable man. He was the greatest con-
noisseur of Quraysh genealogy (al-ansab), the one who knew
them best, their good and bad sides alike. He was a merchant
known for his high morality and philanthropy and skilled
in interpreting dreams. For his moral qualities, vast knowl-
edge and experience people sought advice from him on vari-
ous matters. Abu Bakr used it as an opportunity to call the
people he trusted to embrace Islam, whereby new converts
became Uthman ibn ‘Affan, al-Zubayr ibn al-’Awwam, ‘Abd
al-Rahman ibn ‘Awf, Sa’d ibn Abi Waqqas and Talha ibn
‘Ubaydillah. They all enjoyed a position of prominence with
Quraysh and some were also very affluent, like Uthman ibn
Affan and ‘Abdurrahman ibn ‘Awf, r.a.
Abyssinian slave Bilal ibn Rabah was also among the first
Muslims.178 Other early converts were: Abu ‘Ubayda ibn al-
177
Ibn Hisham notes that Abu Bakr’s name was ‘Atiq and the name of his
father (Abu Quhafa) was ‘Uthman. See: Poslanikov životopis (A Biogra-
phy of the Prophet), p. 47.
178
It is interesting to note that hafiz al-Dhahabi did not include Bilal al-
Habashi (or Bilal, the Abyssinian) in his list of the first Muslims (al-
sabiqun al-awwalun), although he noted in his Sirah that Bilal was
among the first converts to Islam (“min al-sabiqin al-awwalin”) and
that he suffered terrible torture because of his faith (see: Siyar A’alam
al-nubala’, Summarized Edition, Mu’assasat al-risala, Beirut, 1991, I, p.

166
 10. SECRET PREACHING OF ISLAM AND FIRST MUSLIMS

Jarrah (later nicknamed Amin al-Ummah – Custodian of

the Community), Abu Salamah ibn Abd al-Asad, al-Arqam
ibn Abi al-Arqam (it was in his house that the Prophet se-
cretly preached Islam in the beginning),179 ‘Uthman ibn
Maz’un, ‘Ubayda ibn al-Harith, Sa’id ibn Zayd (one of the
ten Companions who were promised Paradise) and his wife
Fatimah (sister of Umar ibn al-Khattab), Asma’ (daughter of
Abu Bakr), Khabbab ibn al-Aratt, ‘Umayr ibn Abi Waqqas
(brother of Sa’d ibn Abi Waqqas), Abdullah ibn Mas’ud,
Mas’ud ibn Rabi’ah, Salit ibn ‘Amr, ‘Ayyash ibn Rabi’ah and
his wife Asma bint Salamah, Khunays ibn Hudhayfa, Amr
ibn Rabi’ah, Abdullah ibn Jahsh, Ja’far ibn Abi Talib and his
wife Asma’ bint ‘Umays, Khatib ibn al-Harith and his wife
Fatimah bint al-Mujallal, his brother Khattab and his wife
Fukayha bint Yasar, Ma’mar ibn al-Harith, al-Sa’ib – son of
Uthman ibn Maz’un, al-Muttalib ibn Azhar and his wife
Ramla bint Abi ‘Awf, al-Nahham whose name was Nu’aym
ibn Abdillah, Amir ibn Fukhayrah, Khalid ibn Sa’id and his
wife Umayma bint Khalaf, Khatib ibn ‘Amr, Abu Hudhay-
fah ibn ‘Utbah ibn Rabi’, Waqid ibn Abdillah, Khalid, Amir,
‘Aqil and Iyyas – sons of al-Bukayra ibn Abd Jalil, Ammar
ibn Yasir, Suhayb al-Rumi, Abu Dharr al-Ghifari and Abu
Najih al-Bajali.
They were followed by the Prophet’s paternal uncle Ham-
zah (later nicknamed Asadullah – the Lion of God) and Umar
ibn al-Khattab (al-Faruq – the One Who Distinguishes Be-
tween Right and Wrong). Their conversion was highly benefi-
39). We, therefore, included Bilal among the first Muslims, with whom
Allah is well pleased.
179
That house is known as the House of al-Arqam and a unique generation
of true worshippers was raised in it. Sirahs relate that during the Battle
of Hunayn, when chaos and commotion occurred in the Muslim ranks
and people started fleeing en masse, the ones who had been taught
about Islam in the House of al-Arqam stayed on the Prophet’s side.

167
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

cial for the first Muslim community as they were both skilled
and very courageous fighters.180

Commandment of Ritual Prayer

Many people wrongly believe that ritual daily prayer
(salat) was commanded during Muhammad’s ascent to heav-
en (Mi’raj), that is, ten or eleven years after the first Revela-
tion. This is wrong. What was prescribed during the Mi’raj
was the five timings of the prayer, that is, obligatory prayer to
be undertaken five times a day in precise intervals: at dawn,
at noon, in the afternoon, at sunset and at night (fajr, zuhr,
asr, maghrib, ‘isha respectively). The ritual prayer was com-
manded to the Prophet, p.b.u.h., in Mecca, soon after the
first Revelation. The relevant sirahs and other Islamic litera-
ture read that once the Revelation started coming down on
a regular basis, angel Gabriel came to the Prophet, took him
outside Mecca and showed him how to perform ablution and
prayer. Two prayers were commanded then, one before the
sunrise, the other at the end of the day, each comprising two
cycles of bowings and prostrations (raka’at).181
180
The list of names of the first Muslims is taken from al-Dhahabi’s Siyar
a’alam al-nubala’, Summarized Edition, Mu’assasat al-risala, Beirut, 1991,
I, pp. 17-18.
181
Famous scholar Safi al-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri touches on this
issue in his sirah, al-Rahiq al-makhtum: “Among the first divine
commandments (al-amr) that were revealed was the one to perform
ritual prayer. Muqatil ibn Sulayman said: ‘Allah, swt, ordained the
prayer at the dawn of Islam, two raka’ats in the morning (bi-l-gadati)
and two in the evening (bi-l-’ashiyyi), which is corroborated by the
Qur’anic verse: ... praise your Lord morning and evening. (40:55). Ibn
Hajar says: ‘We know as a fact (qat’an) that Allah’s Messenger, p.b.u.h.,
performed ritual prayers before his night journey from Mecca to
Jerusalem, as did the Companions. The only disagreement is whether
or not these prayers had been a strict obligation (fard) before the five
daily prayers were prescribed. Some say that the prayer before the

168
 10. SECRET PREACHING OF ISLAM AND FIRST MUSLIMS

The ordering of ritual prayer at the very beginning of Mu-

hammad’s prophethood is an indication of the importance of
prayer in Islam. The mission that the Almighty Creator tasked
the Prophet with was extremely difficult and demanding and
necessitated a continuous connection between the Prophet
and Allah. This is an important message to the whole man-
kind – life difficulties should be alleviated by strengthening
one’s connection to the Almighty Creator and the best way
for it is to perform prayers with humility. For his whole life
the Prophet, p.b.u.h., used to perform ritual prayer whenever
something troubled him. That is an excellent message to all
Muslims – when you go through difficult moments in life,
perform your prayers! Allah, swt, verily said: You who be-
lieve, seek help through steadfastness and prayer! (2:153) Seek
help with steadfastness and prayer – though this is hard indeed
for anyone but the humble, who know that they will meet their
Lord and that it is to Him they will return. (2:45-46)
The ordering of prayer at the onset of the Revelation also
indicates that prayer is the cornerstone of Islam. Through
prayer one continually sharpens one’s awareness of Allah and
manifests one’s personal gratitude and absolute dependence
on Him. That is why the Prophet, p.b.u.h., uttered many a ha-
dith on the importance of prayer in a believer’s life. In one of
them he said that the first thing each person would be judged
sunrise and the other before the sunset were also a strict obligation
(fard).’” Al-Mubarakpuri then mentions several traditions according
to which angel Gabriel came to Allah’s Messenger at the onset of the
Revelation and instructed him how to perform ablution and prayer.
He adds: “Ibn Hisham wrote in his Sirah that the Messenger of Allah,
p.b.u.h., and the Companions used to go to a ravine (shi’ab) to perform
their prayers secretly, far away from people’s eyes. Abu Talib once saw
the Prophet and Ali performing their prayer and asked them what
they were doing. When they told him that it was a religious duty, he
told them to persevere.” See: al-Rahiq al-makhtum, pp. 76-77, and
Zapečaćeni džennetski napitak (The Sealed Nectar), pp. 71-72.

169
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

for in the afterlife would be their prayers, so if the prayers

were satisfactory, so would be their other deeds, but if the
prayers were not satisfactory, the other deeds would not be
satisfactory, either. The moral of this hadith is that great at-
tention should be attached to ritual prayers, that they should
be performed properly and in time and that they should
leave a mark in one’s life. According to the Qur’an, the role of
prayer is to save one from foul and censured deeds:

َّ ‫الصلاَ َة إ َِّن‬
‫الصلاَ َة َ�تْ�ن َهى َع ِن‬ َّ ‫اب َوأَقِ ِم‬ ِ َ‫ِن الْ ِكت‬ َ ‫وح َي إِلَيْ َك م‬ِ ُ‫« اتْ ُل َما أ‬
» ‫نك ِر َولَذِْك ُر اللَّ ِه أَ ْكَ�ب ُر َواللَّ ُه َ�ي ْعل َُم َما تَ ْصَ�ن ُعون‬
َ ‫الْ َف ْح َشاء َوالْ ُم‬
[Prophet], recite what has been revealed to you of the Scrip-
ture; keep up the prayer: prayer restrains outrageous and unac-
ceptable behaviour. Remembering God is greater: God knows
everything you are doing. (29:45)

Several Lessons
We may draw many lessons from this period of the Proph-
et’s life, to name but a few:
* To call people to the path of righteousness is not an easy
task. It requires a great commitment and vigil presence, in
addition to sincerity, gentleness, thoughtfulness, persistence,
wisdom and forgoing the worldly pleasures. At the very be-
ginning of the Revelation, Allah, swt, sent down the surah
Wrapped in His Cloak: You, wrapped in your cloak, arise and
give warning! Proclaim the greatness of your Lord; cleanse
yourself; keep away from all filth; do not be overwhelmed and
weaken; be steadfast in your Lord’s cause. (74:1-7) These words
marked the beginning of a new era in the Prophet’s life. It was
as if Allah, swt, thus explained: “The one who lives for him-
self only lives a carefree life, but you (Muhammad, or mis-
sionary) who are to carry a heavy burden on your shoulders,

170
 10. SECRET PREACHING OF ISLAM AND FIRST MUSLIMS

you have no time to sleep. The time of resting in a warm bed

and living a peaceful and comfortable life is history. Arise for
the grand task awaiting you and the mission assigned to you!
From this day on there begins a vigil, a ceaseless vigil, a long
and difficult struggle and dedication in the way of God! Arise
and prepare yourself for all that!”
These are the words that all Muslims should be aware of,
in particular those who represent Islam and Muslims offi-
cially or interpret the religion and call others to embrace it,
officials who chair and run Islamic institutions, Muslim reli-
gious teachers and scholars. They all are, actually, missionar-
ies of Islam, therefore, they have an even greater responsibil-
ity before the Sublime Allah. If they are not aware of these
words that the Sublime Creator sent down to His favorite and
chosen one at the very beginning of the Revelation, and if the
interests of Islam and Muslims do not always come before
their personal interests, then there is a great risk of vast dam-
age for Islam and Muslims. Not only that they, as individuals,
will face troublesome judgment in the future world, but the
Muslims, as a whole, will be lagging behind other nations
and cultures in this world as well. Because of that mission-
aries must always be aware of these words and demonstrate
their faith (Islam) not just verbally, but practically as well,
since personal example is the best and most convincing way
of calling to Islam.
* When Allah, swt, decides to choose His servant to call
to the path of righteousness and reformation, He instills in
his heart contempt for the delusions and perversions that his
environment is steeped in. It means that a missionary of Is-
lam should first honestly answer to himself whether he really
despises such delusions and perversions. If he is honest when
he says he does, then he should inevitably refrain from vice
and ill-doing, otherwise he cannot appeal to others to refrain

171
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

from them.
* A missionary should first put in order the situation in his
own home and appeal to his household members (primarily
his wife and children) to be true Muslims and abide by Islam
and Islamic standards and principles in life. We have seen
that the Prophet, p.b.u.h., first called members of his house-
hold to Islam. Only in that way can a missionary have the
moral credibility to call other people into faith. In the op-
posite case, if a missionary’s closest family members do not
follow what he preaches, he will not receive strong following
elsewhere, either.
* If a call for a reformation is unusual for the beliefs and
spiritual views of a people, the reformation advocate should
not advertise his ideas publicly until they are accepted as true
by one group of people who would be ready to sacrifice them-
selves for that cause and who would continue the mission
should the leader suffer mistreatment, and thus ensure the
mission’s survival. The Prophet, p.b.u.h., had called people
into the faith and secretly preached to the first Muslims in
the House of al-Arqam until Umar ibn al-Khattab, r.a., con-
verted to Islam.

172
 11. PUBLIC PREACHING OF ISLAM

“Warn Your Nearest Kinfolk!”

Historians divide Muhammad’s prophetic mission to two
periods, the Meccan and the Medinan one. The former last-
ed thirteen years, from the first Revelation to the migration
from Mecca to Medina, the latter ten years, from the migra-
tion to the end of the Prophet’s life. Both periods have their
distinct stages and characteristics, specific to place and time,
and they should be regarded within the context of everyday
life and historical events.
The Meccan period of Muhammad’s mission may be di-
vided into three stages: 1) the secret preaching of Islam, which
lasted three years; 2) the public preaching to the Mecca citi-
zens from the beginning of the fourth year until the end of
the tenth year of the prophethood known in the history of
Islam as the Year of Grief; 3) the preaching outside Mecca
from the end of the tenth year of the prophethood until the
Prophet’s migration to Medina.182
The period of clandestine preaching lasted three years.
In that period, the Prophet, p.b.u.h., preached about his
prophethood secretly to his closest circle -- members of his
household and the most trusted friends. At the beginning of
the fourth year of the prophethood, verse 214 of surah 26 was
revealed. The Almighty Creator told the Prophet:

182
See: al-Mubarakpuri, Zapečaćeni džennetski napitak (The Sealed
Nectar), p. 69.

173
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

» ‫شيَتَ َك الأَْْ�ق َر نِبي‬ ْ ‫« َوأَنْذ‬

ِ‫ِر َع ر‬
Warn your nearest kinfolk! The message was that the
Prophet should call to Islam the other members of his fam-
ily as well, in addition to members of his household who had
already converted.
Soon after this revelation the Prophet, p.b.u.h., went out
and climbed on top of the Safa hill. He then started calling his
relatives shouting “Ya, sabahah!”, a cry Arabs used to assem-
ble the community in an emergency. When they assembled,
he asked them: “If I told you that enemy’s cavalry was about
to appear from behind this hill, would you believe me?” “We
have never heard you telling lies”, they responded. “Behold,
then, I have been sent to warn you of a terrible punishment
(if you do not follow me).” At that, the Prophet’s uncle Abu
Lahab exclaimed: “May you be ruined! (Tabban laka!) Is this
what you summoned us for?” Having said this, Abu Lahab
left in anger. After this event surah 111 was revealed to the
Prophet, p.b.u.h.: “May the hands of Abu Lahab be ruined!
May he be ruined too! Neither his wealth nor his gains will
help him: he will burn in the Flaming Fire -- and so will his
wife, the firewood-carrier, with a palm-fibre rope around her
neck.”183
It is important to stress that this surah contains a solid
proof that the Qur’an is the Revelation from Allah, swt, and
not a human discourse. Abu Lahab could have accepted
Islam if only formally (verbally). Had he done it, he would
have brought the Prophet in a very difficult situation, since
the Prophet preached that people should judge one another
by their declarations, while it was for Allah to judge their

183
Transmitted by al-Bukhari in Sahih. See Fath al-Bari, Kitab al-tafsir,
VIII, pp. 360-361, hadiths No. 4.770-4.771. See, also, supra at 609,
hadith No. 4.971.

174
 11. PUBLIC PREACHING OF ISLAM

true (inner) selves. This is emphasized in many sayings of

the Prophet, p.b.u.h.: Umirna an nahkuma bi al-zawahir wa
naqila al-sara’ir ilallah (We have been commanded to judge
people on the basis of what they declare, and we leave it to Al-
lah to judge what is in their hearts). However, Abu Lahab did
not accept Islam, not even verbally only (with his tongue); as
a matter of fact, the idea actually never crossed his mind! He
died an infidel and the verse clearly saying that he and his
wife would burn in Hell was revealed in his lifetime. Human
beings do not know the future, so no human being would
dare pass such a judgment on Abu Lahab, having no way of
knowing if Abu Lahab would perhaps realize the Truth and
embrace Islam toward the end of his life. Only Allah, swt, be-
ing the All-Knowing, was in a position to know what awaited
Abu Lahab, and the verse is a proof that the Qur’an is His
speech.

“Proclaim Openly What You Have Been Commanded!”

By warning his nearest kin, the Prophet already started
his public preaching of Islam in a certain way. The period
of intense calling to Islam started after the revelation of the
closing verses of surah 15:

‫ني‬ َ َ‫ إِنَّا َك َفْ�ين‬، ‫ني‬

َ ِ‫اك الْ ُم ْسَ�ت ْه ِزئ‬ َ ‫ِض َع ِن الْ ُم ْشرِك‬ ْ ‫َاص َد ْع مِبَا ُ�ت ْؤَم ُر َوأَ ْعر‬
ْ ‫«ف‬
‫ َولَ َق ْد َ�ن ْعل َُم أَنَّ َك‬، ‫َس ْو َف َ�ي ْعل َُمو َن‬َ ‫آخ َر ف‬ َ ‫ِين جَْي َعلُو َن َم َع اللّ ِه إِهلًا‬َ ‫الَّذ‬.
، ‫ِين‬َ ‫اجد‬ ِ ‫الس‬ َّ ‫َسبِّ ْح حِبَ ْم ِد َربِّ َك َوُكن ِّم َن‬ َ ‫ ف‬، ‫يق َص ْد ُر َك مِبَا َ�يقُولُو َن‬ ُ ‫يَ ِض‬
» ‫ني‬ُ ‫َوا ْعبُ ْد َربَّ َك َح ىَّت يَْأتِيَ َك الْيَ ِق‬
So proclaim openly what you have been commanded [to say],
and ignore the idolaters. We are enough for you against all those
who ridicule your message, who set up another god beside God

175
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

– they will come to know. We are well aware that your heart
is weighed down by what they say. Celebrate the glory of your
Lord and be among those who bow down to Him: worship your
Lord until what is certain comes to you. (15:94-99)
These verses actually contain an order to the Prophet,
p.b.u.h., to start calling to Islam publicly. And he did so; he
started speaking about his prophethood in public and calling
people to believe in it. That required explaining to the peo-
ple the essence of the Islamic creed La ilaha illallah – There
is no god but Allah. This means that Allah is the only God
and the only one to serve. By preaching this, the Prophet,
p.b.u.h., clashed with the pagan ideology, which recognized
Allah as the supreme deity, but also propagated idol-worship.
The Qur’an makes several references to the fact that the pre-
Islamic Arabs believed in Allah, but that they were polythe-
ists, as they believed that the idols were the vehicle that would
make them closer to Allah.184
Allah’s Messenger, p.b.u.h., had to tell the truth to people
and that what the idol-worshippers believed in was absolutely
wrong. There was no intermediary in Allah’s religion, whilst
what they did was a blatant example of paganism. The idols
that Arabs believed in were man-made, so how could they be
deities?
The religion that Muhammad, p.b.u.h., was calling to was
natural and easy, as it preached that only Allah was God, that
he was One, Eternal, Perfect, without a peer.
The Prophet, p.b.u.h., called Arabs (and the whole man-
kind) into the religion of tawhid (monotheism), the admis-
sion that Allah, swt, is above everything and that he is the
only Creator and the only one deserving worship. The Proph-
et explained to those whom he called to Islam the essence of

184
See, for example, Qur’an 39:3.

176
 11. PUBLIC PREACHING OF ISLAM

the Islamic creed, contained in surah 112: Say, ‘He is God the
One, God the eternal. He begot no one nor was He begotten.
No one is comparable to Him.’
In its four short verses this concise surah lays down the foun-
dations of the Islamic creed: Allah is One; He is the Creator of
this world and everything on it; Allah is from time immemo-
rial – He has not begotten and has not been begotten, and He
has no equal; Allah is eternal; He is the Strong, the All-Power-
ful, the All-Knowing, the Wise, the Universal Benefactor, the
Merciful, the Sustainer, the Watchful; Allah is described with
all attributes of perfection (sifat al-kamal), nothing is like Him
(laytha ka-mithlihi shay’un), and it is impermissible to identify
Him with His creatures. The properties that Allah, swt, attrib-
uted to Himself should be believed in and they should not be
compared to any properties of His creatures. Allah is as He
described Himself in the Qur’an and as His Messenger Mu-
hammad, p.b.u.h., described Him in the reliable hadiths.185
The result of the Prophet’s public preaching was the con-
version of those individuals whose hearts Allah had opened
to embrace Islam. However, big troubles and tribulations for
the Prophet and the first Muslims began at the same time.
The pagans started abusing and persecuting the Muslims, es-
pecially the slaves and those who did not come from promi-
nent Quraysh families and did not enjoy protection of their
social class.

Suffering and Tribulations of the First Muslims

The pagans did not react in the beginning when the news
spread of a young man calling into a “new” religion. That
185
See more about the essence of the Islamic creed in: Safvet Halilović,
Islamsko vjerovanje u svjetlu El-Džessasovog tefsira Ahkamu-l-Kur’an
(Propisi Kur’ana) [Islamic Creed in the Light of al-Jassas’ Tafsir Ahkam
al-Qur’an (Rules from the Qur’an)], Zenica, 2005, pp. 60 and onward.

177
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

lasted until they faced the teaching of Islam about idols. De-
spite its logical nature and human being’s natural inclination
to accept it, the Meccan idol-worshippers did not do so. They
understood that embracing Islam meant that they had to sub-
mit to Allah and His Messenger and that they could not do
with themselves and their assets what they usually did. They
realized that by accepting Islam they would lose the leader-
ship and reputation they enjoyed in Mecca, the place of the
chief Arab idol-worshipping shrine at the time. There were
360 idols in and around the Ka’bah, visited annually by tribes
from all over Arabia. That placed Quraysh in the center of all
events, as they made a handsome profit from the trade that
flourished at the time of the pagan pilgrimage. For such rea-
sons the majority of Quraysh did not accept Muhammad’s
call to Islam, but defended idols and idol-worshiping.
There were reasonable people among Quraysh who heed-
ed the Prophet’s call and embraced Islam, but they were a
minority. The first Muslims included slaves (like Bilal al-
Habashi) and a considerable number came from ordinary
Quraysh families, not from the social class that could have
provided them protection. They became the target of the
pagans’ rage. In addition to insults, swearwords and other
forms of abuse, physical torture also became very frequent.
The sirahs and other historical literature record numerous
testimonies about the tortures and sufferings endured by the
first Muslims.
Abyssinian slave Bilal ibn Rabah was one of those who
were tortured at the very dawn of Islam. He embraced Is-
lam sincerely, with all his heart. His owner was Umayyah ibn
Khalaf. On midday heat he would take Bilal out, order him
to lie on the glowing hot desert sand and put a heavy stone
on his chest. Bilal was exposed to horrible suffering, but he
did not waver for a single moment. His words Ahad! Ahad!

178
 11. PUBLIC PREACHING OF ISLAM

(The One! There is but one God!) hold a prominent place in

the history of Islam and represent a symbol of sacrifice in
God’s path.
Many other Companions, men and women alike, were
also victims of torture. The famous Islamic scholar, hafiz al-
Dhahabi in Siyar a’alam al-nubala’, wrote about Bilal al-Ha-
bashi: “Bilal was among the first converts to Islam. For that
he was exposed to horrible torture … It is transmitted from
Abdullah ibn Mas’ud: ‘The first seven people who publicly de-
clared they embraced Islam were: Allah’s Messenger, p.b.u.h.,
Abu Bakr, Ammar ibn Yassir and his mother Sumayyah,
Bilal, Suhayb al-Rumi and Miqdad. Allah’s Messenger and
Abu Bakr were both protected as they came from prominent
Quraysh clans. The other five were, however, exposed to hor-
rible tortures. The pagans used to place them in iron armors
and leave them thus on the hot sand…”186
According to one tradition about the torture of Sumayyah,
her husband Yasir and son Ammar, Allah’s Prophet, p.b.u.h.,
came across the members of the Banu Makhzum tribe who
were taking out Ammar ibn Yasir and his parents -- all were
Muslims -- at the scorching midday heat and torturing them
on the hot Meccan sand. The Prophet said: Have patience, O,
family of Yasir! You are promised Paradise! (Sabran ala Yasir!
Fa-inna maw’idakum al-Janna!) Ammar’s father Yasir suc-
cumbed to the torture and his mother Sumayyah was killed
by Abu Jahl who stabbed a spear to her genitals. Sumayyah,
r.a., is considered the first martyr (shahid) in Islam.
The staunchness of the first believers despite different
forms of abuse and torture they suffered in the hands of the
pagans is an indication of the sincerity of their faith, com-
mitment to its principles and the greatness of their spirit. It
186
Al-Dhahabi, Tahdhib Siyar a’alam al-nubala’, Mu’assasat al-risala,
Beirut, 1991, I, p. 39.

179
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

was a result of their spiritual confidence and the conviction

born out of reflection; it was a result of the inner contentment
they found in the new religion and their desire that Allah,
swt, should give them something far greater than the suffer-
ing, abuse and torture they endured.
Abu Bakr, r.a., was an affluent man. One of the things he
used his fortune for was buying-off slaves and then releasing
them. At the times of brutal torture and abuse of the first
Muslims in Mecca, he manumitted another six slaves who
had converted to Islam, in addition to Bilal. These slaves were:
Amir ibn Fukhayra, Umm ‘Ubays, Zinnirah,187 al-Nahdiah
and her daughter, and a female servant of Banu Mu’ammil
who had been tortured by Umar ibn al-Khattab before his
conversion to Islam. In that way, Abu Bakr, r.a., showed the
utmost solidarity with the people who were exposed to ter-
rible suffering for no other reason but their faith.
The Prophet, p.b.u.h., was not spared the persecution, ei-
ther. His noble lineage and his uncle Abu Talib provided a
certain degree of protection to him. The fiercest persecution
of the Prophet came from his uncle Abu Lahab and Abu La-
hab’s wife Umm Jamil (Abu Sufyan’s sister), Abu Jahl and
‘Uqba ibn Abi Mu’ayt.
It is recorded in the sirahs that Abu Lahab followed the
Prophet, p.b.u.h., at the time of the pilgrimage to holy places.
He would follow the Prophet on squares and streets shouting
that the Prophet was telling lies. He did not stop at that, but
would sometimes also throw rocks at the Prophet, who would

187
S irahs note that Zinnirah lost her eyesight immediately after her
release, so pagans said that she was blinded by al-Lat and al-’Uzzah.
She answered: “They lie, by Allah! Al-Lat and al-’Uzzah can neither
harm nor help me!” Soon afterward, Allah, swt, restored the sight of
this true believer. See: Ibn Hisham, Poslanikov životopis (A Biography
of the Prophet), pp. 59-60.

180
 11. PUBLIC PREACHING OF ISLAM

leave a bloody trail behind. After the death of Abdullah, the

Prophet’s second son, Abu Lahab rejoiced with malice and
rushed to his friends to inform them that Muhammad was
left without a son, thus without posterity. The malice and in-
sults by the pagans are referred to in surah 108 of the Noble
Qur’an.
Abu Lahab’s wife Umm Jamil was every bit as hostile to-
ward the Prophet, p.b.u.h., as her husband. Her hatred was so
strong that she used to throw thorns on the road the Prophet
was about to take, and she would also lay them in front of his
house at night. She was a sharp-tongued woman who tried to
make the Prophet’s life miserable in every possible way and
who kindled the flames of hatred, contention and intrigues.
She even encouraged Arab poets to slander the Prophet. For
that reason she was referred to in the Qur’an as hammalat
al-hatab – the slanderer.
In order to hurt the Prophet and his family to the maxi-
mum, Abu Lahab and Umm Jamil persuaded their sons ‘Ut-
bah and ‘Utaybah to divorce their respective wives Ruqayyah
and Umm Kulthum, who were the Prophet’s daughters. They
did so, thus expressing their hatred and hostility toward the
message sent down by the Lord of the Worlds through the
Prophet.188

Hamzah and Umar Embrace Islam

Hamzah ibn Abd al-Muttalib was a paternal uncle and
brother-in-nursing of the Messenger of God, p.b.u.h. He was
an extraordinarily courageous man and a very skilful warrior.
He and the Prophet grew up together and were very close even
before the prophethood. Biographers state that on one occasion
Abu Jahl (Amr ibn Hisham) passed by the Prophet near Safa
188
On Abu Lahab’s and Umm Jamil’s harassment of the Messenger of God,
p.b.u.h., see more in: al-Mubarakpuri, supra at 80-81.

181
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

and scolded and insulted him severely on the occasion. The

Prophet did not utter a single word in response. Abu Jahl then
went to a group of Quraysh who were sitting by the Ka’bah
and the news of that event quickly spread around Mecca. Soon
afterward Hamzah came by. He was returning from hunting
carrying a bow. One woman whom he passed by described
to him how Abu Jahl had insulted his nephew Muhammad.
Her account made Hamzah furious and he went straight to
the place in the Ka’bah precinct where Abu Jahl was sitting.
The moment he came close to him Hamzah raised the bow
and hit him strongly in the head. “Will you insult Muhammad
now that I am of his religion,” he shouted. “I declare what he
declares, so tell me what you said if you dare!”
The people from the Banu Makhzum tribe rose toward
Hamzah in order to help Abu Jahl, but he told them: “Leave
Abu ‘Umara alone! I did revile his nephew in a very nasty
way!”189 Hamzah thus embraced Islam and joined the side of
the Messenger of God, p.b.u.h., and the first Muslims. When
he converted to Islam, Quraysh realized that the Prophet
gained a great ally and protector as Hamzah would always
stand by him. For that reason they refrained from many
things they had intended to do to the Prophet, p.b.u.h.190
Equally interesting is the story of Umar ibn al-Khattab’s
conversion to Islam. Sirahs state that the Prophet, p.b.u.h.,
prayed to Allah, swt, to strengthen Islam “with one of the
two Umars whoever is dearer to Allah”, having in mind
Umar ibn al-Khattab and Amr ibn Hisham.191 The Arabic

189
Abu ‘Umara is one of Hamzah’s nicknames, the most famous ones
being Asadullah – the Lion of Allah and Asadu Resulillah – the Lion of
the Messenger of Allah.
190
Ibn Hisham, Poslanikov životopis (A Biography of the Prophet), p. 53.
191
Hadith is transmitted by al-Tirmidhi in Sunan, Abwab al-manaqib, the
chapter on Umar ibn al-Khattab’s virtues.

182
 11. PUBLIC PREACHING OF ISLAM

name Amr has the same root as the name Umar. Amr ibn
Hisham was known among the pagans by his nickname Abu
al-Hakam (the Father of Wisdom), while the Muslims called
him Abu Jahl (the Father of Ignorance). Both Umar and Amr
commanded great respect in the Jahiliyah society and were
known for their intensive harassment of the first Muslims.
Umar’s sister Fatimah and her husband Sa’id ibn Zayd had
converted to Islam, but they hid it from Umar. Khabbab ibn
al-Aratt often came to Fatimah and Zayd’s house to recite the
Qur’an to them. One day Umar belted on his sword and set
off to the Messenger of God who was preaching about Islam
and the Qur’an to some forty Companions in the House of
al-Arqam. Among the present ones were the Prophet’s un-
cle Hamzah, Abu Bakr, Ali and other Companions who had
not left for Abyssinia. As Umar walked resolutely toward al-
Arqam’s house he came across Nu’aym ibn Abdullah who
asked him where he was going. “I am going to Muhammad,
that renegade who has split Quraysh, insulted them, brought
disgrace on their faith and reviled their deities”, responded
Umar. “I am going to kill him!” Seeing his resolve, Nu’aym
tried to deter him and told him he should go instead to his
own sister Fatimah and brother-in-law Sa’id, who had em-
braced Islam secretly, without Umar’s knowledge. Umar then
set off to the house of his sister and brother-in-law to check
this information.
Khabbab ibn al-Aratt was in Umar’s sister’s house at that
moment and he had on him one page with the opening verses
of surah 20, Ta Ha. Having heard Umar’s footsteps, he hid
in the house so that Umar would not notice him immedi-
ately. However, Umar had heard Khabbab’s recitation while
outside and he asked as soon as he entered: “What was that
mumbling I heard?” “You heard nothing”, they answered.
“By Allah, I did! And I have been told that you, too, follow

183
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

Muhammad’s religion!” He then dashed at his brother-in-

law, but his sister Fatimah jumped to deter him. Umar hit
her so strongly that her blood gushed forth. Then Fatimah
and Sa’id admitted they had converted to Islam and told him:
“We believe in Allah and His Messenger! There, do whatever
you will now.” When Umar saw his sister’s blood he regret-
ted hitting her, so he pulled himself together. He asked his
sister to give him the page they had been reading so that he
could see for himself Muhammad’s teaching. His sister said
she feared he might destroy the page. Umar swore he would
give it back. His meticulous sister then said: “Brother, you are
impure with your idolatry, and only the pure may touch it.”
Umar then went and washed himself, whereupon she gave
him the page with the opening verses of the surah Ta Ha.
The effect of the Qur’anic text upon Umar was fascinating: as
soon as he read the first verses, he said: “Such beautiful and
noble words!” Having heard this, Khabbab emerged from
his hiding place and said: “Umar, by Allah, if only you knew
how much I wished that you be the one whom Allah would
choose answering the prayer of His Messenger! Yesterday I
heard him praying: ‘O Allah, strengthen Islam either with
Abu al-Hakam ibn Hisham or Umar ibn al-Khattab!’ By Al-
lah, Umar, by Allah, that is what I heard!”
Umar asked Khabbab to tell him where exactly the Proph-
et was at that moment and when he heard that the Prophet
was in al-Arqam’s house, he went straight there. When he
arrived and knocked at the door, silence fell in the house as
everyone knew Umar’s temper and he was girt with sword
on top of it. The Prophet ordered that he be let in and when
Umar entered, the Prophet stood up and advanced to greet
him. He seized him for a plait in his cloak and pulled him
strongly toward himself. “What good brings you here, the
son of Khattab,” the Prophet asked. “The way I see it, this will

184
 11. PUBLIC PREACHING OF ISLAM

be an important event, by Allah!” “O Messenger of Allah”,

answered Umar, “I have come to declare my faith in Allah,
His Messenger and the Revelation you have been receiving!”
To this the Messenger of God pronounced out loud the
takbir, or God is Great, so everyone in the house instantly
knew that Umar embraced Islam. They, too, pronounced the
takbir, which echoed in the Mecca valley. Having heard it,
Quraysh felt anxiety as they were aware that something im-
portant happened.192
With Umar’s conversion the Prophet and the first commu-
nity of Muslims gained strong support. Umar, r.a., was a tre-
mendously brave and strong man commanding great author-
ity. With all his heart he committed himself to serve Islam
and protect the Prophet, p.b.u.h., and Muslims. Abdullah ibn
Mas’ud said: “We had not been able to perform prayers at the
Ka’bah until Umar ibn al-Khattab embraced Islam. When he
converted, he confronted Quraysh and started praying at the
Ka’bah, and we followed suit. Umar converted to Islam when
the Companions of the Messenger of God, p.b.u.h., left for
Abyssinia.”193

192
Umar’s conversion to Islam is described in almost every sirah. See, for
example: Ibn Hisham, Tahdhib Sirat Ibn Hisham, pp. 72-74; al-Muba-
rakpuri, supra at 95-98, Martin Lings, supra at 119-122.
193
Ibn Hisham, Poslanikov životopis (A Biography of the Prophet), p. 65.

185
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

12. MIGRATION TO ABYSSINIA

Abyssinia (Arabic: al-Habasha) lies on the eastern tip of
the central part of the African continent. Viewed from the
Arabian Peninsula, Abyssinia lies to the southwest, on the
opposite shore of the Red Sea. This territory is nowadays di-
vided between Eritrea and Ethiopia.
Several reasons prompted the Prophet, p.b.u.h., to suggest
to his followers to move to Abyssinia temporarily together
with their families. Among the main ones was a search for
a safer ground for the first Muslims, who underwent great
suffering and torture. The abuse of the first Muslims started
when the Prophet publicly declared the essence of the Islam-
ic creed: La ilaha illallah – There is no god but Allah. These
words disturbed the pagans (polytheists) and their ideology
and the Islamic creed clashed. As the pagans were more nu-
merous and better-off, persecution and torture of the first
Muslims started. Some of the Muslims were tortured so bru-
tally that they died a horrible death, like Ammar’s parents
Sumayyah and Yassir, r.a.
The persecutions by the pagans commenced in the middle
or the end of the fourth year and gained in intensity in the
fifth year of the Prophet’s mission. That year the torture and
abuse of the Muslims by the pagans happened on daily basis
becoming fiercer every day. The Qur’anic surah 18, The Cave,
was revealed in the middle of that year. Among other things,
it tells about a group of young believers who took refuge in a
cave fleeing a tyrannical ruler’s terror. That was a clear sign
that the first Muslims should also seek refuge at another, saf-
er place. Since Quraysh enjoyed great respect with the other

186
 12. MIGRATION TO ABYSSINIA

Arab tribes with whom they formed alliances, it was difficult

to find a corner in the Arabian Peninsula where they would
be safe, as Quraysh and their allies would have soon found
and decimated them. The Prophet, p.b.u.h., knew that Abys-
sinia was ruled by the king, or the Negus (Arabic: Najashi),
named Ashama. He was a Christian and a just ruler who
treated everyone equally, irrespective of race, nation or social
class. The Prophet told the Companions to go to Abyssinia
because “that land is ruled by a man who does not allow in-
justice to be done to anyone”. That was the reason why one
group of Companions went to Abyssinia together with their
wives and children.
In the month of Rajab of the fifth year of the prophet-
hood, the first group of Muslims, made up of twelve men and
four women, emigrated to Abyssinia. It was led by Uthman
ibn ‘Affan, who emigrated together with his wife Ruqayyah,
daughter of the Messenger of God, p.b.u.h. They left Mecca
secretly at night and sailed across the Red Sea aboard a small
vessel. The Prophet, p.b.u.h., said about that event: “Uthman
is the first person after Lot (Lut), p.b.u.h., who emigrated be-
cause of his faith.”194 The group was also comprised of the
famous companions al-Zubayr ibn al-’Awwaam, Mus’ab ibn
‘Umayr, ‘Abd al-Rahman ibn ‘Awf, Abu Salamah and his wife
Umm Salamah, Abu Hudhayfah ibn ‘Utbah and his wife Sa-
hlah bint Suhayl.
They were soon followed by the second group, headed by
the Prophet’s cousin Ja’far ibn Abi Talib. Historians state that
the total number of Muslims who emigrated to Abyssinia,
excluding little children, was eighty-three men and eighteen
women.195 The Negus welcomed them warmly and placed
them under his protection.
194
Transmitted by al-Hakim.
195
See: Ibn Hisham, Poslanikov životopis (A Biography of the Prophet),
p. 61; See: al-Mansurfuri, Rahmatun li al-’alamin, al-Dar al-salafiyya,
Bombay, India, 1989, p. 55.

187
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

Some migrants returned from Abyssinia before the Proph-

et’s migration to Medina, some did it after, while some oth-
ers stayed in Abyssinia very long, like Abu Sufyan’s daugh-
ter Umm Habibah (whose real name was Ramlah bint Abi
Sufyan), who had emigrated to Abyssinia together with her
husband ‘Ubayd-Allah ibn Jahsh. Her husband apostatized
there and converted to Christianity. On 7 AH, the Prophet
sent Amr ibn Umayyah to Abyssinia with a letter to the Ne-
gus calling him to embrace Islam, which the Negus did. That
same year the Prophet proposed to Umm Habibah with the
Negus acting as his proxy. When she accepted, the Negus sol-
emnized the marriage between her and the Prophet, p.b.u.h.,
and gave her a dowry of four hundred dinars in gold. She re-
ceived the most valuable dowry of all the Prophet’s wives. She
arrived in Medina as late as in 7 AH, which means that some
Companions spent a total of fifteen years in Abyssinia.196

Ja’far’s Speech about Islam – A Fine Example to

Preachers and Missionaries
The migration to Abyssinia enraged the pagan camp in
Mecca. A considerable number of the Muslims whom they
had tortured and persecuted were now in safety. The pagans
pondered how to further harass the Prophet, p.b.u.h., and
the Muslims. They opted for a two-pronged action: in Mecca,
they sent a delegation whose task was to contact the Prophet’s
uncle Abu Talib and try to make him turn against the Proph-
et, and to Abyssinia they sent two envoys whose mission was
to smear the Muslims and pit the Negus against them.
The two men who went to Abyssinia were Abdullah
ibn Abi Rabi’ah and Amr ibn al-’As (the latter was still on
196
See more about the Negus and the migrants in Abyssinia in: al-Dhahabi,
Siyar a’alam al-nubala’ – Tahdhib, Summarized Edition, Mu’assasat al-
risala, Beirut, 1991, I, pp. 42-44.

188
 12. MIGRATION TO ABYSSINIA

the side of the pagans at that time). They brought precious

gifts from Mecca for the Negus and his dignitaries. They
brought leather goods that were in high demand in Abyssinia
to appease the Abyssinian sovereign and persuade him to
expel from his territory the Muslims who took refuge there.
When they arrived they first gave gifts to every patriarch
telling them: “To the land of your King there has fled a group
of our unreasonable young men who abandoned the religion
of their people but haven’t embraced yours. They preach some
new religion, unknown to you and us. We have been sent to
the King by the highest dignitaries of our people with a plea
that he should deliver them to us. So, please, when we talk
with the King about them, be kind to suggest to him to hand
them over to us but that he should not talk with them at all.
Our people are wiser than they and know very well what they
condemn them for.”197
The patriarchs promised to do what they were asked. Af-
ter that, Amr and Abdullah were received by the Negus and
after they presented their gifts they told him the reason for
their visit. The patriarchs kept their promise and supported
them at the court. The Negus, however, did not like that ap-
proach and he exclaimed angrily: “No, by God! They have
arrived only recently. They have come to my land and chosen
me above all others and I am not going to deliver them before
hearing their response to the allegations of these two men!
If these allegations prove to be true, I will hand them over
to their people, but if they do not, I will grant them protec-
tion, welcome them nicely and provide them everything they
need.”
This shows that the Negus was really a just ruler and
that he was not to allow anyone’s right to be jeopardized or
usurped in his country. So, it was up to the Muslims now
197
Ibn Hisham, supra at 62.

189
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

to respond to the pagans’ allegations. To speak at the King’s

court, in front of the Church dignitaries and the royal entou-
rage, was not an easy task. The Companions conferred what
to do and chose Ja’far ibn Abi Talib to speak on their behalf.
He was to tell the truth and nothing but the truth.
The discussion at the Abyssinian court was very interest-
ing. The Negus asked: “What is this religion for which you
have abandoned your people, yet you haven’t embraced mine
(Christianity)?”198 Ja’far responded:
“O, King, we were an ignorant people worshipping idols,
eating meat of carrion, fornicating, severing family ties, har-
assing neighbors, the strong oppressing the weak. Thus we
were until God sent us a messenger from among our kin, one
whose lineage, honesty, reliability and irreproachability we
knew well. He called us unto God, to testify to His Oneness
and serve Him alone, and to renounce what we and our fa-
thers had worshipped beside Him. And he commanded us to
speak truly, to fulfill promises, to respect the ties of kinship,
to treat our neighbors well, to refrain from the forbidden and
from bloodshed. He forbade to us fornication, lies, usurpation
of orphans’ property and defamation of virtuous women. He
commanded to us to worship God alone and not to associate
anything with Him.” He then mentioned the other Islamic
rules while the present Muslims confirmed it. “Everything
the Prophet has told us came from God and we have accepted
and applied it. We worship God alone and do not associate
anything to Him. We forbid what He has forbidden and al-
low what He has allowed. But our people turned against us

198
The Negus was an adherent of the course that was closest to the
Qur’anic teachings on Jesus, p.b.u.h., which is proved by the fact that
he afterward converted to Islam and that the Prophet, p.b.u.h., led the
funeral prayer in absence for him in Medina (salat al-gha’ib), although
the two of them had never met. See: al-Dhahabi, supra at 42.

190
 12. MIGRATION TO ABYSSINIA

and persecuted us to make us forsake our religion and revert

from the worship of the Exalted God to the worship of idols.
They wanted us to go back to our bad old ways. And after
they charged at us with all their might, after they resorted
to violence against us, after they deprived us of all our rights
and stood between us and our religion, we have come to your
country. O, King, we have chosen you above all others and we
want to be in your proximity and it is our hope that here, at
your side, we shall not suffer injustice.”
“Do you have anything with you that was revealed from
God”, asked the Negus. “I do”, answered Ja’far. “Read it out
to me!” Ja’far read the opening verses of the surah 19, Mary,
and the Negus wept so much that his tears poured down to
his beard! His bishops wept also, with tears dripping on their
books. The Negus then said: “This and what was revealed to
Jesus has undoubtedly come from the same source! You two
may leave,” he told Quraysh, “for, by God, I will not deliver
them to you. No way!”199

Two Important Lessons

First, we can see that Ja’far’s address was brief, yet mean-
ingful and very impressive. It came from a believer’s heart
and was filled with sincerity and a great desire to present the
truth in the best manner. This address may serve as a good
example to everyone involved in missionary work or dis-
course on Islam. Ja’far also touched on the blessings of a life
lived in the embrace of Islam, warning of misery that awaited
people in this life if they lived it distanced from their Crea-
tor and His guidance. Ja’far’s words possess universal value.
People still engage in debauchery, sever family ties, harass
neighbors and the strong oppress the weak, resulting in an
escalation of violence and hatred, usurpation of another’s
199
Ibn Hisham, supra at 63-64.

191
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

rights, unrest and anxiety of the whole mankind. Indeed, the

need for a religion (Islam) is universal for all times and Islam
still has a lot to offer to the world, especially in terms of mak-
ing people’s lives and relations more humane and promoting
universal values and the common good.
The other lesson lies in Ja’far’s response to the Negus
when he asked the Muslims about the Islamic teachings on
Jesus having being talked into it by Quraysh envoys. Umm
Salamah, who was present there, relates:
“The following day, Amr ibn al-’As tried to turn the Negus’
attention to the Islamic teachings on Jesus by telling him: ‘O
King, they say grave things about Jesus, son of Mary! Send
for them and ask them what they say about him!’ And the
Negus sent for them to ask them the question.”
Umm Salamah continues: “That was the hardest thing for
us. We again gathered at one place to confer. We agreed that
we should tell about Jesus only what Allah had said and what
His Messenger had conveyed, be what may!”
It was Ja’far who again spoke in front of the Negus when he
asked them what they said about Jesus, son of Mary: “We say
of him what our Prophet brought unto us, peace and blessing
of God be upon him: ‘Jesus is a slave of God, His Messenger,
His Spirit and His Word which He cast unto Mary, the chaste
virgin.’”
Having heard this, the Negus smacked the ground with
his palm, took a little piece of wood from it and said: “Jesus,
son of Mary, is different from what you have just said by the
length of this stick.” The Church patriarchs around him dis-
approved, but he retorted: “For all your disapproval, it is so,
by God.” He then told the Muslims: “Go your way, for you
are safe in my land. Whoever insults you will be punished.
Whoever insults you will be punished! Not for mountains of

192
 12. MIGRATION TO ABYSSINIA

gold would I harm a single one of you.” He added, referring

to Quraysh envoys: “Return to these two men their gifts, for
I have no use for them.”200
It is clear from this citation that in a dialogue with Chris-
tians, Muslims should not immediately mention the essen-
tial differences between them (such as, for example, the issue
of Jesus’ crucifixion, resurrection, trinity), but should bring
up the aspects the two religions share. And they share the
heavenly origin, belief in the resurrection of the dead and the
afterlife and many ethical norms (Christianity also forbids
fornicating, lying, appropriating another’s property, usurp-
ing another’s rights). For that reason, when referring to the
need for a dialogue between the Muslims and the People of
the Book (Ahl al-Kitab, that is, Christians and Jews), the No-
ble Qur’an commands: “[Believers], argue only in the best way
with the People of the Book, except with those of them who act
unjustly. Say, ‘We believe in what was revealed to us and in
what was revealed to you; our God and your God are one [and
the same]; we are devoted to Him.’” (29:46)
If differences are emphasized at the very beginning of a
Muslim-Christian dialogue, then it will inevitably be unsuc-
cessful. Therefore, it would be very advisable for Muslims not
to immediately raise the issues that are unacceptable from
the Islamic point of view, while the Christians, if they wished
a true dialogue, should recognize Islam as a heavenly reli-
gion and Muhammad, p.b.u.h., as a Messenger and a Prophet
of God, despite the fact they do not agree with many tenets
of Islam. This would give a stronger footing to the dialogue
which could give better results in terms of peace, tolerance
and co-existence of the two greatest world cultures and civi-
lizations: the Christian and the Muslim one. The first and the
second migration of the first Muslims to Abyssinia strongly
200
Ibid, p. 64.

193
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

indicates that the bonds between the believers who are fol-
lowers of different religions are stronger and firmer than the
believers’ bonds with idol-worshippers and atheists, given
that the religions of heavenly origin agree about the chief
moral and social issues and, in principle, about the belief in
God, His Messengers and the Judgment Day. In the times
like this, when exclusion of the divine principles of morality
has become the basic principle of politics and public life in
general, the believers, followers of the religions of celestial
origin, have many things in common that can bring them
closer to one another, particularly if they want to confront
the invasion of atheism and immorality.201

Muslims Must Be Persistent and Work Hard for Islam

When Amr ibn al-’As and Abdullah ibn Abi Rabi’ah re-
turned from Abyssinia without success, Quraysh in Mecca
became even more furious. They started devising new ma-
levolent plans of harassment. They decided to visit Abu Talib
and tell him to try to persuade Muhammad to stop defaming
their idols. They even threatened Abu Talib himself: should
he not do what he was requested, they would declare an all-
out war on him and the Muslims.
This threat really went down hard with Abu Talib and he
sent for Muhammad, p.b.u.h. When he arrived, Abu Talib in-
formed him about it and told him: “Have pity on both of us!
Do not burden me with doing what I am incapable of doing!”
At that moment the Prophet, p.b.u.h., thought that his
uncle was renouncing him because he no longer had the
strength to protect him. He said: Ya ‘amm, law wada’u al-
shamsa fi yamini wa al-qamar fi yasari… O uncle, if they gave
me the Sun in my right hand and the Moon in the left, I would
201
See: Dr. Mustafa al-Siba’i, Poslanikov životni put (The Life of the Prophet:
Highlights and Lessons), p. 26.

194
 12. MIGRATION TO ABYSSINIA

not forsake this cause! I will fight until the end, come what
may, may I win or perish! The Prophet then cried and soon
rose to leave. Having seen his resolve, Abu Talib told him:
“Go, my nephew, and preach what lies in your heart, and rest
assured that I will never abandon you or hand you over to
anyone, may Allah be my witness!”202
Quraysh were disappointed again. They saw that their
pressure on Abu Talib was fruitless, but they did not concede
defeat. They devised a new plan: they visited Abu Talib brin-
ing along a young man whose name was ‘Imara ibn Walid
ibn al-Mughirah. “Abu Talib”, they said, “this is the most in-
telligent and handsome youth among Quraysh and we give
him to you as a gift! Take him and make good use of his
intelligence and strength. May he be like a son unto you and
you hand us over your nephew who has abandoned your and
your forefathers’ religion and caused this rift among us. We
want to kill him, so we’ll give you a man for a man, a life for a
life.” Abu Talib answered: “By Allah, your offer is really hide-
ous! You are giving me your boy to feed and you want me to
give you my son so that you would kill him! Never, I swear to
Allah, it will never happen!”203
Despite the fact that the pagans again failed to carry out
their intent, they did not give up. Two important lessons can
be drawn from these events.
1. The ones who do not follow the divine guidance and
who fight the followers of the Right Path are very persistent
and do not give up easily. Whenever they fail in an attempt
to oppose and destroy the Truth and its followers, they find
other means and methods to fight against the faithful. This is
202
Al-Mubarakpuri, al-Rahiq al-makhtum, p. 97.
203
S irah authors state that the pagans’ negotiations with Abu Talib
happened in the middle of the sixth year of the prophethood. See: al-
Mubarakpuri, al-Rahiq al-makhtum, pp. 97-98.

195
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

something that everyone who is calling to the path of Islam

should be aware of; the advocates of the untruth are very per-
sistent and work hard for their cause. If the faithful are not
persistent and do not work enough for the religion revealed
to them, there is a great risk that the religion and its followers
would be an easy prey for the adversaries. The lesson, there-
fore, is that one should work hard for and promote the Truth
revealed by the Lord of the Worlds.
2. There cannot be any compromise in the struggle against
the untruth and fallacy! The best illustration is the Prophet’s
answer to his uncle Abu Talib: O uncle, if they gave me the Sun
in my right hand and the Moon in the left, I would not forsake
this cause! With these words the Prophet rejected everything
that Quraysh offered him and this, among other things, is a
proof of the Prophet’s sincerity and how much he cared for
the guidance for mankind. This is a lesson to missionaries of
Islam that they must exercise endurance and perseverance
in their mission, despite the efforts of the opponents of the
Truth. A missionary must firmly reject all attempts of bribe
or enticement with offers related to rank or reputation.

196
 13. BOYCOTT AND THE YEAR OF GRIEF

Pagans’ Campaign against the Prophet

After the failed attempts to make Abu Talib waver and
turn him against Muhammad, p.b.u.h., the pagans decided
to intensify their attacks and mistreatment of the Prophet
himself. Since they had earlier physically abused his follow-
ers, they decided to do the same to him, in addition to verbal
attacks (curses, mockery and abusive language).
One day Abu Lahab’s son ‘Utaybah came to see the Proph-
et. ‘Utaybah had previously been married to the Prophet’s
daughter Umm Kulthum, but divorced her when the Prophet
started receiving the Revelation in order to offend him. He
said threateningly: “I do not believe in the Qur’anic verses
By the star when it sets, or [who] then approached – coming
down” (the latter being a reference to angel Gabriel).”204 ‘Utay-
bah then dashed at the Prophet to punch him, tore his shirt
and spat at him, but the spit did not reach the Prophet’s no-
ble face. Then the Prophet prayed: Allahumma, sallit alayhi
kalban min kilabika! O Allah, send one of Your lions at him!
Ibn Hisham records that the Prophet’s prayer was answered:
‘Utaybah and a group of Quraysh traveled to al-Sham. They
arrived in a place called al-Zarqa’ and decided to spend the
night there. They noticed a lion prowling around them and
‘Utaybah exclaimed: “Woe is me; by God, the lion will eat
me, just as Muhammad asked in his supplication! Muham-
mad will kill me from Mecca although I am here in al-Sham,

204
Qur’an 53:1,8.

197
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

so far away from him!” And, indeed, the lion seized him of
all the people in the group and slit his throat.205
Biographers recorded numerous instances of the pagans’
abuse and assault on the Prophet, p.b.u.h., during those hard
times full of tribulations and adversities. Some of those in-
sults are even recorded in the Qur’an.
Al-Walid ibn al-Mughirah once asked: “Is the Rev-
elation truly sent down to Muhammad instead of me, a
distinguished leader of Quraysh? And is Abu Mas’ud Amr
ibn ‘Umayr al-Thaqafi, the chief of the Thaqif tribe, also by-
passed? The two of us are the lords of Ta’if and Mecca respec-
tively!” Thereupon Allah revealed: And they said, ‘Why was
this Qur’an not sent down to a distinguished man, from either
of the two cities? Are they the ones who share out your Lord’s
grace? We are the ones who give them their share of livelihood
in this world and We have raised some of them above others
in rank, so that some may take others into service: your Lord’s
grace is better than anything they accumulate. (43:31-32)
Akhnas ibn Shurayq al-Thaqafi was a man whose opin-
ion was appreciated by the Arabs. He frequently insulted the
Messenger of God, p.b.u.h., and contested his words, so Al-
lah, swt, revealed a verse about him and those like him, such
as al-Walid ibn al-Mughirah and Ubayy ibn Khalaf: Do not
yield to any contemptible swearer, to any backbiter, slander-
monger, or hinderer of good, to anyone who is sinful, aggres-
sive, coarse, and on top of all that, an imposter. (68:10-13).
Abu Jahl (whose name was Amr ibn Hisham), Ubayy ibn
Khalaf and ‘Uqba ibn Abi Mu’ayt stood out among the people
who persecuted the Prophet, p.b.u.h. Ibn Hisham wrote that
Ubayy ibn Khalaf and ‘Uqba ibn Abi Mu’ayt were very close
friends, almost like brothers. ‘Uqba once sat next to the Mes-

205
See: al-Mubarakpuri, al-Rahiq al-makhtum, p. 98.

198
 13. BOYCOTT AND THE YEAR OF GRIEF

senger of God, p.b.u.h., and listened to his address, but when

Ubayy heard about it he rushed to ‘Uqba’s place forthwith
and the first thing he told him was: “Is it possible that you
were sitting next to Muhammad listening to his address? I
will not look at you ever again, let alone talk to you if ever you
sit next to him, listen to his speech, or pass by him without
spitting in his face,” he swore firmly. ‘Uqba indeed heeded
his words. Allah sent down a Revelation related to the two
men: On that Day the evildoer will bite his own hand and say,
‘If only I had taken the same path as the Messenger. Woe is me!
If only I had not taken so and so as a friend – he led me away
from the Revelation after it reached me. Satan has always be-
trayed mankind.’ (25:27-29)
Ubayy ibn Khalaf once came to see Allah’s Messenger,
p.b.u.h. He carried in his hand a decayed bone that crumbled
to touch. “O, Muhammad,” said he, “you claim that God will
bring this to life, after it has rotten so!” He then crumbled it
in his fist and then blew the dust in the Prophet’s direction.
“Yes, I claim so”, replied the Prophet. “Allah will resurrect it,
just as He will resurrect you after you have decayed and will
then lead you to the Fire!” Allah then revealed: He disputes
openly, producing arguments against Us, forgetting his own
creation. He says, ‘Who can give life back to bones after they
have decayed?’ Say, ‘He who created them in the first place will
give them life again: He has full knowledge of every act of crea-
tion. It is He who produces fire for you out of the green tree– lo
and behold!– and from this you kindle fire. (36:77-80)206
The Prophet, p.b.u.h. patiently endured the pagans’ insults
and harassment, praying to the Exalted Allah for help and

206
See more about the cited and other examples of the pagans’ attacks on
the Prophet, p.b.u.h., in: Ibn Hisham, Poslanikov životopis (A Biogra-
phy of the Prophet), pp. 68-72; al-Mubarakpuri, Zapečaćeni džennetski
napitak (The Sealed Nectar), pp. 80-85.

199
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

protection and encouraging his followers to endure. Sirah

authors recorded examples of Allah’s direct interventions to
protect His favorite and chosen one.207

Sahifah – Document on the Boycott of Muslims

When Quraysh realized that a considerable number of the
Prophet’s followers were gone to the land where they were
granted personal and property security and freedom of religion,
and that Umar and Hamzah also converted to Islam (which
considerably strengthened the position of the Prophet, p.b.u.h.,
and the first Muslims), they concluded that Islam would get
new allies and supporters among the many Arab tribes who
made the annual pilgrimage to the Ka’bah. It could be expect-
ed that Islam, a religion of common sense and well-balanced
teachings, suitable for human nature and needs, would spread
to other Arab tribes. In order to prevent it, Quraysh convened
and made a decision to draft a document (Arabic: Sahifah) un-
dertaking “not to give their daughters in marriage to mem-
bers of the Banu Hashim and Banu Abd al-Muttalib clans or
to marry from these clans, and not to sell to or buy anything
from them.” When they reached an agreement about it, they
wrote it down on a sheet of paper, verified it and hung it in the
center of the Ka’bah as a sign of their resolve.208
One of the chief objectives of the boycott was to isolate
the Banu Hashim and Banu Abd al-Muttalib clans and thus
force Abu Talib and other Hashimites to stop protecting the

207
Al-Mubarakpuri, supra at 81-82.
208
See: Ibn Hisham, supra at 68. Ibn Hisham states that Sahifah was
written by Mansur ibn ‘Ikrimah. The Prophet prayed against him so
some of his fingers stiffened. Imam Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah thinks,
however, that the scribe of the Sahifah was Bagid ibn Amir ibn Hashim
and states that the Prophet prayed to Allah to punish him for it, so his
arm became paralyzed. See: Ibn al-Qayyim, Zad al-ma’ad, II, p. 46.

200
 13. BOYCOTT AND THE YEAR OF GRIEF

Prophet and hand him over to Quraysh, who wanted to kill

him and so prevent the spreading of Islam.
For security reasons the Banu Hashim gathered around
Abu Talib in that quarter of the Meccan valley where he and
most of the clan lived, known in the literature as the Shi’b of
Abu Talib (Abu Talib’s estate or gorge). After the Hashimites
assembled around Abu Talib, Abu Lahab and his wife moved
to another house of his far away from there, to demonstrate
their full loyalty to the pagans’ camp.
The boycott began on 1 Muharram of the seventh year of
the prophethood and lasted full three years, until the month
of Muharram of the tenth year of the prophethood.209 In that
period, the Muslims lived in absolute isolation and suffered
food shortages, so they survived by eating leaves, leather and
the likes. Cries of the starving children and women could
often be heard from the place where they were isolated.
Through secret channels they would sometimes receive sup-
plies sufficient to barely keep them alive. They could get out
of their isolation place only during the sacred months (al-
ashhur al-hurum). Affluent Muslims from other clans did a
lot to secretly help the boycotted Muslims at Abu Talib’s es-
tate. Umar and Abu Bakr, r.a., stood out in that effort. They
found various ways to deliver the assistance. Historians re-
corded that after two years of generous spending on the way
of Allah, Abu Bakr, r.a., could no longer be considered an
affluent man.210
After three years, which were very difficult for the Mus-
lims, Quraysh decided to lift the boycott in the month of Mu-
harram of the tenth year of the prophethood. The isolation
of such a large group drew an even greater attention to the
Prophet and the Muslims, and the religion that Muhammad
209
Al-Mubarakpuri, supra at 101-102.
210
Martin Lings, supra at 124.

201
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

preached was talked about even more in the whole Arabia.

In addition, some Quraysh disapproved of the absolute isola-
tion of their fellow clansmen some of whom were their close
relatives. Chronicles mention Hisham ibn Amr, Mut’im ibn
‘Adiyy and Zam’ah ibn al-Aswad among the individuals who
condemned the boycott.
Sirahs read that when Quraysh decided to lift the three-
year-long boycott, they were shocked by the condition of the
Sahifah hanging inside the Ka’bah, as worms had eaten up its
whole text except the opening words: Bismikallahuma – In
Your Name, O God!211 The believers regarded it as a sign of
Allah’s help and support.

There Cannot Be Any Compromise on Fundamental

Tenets of Faith
When the boycott ended, Quraysh chiefs devoted their en-
ergy to try to persuade the Prophet to accept a compromise.
They proposed that the Muslims and the pagans would pro-
fess and practice both faiths, with Quraysh worshipping Al-
lah, as prescribed by Islam, for one period, and the Muslims
in turn worshipping Quraysh idols! This compromise would
allegedly have allowed for all to live in peace and satisfaction.
Naturally, the Prophet, p.b.u.h., did not accept this proposal.
Surah 109, The Disbelievers, of the Noble Qur’an was revealed
on that occasion: Say [Prophet], ‘Disbelievers: I do not worship
what you worship, you do not worship what I worship, I will
never worship what you worship, you will never worship what
I worship: you have your religion and I have mine.’
This is an irrefutable proof that there cannot be any com-
promise when it comes to the fundamental tenets of the
faith. The quoted Qur’anic verse -- Lakum dinukum wa liya

211
Ibid, p. 127.

202
 13. BOYCOTT AND THE YEAR OF GRIEF

din! - You have your religion and I have mine! -- applies in

that respect. This is something that the Muslims who are in-
volved in an inter-faith dialogue should particularly be aware
of: Islam advocates a co-existence and tolerance of different
cultures and religions, but departure from its fundamental
tenets is impermissible.

The Year of Grief

Soon after the boycott was lifted, the Prophet’s elderly un-
cle Abu Talib fell ill. The illness did not subside and he passed
away in the month of Rajab of the tenth year of the prophet-
hood. Abu Talib did not convert to Islam, but was, neverthe-
less, a great support to the Prophet and the Muslims.
Two months and three days following the death of Abu Tal-
ib, Khadijah, r.a., the Prophet’s wife and Mother of the Faith-
ful (Umm ul-Mu’minin), also passed away. This happened in
the month of Ramadan of the tenth year of the prophethood.
She was sixty-five when she died and the Prophet was fifty
(by the lunar calendar).212
The Prophet, p.b.u.h., spent one quarter of a century to-
gether with Khadijah, r.a. He always had her understanding
and support; she raised his spirits in the moments of disap-
pointment and sorrow; she protected him from malevolent
persons and aggressors, not sparing either herself or her
wealth. She gave birth to six children of the Prophet’s, two
sons and four daughters. She was a true believer from the
very beginning, from the moment the Prophet told her he
had started receiving the Revelation.
For all that the Prophet loved and respected her very
much. He showed his love for her even after her death.
When his other wives would ask him why he mentioned her
212
Al-Mubarakpuri, supra at 107.

203
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

so often, the Prophet answered: “She believed that I was a

Prophet when no-one else did. She confirmed I was telling
the truth when everyone called me a liar. She helped me with
her wealth when others refused to do so. And Allah gave me
children with her only.”213
These two events (the death of uncle Abu Talib and soon
afterward the death of wife Khadijah) greatly distressed the
Prophet, p.b.u.h. Naturally, he was aware that it was destiny
and Divine designation, but the loss of such important per-
sons in a short period of time filled his heart with ache and
sorrow.214 The idol-worshippers’ attacks on the Prophet and
the Muslims grew in strength after the death of Abu Talib,
whose standing and authority with Quraysh tribe had served
as a shield to the Prophet, so all these things combined are
the reason why this year, the tenth of the prophethood, is
referred to as The Year of Grief (‘Am al-huzn).
The persecution and mistreatment by the pagans became
so hard after Abu Talib’s death that the Prophet, p.b.u.h., lost
every will to remain in Mecca. It was a dire need that made
him go out to Ta’if, his primary goal having been to transfer
the religion to that city, but also to garner its citizens’ help
against Quraysh, their primitivism and brutality. However,
he did not find anyone there who would understand and help
him. Moreover, people in that city even threw stones at him,
thus hurting both his body and soul.
The persecution by the pagans that year was very pain-
ful and difficult for all Muslims. The Prophet’s friend and
companion, Abu Bakr, r.a., decided to move to Abyssinia, got
ready and set off, but eventually gave up the idea.
213
Hadith reported by Ahmad in Musnad.
214
Some sirahs state that Khadijah died three days after Abu Talib. See:
al-Mansurfuri, Rahmatun li al-’alamin, I, p. 66; Ibn Kathir, al-Fusul fi
sirah al-Rasul, Maktabah al-ma’arif, Riyadh, 2000, p. 64.

204
 13. BOYCOTT AND THE YEAR OF GRIEF

In the month of Shawwal of the tenth year of the prophet-

hood, the Prophet married Sawdah bint Zam’ah, r.a. She had
emigrated to Abyssinia with her first husband Sakran ibn
Amr. She returned to Mecca after he had died there (although
some historians claim that he returned to Mecca and died
there before the Muslims emigrated from Mecca to Medina).
She was of an advanced age and the Prophet married her to
take care of her. She was the first woman he married after
Khadijah, r.a., had died. Some years later, Sawdah granted
her nights with the Prophet to A’ishah, r.a.215

How Did the First Muslims Hold Out?

The Muslims of our time also suffer great tribulations and
setbacks. They are victims of mass killings, massacres, geno-
cides (for example, in Bosnia, Palestine, Chechnya); they are
unjustly accused of terrorism; their most sacred objects are
being defiled, to mention the case of the stomping on the No-
ble Qur’an by some US soldiers in Iraq and Guantanamo, or
the blasphemous cartoons in Danish, Norwegian and some
other Western magazines portraying the Messenger of Allah,
p.b.u.h., as a terrorist and a primitive person. In a nutshell,
the situation is very difficult and upsetting.
The question is how to endure and overcome these chal-
lenges.
Important lessons for the present day may be drawn from
the events in the first period of Islam. Throughout the whole
Meccan period of the Revelation, Muslims were exposed to
intense persecution, harassment, defiling of their sacred ob-
jects and the cruelest mental and physical tortures. It was
particularly intensified during the boycott and after Abu Tal-

215
See: al-Mansurfuri, II, supra at 165; al-Mubarakpuri, supra at 108.

205
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

ib’s death. However, they endured all that patiently, pledging

their wealth and lives on the path of Islam. How strong the
perseverance and the faith of these people must have been!
Actually, how did they manage to withstand it all?
Obviously, there are several reasons that made it possible
for the first Muslims to hold out in the face of everything
they went through.
1. Strong faith (iman) is a precondition for persever-
ance in anything. The first Muslims were true believers and
the strength of their faith alleviated the hardships they went
through. Do modern Muslims raise their children to be true
believers? This is a question that every parent, blessed with
progeny by Allah, swt, should ask himself. In particular this
is a question for those who decide on the curriculum at the
institutions educating the teaching staff that will interpret
and communicate Islam to future generations. Is the mis-
sionary spirit nourished with these young men and women
to make them ready for personal sacrifice in the way of God
and for placing Allah’s pleasure and the interests of His reli-
gion before their personal interests? The responsibility of the
persons who decide about it is enormous indeed.
2. As the Muslim leader, the Prophet, p.b.u.h., person-
ally identified with his followers’ situation. As noted earlier,
he was also a victim of abuse, insults and physical attacks. It
was Allah’s wisdom and providence that the Prophet’s two
great protectors and supporters, his uncle Abu Talib and wife
Khadijah, died. The Prophet was to carry the burden of life
troubles and tribulations on his own.
3. Seeking consolation in the Qur’an and prayers to the
Almighty Allah. At the times of terrible tortures and vio-
lence they suffered, the Companions turned to the Qur’an,
read its messages and tales of ancient peoples and allusions
to the victory and success awaiting the faithful. For them,

206
 13. BOYCOTT AND THE YEAR OF GRIEF

it was a source of strength and motivation to withstand all

hardships and ordeals. In these difficult times they turned to
Allah, prayed to Him to help them and strengthen them on
His path. Our times are also the times of serious challenges
for all Muslims, so the need for supplication and an earnest
plea to Allah to help and provide His protection and shelter
is so great that it defies description. For that reason the Mus-
lims should pray a lot to Allah, swt.
4. Despite a difficult situation, the Prophet, p.b.u.h.,
ponders on it and develops a strategy. He suggested to the
Companions that they should take refuge for one period, that
is, move to Abyssinia, where they would be protected. The
Prophet was also looking for a new location (he went to Ta’if,
presented the idea of Islam to Arab tribes), thus trying to find
new followers for the benefit of all mankind. The present-day
Muslims generally do not use enough the possibilities to act
in real time and space. Many just stand by, often criticizing
the existing situation but, unfortunately, doing nothing to
improve it. One of the reasons for this is certainly the fact
that spreading Islamic ideas today is mostly approached in
an unorganized manner, lacking prior plan and program
(strategy).

207
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

208
 14. ISRA’ AND MI’RAJ

The Prayer of Ta’if

In the month of Shawwal of the tenth year of the prophet-
hood, which corresponds to late May or early June 619 CE,
at the height of the idol-worshippers’ persecution and abuse,
the Prophet, p.b.u.h., left Mecca for Ta’if in order to find a
safer ground for his mission and win over new followers of
Islam there.
Members of the Thaqif tribe, to which the Prophet was
related, lived in the city of Ta’if, some 60 miles away from
Mecca. The Prophet traveled that distance on foot in the
company of his manumitted slave Zayd ibn Harithah. On
his way to Ta’if, the Prophet invited to Islam the tribes they
passed by, but nobody heeded the call.
When they arrived in Ta’if, the Prophet visited the three
brothers who were the chieftains of the Thaqif tribe. They did
not accept his call to Islam, either; moreover, they ridiculed
him. The Prophet asked them not to alert the Ta’if inhabit-
ants of his presence since he intended to visit other promi-
nent persons in the city and communicate the message of
Islam to them. He spent ten days in Ta’if calling to Islam, but
not a single citizen accepted the call. On the contrary, they
even pitted against him their children, slaves and mentally
retarded persons. While the Prophet was leaving Ta’if they
flanked him on his left and right and shouted that he was
blasphemous, called him names and hurled stones at him.
Someone hit him with a stone at the Achilles tendon, so the
blood gushed forth and soaked his shoe. Zayd ibn Harithah

209
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

protected Muhammad with his own body. The noise, shouts

and blows gave the Prophet a headache. On their way out of
Ta’if they took cover behind the fence of a garden that be-
longed to ‘Utbah and Shaybah, sons of Rabi’ah, while their
pursuers returned to Ta’if.
Having rested a little, the Prophet uttered the famous
prayer to Allah, swt, Allahumma, ilayka ashku da’ fa quw-
wati wa qillata hilati wa hawani ‘ala al-nas…, known in the
Islamic literature as The Prayer of Ta’if. Due to its importance
we provide here its original version in the Arabic language
followed by the translation into the English language:

َ‫ يا‬،‫لى الناَّ ِس‬ َ ‫ َوَه َوان ِـي َع‬، ‫يت‬ ِ َ‫ َوقِلَّ َة حيِل‬، ‫يت‬ ِ ‫« اللَّ ُه َّم إِلَيْ َك أَ ْش ُكو َض ْع َف ُ�ق َّو‬
‫ إ ىَِل‬،‫ إ ىَِل َم ْن تَ ِكلُن ِـي‬، ‫ َوأَنْ َت َريِّب‬، ‫في‬ َ ِ‫ أَنْ َت َر ُّب الْ ُم ْستَ ْض َع ن‬، ‫ني‬ َّ ‫أَ ْرَح َم‬
ِِ‫الر م‬
َ ‫اح‬
‫َض ٌب‬ َ ‫َي غ‬ َّ ‫ِك َعل‬ َ ‫ِب َملَّ ْكتَ ُه أَ ْمرِي ؟ إ ِْن مَْل يَ ُك ْن ب‬ ٍ ‫ىل قَري‬ َ ِ‫ أَ ْم إ‬، ‫ين‬ ُ ‫بَِعيِ ٍد َ�يتَ َجه‬
ِ ‫َّم‬
‫َت لَُه‬ ِ َّ‫ِك ال‬
ْ ‫ذي أَ ْش َرق‬ َ ‫ أَ ُعوُذ بِنُوِر َو ْجه‬، ‫يل‬ ِ ‫ َولَ ِك َّن َعافِيَتَ َك أَ ْو َس ُع‬، ‫يل‬ِ َ‫ال أُبا‬ َ َ‫ف‬
‫َضبَ َك أَ ْو يحَُ َّل‬َ ‫ِن أَ ْن ُ�تنْزَِل يِب غ‬ ُّ ‫ُح َعلَيْ ِه أَ ْم ُر‬
ْ ‫الدنْياَ َو آْال ِخ َرِة م‬ َ ‫ َو َصل‬، ‫ات‬ ُ ‫الظل َُم‬ُّ
» ‫ِك‬ َ ‫ َواَل َح ْو َل َوالَ ُ�ق َّوَة إاَِّل ب‬، ‫ىب َح ىَّت َ�ت ْر َضى‬ َ ْ‫ لَ َك الْ ُعت‬، ‫َي َس َخ ُط َك‬ َّ ‫َعل‬
“O Allah! I complain to You of my weakness, my helplessness
and my lowliness before men. O Most Merciful, You are the Lord
of the weak and You are my Lord. Into whose hands will You en-
trust me? Unto some far off stranger who will receive me with hos-
tility? Or unto a foe who is close by and whom You have empow-
ered against me? O Allah, so long as You are not angry with me,
I care not what happens to me, but Your favor is all that counts
for me. I take refuge in the light of Your Countenance by which all
darkness is illuminated and the things of this world and the next
are rightly ordered, lest Your wrath or Your punishment descend
upon me. I wish to please You until You are well pleased. There is
no power and no might except through You.”

210
 14. ISRA’ AND MI’RAJ

This prayer clearly shows the Prophet’s concern for Is-

lam and Muslims. The pagans’ attacks became intolerable in
Mecca, and the situation in Ta’if was not better, either. The
citizens of Ta’if even started hurling stones at him, after he
had spent only a couple of days in the city. The Prayer of Ta’if
is very beautiful and useful. We see that the Prophet, p.b.u.h.,
introspects himself and utters: So long as You are not angry
with me. It means, so long as what has befallen me is not a
result of something I had done that incited Your anger, then
I do not care, I will endure it easily. Therefore, the Prophet
analyzes his own life checking for a potential mistake or of-
fense of his own. This is a lesson for everyone -- to look into
one’s own life primarily when looking for the causes of in-
conveniences that befall one. Human beings tend to blame
others for everything that happens to them, but these events
in the Prophet’s life are a clear guidance on how the faithful
should behave. They must constantly analyze their own lives
and set right any errors or omissions.

Example of Prophet’s Graciousness and

Compassion
When Rabi’ah’s sons ‘Utbah and Shaybah heard the Proph-
et’s prayer, they felt pity, so they sent a young man named Addas
with some grapes for the Prophet and his Companion. Having
taken the grapes in his hand, the Prophet first said “Bismillah –
In the Name of God” and then started eating. Addas, who was
a Christian, watched in amazement as nobody in that area had
ever uttered these words. The Prophet asked him where he was
from and Addas said that he was a Christian from Nineveh.
“So, you come from the village of the righteous man Jonah
(Yunus), son of Amittai”, exclaimed the Prophet. “How do you
know of Jonah, son of Amittai”, Addas asked in surprise. “He

211
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

is my brother; he was a prophet and I am a prophet, too”, an-

swered Muhammad, p.b.u.h. These words delighted Addas, so
he kissed the Prophet’s head and hands.
Rabi’ah’s sons were watching it and they said: “That man
there will corrupt our boy! The boy shall no longer listen to
him!” When Addas returned, they reprimanded him for his
behavior and ignored his explanation: “That man told me
something only a prophet could know!”
After this event, the Messenger of God and Zayd contin-
ued their journey to Mecca. When they reached a place called
Qarn al-Manazil, Allah, swt, sent Gabriel, p.b.u.h., together
with the angel of mountains (malak al-jibal). The Prophet
had a choice; if he wished to punish his fellow tribesmen who
insulted, harassed and even physically mistreated him, now
was the time. The angel of mountains said that he was ready
to send down a punishment on the Prophet’s people and raze
them to the ground, should the Prophet order him to do so.
However, the Prophet did not want it, but said that he wished
Allah would guide them and give them descendants who
would profess pure monotheism (tawhid).
Due to the importance of this event that speaks about
the Prophet’s graciousness and compassion, we will quote
the tradition recorded by imam al-Bukhari in his Sahih. Ac-
cording to the tradition transmitted by ‘Urwah ibn Zubayr,
A’ishah, r.a., told him that she asked the Prophet if he had
ever experienced a worse day than the day of the Battle of
Uhud. The Prophet answered: “I have experienced plenty of
unpleasant things from your people, but the worst thing they
did to me happened in Ta’if, when I was exposed to humili-
ation in front of the son of Abd Yalayl ibn Abd Kalalum. He
did not heed my call to Islam. I departed worried and pen-
sive. I awoke from my pensiveness in a place called Qarn al-
Manazil when I noticed a cloud that was shading me. I looked

212
 14. ISRA’ AND MI’RAJ

up and saw Gabriel. He told me: ‘Allah heard what they told
you, so He has sent you the angel of mountains and you can
order him to do whatever you wish to these people.’ That an-
gel then greeted me with greetings of peace and told me: ‘O,
Muhammad, it is so! Command whatever you want. If you
wish, I will let these two hills above Mecca fall on them.’ The
Messenger of God responded: ‘No, I do not want it! I pray to
Allah to give them descendants who will worship Allah alone
without associating partners to Him.”216
This event speaks of the Prophet’s unparalleled compas-
sion and graciousness. Not even in those difficult moments,
when he was overcome by distress caused by the pagans’ in-
sults and harassment, did the Prophet want their destruc-
tion by divine punishment, but prayed for them and hoped
that they and their descendants would become aware of the
Exalted Creator and become Muslims one day. This is only
one of a multitude of examples of the Prophet’s graciousness
and highly ethical character. He, who was sent as a mercy to
all people (rahmatan li-l-’alamin), felt in his heart mercy for
all people, even those who insulted him and caused him the
ache whose intensity we can fathom, to some extent at least,
if we ponder on the Ta’if prayer to Allah. Such examples are,
actually, the best answer to everyone attacking and slander-
ing the Prophet, p.b.u.h.

Muhammad was Sent to the Mankind and the

Jinn
Sirahs state that after the event in Qarn al-Manazil, the
Prophet, p.b.u.h., continued his journey to Mecca. He ar-
rived in the Valley of Palms (Wadi Nakhla) and spent several
216
See: al-Bukhari, Sahih, Kitab bad’ al-khalk. This hadith is also
transmitted by Muslim in his Sahih (Bab ma laqiya al-nabiyy, sallallahu
alayhi wa sallam, min adha al-mushrikin wa al-munafiqin).

213
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

days there since it had drinking water and herbs. During the
Prophet’s stay in the valley, Allah, swt, sent a company of
the jinn. The Noble Qur’an refers to it twice, in surah 46, The
Sand-Dunes, and surah 72, The Jinn.
We sent a group of jinn to you [Prophet] to listen to the
Qur’an. When they heard it, they said to one another, ‘Be qui-
et!’ Then when it was finished they turned to their community
and gave them warning. They said, ‘Our people, we have been
listening to a Scripture that came after Moses, confirming pre-
vious scriptures, giving guidance to the truth and the straight
path. Our people, respond to the one who calls you to God.
Believe in Him: He will forgive you your sins and protect you
from a painful torment.’ (46:29-31)
Say [Prophet], ‘It has been revealed to me that a group of
jinn once listened in and said, “We have heard a wondrous
Qur’an, that gives guidance to the right path, and we have
come to believe it -- We shall never set up partners with our
Lord.” (72:1-2)
It is clear from these verses that the jinn were listening
to the Qur’an and that like human beings, they, too, have a
free will to either believe or not believe in God. Like humans,
the jinn also follow different religions. Muhammad, p.b.u.h.,
was sent to convey the message of the Lord of the Worlds to
them, too.
By revealing the existence of the world of the jinn, who lis-
tened to the Qur’an and heeded the call, Allah, swt, sent His
support and assistance to the Prophet. That event, together
with Addas’ earlier admission of Muhammad’s prophethood,
was a kind of indication that Islam would prevail despite all
the troubles that the Prophet and the first Muslims suffered,
so the Prophet felt relief. He made a firm decision to return to
Mecca and continue to call people to Islam. Nevertheless, he
first had to check the situation, so he took refuge in the Hira

214
 14. ISRA’ AND MI’RAJ

cave for one period during which he sent petitions to Arab

chieftains asking for protection (jiwar).217

Two Great Miracles: Isra’ and Mi’raj

Isra’ is the Prophet’s night journey from the Holy
Sanctuary, the Ka’bah, in Mecca (al-Masjid al-Haram) to
the Farthest Sanctuary in Jerusalem (al-Masjid al-Aqsa),
where he met with earlier prophets and led them in a joint
prayer. That same night the Prophet was raised to heavenly
spheres and that ascent is called Mi’raj. On that miraculous
journey the Prophet, p.b.u.h., was paid great respect and he
reached the edge of the material universe where no-one had
been before him, not any messenger of God or any other
being. Isra’ and Mi’raj are two supernatural events (mu’jizat
or miracles) through which Allah showed His support for the
Prophet, p.b.u.h. It is difficult to tell when exactly it happened,
but it is known for sure that it was before the migration from
Mecca to Medina and after the death of Khadijah.218
217
There was a custom among the pre-Islamic Arabs to leave alone a
person whom some of them would take under protection. That custom
was called jiwar. The Prophet, p.b.u.h., requested protection of an Arab
chief because of the death of his uncle Abu Talib, who had protected
him during his lifetime. That was the reason why the Prophet took
refuge in the cave of Hira. He sent to Mecca a person who sought
protection for him from the chief of the Zuhrah clan, but they turned
him down. The other chiefs did the same, except for Mut’im, the chief
of the Nawfal clan, who agreed to protect the Prophet. The following
morning, fully armed, together with his sons and nephews, he escorted
the Prophet to the Ka’bah. See: Martin Lings, supra at 140.
218
Prominent scholar from India, Safi al-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri says
the following about the timing of these two events: “The first three
opinions (arguing that Isra’ and Mi’raj happened before the Year of
Grief) are untenable, as it is a common knowledge that Khadija, r.a.,
had passed away in the month of Ramadan of the tenth year of the
prophethood, that is, before the five daily prayers were commanded.

215
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

The Noble Qur’an also makes reference to these two

events. Surah 17 was named by that event, The Night Journey.
At its beginning, Allah, swt, says: Glory to Him who made
His servant travel by night from the sacred place of worship
to the furthest place of worship, whose surroundings We have
blessed, to show him some of Our signs: He alone is the All
Hearing, the All Seeing. (17:1)
The Mi’raj is referred to in surah 53, The Star: By the star
when it sets! Your companion has not strayed; he is not delud-
ed; he does not speak from his own desire. The Qur’an is noth-
ing less than a revelation that is sent to him. It was taught to
him by [an angel] with mighty powers and great strength, who
stood on the highest horizon and then approached -- coming
down until he was two bow-lengths away or even closer -- and
revealed to God’s servant what He revealed. [The Prophet’s]
own heart did not distort what he saw. Are you going to dis-
pute with him what he saw with his own eyes? A second time
he saw him: by the lote tree beyond which none may pass near
the Garden of Restfulness, when the tree was covered in name-
less [splendour]. His sight never wavered, nor was it too bold,
and he saw some of the greatest signs of his Lord. (53:1-18)
There is a multitude of traditions about Isra’ and Mi’raj in
the Islamic literature. These events are elaborated on in de-

Scholars agree that these prayers were commanded in the night of

Isra’. As for the other opinions -- some claim that it happened sixteen
months prior to the migration to Medina, that is, in the month of
Ramadan of the twelfth year of the prophethood, others that it was
in the month of Muharram of the thirteenth year, while some others
claim that it was in the month of Rabi al-Awwal of the thirteenth year
of the prophethood -- I cannot give preference to one opinion above all
the others as I do not have a valid argument for it. I can only say that,
based on the context of surah 17, The Night Journey, one can conclude
that it happened quite late (that is, in the late Meccan period). See: al-
Mubarakpuri, al-Rahiq al-makhtum, p. 137.

216
 14. ISRA’ AND MI’RAJ

tail in the exegesis, Hadith collections and biographies of the

Prophet. In this book we will quote Ibn Kathir, a famous Is-
lamic scholar, transmitter of Hadith and commentator of the
Qur’an, who wrote in his commentary of the Qur’an based
on the authentic traditions as follows:
“Imam Muslim transmits in his Sahih from Anas ibn
Malik, r.a., that God’s Messenger, p.b.u.h., said: ‘I was given
al-Buraq, which is a long-bodied animal, larger than don-
key, smaller than mule, moving as quick as a glance. I rode
it until I reached Bayt al-Maqdis. I tied it for a ring used by
Allah’s messengers and then entered the mosque, performed
a prayer of two prostration cycles and got out. Then Gabriel
approached me and offered me a vessel with wine and a ves-
sel with milk. I chose milk and Gabriel told me: You have
chosen that which symbolizes Islam (which is intrinsic to hu-
man nature)!’”219
Some sirahs read that in the night of Isra’ and Mi’raj, the
Prophet, p.b.u.h., was staying overnight in the house of Umm
Hani’, Abu Talib’s daughter. Umm Hani’ and her mother
Fatimah converted to Islam just before Abu Talib’s death
or immediately afterward, while her brothers Ali and Ja’far
had become Muslims a long time ago. The Prophet would
sometimes drop by the house of Umm Hani’, whose husband
Hubayrah, although not a Muslim, would always extend
warm hospitality to the Prophet in their house. Once, after
they had performed a prayer led by the Prophet, Umm Hani’
invited him to stay overnight. He accepted, but after a brief
sleep he rose and went to the holy shrine, for he loved to visit
the Ka’bah during the night. While he was there, the desire
to sleep overcame him again, and he lay down in the Ka’bah
219
See: Ibn Kathir, Tefsir, skraćeno izdanje (Tafsir, the Abridged Version),
translated by a group of translators, Saudi High Commission for Relief
of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Second Edition, Sarajevo, 2002, p. 737.

217
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

precincts. There angel Gabriel came to him, woke him up

and showed him al-Buraq. The Prophet mounted it and thus
the Night Journey began.220
Ibn Kathir writes further: “The truth is that Muhammad,
p.b.u.h., was transported from Mecca to Bayt al-Maqdis awake,
not in his sleep. He was then raised to Mi’raj, which is like a lad-
der on which he climbed to the first Heaven and then to the re-
maining seven spheres of Heaven. In every Heaven he was wel-
comed by its dwellers. He greeted the messengers in the Heavens
according to their ranks, until in the sixth Heaven he passed
by Moses (Musa), p.b.u.h., with whom the Exalted Allah talked,
and in the seventh Heaven, Abraham (Ibrahim), p.b.u.h., Allah’s
friend.221 After that he ascended even higher than all the mes-
sengers, until he reached the level where he heard the sound of
the writing of the pens (which write destiny).
He saw The Lote-Tree of the Uttermost End (Sidrat al-Mun-
taha). There he saw Gabriel in his true shape with six hun-
dred wings. He saw the green settee (Rafraf) that covered the
horizon. He also saw the Heavenly Ka’bah (Bayt al-Ma’mur)
and Abraham, architect of the earthly Ka’bah, leaning with
his back against it. Every day seventy thousand angels each
enter this Heavenly Ka’bah and pray in it and they will not
return from it until the Day of Judgment.

220
Martin Lings, supra at 141.
221
Sound (sahih) traditions state that in the first Heaven the Prophet,
p.b.u.h., saw Adam (Adem), p.b.u.h., father of mankind; in the second
he saw John the Baptist, son of Zachariah (Yahya, son of Zakariyya),
and Jesus, son of Mary (Isa, son of Maryam); in the third he saw Joseph
(Yusuf); in the fourth he saw Enoch (Idris); in the fifth Aaron ( Harun);
in the sixth Moses (Musa), and in the seventh Heaven he saw Abraham
(Ibrahim), p.b.u.h. Each greeted Muhammad, p.b.u.h., welcomed him
and acknowledged his prophethood. See: Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah,
Zad al-ma’ad, II, pp. 47-48, referred to in al-Mubarakpuri, al-Rahiq
al-makhtum, pp. 138-139.

218
 14. ISRA’ AND MI’RAJ

He saw Paradise and Hell. There, at the Lote-Tree, Allah

ordained Muhammad’s community fifty prayers a day, but
eventually, as a sign of His mercy and care for His slaves,
reduced the number to five. This is an indication of the great
importance of the ritual prayer.
He then made his descent to the site of the sanctuary in
Jerusalem (Bayt al-Maqdis), and the other Prophets also de-
scended with him and they all prayed together when the time
for prayer came. Some commentators think that he led them
in prayer in Heaven, but traditions point out that it happened
in Jerusalem. Some traditions hold it that the prayer happened
when he first entered the sanctuary, but it is obvious that it
happened on his return, since he had asked Gabriel about
each prophet while passing by him in Heaven and Gabriel
had answered his queries. This explanation makes sense, as
he was first summoned to the heavenly spheres to receive Al-
lah’s commandments for him and his congregation. After
that, he was gathered together with his prophetic brethren
and allowed to lead them in prayer, as a demonstration of the
honors he was bestowed and his superiority over them, which
Gabriel alluded to. He then got out of the Jerusalem sanctu-
ary, mounted al-Buraq and returned to Mecca at dawn.”222
Ibn Kathir concludes his deliberation on Isra’ and Mi’raj
saying that the two events were corroborated by the tradi-
tions that are considered reliable having been reported by a
multitude of different transmitters (tawatur), and there exists
a consensus (ijma’) of all Islamic scholars regarding the ha-
dith on Isra’. Only the non-believers reject it, says he.
Describing these two unusual events in the life of God’s
Prophet, p.b.u.h., the famous Islamic scholar and hafiz of the
Hadith, imam Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah claims categorically
in his work Zad al-ma’ad that Isra’ and Mi’raj happened in
222
Ibn Kathir, Tefsir (Tafsir), pp. 739-740.

219
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

the Prophet’s conscious state, that is, it was a physical oc-

currence (bi-jasadihi), not only a spiritual one, or a purely
somniac experience.223 This is the opinion of the majority of
the Islamic scholars: Isra’ and Mi’raj happened during one
night, when Muhammad, p.b.u.h., was fully awake, in body
and spirit.224
In favor of it is the fact that the word ‘abd, meaning slave
or servant, is used in the verse of surah 17 referring to that
miraculous journey (subhanalladhi asra bi-’abdihi), and it
denotes a man in his entirety, his body and soul. Also, in a
verse of surah 53, Allah, swt, says: Ma zagha al-basaru wa
ma tagha… His sight never wavered, nor was it too bold, and
he saw some of the greatest signs of his Lord. The word basar,
which denotes human eyesight as a physical phenomenon, is
used and not the word basira, which denotes the inner (spir-
itual) seeing.
In addition, if this event had taken place in a dream only
(not physically as well), Quraysh would not have had any rea-
son to contest it, as one may dream about having journeyed
anywhere, irrespective of the remoteness of the destination.
This happens to everyone in dreams. Quraysh actually con-
tested a possibility that the Prophet could have traversed
such a long distance in a single night (or a part of it). Sirahs
state that upon his return to Mecca, the Prophet went to the
Ka’bah and told everyone he found there of his journey to
Jerusalem. His enemies instantly rejoiced, for they now felt
they had an irrefutable cause to mock him. Every Quraysh
child knew that it took a caravan a month to get from Mecca
to al-Sham and another month to return. And now Muham-
mad claimed to have gone there and back in a single night! A

223 See: Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah, supra at 47.

224
Mustafa al-Siba’i, Poslanikov životni put (The Life of the Prophet:
Highlights and Lessons), pp. 28.

220
 14. ISRA’ AND MI’RAJ

group of men went to Abu Bakr and told him what his friend
was saying. Abu Bakr said: “If so he says, then it is true! What
is so strange about it? He tells me that tidings come to him
from Heaven to earth in a moment at daytime or nighttime.
I know that he is telling the truth.”
It was because of these words, “If so he says, then it is true!”,
that the Prophet called Abu Bakr al-Siddiq, which means “the
great witness of truth” or “the great confirmer of truth”.225

Important Lessons
We may draw many lessons from Isra’ and Mi’raj. To the
Prophet, p.b.u.h., these two events were a manifestation of
Allah’s help and support after the numerous instances of
mistreatment and persecution of the Muslims by their fellow
tribesmen. The aim was to make it easier for the Prophet to
execute the vow of transmitting Allah’s call and carry out his
prophetic mission. The honors granted to the Prophet and
the greatest signs he saw during Isra’ and Mi’raj strengthened
him in his mission.
It is interesting that prior to the ascent to Heaven, the
Prophet experienced the journey to Jerusalem. The ascent
could have started directly from Mecca, without a detour
to the sanctuary in Palestine. Nevertheless, the aim was to
draw the attention of the Muslim community to the impor-
tance of that region. According to the Qur’an, Palestine is a
blessed land (ard mubaraka). A great number of messengers
and prophets of God traversed that land, hence in the Islamic
sources Palestine is referred to as ard al-nubuwwa (the land
where messengers of God lived and preached). That is why
all heavenly religions, Judaism, Christianity and Islam, assert
their right to Palestine.
225
Martin Lings, supra at 145.

221
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

Many rulers ruled Palestine throughout history and the

land was always in the focus of interest of kings and their
generals. During the Islamic rule over that region, the Mus-
lims established extraordinary models of coexistence with
and tolerance for other cultures and religions. Historical
literature refers to the so-called al-’Uhda al-’Umariyya, the
Covenant of Umar, a resolution rendered by Umar at the very
beginning of the Islamic rule in that region guaranteeing the
Christians all religious rights and civil liberties. However,
that was not the case at the time of the Christian rule in that
region during the Crusades, when the Muslims were almost
annihilated and evicted from the area. The same is the case
with the rule of the current Zionist regime in Israel that has
committed heinous crimes against Palestinians.
One of the very important lessons of Isra’ and Mi’raj is
that Palestine is a matter that concerns all Muslims. From
that noble place (al-Masjid al-Aqsa in al-Quds, or, Jerusalem),
the Prophet, p.b.u.h., was raised to heavenly spheres and it
was at that very place, in Jerusalem, that he met the previous
prophets of God, who acknowledged his prophethood and
confirmed he was the Crown of the Prophets. Al-Quds was
the Muslims’ first qiblah, or, direction of prayer, and it is the
location of the third holy shrine of Islam. The defense of Pal-
estine means defense of Islam itself and it is an obligation of
all Muslims to defend Palestine. Neglect of its defense and
liberation amounts to neglect of Islam and a sin that one will
be judged for by the Exalted Allah.226
226
Mustafa al-Siba’i, supra at 30. There is a multitude of studies on Palestine
and its defense in the Arabic and other languages. We would like to draw
the readers’ attention to the book entitled Fetve Evropskog vijeća za fetve
(Fatwas by the European Council for Fatwa and Research), translated
into the Bosnian language by Dr. Enes Ljevaković and published by the
Connectum Publishing House in Sarajevo in 2005. The book contains
a very interesting fatwa, or ruling, on the Palestinian problem and the

222
 14. ISRA’ AND MI’RAJ

In the night of Isra’ and Mi’raj, five daily prayers were or-
dained to every mature Muslim of sound mind, male or fe-
male.227 All the other rules (such as those on alms, fasting,
pilgrimage and other) were prescribed on earth, by way of
sending angel Gabriel who conveyed to the Prophet certain
commands or prohibitions from Allah. It was only the rit-
ual prayer that was prescribed without an intermediary, in
a direct communication between the Exalted Allah and His
Chosen One, Muhammad, p.b.u.h. It was prescribed at the
noblest place, at the Lote-Tree, which is an indication of the
central role it has in man’s life. It is through the ritual prayer
that connection is established between man, that small and
transient finite being, and Allah, the Eternal and Magnifi-
cent. That makes the prayer the foundation of the religion
and for that reason it must be performed constantly.

related responsibility of all Muslims. It stresses that relinquishing al-

Quds and Palestine means a betrayal of Allah, His Messenger and the
faithful. See: Fetve Evropskog vijeća za fetve, pp. 206-209.
227
It was noted earlier that ritual prayer was commanded at the very dawn
of Islam, that is, soon after the Prophet, p.b.u.h., had received the first
Revelation. There were two prayers, the morning and the evening one,
each consisting of two prostration cycles (raka’at). Five prayer times
during the day and night were commanded during Mi’raj. Professor Dr.
Tareq al-Suwaidan, a prominent Islamic scholar from Kuwait, stressed
in his series of lectures on the life of Muhammad that even after the five
prayer times had been commanded, Muslims continued to perform two
raka’ats only for each prayer. This lasted until the migration to Medina.
When the Prophet migrated to Medina, a rule was sent down on four
raka’ats for the noon, afternoon and night prayers each, the additional,
third, raka’at for the sunset prayer, while the morning prayer was
unaltered with two raka’ats. Naturally, this implies the raka’ats which
are strict religious obligation (fard). This rule is permanent and only a
traveler is granted the privilege to shorten the four-raka’at prayers to
two raka’ats. See: Professor Dr. Tareq al-Suwaidan, series al-Sirah al-
nabawiyya, audio-recording, published by Qurtuba li al-intaj al-fanni,
Kuwait.

223
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

224
 15. HIJRA – MIGRATION TO MEDINA

Preaching Islam to Tribes Beyond Mecca

In the month of Dhu-al-Qa’da of the tenth year of the
prophethood (that is, in late June or early July 619 CE), Mu-
hammad, p.b.u.h., entered Mecca having returned from Ta’if
without success. The citizens of Ta’if, who came from the
tribe of Thaqif, rejected the Prophet’s invitation to Islam in
an extremely rude manner and even mistreated him physi-
cally. That, however, did not prevent the Prophet from con-
tinuing his mission of calling to Islam. This time he decided
to present Islam to the tribes that used to make the annual
pilgrimage to the Ka’bah in Mecca. The pilgrimage season
was on its way and people arrived on exhausted camels from
different places in the Arabian Peninsula hinterland. The
Prophet used that opportunity to visit the Arab tribes’ en-
campments and call them to Islam. He told them he was sent
by Allah, swt, and asked them to trust him and take him un-
der their protection until he explained to them the mission
that the Exalted Allah charged him with.
Ibn Hisham transmits in his Sirah from Rabi’ah ibn ‘Ab-
bad: “I was a little boy and I was with my father in Mina.
The Messenger of Allah would stand at the place where the
Arab tribes descended and say: ‘O sons of such-and-such, I
am a Messenger sent to you by God. He orders you to wor-
ship Him alone and not associate anything with Him, to re-
nounce worshipping these idols, and to believe me and grant
me protection until I make plain to you the purpose with
which Allah has sent me!’ He was followed by a well-dressed

225
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

man with a squint and two braids, wearing an Aden cloak.

When God’s Messenger, p.b.u.h., would finish his speech, that
man would step in: ‘O sons of such-and-such, this man calls
you to rid yourselves of al-Lat and al-’Uzzah and to renounce
your allies … He calls you to his innovations and fallacy! Do
not listen to him and do not heed his call!’ ‘Who is this man
following him (Muhammad) and contradicting his words,’ I
asked my father. ‘His uncle’, he replied. ‘ Abd al-’Uzzah Abd
al-Muttalib called Abu Lahab.’”228
The Prophet was nevertheless persistent in his mission.
He used every opportunity when people came to Mecca for a
festivity or pilgrimage to stand before them and call them to
Islam. In that way he called to Islam members of many tribes,
presenting to them the guidance and mercy he was receiv-
ing from Allah, swt. His biographers state that the Prophet,
p.b.u.h., did not miss a single opportunity to call people to
enter the fold of Islam, tribes and individuals alike. He made
a particular effort to win over the leading tribal figures who
commanded respect. Some of them, albeit just a few, heeded
his call and embraced Islam. Sirahs mention the following
names: Suwayd ibn Samit, a renowned poet from Yathrib (he
was famous and very respected so his fellow tribesmen called
him al-Kamil – the Perfect); Iyas ibn Mu’adh, a young man
from Yathrib from the tribe of Aws; Abu Dharr al-Ghifari,
from the environs of Yathrib, a member of the great al-Ghi-
far tribe; Tufayl ibn ‘Amr al-Dausi, a talented poet and chief
of the Daus tribe (owing to his conversion the whole tribe
subsequently converted to Islam).229

228
 bd al-Salam Harun: Tahdhib Sirat Ibn Hisham, p. 91; See, also: Ibn
A
Hisham, Poslanikov životopis (A Biography of the Prophet), p. 85.
229
See: al-Mubarakpuri, al-Rahiq al-makhtum, pp. 131-134; Zapečaćeni
džennetski napitak (The Sealed Nectar), pp. 121-123.

226
 14. HIJRA – MIGRATION TO MEDINA

The Beginnings of Islam in Medina

During the pilgrimage season in the eleventh year of the
prophethood (July 620 CE), a group of citizens of Yathrib
(which is the pre-Islamic name for the city of Medina) met
with the Prophet, p.b.u.h. That season he went to preach to
the Arab tribes as he had done before, and when he was near
Aqabah,230 he encountered a group of people from the tribe of
Khazraj from Yathrib. Sirahs specify that those were six men
from the renowned Yathrib families: As‘ad ibn Zurarah and
‘Awf ibn Harith of the Banu Najjar clan, Rafi‘ ibn Malik of the
Banu Zurayq clan, Qutbah ibn ‘Amir of the Banu Salamah
clan, ‘Uqba ibn ‘Amir of the Banu Haram clan, and Jabir ibn
‘Abdillah of the Banu ‘Ubayd ibn Ghanim clan.231
When he met them, the Prophet asked them of what tribe
they were. “Of the tribe of Khazraj”, they replied. “Allies of
the Jews,” he asked. “Yes”, they said.
The Prophet then asked them to sit down and speak with
him. They agreed and the Prophet called them to worship Al-
lah, preached Islam and recited some verses of the Qur’an.
It was Allah’s mercy and providence that these men lis-
tened to the Prophet’s address attentively and believed him.
This event was crucial for the later developments. One of the
reasons why they accepted Islam so soon was something they
had heard from their Jewish fellow citizens. The Jews of Yat-
hrib were followers of the divine Revelation and possessors
of the scriptures, whereas the Khazraj were idol-worshippers.
The two parties would be in conflict sometimes and then the
Jews would tell them: “A Messenger of God will soon arise,
his time is at hand, and him we will follow and, together with
him, slay you, as ‘Ad and Iram were slain!”
230
Aqabah is a place between Mina and Mecca, approximately 2 miles
away from Mecca, where the ritual stoning of the devil during the
annual pilgrimage takes place (Jamrat al-Aqabah).
231
See: al-Mubarakpuri, al-Rahiq al-makhtum, p. 135.

227
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

So, as soon as the Messenger of God called the Khazraj

men to Islam, they told one another: “Surely, this is the
Prophet with whom the Yathrib Jews have threatened us. Let
them not reach him before us.”
They heeded his call, promised to believe him and accept
Islam as he would preach it. In the end they said: “We have
left behind our people divided by hatred and rancor as no
other tribe! Perhaps God will reconcile them through you.
We will make known and preach to them this religion that
we have received from you. If God unites them in it, no man
will be more respected than you!”232
They then parted ways with the Prophet and returned to
their land as followers of a new religion. In Yathrib they told
everyone about the Messenger of God and called people to
Islam. That news spread fast among the population there, so
soon there was hardly a house in Yathrib not talking about
the Messenger of God, p.b.u.h.

The First Pledge of Aqabah

The following year (the twelfth year of the prophethood,
that is, in July 621 CE), twelve citizens of Yathrib came for
pilgrimage and met with the Prophet in Aqabah. That was
the so-called First Pledge of Aqabah, when these men pledged
allegiance (bay’ah) to the Messenger of God, p.b.u.h., under
the conditions identical to the ones laid down in the Pledge
of the Women (Bay’at al-Nisa’).233 All this had happened be-

232
I bn Hisham, Poslanikov životopis (A Biography of the Prophet), pp. 86-87.
233
The Pledge of the Women is the pledge to allegiance that the Prophet
took from Muslim women the second day after the liberation of Mecca
in 8 AH. It is known in the Islamic literature as the Pledge of the Women
because of the requirements referred to therein, that is, the absence
of any reference to fighting and participation in warfare. The pledge
given by men (Bay’ah al-rijal) refers to the fight for Islam and the

228
 14. HIJRA – MIGRATION TO MEDINA

fore fighting was prescribed. The group comprised five men

of the previous year (Jabir ibn ‘Abdillah did not come) and
Mu‘adh ibn al-Harith, Dhakwan ibn ‘Abd al-Qays, ‘Ubadah
ibn al-Samit, Yazid ibn Tha‘labah, Abbas ibn ‘Ubadah (all of
the Khazraj tribe), and Ab al-Haytham ibn al-Tayhan and
‘Uwaym ibn Sa‘idah (the latter two of the Aws tribe).
It is transmitted from ‘Ubadah ibn al-Samit: “I was one of
those who took part in the First Pledge of Aqabah (Bay’at al-
Aqabah al-’ula). There were twelve of us in total. We pledged
allegiance to the Prophet in the same manner as women (that
is, as women did afterward, when Mecca was liberated). That
had been before fighting was prescribed to us. We swore to
the following: We will not associate anything with God, we
will not steal, we will not commit adultery, we will not kill
our children, we will abstain from slander, and we will not
disobey him. ‘If you fulfill this pledge’, he told us, ‘you will
be rewarded with Paradise, but if you fail to honor any of its
provisions, well, Allah will judge you, He may punish you or
forgive you!’”
Ibn Ishaq says: “When they parted, the Messenger of God
sent with them Mus’ab ibn ‘Umayr, whose task was to recite
the verses of the Qur’an and explain the rules of Islam to
them. He was, therefore, called al-Muqri’ in Medina, mean-
ing The Qur’an Reciter or The One Before Whom the Qur’an
Is Recited. He would lead the prayer, because members of the
Aws and the Khazraj did not want to give each other that
precedence.”234
In Medina, Mus’ab ibn ‘Umayr lived in the house of As’ad
ibn Zurarah and the two of them enthusiastically embarked
on missionary work. Their greatest success was the conver-
protection that the faithful are obliged to provide to the Messenger of
God, p.b.u.h.
234
Abd al-Salam Harun: Tahdhib Sirat Ibn Hisham, p. 94.

229
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

sion to Islam of Usayd ibn Hudayr and Sa’d ibn Mu’adh, two
chiefs from the clan of Banu Abd al-Ashhal (the leading clan
of the Aws tribe).235 Particularly important was Sa’d’s conver-
sion, as members of the Banu Abd al-Ashhal clan converted
to Islam owing to his status and reputation.236 Sirahs read that
all members of that very powerful and big clan embraced Is-
lam, except one man. His name was Amr ibn Thabit, known
by the nickname Usayrim. However, he converted to Islam
later and fell as a martyr in the Battle of Uhud. The Hadith
collections carry a very interesting tradition related to him.237
235
S irahs read that As’ad ibn Zurarah and Sa’d ibn Mu’adh were cousins,
children of two sisters. The fact that they came from different tribes
(As’ad from the Khazraj and Sa’d from the Aws) should not cause
confusion, as inter-tribal marriages were common despite frequent
conflicts between the two tribes. See: Martin Lings, supra at 150.
236
Sa’d ibn Mu’adh was a companion of whom the Prophet, p.b.u.h., said
after his death in the Battle against Banu Qurayzah (which took place
immediately after the Battle of the Trench in the month of Shawwal 5
AH): “Ihtazz al-’arsh li mawti Sa’d!” – “The Throne of Allah has shaken
at Sa’d’s death.” The relevant hadith is transmitted in several versions
in both al-Bukhari’s and Muslim’s Sahihs, which implies its highest-
degree reliability. (See: Ibn Hajar al-’Asqalani: al-Isaba fi tamyiz al-
sahaba, Dar al-kitab al-’arabi, Beirut, II, p. 35) The likely reason why
Sa’d ibn Mu’adh, r.a., attained such a high standing with Allah, swt, is
the fact that his conversion to Islam prompted the majority of his Aws
tribe to receive Islam and make peace with the Khazraj tribe (whose
member was his cousin As’ad ibn Zurarah). In that way ground was
prepared for the arrival of the Prophet and the Emigrants in Medina.
Therefore, Sa’d’s conversion to Islam was of a paramount importance.
He commanded such great respect that members of his clan also
became Muslims after his conversion. For that reason hafiz Ibn Hajar
writes in Sa’d’s biography: “Kana min a’azam al-nas barakatan fi al-
islam! – He was one of the greatest benefactors to the cause of Islam.”
237
Hafiz Ibn Hajar al-’Asqalani says in his capital work on biographies of
the Prophet’s Companions (al-Isaba fi tamyiz al-sahaba) that Usayrim
embraced Islam on the eve of the Battle of Uhud. He fought very brave-
ly in the battle and fell as a martyr, without ever having performed
a prayer to Allah. Al-Bukhari and Muslim transmit that the Prophet

230
 14. HIJRA – MIGRATION TO MEDINA

Mus’ab ibn ‘Umayr stayed in Medina for almost eleven

months during which time many citizens of Medina convert-
ed to Islam. He was a tremendously capable and successful
missionary, as there was hardly a house in Medina without a
convert to Islam. On the eve of the next pilgrimage season, he
returned to Mecca to give the Prophet the glad tidings of the
spreading of Islam among the citizens of Yathrib (Medina).

The Second Pledge of Aqabah

In the pilgrimage season of the thirteenth year of the
prophethood (or, in June 622 CE), a large group of Muslim
converts from Yathrib arrived in Mecca. The group comprised
seventy-three men and two women, Umm Mani’ (Asma bint
Amr) and Umm ‘Umarah (Nusaybah bint Ka’b), mother of
Abdullah ibn Zayd ibn Asim, the companion who transmitted
the hadith about the Prophet’s ablution.238
Umm ‘Umarah is a famous companion. She participated
in many battles and sustained twelve injuries in the Battle of

said: “’Amila qalilan wa ujira kathiran! – He did little, yet his reward will
be great!” See: Ibn Hajar, al-Isaba, II, pp. 519-520.
238
It should be noted that there were two companions of the Messenger
of God, p.b.u.h., with the name of Abdullah ibn Zayd. One was a son
of Umm ‘Umarah and is known by the hadith on ablution and by the
killing of the false prophet, Musaylimah al-Kadhdhab, in the Battle of
Yamamah (Sirahs read that others also participated in the killing of
impostor Musaylimah, such as Wahshi, who had killed Hamzah in the
Battle of Uhud but later converted to Islam and participated in the Battle
of Yamamah). The other was Abdullah ibn Zayd ibn Abd Rabbihi ibn
Tha’labah, who had dreamed how adhan, the call to prayer, should be
performed and described it to the Prophet, who accepted it. Today, four-
teen centuries later, when mu’adhins around the world call to prayer, they
pronounce the words of the adhan that he had dreamed. On biographies
of these two famous Companions see: Ibn Hajar, Tahdhib al-tahdhib,
Dar al-kitab al-islami, Cairo, 1993, V, pp. 223-224; Ibn Hajar, Taqrib al-
tahdhib, Dar al-kutub al-‘ilmiyya, Beirut, 1993, I, p. 494.

231
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

Uhud. Historians note that she was also wounded in the Bat-
tle of Yamama against Musaylimah al-Kadhdhab, when her
hand was cut off. She was also present at Hudaybiyyah.239
This group of Muslims arrived in Mecca with a caravan,
together with their pagan relatives who came to make the pil-
grimage to the Ka’bah. The Muslims from Yathrib, including
al-Bara’ ibn Ma’rur (a respected poet and nobleman), hoped
they would meet the Prophet in Mecca. It, indeed, happened,
at night and in strict secrecy, at the same place where their
twelve fellow citizens had met with the Prophet the year be-
fore – at Aqabah.
The Prophet came accompanied by his uncle Abbas ibn
Abd al-Muttalib. Abbas had not yet entered Islam, but the
Prophet, nevertheless, had great confidence in him. When
they were all seated, Abbas was the first one to speak saying
how much Muhammad was honored by his people and that
he was protected in his land. He stressed that if they wanted
the Prophet to join them, they had to be ready to protect and
defend him from his enemies. “But if you are going to aban-
don him and fail him after he joins you, you had better leave
him now, because he is respected and well-defended among
his own people and in his own place,” said Abbas.
Then the Prophet, p.b.u.h., spoke. He first recited some
verses of the Qur’an, pronounced a summons to Allah and
Islam, and then said: “Of you I ask a pledge that you would
protect me from everything that you protect your wives and
children from.”240
239
See: al-Dhahabi, Siyar a’alam al-nubala’, Abridged Edition, Mu’assasat al-
risala, Beirut, 1991, I, p. 62. Hafiz al-Dhahabi also states that, in addition
to the severed hand, this companion sustained eleven more injuries in
the Battle of Yamamah. This example, like so many others from the early
era of Islam, speaks volumes of the courage and willingness for sacrifice
on the part of the first Muslims, men and women alike.
240
Ibn Hisham, Poslanikov životopis (A Biography of the Prophet), p. 90.

232
 14. HIJRA – MIGRATION TO MEDINA

This condition is the most important article of the Second

Pledge of Aqabah. In this way it was guaranteed that the Mus-
lims from Yathrib would provide protection to the Prophet
and even go to war, if required, that is, defend the Prophet
from his enemies by fighting in organized armed combat.
The Muslims from Yathrib agreed to it and ‘Ubadah ibn
al-Samit,241 one of the participants, described what they had
committed themselves to on that occasion: “We pledged to
the Messenger of God, p.b.u.h., allegiance in a war. We agreed
to unconditional obedience in all circumstances, in good and
bad times alike. We pledged selflessness and that we will not
usurp anyone’s right, that we will speak the truth anytime
anywhere and that we will not fear anyone’s criticism when
it comes to Allah.”242
After the Muslims from Yathrib agreed to the said condi-
tions, the Prophet, p.b.u.h., told them to select twelve persons
as representatives who would be in charge of the affairs in
Yathrib. They conferred and delegated twelve persons, nine
from the Khazraj, as the larger tribe, and three from the Aws.
Sixty-two men and two women of the Khazraj attended the
meeting, while only eleven members of the Aws were present.
One of the Aws representatives was Usayd ibn Hudayr, whom

241
‘Ubadah ibn al-Samit, r.a., was a famous companion and participant in
both Pledges of Aqabah. He fought in all military campaigns in which
the Messenger of God, p.b.u.h., took part. He was a great warrior and
general. During the reign of the third Caliph, Uthman, r.a., he sailed
across the sea in a military campaign on Cyprus. He took along his
wife Umm Haram bint Milhan (sister of Umm Sulaym, the famous
female companion who gave birth to Anas ibn Malik, who, as a young
man, served the Prophet in Medina for ten years). Umm Haram died
in Cyprus and her grave still stands there. ‘Ubadah, r.a., later settled in
Jerusalem, where he died in 34 AH. See: al-Dhahabi, Siyar a’alam al-
nubala’, Abridged Edition, I, pp. 49, 64.
242
Ibn Hisham, Poslanikov životopis (A Biography of the Prophet), p. 92.

233
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

Sa’d ibn Mu’adh, r.a., sent as his envoy.243 In the Islamic litera-
ture these men are known as Ithna ‘ashara naqiba, the Twelve
Representatives, or simply al-Nuqaba’, the Representatives.
It is said in the sirahs and Hadith collections that Satan,
may the curse of Allah be with him (la’natullahi alayhi), who
was watching the meeting from the top of Aqabah, cried out
in the loudest possible voice after the pledge and said: “O
dwellers of Mina, do you have something for the Mudham-
mam and the apostates? They have already united against
you!” Mudhammam was a derogatory name that the idol-
worshippers gave to the Prophet, p.b.u.h. It means the repro-
bate, opposite of Muhammad, the Praised.
The Second Pledge of Aqabah is an event of exceptional
importance. After that pledge, the Prophet ordered the Mus-
lims in Mecca to start emigrating to Yathrib/Medina. They
started leaving secretly, in groups, one after another, and that
was the beginning of the Hijra, one of the most significant
events in the history of Islam. The Prophet remained in Mec-
ca for some time waiting for the permission by the Exalted
Allah to move to Medina himself. Soon afterward, he was
allowed to do so.

The First Muslims’ Readiness for Sacrifice

After the Second Pledge of Aqabah, which happened in the
pilgrimage season of the thirteenth year of the prophethood
(which corresponds to June 622 CE), the Prophet, p.b.u.h.,
ordered his followers in Mecca to start moving to Medina.
That event marked the beginning of the Hijra.
The Muslims from Mecca started moving out secretly,
leaving behind their wealth, houses, shops and real estates,
thus demonstrating that their religion was more important
to them than anything else. That required an enormous per-
243
Martin Lings, supra at 155.

234
 14. HIJRA – MIGRATION TO MEDINA

sonal sacrifice and strength of faith, as it is not at all easy to

leave one’s house, estate and homeland and venture into the
unknown. The first Muslims demonstrated an exceptional
readiness for sacrifice for the faith and the sirahs cite very
interesting examples of it.
The first person who emigrated to Medina was Abu
Salamah ibn Abd al-Asad from the tribe of Banu Makhzum.
He had left for Medina a year before the Second Pledge of
Aqabah. At that time he had returned from Abyssinia to
Mecca, but he suffered much harassment by Quraysh, so as
he heard that there were Muslims in Yathrib/Medina, too,
he left Mecca soon afterward for Medina. He took along his
wife (Umm Salamah) and son, but his in-laws caught up with
them and kidnapped his wife and child, so he went to Me-
dina on his own. After his departure, Umm Salamah used to
climb on a hillock every day and cry there from morning to
night. That lasted for a while until her relatives took pity on
her and allowed her to join her husband if she wished. Umm
Salamah traveled alone with her child the 500 kilometers to
Medina. It was only when she reached the place of Tan’im,
within Medina’s reach, that she encountered a companion
who escorted her to her final destination. The example of
Abu Salamah and Umm Salamah is indeed a good example
of genuine readiness for self-sacrifice on the path of attaining
God’s pleasure and favor.
Sirah authors cite other examples, too. Suhayb al-Rumi
had spent his childhood as a captive in the hands of the Byz-
antines (whereby he was nicknamed al-Rumi, that is, the
Byzantine) and was later sold to Mecca as a slave.244 When he

244
Ibn Hajar al-’Asqalani states in his famous work on the Companions, al-
Isaba (4/188), that Suhayb was bought by the famous Meccan Abdullah
ibn Jud’an, who then manumitted him. Together with Ammar ibn
Yasir, Suhayb was among the first converts to Islam at the time when

235
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

wanted to emigrate, Quraysh told him: “You had come to us

as a beggar, and it was here that you settled and became rich,
yet you would leave now and take your wealth away! By God,
it will not be!” Suhayb told them: “And if I left all my wealth
to you, would you then let me go my way?” “Yes”, answered
they, and he said: “I am leaving my wealth to you.” When the
news reached the Prophet, he exclaimed: “Suhayb is the win-
ner! Suhayb is the winner!”245
The migration was being carried out gradually and clan-
destinely, with Umar, r.a., being the only one who did it pub-
licly. He dressed in his combat attire, belted on his sword and
said: “Whoever wishes his mother to mourn him or his chil-
dren to be orphaned, let him stand before me!” The following
lesson may be drawn from his attitude: When a believer is
confident about his strength, he should not hide his actions,
but may demonstrate them publicly disregarding his foes, as
long as he is sure he can prevail. That was exactly what Umar,
r.a., did when setting out to Medina. His action shows that
a vigorous and resolute conduct instills fear in the hearts of
the enemies of God. They could have killed Umar, of course,
but his resolute attitude instilled fear in each and every one
of them, so they dared not expose themselves to the risk that
might have turned out fatal for them. This shows that villains
do fear for their lives.
Two months and few days after the Second Pledge of
Aqabah,246 the only remaining Muslims in Mecca were the
the Prophet secretly called into Islam in the House of al-Arqam
245
Al-Mubarakpuri, Zapečaćeni džennetski napitak (The Sealed Nectar), pp.
139-140. Some commentators of the Qur’an state that this event was the
cause of the revelation of verse 207 of surah 2: But there is also a kind of
man who gives his life away to please God, and God is most compassionate
to His servants. See: Dr. Jusuf Ramić, Povodi objave Kur’ana (Causes of
the Revelation of the Qur’an), Sarajevo, 1984, pp 43-44.
246
This Pledge is also called the Great Pledge (Bay’at al-‘Aqabah al-kubra).

236
 14. HIJRA – MIGRATION TO MEDINA

Messenger of God, p.b.u.h., Abu Bakr, Ali ibn Abi Talib and
some Muslims whom the idol-worshippers had prevented
from leaving and held by force. Abu Bakr and Ali stayed
because the Prophet ordered them so: Abu Bakr was to be
the Prophet’s travel companion and Ali was to stay behind
in Mecca to give back the goods that many people had de-
posited with the Prophet for safe keeping. Meanwhile, the
emigrants who had been in Abyssinia started returning and
moving to Medina. The Messenger of God, p.b.u.h., prepared
his luggage awaiting the order to leave Mecca.

The Prophet’s Migration

When the pagans in Mecca saw that the Prophet’s Com-
panions and their families were moving out of Mecca, they
realized that the Muslims found a safe haven and protection
in Yathrib. This fact was a cause of great concern for the pa-
gans, as they were aware that the Muslims could now wage a
war against them, especially if they succeeded in uniting the
two big tribes of Yathrib, the Aws and the Khazraj. That was
an area of strategic importance, as the main road to al-Sham
(Syria and Palestine and farther to the Byzantine Empire) went
through Yathrib. The one who controlled that area could halt
trade caravans and dictate conditions for safe passage. For that
reason the Meccan pagans started following the Messenger of
God closely in order to prevent his potential migration.
To that end they held a meeting at their Council (Dar
al-Nadwah), the institution founded by the Prophet’s ances-
tor Qusayy ibn Kilab in which all important decisions were
made. The goal was to reach an agreement what to do about
the Prophet, p.b.u.h., as he had become a serious threat to
them. They agreed to select one young man from each tribe,
strong and of noble lineage, give each a sharp sword and that
the young men should all strike Muhammad simultaneously

237
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

(darbata rajul wahid). In that way they would kill him but the
responsibility for it would fall on several tribes. The Proph-
et’s clan would not be able to fight them all and the problem
would be solved with payment of blood money.
Everyone present at the meeting agreed that it was the best
solution and they parted ways with a firm belief that they
would finish off the Messenger of God in that way. However,
angel Gabriel came to the Prophet at that time and informed
him of the pagans’ conspiracy, ordering him not to sleep in
his bed in the coming night.
When the night came, the young men from many tribes
gathered in front of the Prophet’s house. The Prophet, p.b.u.h.,
ordered Ali, r.a., who was in his twenties at the time, to lie in
his bed. Ali did so unquestioningly, exposing himself to mor-
tal danger.
Abu Jahl was in the group that was waiting in front of the
Prophet’s house. He cheered up the young men and ridiculed
the Prophet and his mission. While Abu Jahl was uttering
one of his spiteful sentences, the Prophet got out of the house
and took a handful of dust. Allah, swt, made him invisible to
the others. He cast some dust on each man’s head while recit-
ing the opening verses of surah 36 to the verse: Wa ja’alna
min bayni aydihim saddan wa min khalfihim saddan fa-ag-
shaynahum… And We set barriers before and behind them,
blocking their vision: they cannot see.247
The pagans were motionless for a while and when they
came to their senses, they realized that the Prophet, p.b.u.h.,
had escaped since Ali was lying in his bed inside the house.
The Prophet, p.b.u.h., had meanwhile moved away and left
Mecca in the company of Abu Bakr. They set off in the direc-
tion opposite to the one leading to Medina, in an attempt to
deceive potential pursuers. They hid in the cave of Thawr for
247
Ibn Hisham, Poslanikov životopis (A Biography of the Prophet), p. 97.

238
 14. HIJRA – MIGRATION TO MEDINA

three days. It is not easy to reach the Thawr cave, as the ac-
cess road leads across steep cliffs. The pagans who afterward
reached the cave entrance were prevented from seeing the
Prophet and Abu Bakr who were inside owing to the protec-
tion that Allah, swt, provided to His Prophet. The event is
referred to in the Noble Qur’an in surah 9: Even if you do not
help the Prophet, God helped him when the disbelievers drove
him out: when the two of them were in the cave, he [Muham-
mad] said to his companion, ‘Do not worry, God is with us,’
and God sent His calm down to him, aided him with forces in-
visible to you, and brought down the disbelievers’ plan. God’s
plan is higher: God is almighty and wise. (9:40)
Sheikh Safi al-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri, the famous Is-
lamic scholar from India, says that the Prophet left his home
in the twenty-seventh night of the month of Safar of the
fourteenth year of the prophethood, which corresponds to
the night of 12 September 622 CE. Al-Mubarakpuri, as well
as the other biographers, note that Abu Bakr entered the cave
before the Prophet to check if there were any snakes inside or
anything else that might disturb the Prophet, p.b.u.h., which
is a clear sign of his love and respect for Allah’s Beloved.248
While they resided in the cave, Abu Bakr’s daughter Asma
would bring them food tied in a bundle of her waistband torn
in two parts, for which she was nicknamed Possessor of Two
Waistbands (Dhat al-nitaqayn). Abu Bakr’s son Abdullah had
a task to monitor and listen during the day what Quraysh in-
tended and did, and to inform the Prophet about it during
his clandestine night visits to the cave. He was assisted by
Amir ibn Fukhayrah, Abu Bakr’s freedman, who would pass
with his flock every evening on the road that Abdullah had
used in order to cover up the traces and prevent the pagans
from discovering the Prophet’s hiding place. So, the Muslim
248
Al-Mubarakpuri, supra at 146-147.

239
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

youth played a very important role in the migration process

and demonstrated an enormous readiness for personal sacri-
fice, which was a result of their proper upbringing.
The Prophet and Abu Bakr left the cave after three days
and moved toward the place agreed beforehand where a
hired guide (Abdullah ibn Urayquat) was waiting for them
with camels. He was a reliable and skilful guide and he was
to take them to Medina. The journey to Medina, which is
some 500 kilometers away from Mecca, was exhausting
and full of uncertainty, as they dared not to take the usual
route since they had to hide from the search party. Amir ibn
Fukhayrah also traveled with them.
It was during this journey that the famous event involv-
ing Suraqah ibn Malik happened. He decided to pursue the
Prophet so that he could get a reward Quraysh promised
to whoever captured the Prophet. Suraqah was an excel-
lent horseman and no horse had ever thrown him out of the
saddle, but it happened indeed when he came close to the
Prophet. Suraqah resumed the chase, but the horse again
threw him onto the ground and started sinking into the
sand. Suraqah then begged the Prophet for mercy and the
Prophet let him go, telling him that one day he (Suraqah)
would put on the bracelets of the Persian Emperor. This
came true at the time of Caliph Umar’s reign when Persia
was liberated. The event with Suraqah is one of the many
sensory miracles that Allah, swt, helped His Messenger
with.
On Monday, 8 Rabi’ al-Awwal of the fourteenth year of
the prophethood, or 23 September 622 CE, the Messenger
of God, p.b.u.h., arrived in the place of Quba’, in the vicinity
of Medina. He stayed there for four days: Monday, Tuesday,
Wednesday and Thursday. There he built a prayer house
(masjid) where he performed ritual prayers and that prayer

240
 14. HIJRA – MIGRATION TO MEDINA

house is considered to be the first built mosque of Islam.

On Friday morning the Prophet set off toward Medina.
He was accompanied by his relatives of the Banu Najjar clan.
At the time of the Friday noon prayer they found themselves
in the valley of Wadi-Ranuna’ (the territory that belonged
to the clan of Banu Salim ibn ‘Awf) and they prayed there
together. A mosque was built at that place and it is consid-
ered the second mosque of Islam. After the noon prayer,
the Prophet entered Yathrib and as of that day the city is
named Madinatu Rasulillah (the City of Allah’s Messenger)
or simply Medina. That was a historic moment; the citizens
of Medina came out to greet the Messenger of God, p.b.u.h.,
with great excitement and delight, shouting God is great.
The girls of the Ansar sang happily the well-known verses
of welcome: The White Moon rose over us from the Valley of
Wada’ (Tala’a al-Badru ‘alayna, min thaniyyat al-Wada’).
The Hijra, or, the migration of Muhammad, p.b.u.h.,
from Mecca to Medina, is one of the most important events
and a turning-point in the history of Islam. It was taken as
the beginning of the Islamic era and Muslims around the
world calculate time in terms of that event. Since Muhar-
ram is the first and Rabi’ al-Awwal the third month in the
Arabic calendar, the 1st Muharram is set as the beginning
of the Islamic (Hijri) calendar, which corresponds to 16 July
622 CE. That date marks the beginning of the Islamic cal-
endar.249

249
See: Zejnil Fajić, Tabelarni pregled hidžretskih godina preračunatih u
godine nove ere (A Tabular Review of the Hijri Calendar Years and the
Equivalent Common Era Years), Sarajevo, 1982, pp. 5,6.

241
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

Hijra – A Symbol of Personal Sacrifice in the Way of

God
The Hijra carries a multitude of lessons, among the most
important ones being that it is a symbol of personal sacrifice
in the way of God. The first Muslims abandoned their home-
land, wealth, houses and estates, proving that their faith was
more important to them than anything else.
All believers around the Prophet showed great readiness
to make sacrifice in the migration process. Let us recall Ali,
a young man who stayed in the Prophet’s bed, exposed to the
risk of being cut up by the united Arab tribes that had agreed
to kill the Prophet. Let us remember Asma, the girl whose
task was to bring food to the Thawr cave, the hiding place
of the Prophet and her father Abu Bakr. In order to learn
some information about the Prophet and her father, the pa-
gan leader Abu Jahl slapped and beat Asma so hard that she
started bleeding, but she revealed nothing. On the contrary,
after the pagans had left, she went to the cave again, taking
extreme risks.
The person whose task was to follow and listen to what
Quraysh intended and did at daytime, and to secretly visit the
Thawr cave at night in order to pass that information to the
Prophet, was Abu Bakr’s young son Abdullah. Another young
man was directly involved in the Hijra operation and his task
was also very dangerous. Amir ibn Fuhayrah’s task was to drive
his flock every evening over the road taken earlier by Abdul-
lah ibn Abi Bakr to cover up the traces and prevent the pagans
from discovering the place where the Prophet was hiding.
The late martyr Mustafa Busuladžić, a prominent Bosnian
intellectual from the first half of the twentieth century, wrote
a very good paper about the significance of Hijra.250 As the
250
The paper was published in Glasnik VIS-a IVZ (The Islamic Community

242
 14. HIJRA – MIGRATION TO MEDINA

messages of that article apply in the present times as well, we

shall quote several excerpts from it.
“The Hijra is not only a historical event telling about Mu-
hammad’s migration with the Muslims from Mecca to Me-
dina. It is also an ethical and spiritual concept which in the
psychology of Islam denotes the maturing of religious beliefs,
the achieving of a more profound understanding of the idea of
faith, humanity and justice. If Islam had not revived human
soul and created a new type of man prior to it, Hijra would not
have happened, or, even if it would have happened, its conse-
quences would not have been as far-reaching as they actually
were, given that they really were of decisive importance for the
future development of the new movement at whose helm was
Prophet Muhammad, p.b.u.h.
The enthusiasm for the guiding principle, the belief in its
validity, and the readiness to make sacrifices for the ideal one
is fighting for were the decisive factors for the fate and suc-
cess of all revolutions in history. Every revolution and every
movement, Islam included, have had their fanatics, heroes,
martyrs and fighters. The developments in Mecca compelled
Muhammad and Muslims to migration (hijra). For that rea-
son, as the famous Orientalist Michelangelo Guide writes,
hijra does not mean an escape (although Muhammad was
forced to go away because of the ambush laid by his fellow
tribesmen who conspired to kill him), but a parting with one’s
own tribe and severing of all bonds that tied one in the pre-
Islamic order.
Abu Bakr, an affluent Meccan, did not jump at the first op-
portunity to save his life; on the contrary, he and Prophet Mu-

Herald), Year VII, No. 6, Sarajevo, 1943/1944. A slightly revised version

was published in the book by Mustafa Busuladžić, Muslimani u Evropi
(Muslims in Europe), edited by Dr. Šaćir Filandra, Sejtarija, Sarajevo,
1997.

243
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

hammad were the last ones to leave the jeopardized city. As a

leader who was more concerned to protect his followers than
himself, the Prophet was the last one to save his life.
In Medina, to which the spiritual center of Muhammad’s
teachings and struggle was transferred, the Emigrants were
welcomed as brethren by the Medinan Muslims (Ansar), who
committed themselves unconditionally to help their newly-
arrived Meccan brethren.
With their blood, Muhammad’s companions showed that
success without sacrifice and victory without struggle are not
possible, that the ones willing to die for ideals are truly alive.
Muslims were victorious because they loved death as much
as their enemies loved life. That is how Hijra came about. Hi-
jra brought about the Battle of Badr and the Battle of Ajna-
dayn, which required sacrifices, and the sacrifices resulted
in victory. The victory made life possible. The life created a
culture. The culture and progress guaranteed an unhindered
development and economy of the Muslims in the past. With
the migration to Medina, which signified commitment and
self-sacrifice, the Muslims not only won Mecca again, but
also kept it for themselves permanently and created an enor-
mous state.
Throughout the history of Islam the spirit of Hijra was al-
ways the source of a new strength and spiritual awakening of
Muslims at the risk of annihilation. Whenever the spirit of
Hijra was lost, a catastrophe ensued. The examples of Mus-
lims in Spain, Sicily, Poland, European part of Russia, France,
Hungary, Montenegro, Lika and Serbia, is a good lesson to us
who live in the era of a totalitarian war unprecedented in the
world’s history and in the region of conflicted historical an-
tagonisms.
Does the migration of Muslims from Mecca to Medina
not remind of the current calamity of the Muslims in Bosnia,

244
 14. HIJRA – MIGRATION TO MEDINA

Herzegovina, Sandžak and Serbia? Do our refugees who are

leaving their torched and destroyed homes fleeing an enemy,
not have something in common with the Muslims who left
Mecca under the pressure of antagonistic crowds?
Does the river of Spain’s Muslims, who had retreated grad-
ually from the Iberian Peninsula hinterland toward Granada
only to eventually spread all over North Africa, not remind of
the dire situation of our refugees in Bosnia, Herzegovina and
Sandžak? Will the Muslims of these lands at the most critical
moment of their history draw a lesson from these historical
truths?”

245
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

16. THE PROPHET IN MEDINA

Social and Religious Setting in Medina

The pre-Islamic name of Medina was Yathrib. It was men-
tioned in the Noble Qur’an, at 33:13. After the Prophet’s mi-
gration, the city was named Madinatu Rasulillah (the City of
Allah’s Messenger) or simply Medina, and soon became the
capital of the nascent Islamic state.
Arabs made the majority in Medina. The Jews who also
lived there were divided into three major tribes, Banu Nadir,
Banu Qurayzah and Banu Qaynuqa‘, each further divided
into clans.
The Arabs were divided into two big tribes known as the
Aws and the Khazraj. Wars often flared between the two tribes
and they would last for years. One of the reasons for it was
the fact that Medina did not have a lord or supreme religious
leadership, as did Mecca. Quite to the contrary, each tribe in
Medina represented an autonomous entity that did not rec-
ognize any other rule but its own. The Jews would often fan
the flames of conflict between the Aws and the Khazraj.
On the eve of the Prophet’s migration, a peace treaty be-
tween the Aws and the Khazraj was struck in Medina after
a heavy conflict known as the Bu’ath War. The man who
succeeded in reconciling these two tribes was Abdullah ibn
Ubayy ibn Salul. Although he came from the Khazraj tribe,
he was also appreciated by the Aws tribesmen. Some people
were of the opinion that he should be appointed the chief of
the two tribes and he hoped for it and expected he would be

246
 16. THE PROPHET IN MEDINA

a king one day. However, the arrival of the Muslims and the
Prophet in Medina foiled his inauguration. For that reason
Ibn Salul became a fierce enemy of Islam and Muslims. As
Islam spread rapidly in the region of Medina, he later for-
mally converted to Islam (following the Battle of Badr) but
remained a non-believer in his heart. Abdullah ibn Ubayy
ibn Salul is infamous as the leader of the munafiqun, hypo-
crites who pretended to believe in Islam, and a person who
did a great harm to Islam and Muslims.
The Jews, who had moved to that region called al-Hijaz
way back in the time of the Nestorian (Assyrian) and Roman
tyranny, assumed the Arab customs in dressing and culture,
and even spoke the Arabic language and gave their children
Arabic names. However, they preserved their ethnic unity
and never assimilated into the Arab nation. They were proud
of their Israeli ancestry and they referred to the Arabs with
the rather contemptuous term ummiyyun, meaning ignorant
or backward. Some of them believed they could cheat on the
Arabs and take their property in any way possible and they
used to say, as the Qur’an reads: ‘We are under no obligation
towards the gentiles.’ (3:75)
Owing to their sacred scrolls and certain prophecies, the
Jews believed that the time of the Last Messenger of God had
approached. They threatened the Arabs in Medina that the
Messenger would come soon and lead them (the Jews) into a
battle to conquer the world. They believed that the Messenger
would be a Jew, as were so many others preceding him. When
Muhammad, p.b.u.h., stepped on the scene and announced
to the world that he was the Messenger foretold in the previ-
ous Revelations, the Medinan Jews could not accept the fact
that he was of Arabic ancestry, despite the ample evidence of
the truthfulness of his prophethood. They decided to fight
him and his religion and followers. Only a few individuals

247
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

among them, such as the learned Abdullah ibn Salam, em-

braced Islam.
Historians state that the Medinan Jews were skilled mer-
chants. They actually traded in everything, their own reli-
gion included. They dealt in fortune-telling, witchcraft, talis-
mans and the like. They excelled in earning livelihood. They
imported cereals, wine and clothes, and exported dates. They
controlled other profitable businesses, too. They dealt in usu-
ry, which made them very rich. They did not preach their
religion to the Arab tribes, as they believed themselves to be
the chosen people, supposed to rule the world whilst other
peoples were made to serve them. For that reason they often
sowed dissention, schemed around and promoted debauch-
ery. They used to ignite fratricidal hatred and wars among
the Arab tribes.251
Medina did not have a sizeable Christian population. His-
torians make mention of a man whose name was Abu Amr
al-Awsi, nicknamed the Monk for his ascetic way of life, who
had converted to Christianity. He was a cousin of Abdullah
ibn Ubayy and he was respected by the Aws tribe. That man
did not embrace Islam and he, actually, showed hostility to-
wards it. He took part in the Battle of Uhud on the pagans’
side. He used to threaten the Muslims that he would appeal
to Byzantium to attack Medina. Interestingly enough, his
son Hanzala converted to Islam (as did the son of Abdullah
ibn Ubayy ibn Salul) and got killed as a martyr at the Battle
of Uhud. Hanzala was an enthusiastic champion of Islam;
he went into jihad (battle in the cause of Allah) on his wed-
ding night, straight out of his conjugal bed without having
time enough to bathe. He was killed in the Battle of Uhud
and the Prophet said he saw angels bathing him, hence he
251
Al-Mubarakpuri, Zapečaćeni džennetski napitak (The Sealed Nectar),
pp. 158-159.

248
 16. THE PROPHET IN MEDINA

was posthumously called The One Bathed by Angels (Ghasil

al-mala’ikah).252
According to sirahs, there was another Christian in Me-
dina, but he embraced Islam as soon as he saw the Messenger
of Allah, p.b.u.h. That was Salman al-Farisi, originally from
Persia (Arabic: Faris). He had traveled far and wide in search
of the truth and thus converted to Christianity. He kept com-
pany with learned monks, one of whom told him to go to the
north of Iraq, which marked the beginning of Salman’s at-
tachments to elderly Christian sages. When the last of them
was on his deathbed, he told Salman that the time approached
when a new Messenger of God would appear: “He will be sent
with the religion of Ibrahim and will come forth in Arabia
where he will emigrate from his home to a place between two
lava tracts, a country of palms. His signs are manifest: he will
eat of a gift but not if it be given as alms; and between his
shoulders is the seal of prophecy.” Salman understood that
Yathrib was implied and he decided to go there because the
foretold Messenger would spend a considerable part of his
life there. But problems occurred when merchants from the
Kalb tribe, whom he had paid to take him with them to Ara-
bia, sold him as a slave to one Jew, who then sold him to his
cousin from the Banu Qurayzah tribe. That is how Salman
al-Farisi came to Medina. Afterward, when he heard that
Prophet Muhammad moved there, he came to check what
his dying master had told him on the deathbed. He was soon
convinced that it was true: the Prophet, p.b.u.h., did not take
alms, but did take gifts and the seal of prophecy was between
252
See: Hamidullah, Muhammed, alejhisselam, život i djelo (Le Prophète
de l’Islam, sa vie, son œuvre), I, pp. 172-173. The author states that
Abu Amr is also mentioned as the person who built the so-called
Mosque of Opposition (Masjid al-Dirar) in the vicinity of Medina in 9
AH in order to sow discord among Muslims. The Prophet ordered that
mosque to be pulled down.

249
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

his shoulders. Salman al-Farisi, although a slave at the time,

embraced Islam. He was later manumitted and he became
very close to the Prophet.253

The Most Important Events in Medina Following the

Prophet’s Migration
As noted earlier, Islam won a certain number of support-
ers in Medina prior to the Prophet’s migration for which the
credit goes mostly to Mus’ab ibn ‘Umayr, the companion
whom the Prophet had sent from Mecca to Medina to preach
Islam. He lived in the house of As’ad ibn Zurarah and the two
of them preached Islam together. Following the conversion of
Usayd ibn Hudayr and Sa’d ibn Mu’adh, two chiefs from the
Aws tribe, Islam got many followers among the citizens of
Medina. Particularly important was Sa’d’s conversion, since
the majority of the Aws tribe embraced Islam owing to his
status and reputation. For this and the other merits, Sa’d at-
tained such a high standing in Islam that the Prophet said
after his death following the Battle of the Trench that Allah’s
Throne had shaken at Sa’d’s death.
When the Prophet, p.b.u.h., emigrated to Medina, there
was hardly a household in it without a Muslim convert. The
citizens of Medina welcomed the Prophet with great delight
and many tried to halt his camel and invite him to stay with
them. However, the Prophet told them to let the camel go
her way as she was “commanded where to stop.” At the place
where she stopped, the Prophet alighted and inquired whose
land it was. When he was told that it belonged to two or-
phaned boys, he asked that they be brought before him. He
made a deal with their guardian about the price of the prop-
erty at which the construction of a mosque commenced soon
afterward. That mosque, known as the Prophet’s Mosque (al-
253
See: Martin Lings, supra at 167-168 and 179.

250
 16. THE PROPHET IN MEDINA

Masjid al-Nabawi), enjoys a special status in Islam and it has

undergone many enlargements and renovations through his-
tory. The Prophet stayed in the house of Abu Ayyub al-An-
sari (his name was Khalid ibn Zayd al-Khazraji al-Ansari),
close to the mosque construction site. The Prophet stayed in
al-Ansari’s house until the mosque was built and adjacent to
it the dwellings for him and his family.254
The construction of the mosque in Medina marks the be-
ginning of the Medinan period in the Prophet’s life which
may be divided into three stages:
1. The stage of intrigues and tensions: In this period
the internal foes (idol-worshippers and Jews) entered
into alliances with external foes (idol-worshippers
in Mecca and others) and worked hard to eradicate
the Muslims. This period lasted until the Treaty of
Hudaybiyyah (Sulh al-Hudaybiyyah) in the month of
Dhu al-Qa’dah 6AH;
2. The stage of truce with idol-worshippers: This peri-
od lasted until the liberation of Mecca in the month of
Ramadan 8 AH. In this period the Prophet, p.b.u.h.,
also sent letters to the world rulers inviting them to
enter the fold of Islam;
3. The stage of mass conversion to Islam (dukhul al-nas
fi dinillahi afwaja): This period lasted from the libera-
tion of Mecca to the death of the Prophet, p.b.u.h., in
the month of Rabi’ al-Awwal 11 AH. This is a period
when numerous delegations arrived in Medina to de-
clare loyalty to the Muslim state.255
254
It is well-known that Abu Ayyub al-Ansari, r.a., died as a warrior
during the siege of Constantinople (Istanbul) in 50 AH (See: Ibn Hajar
al-’Asqalani, Taqrib al-Tahdhib, I, p. 258). His grave is located in the
Istanbul neighborhood of Sultan Eyup, named after him.
255
Al-Mubarakpuri, supra at 155.

251
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

Following his arrival in Medina, the Prophet undertook

a number of activities in order to organize the Muslim com-
munity efficiently under the new circumstances. Particularly
important were the construction of the mosque as a religious,
cultural and political center; the introduction of adhan, the
call to prayer announcing the beginning of the canonical
prayer times; the fraternization of the Emigrants and the
Ansar (local Muslims of Medina); and the announcement of
the Charter of Medina, which is the first written constitution
in the history of mankind. We will get back to the fraterni-
zation and the Charter later, after we touch briefly on some
other important events of that period.
In the year 1 AH, the Prophet began his marital life with
A’ishah. Actually, the marriage between the Prophet and
A’ishah had been contracted back in Mecca, in the month of
Shawwal of the eleventh year of the prophethood following
Allah’s order. As A’ishah was very young at that time (she
was only six), she, naturally, stayed in her father’s home. Only
when she became a major under Sharia did she move to the
Prophet’s house (in Islam, a woman becomes a major with
the first menstruation). The Prophet loved A’ishah very much
and, according to many, she was his second most favorite
wife, after Khadijah. Whole chapters in famous Hadith col-
lections are dedicated to her virtues.256
The construction of the mosque is an exceptionally impor-
tant event. The Messenger of Allah, p.b.u.h., personally par-
ticipated in it. As a matter of fact, that was the third mosque
that he built in Medina and its environs. The first was the
one he built when he arrived in the place called Quba’, in the
vicinity of Medina, and the second was the one built in the
valley of Wadi Ranuna’, where he led the Friday noon prayer
before entering the city.
256
See, for example, al-Bukhari’s and Muslim’s respective Sahihs, chapters
Manaqib A’isha.

252
 16. THE PROPHET IN MEDINA

So, the construction of the mosque was the Prophet’s first

activity at the very beginning of the Medinan period. The
mosque was not only a place of worship, but also a school in
which Islam was taught, a venue of important meetings and
councils, a venue where marriages were solemnized, many
important decisions made and rulings in disputes passed.
In a nutshell, the mosque was the centermost institution in
the life of the first Muslim community. This should be a les-
son to the present-day Muslims in whose lives mosque no
longer enjoys the status it should. The role Islam intended to
mosque should be restored. The introduction of prayer call
further strengthened the role of the mosque, as it was made
from the mosque compound and invited people to come for
a communal prayer.
This period was also marked by one sad event – the famous
companion and a prolific missionary, As‘ad ibn Zurarah, r.a.,
passed away. That was a great loss for the Muslims as he was
a very capable man and an excellent missionary.

Fraternization of Emigrants and Ansar

To unite people around an idea and establish a state on
such basis is no easy task. The Prophet, p.b.u.h., encountered
this difficult task when he set out to form an Islamic state in
Medina. The citizens of Medina were represented by mutu-
ally divided groups, unaccustomed to obedience and loyalty
to any government or leader. They came from different and
totally unrelated peoples, including Jews, idol-worshippers,
Muslims from Mecca – the Emigrants, and Muslims from
Medina – the Ansar.
The Messenger of Allah, p.b.u.h., did something unprec-
edented. He initiated a pact of brotherhood between the
Emigrants and the Ansar, whereupon they became a single
community (ummah). The Prophet then ordered a drafting

253
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

of a document laying down precisely the mutual rights and

obligations of the Muslims, on the one hand, and the nature
or their relations with the other peoples and communities
living in Medina at the time, on the other. That document is
known in the history of Islam as the Charter of Medina by
which the Prophet regulated the inter-Muslim relations on
the principles of brotherhood and mutual solidarity.
Tribal affiliation was the principal criterion for relation-
ships within a community in the pre-Islamic period. It pri-
marily implied the pride and struggle for the tribe’s renown,
respect of family ties, assistance in right or wrong deeds (al-
nusrat fi al-haqq wa al-batil), and refusal of obedience and
loyalty to any other rule or system. Such fanatical primitiv-
ism was widespread among the pre-Islamic Arabs. A most
minor disagreement would cause a split among them and a
horrific murderous war that would last for years. Participa-
tion in such war and hatred for the opponent were consid-
ered an obligation, almost a holy duty. To make the matters
worse, such situation and relations were considered sons’
legacy from their fathers. That is one of the fundamental rea-
sons why the condition in which Arabs lived before Islam is
called Jahiliyah, that is, the age of ignorance.
Islam replaced that primitive tribal bond with an infinite-
ly better one. The fundamental principle of that new bond
was the proclamation of absolute equality of people and the
abolition of differences and favoritism based on lineage,
sex, race or religion, even though religion was the underly-
ing principle of all rules and laws in the newly-formed state.
This means that when forming the new state, the Prophet did
not take the national, racial or community affiliation as its
underlying principle, but the idea of religion which every-
one was absolutely free to accept, without coercion. Thus the
Prophet set up a new state on the principle of brotherhood in

254
 16. THE PROPHET IN MEDINA

faith and from it stemmed one’s rights and duties. Soon the
bond of religious brotherhood prevailed over all other bonds,
including blood relationship. Allah, swt, refers to it in the
Qur’an: [Prophet], you will not find people who truly believe
in God and the Last Day giving their loyalty to those who op-
pose God and His Messenger, even though they may be their
fathers, sons, brothers, or other relations ... (58:22)
With the principle of brotherhood Islam reconciled the
people engaged in feuds and united the divided ones, where-
by the hostilities from the Jahiliyah times, which had caused
so much bloodshed, were overcome. The complete legacy of
Jahiliyah was eradicated, so in a very short period of time
former bitter enemies were sitting together in absolute peace
and safety. For example, someone who in the Jahiliyah era
had killed a man would be sitting in the company of the
man’s son or brother, not fearing a revenge that would take
his life.
Such results were accomplished owing to the development
of genuine belief (‘aqidah) among the Jahiliyah Arabs. With
its rise, Islam generated a strong spiritual reformation where-
by the belief in one God settled deep in human hearts. When
Arabs genuinely turned to Islam and accepted its teachings,
Islam reconciled and united them. It gave them strength and
they carried its message across the world.
On the fraternization of the Emigrants and the Ansar that
the Prophet carried out, the prominent Islamic scholar from
Egypt, Professor Muhammad Abu Zahrah, says: “Working
on the realization of an ideal state that all philosophers had
desired, the Messenger of Allah, p.b.u.h., observed that the
Muslims came from different tribes and that some of them
still showed signs of tribal nationalism. In such situation he
forged ties among them with a special act, known in history
as the fraternization (al-mu’akha), whereby he designated to

255
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

each Muslim a brother-in-faith with whom he was to share

his property and provisions. It is important to note that the
principle of private property was preserved, as one would
give to his counterpart voluntarily as much as one could
and would. Thus the Messenger of Allah united the Ansar in
brotherhood, as well as the Ansar and the Emigrants.”257
The fraternization that God’s Prophet, p.b.u.h., saw
through is a unique phenomenon in the history of mankind.
It is interesting to note that the act of fraternization was le-
gally binding. The Prophet would call out an individual from
the Emigrants’ rank and then another from the Ansar’s rank
and fraternized them in front of everyone, saying out loud
their names and telling everyone that as of that moment they
were brothers in Islam. He practically demonstrated equality
of all before law, as he did not leave himself out of that act,
either, since he fraternized with Ali ibn Abi Talib.
The act of fraternization is one of the most important mira-
cles of the Prophet, p.b.u.h., as he thus succeeded in forming a
compact community. That is an unprecedented phenomenon
in the history of mankind. In the thirteen years of relentless
activity, despite all the aggravating circumstances, mistreat-
ment and cruelty of his enemies, Allah’s Prophet, p.b.u.h.,
succeeded in guiding some three hundred men and women
to the right path. Despite all the difficulties and violence they
257
The citation is taken over from the paper by Professor Dr. Ja’far Abd
al-Salam, former Vice-President of the Al-Azhar University in Cairo,
delivered at the international symposium Unity of Muslims and Their
Integration (Jedinstvo muslimana i njihovo integrisanje), held mid-
September 2001 in Sarajevo. The author of this book also took part in
the symposium and subsequently translated the paper to the Bosnian
language. It was published in four installments in the journal Novi
horizonti (Nos. 25-29), under the title A Single Islamic Market within
the Framework of the Idea of Islamic Unity (Jedinstveno islamsko tržište
u okviru ideje islamskog jedinstva). Some other excerpts from this
paper are also quoted in this chapter.

256
 16. THE PROPHET IN MEDINA

underwent, the first Muslims remained steadfast in their

faith. The Prophet, p.b.u.h., inspired them with his pure and
noble spirit and strong personality, so much so that in the
late Meccan period he was followed by three hundred firm,
unwavering, mature individuals none of whom ever thought
of abandoning him. They all stood firmly by his side, irre-
spective of the atrocities, threats and tortures they suffered.
They preferred to abandon their homes, expose themselves
to great tribulations and adversity, part with their families,
rather than abandoning him.
Another miracle happened in Medina, even greater and
more important. The two biggest tribes, traditional enemies,
the Aws and the Khazraj, were reconciled and united under
the banner of Islam and faith. Never after that were members
of these two tribes victims of horrible devastating wars that
had continually plagued them before the rising of Islam. At
the same time, a historic pact of brotherhood between the
Emigrants and the Ansar was instituted.
Realistically, the majority of the Emigrants had been rath-
er well-to-do in Mecca. They then left their homes and emi-
grated to Medina, whereupon the Prophet instituted the frat-
ernization of the Emigrants and the Ansar. The process was
carried out in a very sincere and cordial atmosphere. Each
member of the Ansar had an Emigrant brother-in-faith with
whom he voluntarily shared everything he had – his prop-
erty, house, camel, even trade (or any other business).
According to many analysts, the newly-established bond
was stronger than blood relationship. The bonding went to
such extremes that when a man died, he would be inherited
by his brother-in-faith instead of his blood-brother. It went
on like that until Allah, swt, terminated it with the follow-
ing words: In God’s Scripture, blood-relatives have a stronger
claim than other believers and emigrants. (33:6).

257
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

All Muslims of Medina heeded the call to fraternization.

Soon afterward each one had a brother from Mecca. It is im-
possible to describe and present all aspects of that noble act.
Brotherhood-in-faith surpassed brotherhood-in-blood with
its strength and sincerity. All those souls became kindred
spirits and grew fond of one another in the name of Allah
and their hearts were beating in unison as one heart. Their
disposition was such that each desired for his brother in Al-
lah’s faith what he desired for himself, and even better. Allah
described these men in the Noble Qur’an: Muhammad is the
Messenger of God. Those who follow him are harsh towards
the disbelievers and compassionate towards each other. You
see them kneeling and prostrating, seeking God’s bounty and
His good pleasure: on their faces they bear the marks of their
prostrations. This is how they are pictured in the Torah and
the Gospel: like a seed that puts forth its shoot, becomes strong,
grows thick, and rises on its stem to the delight of its sowers.
So God infuriates the disbelievers through them; God promises
forgiveness and a great reward to those who believe and do
righteous deeds. (48:29)
The Qur’an particularly commended the ones who took
part in the fraternization which was the starting point of the
establishment of the Muslim community. In the words of
the Exalted: “The poor emigrants who were driven from their
homes and possessions, who seek God’s favour and approval,
those who help God and His Messenger– these are the ones who
are true – [shall have a share]. Those who were already firmly
established in their homes [in Medina], and firmly rooted in
faith, show love for those who migrated to them for refuge and
harbour no desire in their hearts for what has been given to
them. They give them preference over themselves, even if they
too are poor: those who are saved from their own souls’ greed
are truly successful. Those who came after them say, ‘Lord,

258
 16. THE PROPHET IN MEDINA

forgive us our sins and the sins of our brothers who believed
before us, and leave no malice in our hearts towards those who
believe.’ (59:8-10)
The sense of Muslim brotherhood and closeness has
caught the attention of many researchers and analysts of
Islam. Speaking about the phenomenon, famous historian
Thomas Walker Arnold wrote in The Preaching of Islam:
“Out of the numerous tribes, big and small, of a hundred dif-
ferent kinds that were incessantly at feuds with one another,
Muhammad’s word created a nation. The idea of a common
religion under one common head bound the different tribes
together into one political organism which developed its pe-
culiar characteristics with surprising rapidity. Now only one
great idea could have produced this result, viz. the principle
of national life in heathen Arabia. ... The great work succeed-
ed, and when Muhammad died there prevailed over by far
the greater part of Arabia a peace of God such as the Arab
tribes, with their love of plunder and revenge, had never
known; it was the religion of Islam that had brought about
this reconciliation.”258

258
 . W. Arnold, The Preaching of Islam, Charles Scribner’s Sons, New
T
York, 1913, pp. 32-33.

259
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

260
 17. CHARTER OF MEDINA

First Written Constitution in the History of Mankind

Biographers write that the Prophet, p.b.u.h., was in Medina
for the whole time from his arrival in the month of Rabi’al-
Awwal to the month of Safar next year.259 In some sirahs they
note that he spent about seven months in the house of Abu
Ayyub al-Ansari, until his mosque was built and adjacent to
it the house that he moved to.260
The Prophet used that time for the internal organization
of the newly established community. In addition to the con-
struction of the mosque and the fraternization of the Emi-
grants and the Ansar, the Prophet also drafted a document
regulating the relations between the Emigrants and the An-
sar, on the one hand, and the Medinan Jews and idol-wor-
shippers, on the other. That document is known in history
as the Charter of Medina (Wathiqat al-Madina) and it was
drafted in the year 1 AH, soon after the Prophet’s migration
to Medina.
The Charter contains precise provisions related to the
members of the Medinan society, which was multi-religious
and multi-cultural. It is important because it is considered
the first written constitution in the history of mankind.261
259
S ee: Ibn Hisham, Poslanikov životopis (A Biography of the Prophet), p.105.
260
See: Abu al-Hasan Ali al-Nadwi, Život Božijeg Poslanika (The Life of
God’s Prophet), Tuzla, 2004, p. 64.
261
Certain sources also call it the Constitution of Medina, as it is considered
the legal basis for the political and social life of the first Islamic state
and its internal and external relations.

261
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

Similar codes made by Aristotle, Confucius and Kautilya

were actually not constitutions implemented by a ruler, but
instructions written for rulers and scholars of political stud-
ies. Even Aristotle’s Constitution of Athens is just a historical
description of the city-state of Athens.262
The Charter recognizes the Jews and their religion and
guarantees them full religious freedoms. It treats all im-
portant administration bodies and the specific needs of an
emerging polity, such as defense, legislation, judiciary and
law. The Charter represents a turning point and a new chap-
ter in the life of Islam, as it is a fortunate combination of spir-
itual and secular elements.263

Text of the Charter of Medina

The Charter of Medina has 47 articles.264 It contains the
principles on which the first state in Islam was established
and it laid the foundations for the rule of law. It abounds in
humane qualities, social justice, religious tolerance and co-
operation in the interests of society, so everyone should study
and understand it and commit its principles to memory. As
262
See: Hamidullah, Muhammed, alejhisselam, život i djelo (Le Prophète
de l’Islam, sa vie, son œuvre), I, p. 175.
263
Ibid., p. 181.
264
According to some authors, the Charter has 52 articles. See: Hamidullah,
supra at p. 175. However, we should note that the difference stems
from the different treatment of articles by respective authors. Professor
Hamidullah opted for 47 articles, but he divided some of them to
two sub-articles, such as, for example, 20a and 20b. We find the same
number in the paper Wathiqat al-Madina: al-madmun wa al-dalala
(The Charter of Medina; Its Contents and Meaning), by Ahmad al-
Shu’aybi, published in the popular edition Kitab al-ummah issued by
the Ministry of Endowment in Doha, Qatar, 2006, pp. 41-46.
 aturally, we should bear in mind that many articles of the Charter may
N
be divided further to two or more sub-articles, if every single detail were
treated as a separate article, whereby we could get even more articles.

262
 17. CHARTER OF MEDINA

it is of a paramount importance, we will provide its integral

text here.
“In the name of God, the Compassionate, the
Merciful.

(1) This is a covenant given by Muhammad, the

Prophet, concerning the believers and Muslims
of Quraysh and Yathrib, and those who followed
them, joined them and fought with them.

(2) They constitute one community (ummah) as

distinct from other people.

(3) The Emigrants of Quraysh are bound together

as they were before Islam (‘ala rib’atihim) and
shall pay the blood money among themselves and
ransom their prisoners in kindness and justice.

(4) The Banu Awf are bound together as they have

been so far and they shall pay the blood money,
following their custom. Every clan of theirs
shall ransom its prisoners with the kindness and
justice.

(5-11) The same provision likewise applies to the

Banu Sa’ida, the Banu al-Harith, the Banu Jusham,
the Banu al-Najjar, the Banu Amr ibn Awf, the
Banu al-Nabit and the Banu Aws.

(12a) The believers shall not leave anyone among

them destitute, without helping him pay his blood
money or ransom for prisoner.

(12b) No believer shall take a freedman (mawla)

263
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

as a ward without the consent of the freedman’s

previous master.

(13) Every pious believer must rise against

whosoever seeks to commit injustice, aggression or
sin, or spread mutual enmity among the believers,
even if he be his own son.

(14) No believer shall kill another believer in

retaliation for an unbeliever, nor shall he help an
unbeliever against a believer.

(15) Just as God’s protection (dhimmatullah) is one

and indivisible, so the humblest of the believers may
grant protection to someone which would be binding
to all believers (jiwar). The believers are brothers to
one another, to the exclusion of other men.

(16) Any Jew who follows us is entitled to our

assistance and the same rights as any one of us,
without injustice.

(17) Peace for believers is one and indivisible, so no

believer shall enter into a separate peace without all
the other believers. The peace conditions must be
fair and equitable to all.

(18) In every military campaign our members shall

help one another.

(19) All believers shall avenge the blood of the

believer who has fallen fighting in the way of God.

(20a) Pious believers follow the best and most

upright guidance.

264
 17. CHARTER OF MEDINA

(20b) No idol-worshipper (mushrikun) from

Medina shall be allowed to provide protection to
the property or life of any Qurayshite or to prevent a
believer from fighting them.

(21) Whoever kills a believer without righteous

cause shall be killed in retaliation (qawad) unless
the family of the killed agrees to blood money. Until
the family is satisfied, the killer shall be subject to
retaliation by each and every believer.

(22) It shall not be lawful to any believer who has

entered into this covenant and believes in God and
the Judgment Day to help or shelter a criminal.
Whoever does so shall be cursed by God and upon
him shall the Divine wrath fall on the Judgment Day.
Neither repentance nor ransom shall be accepted
from him.

(23) Whenever there is a contention among you, the

matter is to be referred to God and to Muhammad.

(24) The Jews shall share the spoils of war along with
the believers so long as they fight on the side of the
believers.

(25) The Jews of the Banu Awf are one community

(ummah) with the believers. The Jews have their
religion and the Muslims theirs. This applies to them
and their wards, except the unjust and the criminal
among them, for such person harms only himself
and his family.

(26) To the Jews of Banu al-Najjar apply the same

rights as to the Jews of Banu Awf.

265
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

(27) To the Jews of Banu al-Harith apply the same

rights as to the Jews of Banu Awf.

(28) To the Jews of Banu Sa’ida ... (as in Article 26).

(29) To the Jews of Banu Jusham ... (as in Article

26).

(30) To the Jews of Banu Aws ... (as in Article 26).

(31) To the Jews of Banu Tha’laba apply the same

rights as to the Jews of Banu Awf, except the unjust
and the criminal among them, for such person
harms only himself and his family.

(32) The Jafna, a clan of the Tha’labah, enjoys the

same status as the Tha’laba.

(33) To the Banu Shutayba apply the same rights as

to the Jews of Banu Awf and honesty is protection
against treachery.

(34) The wards of the Tha’labah enjoy the same

status as the Tha’labah.

(35) The friends of the Jews (bitanat al-yahud) enjoy

the same status as the Jews.

(36a) No-one of the foregoing shall join a military

campaign (of the Muslims) except with the
permission of Muhammad.

(36b) It shall not be forbidden to one to take revenge

for a wound inflicted upon him. Whoever murders
anyone shall expose himself and members of his

266
 17. CHARTER OF MEDINA

family to punishment, unless it be the case of a man

who was wronged – to him God will forgive.

(37a) The Jews shall spend their wealth in a war and

so will the Muslims. They shall help one another
against anyone who attacks the parties to this
covenant. Their relations shall be fair and friendly,
and honesty is protection against treachery.

(37b) No man shall be held liable for his ally’s crime.

Assistance is due to the party suffering injustice.

(38) The Jews shall share the spoils of war along

with the Muslims so long as they fight on the side
of the Muslims.

(39) The town of Yathrib (Medina) shall constitute

a sacred and inviolable territory for the parties to
this covenant.

(40) A person under protection shall be considered

equal with his protector; he shall not be done harm
or injustice.

(41) A ward cannot give protection to anyone,

except with the permission of his protector.

(42) Any unresolved difference or dispute between

the parties to this covenant shall be referred to God
and to Muhammad, the Messenger of God. God is
the guarantor that this covenant shall be fulfilled in
the best and most scrupulous way.

(43) Quraysh and their helpers must not be helped

or sheltered.

267
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

(44) The parties to this covenant must come to the

assistance of one another against whoever attacks
Yathrib.

(45a) If the Jews are called to make peace, they

shall be bound to make and maintain peace; and if
the Muslims are called to make peace, they shall be
bound to make and maintain peace, except when the
war is against their religion.

(45b) Everyone shall be responsible for the area they

live in.

(46) The Jews of Aws, as well as their wards, are entitled

to the same rights as the parties to this covenant and
to the goodness and charity by the latter. Everyone
to whom this document pertains must abide by it
strictly and not violate it. Whoever fails to do so shall
be held responsible for his deeds.

(47) This covenant shall constitute no protection for

the unjust or the criminal. Whoever goes out to fight,
as well as whoever stays in Medina, shall be safe,
unless he has perpetrated an injustice or committed a
crime. God and His Messenger shall grant protection
to whosoever abides by this covenant.”265

265
The text of the Charter of Medina is quoted according to the following
sources in the Arabic language: Abd al-Salam Harun, Tahdhib Sirat Ibn
Hisham, pp. 112-115; Ahmad Kaid al-Shu’aybi, Wathiqat al-Madina:
al-madmun wa al-dalala, Doha, 2006, pp. 41-46; Munir Muhammad
al-Ghadban, Fiqh al-sirah al-nabawiyya, Mecca, University of Umm
al-qura, 1989, pp. 367-372.

268
 17. CHARTER OF MEDINA

Review of Principles and Legal Standards in the Charter

of Medina
The Charter of Medina is divided into two different sec-
tions: Articles 1-23 concern the Muslims, while Articles 24-
47 regulate, among other things, the relations with the Jewish
community. Article 25 reads that the Jews make one commu-
nity (ummah) with the Muslims. This article guarantees their
right to life, property and freedom of religion. The Charter
makes no mention of Christians, because there were very few
Christians in Medina at the time.
The Charter of Medina laid the foundations for the rule of
law, as all citizens had equal rights and enjoyed equality be-
fore the law. This fact is very important, since the provisions
of the Charter unambiguously demonstrate that the Islamic
society at the time of the Messenger of Allah, p.b.u.h., was
based on legal and constitutional principles. The Prophet was
committed to organizing the life of his community on clear
legal principles and explicitly laying down the rights and du-
ties of each member.
One of the reasons of the weakening of the Islamic socie-
ties in the period after the Prophet and the first four Caliphs
is certainly the fact that many of those who were in charge of
those societies neglected the legal and constitutional aspects
when creating their states. Without solid laws and regula-
tions clearly determining the rights and duties of rulers and
their subjects, no civilized society can survive.266
It is interesting to note that the Prophet’s previous covenant
with the Muslims of Yathrib during the First and the Second
Pledge of Aqabah was a verbal one. That was not the case with
the Charter of Medina, which was rendered in writing, as if the

266
See: Nijaz Šukrić, MA, Povijest islamske kulture i civilizacije (History of
the Islamic Culture and Civilization), on www.znaci.com

269
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

Prophet, after establishing himself in Medina, wanted to put

all that on paper to make the rights and duties, incorporated
in the constitution and law, available to everyone.
The Charter refers to the rights and duties of many people
and tribes that comprised the society of Medina and its en-
virons at the time, which leads to the conclusion that its text
was a result of discussions and agreements reached by Mu-
hammad, p.b.u.h., his aides, the Companions, the selected
representatives of Medina and other interested parties in it.
This means that the Charter of Medina is not a unilateral act,
that is, an expression of will of one party, but was created on
the most sound bases of democratic governance and debate
of the interested officials in the city and the area around it. As
a document, this constitution was not enacted or granted by
a ruler to his subjects.267
The Charter of Medina contained very important legal
principles and standards, as follows:
- t he unity of the Muslim community (ummah) without
any discrimination;
- t he equality of members of the community with respect
to rights and honor;
- t he cooperation of the community members without in-
justice, sin or enmity to one another;
- t he participation of the whole community in regulating
their relations with enemy; one believer cannot negotiate
peace on his own without participation of the others;
- t he establishing of the society on the best, most proper
and most just laws;
- t he obligation to confront rebels against the Islamic state
and its constitutional order and the prohibition to help
them;
267
Ibid.

270
 17. CHARTER OF MEDINA

-p  rotecting all who wished to live a life of peace and mu-

tual assistance with the Muslims and preventing vio-
lence and injustice against them;
- the non-Muslims are entitled to their religion and prop-
erty, are not coerced to embrace Islam and are not dispos-
sessed of their property;
- t he non-Muslims are also obliged to help the state finan-
cially as are the Muslims;
- t he non-Muslims are obliged to cooperate with the Mus-
lims in defending the state from any enemy;
- t hey are to participate in the funding of a war as long as
the state is in war;
- t he state is obliged to assist every one of them to whom
injustice is done, just as it is obliged to assist a Muslim to
whom injustice is done;
-n  either Muslims nor others are allowed to help and shel-
ter the enemies of the state and their allies;
- i f making peace is in the interest of the community, then
it is an obligation of all its members, Muslims and non-
Muslims alike, to accept the peace;
-o  ne cannot be punished for a sin of another and nobody
has the right to harm another;
- t he state guarantees freedom of movement within and
outside its boundaries;
- the unjust and the criminal do not enjoy protection;
- t he society is based on the principle of mutual assistance
in good deeds and piety, not on sin and enmity;
- t he referenced principles, that is, their implementation
in real life shall be guaranteed by two powers: a) the
power based on an idea, manifested as the faith in Al-
lah, swt, and His supervision, and b) the material power,

271
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

manifested as the state administration, represented by

Muhammad, p.b.u.h.268
The Charter of Medina is an irrefutable proof that the Is-
lamic state was founded on social justice, that peace was the
starting point in the relations between the Muslims and the
non-Muslims, and that the principles of truth, justice and as-
sistance in good deeds and piety, the work for the common
good and the foiling of the unjust and the criminals from
doing harm to society were the most prominent values sup-
ported by the Islamic administration and state. The Charter
also clearly tells that Islam shall not disturb the non-Muslims
living in the Islamic state, or persecute them on the account
of their beliefs or restrict their rights.269
It is owing to this fact that numerous non-Muslim com-
munities, primarily Jewish and Christian ones, not only sur-
vived in Islamic societies, but also enjoyed full freedom of re-
ligion, culture and social development. The history of Islam
offers incontestable proofs that in the lands ruled by Mus-
lims, there were Christians and Jews who worked as promi-
nent physicians, teachers, philosophers, merchants, business-
men. This was possible owing to the spirit of Islam and its
magnificent teachings on freedom and equality of all people,
irrespective of their religious, ethnic or any other affiliation.

268
Dr. Mustafa al-Siba’i, Poslanikov životni put (The Life of the Prophet:
Highlights and Lessons), pp. 34-35.
269
Ibid, p. 41.

272
 18. THE BATTLES OF BADR AND UHUD

Islamic Understanding of Peace and War

Before describing the course and the lessons of the Battle
of Badr and the Battle of Uhud, it is important to briefly touch
on the Islamic understanding of peace and war, as Muslims
are often censured for it. In recent times, some non-Muslim
media in the West have frequently branded Islam as a “vio-
lent religion” that was spread by sword and whose followers
are prone to violence and bloodshed.
With regard to this matter we find it important to present
a brief outline of the view of the International Union for Mus-
lim Scholars (al-Ittihad al-’alami li-s’ulama’ al-muslimin),
gathering prominent Islamic scholars from different parts of
the world. The author of this book is a member of the Union
and its Board of Trustees. The Union, chaired by sheikh Dr.
Yusuf al-Qaradawi, was established at a conference in London
in 2004 and one of the main objectives of its establishment
was to provide a wide framework that would enable Muslim
scholars from different corners of the world to meet, confer
and present common views on the matters concerning Mus-
lims all over the world (the Union has so far gathered several
thousand scholars). The Union works on harmonizing the
divergent views of the different schools of Islamic law (as it
gathers both Sunni and Shi’ite scholars) and synthesizing the
scholars’ theories and results addressing the biggest problems
of the Muslim community nowadays. To that end the Union
publishes books, proclamations and declarations, especially
important publication being the Islamic Charter (al-Mithaq

273
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

al-Islami) presenting a global and well-measured view on the

mission of Islam and the most important issues which con-
cern the Muslims today. The Union calls into an all-inclusive
Islam comprising faith and religious law, religious practice
and manners, ethics and ethical values, the future world and
this world, culture and civilization, community and state. In
this introduction we shall present the Union’s position on the
Islamic understanding of war and peace as expressed in the
Islamic Charter.270
Going back to the time of the Prophet, p.b.u.h., let us re-
call that for thirteen consecutive years in Mecca he called
people to God with wisdom and good advice, not requesting
any reward or anything else from them except to pronounce:
“God is our Lord.”
However, his fellow tribesmen, Quraysh, and the other
idol-worshipping Arabs from the area opposed it and re-
sponded with abuse, persecution, tricks, boycott, torture and,
finally, the expulsion of the Muslims from their homes.
The Muslims would come exhausted and injured to the
Prophet, asking for permission to take up arms and defend
themselves, yet he recommended to them to be patient and
endure the suffering. He used to quote from the Qur’an: Re-
strain yourselves from fighting, perform the prayer ... (4:77)
During the whole Meccan period, the Muslims were con-
tinually in some kind of struggle (jihad), yet it was not a
struggle in which a sword or a spear was their weapon, their
weapon was rather the calling, explaining and conveying the
Revelation. That is what the Qur’an calls the “greater jihad”:
270
I slamic Charter was translated into the Bosnian language by Dr. Safvet
Halilović and Dr. Mehmed Kico and was published as part of the
Resolution of the Islamic Community in Bosnia and Herzegovina on the
Interpretation of Islam, Sarajevo, El-Kalem, 2006. See pp. 123-128. The
Bosnian translation of the Charter was also published separately in
2010. Also see: www.iumsonline.net

274
 18. THE BATTLES OF BADR AND UHUD

So do not give in to the disbelievers: strive hard against them

with this Qur’an. (25:52).
That was a struggle by patience against the tribulations
and abuse that also included the boycott under which the
Muslims ate leaves from trees and the two migrations to Ab-
yssinia. That is when the following verse was revealed: Do
people think they will be left alone after saying ‘We believe’
without being put to the test? (29:2).
A Muslim struggles all his life. He struggles against his
own cravings, the evil surrounding him and the Satan. He
struggles with his tongue and pen in calling to religion. A
Muslim, therefore, is not always an armed combatant. Armed
combat is not always necessary; it must be rooted in specific
reasons which we shall list in this chapter.
There is no doubt that throughout the whole Meccan pe-
riod the Prophet and his friends lived like combatants, but
they waged armed combats only after the migration to Me-
dina.
Therefore, they had fought without arms until they moved
to Medina, whereupon the first Qur’anic verse was revealed al-
lowing them an armed combat in order to defend themselves
and their families: Those who have been attacked are permitted
to take up arms because they have been wronged – God has the
power to help them – those who have been driven unjustly from
their homes only for saying, ‘Our Lord is God.’ (22:39-40)
In the ten years of the Medinan period the Prophet inces-
santly fought armed battles at many fronts: the front against
the Arab idolaters, the front against the hostile Jews and the
front against the Byzantine Empire. For that reason he had
to lead twenty-seven military campaigns (gazwa, pl. gaza-
wat) and to dispatch more than fifty reconnaissance patrols

275
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

commanded by the Companions (sariyya, pl. saraya).271 The

Prophet never initiated a conflict or an attack just for the sake
of it, but each of these campaigns was a response to an actual
or probable enemy attack, as confirmed by all independent re-
searchers of the Prophet’s campaigns, starting from the Bat-
tle of Badr to the Tabuk Campaign. Some enemy attacks were
conducted directly against Muslim homes, as was the case
with the Battle of Uhud and the Battle of the Trench. That is
why some Islamic scholars say that fighting is prescribed for
defense of family members, which is clearly indicated by the
relevant Qur’anic verses and the reliable Hadith.
The words of the Exalted Allah related to the polytheists
suffice to us: So if they withdraw and do not fight you, and of-
fer you peace, then God gives you no way against them. (4:90)
These words are a reference to the situation when fighting is
prohibited.
In the opposite case, the Exalted says: So if they neither
withdraw, nor offer you peace, nor restrain themselves from
fighting you, seize and kill them wherever you encounter them:
We give you clear authority against such people. (4:91)
The assertion that these and similar verses were abrogated
by the so-called “verse of the sword” (ayat al-sayf) is unac-
ceptable, as it is illogical and incomprehensible that Allah’s
speech be abrogated, the speech proven by the absolutely reli-
able (mutawatir) tradition and the opinions of some scholars
who treated the issue of abrogation in the Qur’an.
We should point that the scholars are not unanimous
about which verse is the “verse of the sword”, some of them
arguing in favor of the following words of the Exalted: When
271
We should note here that some sirahs provide different information
about the military campaigns of God’s Messenger. Professor al-Siba’i,
for example, states that Prophet Muhammad, p.b.u.h., participated
in twenty-six campaigns (gazawat) and dispatched thirty-eight
reconnaissance companies (saraya).

276
 18. THE BATTLES OF BADR AND UHUD

the [four] forbidden months are over, wherever you encounter

the idolaters, kill them, seize them, besiege them, wait for them
at every lookout post. (9:5)
The idolaters referred to in this verse are the ones referred
to in the beginning of surah 9, Repentance: A release by God
and His Messenger from the treaty you [believers] made with
the idolaters [is announced]. (9:1) These are not just any idola-
ters, but the ones whom the Exalted Allah and the Prophet
condemned because they had entered into covenant and then
breached it and because they had a foul attitude toward Is-
lam, the Prophet and his calling throughout the whole Mec-
can and Medinan periods.

Islam and Peace

It is a fact that Islam does not want war or fighting and
it does not require shedding of blood. In that respect, the
Qur’an says the following about a crisis between Muslims
and their adversaries that ends without fighting and blood-
shed: God sent back the disbelievers along with their rage –
they gained no benefit – and spared the believers from fighting.
He is strong and mighty. (33:25) These words are undoubt-
edly far-reaching and very convincingly express the peaceful
spirit of Islam: God spared the believers from fighting.
When the conflict at Hudaybiyyah ended in a truce with
Quraysh and peace came to both sides, it was revealed: Truly
We have opened up a path to clear triumph for you [Prophet].
(48:1) Some Companions then asked: “O, Messenger of God,
is this a victory?” He answered: “Yes, this is a victory”,272 al-
though they could not imagine a victory without fighting.
In the same surah, the Exalted Allah informs the faithful
that he did a good thing for them: In the valley of Mecca it
272
Transmitted by Abu Dawud in Sunan, al-Tabarani in al-Kabir and al-
Hakim in al-Mustadrak.

277
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

was He who held their hands back from you and your hands
back from them after He gave you the advantage over them.
(48:24) We should pay particular attention to the notion that
the Exalted Allah did a good thing for the believers by having
held their hands back from their enemy.
The Prophet, that most courageous man, did not like war.
He told the Companions, r.a.: “Do not desire to confront your
enemy. Pray to Allah to save you from it. If you do confront
the enemy, then exercise patience.”273 The Prophet also said:
“The finest names are Abdullah (Allah’s slave or servant) and
Abd al-Rahman (Slave of the Most Merciful), whilst the ugli-
est are Harb (War) and Murra (the Bitter One).”274
So, the Prophet did not like the noun harb or giving chil-
dren the names associating to war, as had been the Arab hab-
it in the pagan era. This clearly shows that Islam calls unto
peace and truly attaches a great importance to it. One of the
proofs is the fact that the Arabic word for peace (salam) is
also used as a greeting among the Muslims in this world and
the Hereafter: When they meet Him they will be greeted with
‘Peace’. (33:44)
One of Allah’s names referred to in the Muslim literature
is al-Salam (the One Who Gives Peace), along with al-Malik
(the King) and al-Quddus (the Holy). For that reason Mus-
lims often name their children Abd al-Salam, and the Para-
dise is often referred to as Dar al-Salam (the House of Peace).
They shall have the Home of Peace with their Lord. (6:127)

Islam and Jihad

In a situation when Muslims are attacked, when enemy
starts desecrating Islamic holy places, objects or scriptures,

273
Transmitted by al-Bukhari and Muslim from Abdullah ibn Abi ‘Awf.
274
Transmitted by Abu Dawud, Ibn Majah and Ahmad.

278
 18. THE BATTLES OF BADR AND UHUD

conquering Muslim lands and smearing the honor of Mus-

lims, Islam encourages its followers to fight and orders them
to spend their lives and wealth to that end. In that regard,
Allah says: How could you not fight a people who have broken
their oaths, who tried to drive the Messenger out, who attacked
you first? Do you fear them? It is God you should fear if you are
true believers. (9:13)
Fighting is ordained for you, though you dislike it. You may
dislike something although it is good for you, or like something
although it is bad for you: God knows and you do not. (2:216)
Some people think that Islam that calls to fighting on the
way of God does not care for peace, that it refuses a call to
peace. That is a misunderstanding about Islam. The Islamic
literature states precisely the reasons for jihad.
Fighting in God’s Cause (jihad) is prescribed for the fol-
lowing reasons:
- To prevent persecution on religious grounds. Fight them
until there is no more persecution, and worship is devoted to
God. (2:193) The Qur’an considers persecution to be worse
and more serious than killing, since killing denotes an as-
sault on man’s physical side, while persecution denotes an
assault on man’s spiritual side. For that reason prevention of
persecution implies protection of religious freedom for eve-
ryone. In such case, fighting denotes a defense of man and
his freedom.
- To save the oppressed from humiliation and oppression.
Why should you not fight in God’s cause and for those op-
pressed men, women, and children. (4:75)
- To ward the enemy off Islamic holy places, objects or
scriptures and vital state institutions. Fight in God’s cause
against those who fight you, but do not overstep the limits.
(2:190). That is an all-inclusive and persistent warding off the

279
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

enemies. You may fight the idolaters at any time, if they first
fight you. (9:36).
However, despite this, Islam shall not shut the door to a
chance of peace and reconciliation if proper conditions are
fulfilled. But if they incline towards peace, you [Prophet]
must also incline towards it, and put your trust in God. (8:61)
The most important reason for reconciliation is cessation of
hostilities, preventing an occupation and reinstatement of
usurped rights.
The fight in the path of God is guided by firm ethics and
discipline. Islam prohibits the killing of women, children,
the elderly, priests, farmers and merchants. It also prohib-
its deception, mutilating corpses, felling trees, pulling down
buildings, contaminating water wells and springs, and the
“scorched earth” strategy, the destruction that leaves nothing
behind. This is established on the basis of authentic Sharia
texts and the practice of the Rightly Guided Caliphs and the
generations of Muslims that came after them.
European historians also admit this when they refer to the
Muslim conquests which actually represented liberation of
peoples from the terror of the old Empires (Persia and By-
zantium). They wrote that history had not known conquests
as just and trouble-free as the ones conducted by Arabs, that
is, Muslims. 275
In his comment on the verses of surah 22, The Pilgrimage,
pursuant to which Muslims were allowed an armed combat,
Dr. Mustafa al-Siba’i, famous Islamic scholar from Syria,
notes that the Exalted Allah made armed expeditions permis-
sible for Muslims in the year 2 AH. The following Qur’anic
verses were revealed in that respect: Those who have been at-
tacked are permitted to take up arms because they have been
275
See: Islamic Charter by the International Union for Muslim Scholars,
pp. 126-127.

280
 18. THE BATTLES OF BADR AND UHUD

wronged – God has the power to help them – those who have
been driven unjustly from their homes only for saying, ‘Our
Lord is God.’ If God did not repel some people by means of oth-
ers, many monasteries, churches, synagogues, and mosques,
where God’s name is much invoked, would have been de-
stroyed. God is sure to help those who help His cause – God is
strong and mighty – those who, when We establish them in the
land, keep up the prayer, pay the prescribed alms, command
what is right, and forbid what is wrong: God controls the out-
come of all events. (22:39-41)
Professor al-Siba’i notes that in these verses Allah clari-
fied that the purpose of the fighting that was prescribed to
the believers was not only protection of freedom of religion
for them alone, but that it would also be beneficial for the fol-
lowers of other religions, that is, Judaism and Christianity. In
that period the Muslims fought against idolaters, who were
not followers of a religion of Divine origin. In case the Mus-
lims gain in strength they would be able to secure protec-
tion of mosques, as well as the Jewish and Christian houses
of worship, so that idolaters and atheists should not prevail
over them, shut down their houses of worship and destroy
the Divine religions. We find this idea clearly expressed in
the verse: If God did not repel some people by means of others,
many monasteries, churches, synagogues, and mosques, where
God’s name is much invoked, would have been destroyed.
Monasteries (al-sawami’) are the places where monks live
in seclusion; al-biya’ are Christian houses of worship, that
is, churches; and al-salawat are synagogues, that is, Jewish
temples. Thus it becomes clear that the goal of waging a war
in Islam is not to destroy the Divine religions and demolish
their houses of worship, but to protect these religions from
supremacy of atheists and idolaters and to prevent athe-
ists and idolaters from shutting down or demolishing these

281
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

houses of worship. 276

Professor al-Siba’i then explains that these verses also
contain a reference to the results of the believers’ victory in
their lawful struggle. These results are not manifested as col-
onization of peoples or their riches, looting of their wealth,
or degrading of their honor, but rather as the benefit for hu-
mankind and society achieved through the following:
a) spreading of spirituality in the world through the
submission to the Creator and performing of the pre-
scribed prayers (... who keep up the prayer... );
b) spreading of social justice among peoples through
alms (... who pay the prescribed alms...);
c) cooperating for the sake of the common good, gen-
erosity and social progress (...who command what is
right...);
d) cooperating in curbing evil, crime and corruption (...
who forbid what is wrong...).
These are, as Dr. al-Siba’i concludes, the results of the be-
lievers’ victory in the war with enemies and of the establish-
ment of the Islamic state that strives for spiritual elevation,
societal solidarity, encouraging man’s evolution toward the
good and preventing him from straying to the path of evil.
He then wonders:
“Which human goal is more sublime than this one for
which fighting was prescribed in Islam? Which struggle in
history is on a par with this goal by its comprehensive benefit
for all men, by the aspiration to build a society on the princi-
ples that would stimulate a humane and constructive devel-
opment and rise of such society, and that would not allow for
a return to the previous ignorance, anarchy, godlessness, wars
276
See: Dr. Mustafa al-Siba’i, Poslanikov životni put (The Life of the Prophet:
Highlights and Lessons), p. 60.

282
 18. THE BATTLES OF BADR AND UHUD

and bloodshed, as it happens with the development achieved

under the fold of the Western materialistic civilization? If we
perceive the objectives and purpose for which fighting in Is-
lam was prescribed, we shall understand the meaning of the
phrase that the struggle is ‘in the name of God’. The struggle
in the name of God (jihad) is a struggle for achieving the
good, peace, happiness and justice in societies. ‘In the name
of God’ means on His path, and a path does not lead to Him
unless it is a path of good, love and helping in the good and
piety, not in sin and injustice.”277

The Battle of Badr

The Battle of Badr took place on 17 Ramadan 2 AH (14
March 624 CE).278 The Prophet set out to intercept a Quraysh
caravan that was returning from al-Sham to Mecca. The car-
avan transporting a valuable cargo was led by Quraysh chief
Abu Sufyan ibn Harb. Having learned of the Prophet’s intent,
he sent a courier to Mecca asking for help. Quraysh sent more
than one thousand well-equipped warriors. They had one
hundred horses, six hundred armored soldiers, seven hun-
dred camels and female slaves who played tambourines and
sang the songs mocking the Muslims. The idolaters’ army
was commanded by Abu Jahl ibn Hisham.
As the Prophet, p.b.u.h., did not anticipate a large-scale
conflict, he rode out to meet the caravan with three hundred
and thirteen or fourteen Muslims, mostly the Ansar. They had
seventy camels and two or three horses. On their way there

277
Ibid., p. 61.
278
The Hijri calendar dates in this book were calculated into the Common
Era dates on the basis of Zejnil Fajić’s Tabelarni pregled hidžretskih
godina preračunatih u godine nove ere (A Tabular Review of the Hijri
Calendar Years and the Equivalent Common Era Years), Second Edition,
Sarajevo, 1999.

283
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

they took turns riding one camel. When he was informed that
the caravan escaped out of their reach and that a huge army
from Mecca was coming their way, the Prophet consulted with
the Companions before entering into conflict. He was particu-
larly keen on hearing the opinion of the Ansar, since the Pledge
of Aqabah specified that the Ansar would defend the Prophet
only in Medina and Badr was beyond the boundaries of Me-
dina. The Emigrants immediately expressed readiness to fight.
However, the Prophet wanted to hear the Ansar’ opinion, so
Sa’d ibn Mu’adh, one of the chiefs of the Ansar, stood out and
said: “O, Messenger of God, we believe in you and everything
you tell us. We bear witness that what you have come with is
true and we have promised and pledged that we would listen
to you and obey you. O, Messenger of God, wherever you want
to go, we will go there with you! By the One Who has sent you
with the Truth, if you took us to the sea and you plunged into
it, we would plunge with you and not one of us would stay
behind. We have nothing against you leading us to face the en-
emy tomorrow. We are fierce and hardened warriors. Perhaps
God will show you something about us that will please you
very much. Lead us with God’s blessing!”
These words made the Prophet very happy and he said:
“Go with God’s blessing and rejoice! God has promised me
one of the two, either the caravan or the ones who have set
off to its rescue.”
The Muslims then resumed the advance and descended
in the immediate vicinity of Badr, where they made an en-
campment. A companion whose name was Khabbab ibn al-
Mundhir asked: “O, Messenger of God, is this a camp that
God has disclosed so we cannot change it or is it a result of
man’s assessment and a war strategy?” The Prophet answered:
“It is an assessment and a war strategy.” Khabbab then ad-
vised that they should move the camp to another location

284
 18. THE BATTLES OF BADR AND UHUD

where the Muslims would be in a better position and where

they could cut the idolaters’ water supply. The Prophet ac-
cepted the suggestion and they moved the camp to the place
Khabbab had indicated.
Sa’d ibn Mu’adh proposed that a shelter for the Prophet be
erected behind the Muslims’ combat lines, so if God helped
them, so much the better, otherwise the Prophet would be
able to return to Medina. He said: “O, Messenger of God,
the people who love you just as much as we do have stayed
behind in Medina, but had they known you were going to a
battle, they would have joined you.” The Prophet then prayed
to God for that loyal Companion and ordered that a shelter
be made from behind which he would be able to watch the
course of the battle. After the Muslim troops were deployed,
the Prophet went to the front line. With his blessed hand he
showed the locations where certain idolater chiefs would get
killed the following day, which instilled additional strength
and confidence in the Muslims. It rained heavily that night,
owing to God’s grace, which refreshed the Muslim fighters
and strengthened their morale and prepared the terrain for
battle. The Prophet spent that night in prayer and one of his
supplications was: “My God, I beseech You by Your promise
and pledge! O, God, if this group of the faithful who fight
perishes, You will not be worshipped on Earth!” He stayed in
prostration for long and rose only when Abu Bakr told him:
“That’s enough! God will keep His promise to you.”
When the two armies clashed the following day, the
Prophet encouraged the Muslims to fight and cheered them
up, inspiring in them a desire for martyrdom -- death on the
way of God. He said: “By the One in Whose hand is my soul,
every man who is slain today, fighting against them with pa-
tience and hope of his reward, advancing not retreating, will
be taken to Paradise by God!”

285
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

The battle started with a mubaraza, a contest of three Mus-

lims and three idolaters. That was a well-established custom
of warfare – three warriors on each side were to test one an-
other’s strength first. From the idolaters ranks the first ones
to get out were brothers ‘Utbah and Shaybah, sons of Rabi’ah’s,
and Walid ibn ‘Utbah, while the first among the Muslims who
got out were three Ansar: ‘Awf and Mu’awwaz, sons of Harith,
and Abdullah ibn Rawah. However, Quraysh refused a con-
test with them and requested that their opponents be the men
they knew and their equals, so the Prophet, p.b.u.h., called Ali,
Hamzah and Abu ‘Ubaydah (ibn Harith ibn Abd al-Muttalib)
to get up and fight. Hamzah and Ali quickly prevailed over
their opponents, whereupon they came to the assistance of
Abu ‘Ubaydah, who had been wounded by his opponent. He
later succumbed to these injuries. Hamzah and Ali killed ‘Ut-
bah, after which the battle flared up and the Muslims won it.
Around seventy idolaters were killed, including the notorious
Abu Jahl, ‘Uqba ibn Abi Mu’ayt and other Quraysh chiefs, and
seventy idolaters were captured. The Prophet, p.b.u.h., ordered
that the killed idolaters be buried in a pit called Kulayb and
then returned to Medina to seek advice of his Companions
about the captives. Umar, r.a., suggested that they all be killed,
while Abu Bakr’s proposal was to ransom them. The Prophet
accepted Abu Bakr’s proposal, so the idolaters ransomed their
fellow-tribesmen who were captured by the Muslims. Those
who did not have the money for ransom could liberate them-
selves by teaching ten Muslims each to read and write.279
Fourteen Companions, six Emigrants and eight Ansar,
were martyred in the Battle of Badr.280 Quite a few verses were
revealed about this battle in the Noble Qur’an. Moreover,
the revelation of almost the complete surah 8, Battle Gains,
279
Al-Mubarakpuri, Zapečaćeni džennetski napitak (The Sealed Nectar),
p. 203.
280
Ibid., p. 198.

286
 18. THE BATTLES OF BADR AND UHUD

was prompted by this event. Allah, swt, says in surah 3: God

helped you at Badr when you were very weak. Be mindful of
God, so that you may be grateful. Remember when you said to
the believers, ‘Will you be satisfied if your Lord reinforces you
by sending down three thousand angels? Well, if you are stead-
fast and mindful of God, your Lord will reinforce you with five
thousand swooping angels if the enemy should suddenly attack
you!’ and God arranged it so, as a message of hope for you [be-
lievers] to put your hearts at rest – help comes only from God,
the Mighty, the Wise – and in order to cut off the flanks of the
disbelievers’ army and frustrate them, to make them withdraw
in total defeat. (3:123-127)
The Prophet, p.b.u.h., was reprimanded for having re-
ceived ransom for the captives. God revealed in that respect:
It is not right for a prophet to take captives before he has con-
quered the battlefield. You [people] desire the transient goods
of this world, but God desires the Hereafter [for you] – God is
mighty and wise – and had it not been preordained by God,
a severe punishment would have come upon you for what you
have taken. So enjoy in a good and lawful manner the things
you have gained in war and be mindful of God: He is forgiving
and merciful. (8:67-69)
The Battle of Badr was the first armed combat between the
Muslims and the idolaters. Allah called this battle al-Furqan
– the differentiator between right and wrong.281 The Muslims’
interception of the caravan cannot be considered pillage or
an armed robbery, as some Orientalists claim, given that the
Muslims left their wealth in Mecca when the idolaters evicted
them. Capturing the caravan would have only partially com-
pensated for what they had to leave behind in Mecca.

281
See: Qur’an 8:41. In his translation of the Qur’an, M.A.S. Abdel Haleem
translates it as “(the day of) the decision”. (translator’s note)

287
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

Lessons of the Battle of Badr

We shall mention a few out of many lessons that may be
drawn from the Battle of Badr.282
1. Battles are won not by the size of the troops and their
equipment, but by the strength of military spirit. The Mus-
lim army in the Battle of Badr represented a pure idea, firm
faith, desire for God’s reward and Paradise, as well as lib-
eration from fallacy and corruption. The idolaters’ army, on
the other hand, was a personification of religious straying,
moral corruption and blind faith in ancestral customs and
fabricated deities. On the eve of the battle the idolaters were
busy drinking wine while their female slaves sang and played
tambourine for them. They thought that this was the way to
victory. Contrary to this, on the eve of the battle the Muslims
turned their hearts to God, prayed to Him for victory and
hoped for martyrdom in His path. Before the battle, Prophet
Muhammad, p.b.u.h., humbly prayed in prostration to God
to help His slaves. The outcome was a victory of the God-
fearing and the humble and a defeat of the ones who were
preoccupied with entertainment and self-indulgence.
2. Soldiers’ resolve, enthusiasm and desire to fight encour-
age a commander to execute his plan and increase his be-
lief in success and victory. That is exactly what happened at
Badr.
3. A commander must not force his troops to fight if they
are not satisfied and determined. He can lead them only when
he is convinced of their readiness. That is what the Prophet,
p.b.u.h., did on the eve of the Battle of Badr, when he sought
advice of his Companions before he ventured into a battle.

282
The majority of the lessons that follow are taken over from Siba’i’s work
Poslanikov životni put – pouke i poruke (The Life of the Prophet: High-
lights and Lessons).

288
 18. THE BATTLES OF BADR AND UHUD

4. Soldiers’ concern for their commander’s life stems from

their desire for success of the mission and battle and the
commander should accept it, as his life means the life of the
mission and his death means its end. In the Battle of Badr,
the Prophet, p.b.u.h., agreed to the erection of a special shel-
ter for him, while in the other battles (such as the Battle of
Uhud and the Battle of Hunayn), the devout believers, men
and women alike, shielded the Prophet from enemy’s arrows
with their bodies, exposing themselves to mortal danger. It
is not known that the Prophet ever contested that act despite
his personal courage, but actually praised the ones who pro-
tected him with their bodies. One such example was when he
prayed that Umm ‘Umarah (Nusaybah bint Ka’b), her hus-
band and children be his companions in Paradise.
5. God helps His sincere slaves with His hosts, as He did
by sending angels at Badr and by sending wind in the Battle
against the Confederates. God does not abandon those who
fight in His way: We make it Our duty to help the believers
(30:47); and: God will defend the believers ... (22:38)
6. It is in the nature of a true missionary to care for the
guidance to his enemies and to always allow for a possibil-
ity that God may bring about their change of heart. We,
therefore, understand the Prophet’s decision to ransom the
captives of Badr in that light. In that way he demonstrated
that he wished for them to receive God’s guidance and leave
behind the progeny that would worship God. The Qur’anic
reprimand to the Prophet means that another higher interest
existed at the time, which was to scare God’s enemies and an-
nihilate the leaders of the evil and fallacy. If the Prophet had
the captives of Badr killed, the resistance of Quraysh would
have weakened because of the destruction of their leaders
and war mongers.283
283
There are also other reasons why the Prophet, p.b.u.h., accepted the

289
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

7. The Prophet’s acceptance of Khabbab’s proposal is

an indication of his respect for the views of his Companions
and fellow fighters. This is, actually, an indication of the
importance Islam attaches to shura (consultation, consultative
council), in line with the words of Allah, swt: wa shawirhum
fi al-amr! - Consult with them about matters! (3:159) One
of the great problems of the present-day Muslims is the
absence of the principle of shura. Events from recent and
ancient history teach us that a dictator’s arrogance destroys
his people and leads it to an abyss from which it cannot
find a way out for dozens, or even hundreds, of years. The
Prophet’s acceptance of Khabbab’s advice should serve as an
example to every honest ruler, wise commander and sincere
missionary. A consultation (shura) is one of the outstanding
qualities of governance in Islam: … conduct their affairs by
mutual consultation. (42:38)

The Battle of Uhud

This battle took place on 15 Shawwal 3 AH (10 April 625
CE). The battle was triggered by Quraysh’ wish to take revenge

ransom. We can quote the example of Prophet’s uncle Abbas, who was
one of the captives at Badr. It is well-known that he had helped the
Prophet and the Muslims in Mecca earlier. He had secretly participated
with the Prophet at the Second Pledge of Aqabah and he had also
informed him about the movements of Quraysh. This tells that he was
a Muslim, but that he kept it a secret. Could the Prophet then have him
killed under such circumstances? If the Prophet had him and the other
captives killed, he would have breached the Sharia law that prohibits
shedding of a believer’s blood, provided that Abbas was a believer. Had
he exempted him from ransom, his enemies would have used it to
slander him and diminish the trust in his fairness and the impartiality
of his preaching, given that his law did not distinguish between
relatives and non-relatives when it came to the enemies of God and
His Messenger, and Abbas was on their side at that time. Naturally,
such conduct would not have been in the interest of his mission.

290
 18. THE BATTLES OF BADR AND UHUD

for the defeat at Badr. Quraysh prepared long for that action
and when they felt ready, they set off toward Medina. More
than three thousand warriors set off, including seven hundred
soldiers under armor, two hundred horsemen and seventeen
women (or fifteen, according to some sources), including Abu
Sufyan’s wife Hind bint ‘Utbah, whose father had been killed
at Badr. They marched until they reached a valley at the foot of
the hill of Uhud, two miles north of Medina.
When the Prophet, p.b.u.h., received the news that Quraysh
were preparing for a new attack, he assembled the Compan-
ions for consultations. He and some Companions were of the
opinion that they should not come out of Medina to meet
the enemy, but should stay within the city and from there re-
pel the enemy should they be attacked. However, other Emi-
grants and Ansar, especially the ones who had not been at
Badr and had not have the privilege to fight there, were of a
different opinion: they thought that the Muslims should get
out of the city and clash with the idolaters in their encamp-
ment. The Prophet nevertheless accepted the latter opinion,
went home, put his armor on, took his spear and emerged
before the Muslims with his sword belted on. Those who had
insisted that they should get out of Medina felt remorse as, in
a way, they had pressed the Prophet to act contrary to his own
opinion. They told him: “It was not our intention to oppose
you. If you wish to go - go, if you don’t – then stay inside the
city.” The Prophet answered: “It does not become a prophet to
take off his combat attire once he had put it on, until God has
decided on the outcome of a conflict between him and his
enemies.” Then the Muslims, around one thousand in total,
including one hundred armored soldiers and only two horse-
men, went out together with the Prophet.
When they came half-way, the hypocrites’ leader Abdullah
ibn Ubayy ibn Salul retreated with three hundred hypocrites

291
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

(munafiqun) and thus betrayed the Muslims at the most criti-

cal moment. The Prophet, p.b.u.h., continued his march un-
til he reached Uhud. He stood with the hill behind his back
and facing the idolaters and then lined up the troops, divided
them into groups and designated the commander for each
group. He carefully selected fifty archers headed by Abdullah
ibn Jubayr to protect the Muslim rear. He then said: “Protect
our rear so that they do not attack us from behind! Shoot
arrows against them because horses avoid arrows. Victory
will be ours if you hold your positions firmly.” According to
another tradition, he also told them: “If you see us winning
and collecting the spoils of war, do not leave your positions;
likewise, if you see us losing and vultures eating our flesh, do
not leave your positions!”284
Just before the battle, the Prophet, p.b.u.h., tried to lift
the Companions’ combat morale. He raised his sword high
and asked: “Who wants to take my sword?” All Companions
shouted: “I do, O, Messenger of God!” The sword was given
to Abu Dujana, a man who fought heroically and shielded the
Messenger with his body.
The Battle started and Quraysh were taken aback by the
Muslims’ fighting spirit. The archers were deployed at the po-
sition designated by the Prophet and Quraysh standard soon
fell down as nine standard bearers, all members of the Banu
Abd al-Dar tribe, were killed. The idolaters started retreating
and fleeing the battlefield. The Muslim fighters then started
collecting the spoils of war they found in the idolaters’ camp.
When the archers, who were tasked with protecting the Mus-
lim army’s rear, saw such development, they said: “What are
we doing here when God has given victory to His Messen-
ger?” They started considering leaving their positions in or-
284
Amr Khaled, Stopama Miljenika, sallallahu alejhi ve sellem (On the
Path of the Beloved), Novi Pazar, 2007, p. 146.

292
 18. THE BATTLES OF BADR AND UHUD

der to take their share of the spoils. Their commander Ab-

dullah ibn Jubayr reminded them of the Prophet’s order, but
they answered that the battle was over and that there was no
need for them to stay in that position any longer. Abdullah,
r.a., and another ten men refused to leave their positions.
Khalid ibn al-Walid, the commander of the right wing of
the idolaters’ cavalry, noticed that the archers were no longer
protecting the rear of the Muslim army, so he returned and
attacked the Muslims from behind. The Muslim fighters who
were busy collecting the spoils did not notice it until the pa-
gans’ swords started striking at them from all sides. There was
confusion in the Muslim ranks and rumors also spread that
the Prophet, p.b.u.h., was killed. A number of Muslims start-
ed fleeing toward Medina, which enabled the pagans to reach
the Prophet’s position. On that occasion, the Prophet suffered
a wound to his face, his knee was bruised and his lower lip
cut. His helmet broke and its two sharp rings penetrated his
blessed cheek. Although the pagans attacked with all might
to kill him, a group of believers around the Prophet resisted
bravely. One of them, Abu Dujana, stood in front of the Proph-
et shielding him from the idolaters’ arrows that would rest in
his, Abu Dujana’s, back. Among the chosen ones was Sa’d ibn
Abi Waqqas, who shot nearly a thousand arrows on that day.
Also present was Umm ‘Umarah (Nusaybah bint Ka’b), who
stopped tending and giving water to the wounded and started
fighting with sword and arrows, defending the Prophet, until
she was heavily wounded in her neck. Her husband and two
sons were together with her. On seeing that, the Prophet said:
“May God bless you, O family of the Prophet!” Nusaybah asked
him: “Please pray to God that we keep your company in Para-
dise.” And the Prophet prayed: “O God, please make them my
companions in Paradise!” She then said: “I no longer care for
what happened to me in this world!” The Prophet afterward
said about her: “Whenever I turned left or right that day at

293
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

Uhud, I saw her fighting in front of me.” In that battle she sus-
tained a total of twelve wounds from spears and swords.
At the moments of the most fierce fighting, Ubayy ibn
Khalaf tried to come near the Prophet and kill him. He had
sworn before that he would do it. When the Prophet noticed
it, he took a spear and hit Ubayy in his neck and Ubayy died.
Some biographers state that that was the only man whom the
Prophet personally killed in all of his military campaigns.285
After that Talha ibn ‘Ubaydillah lifted the Prophet on his
shoulders and the Prophet looked in the direction of the pa-
gans and saw a group of them standing high up on a hill. He
dispatched a group of believers to force them to descend say-
ing: “It is not befitting that they should be above us. Our God,
we do not have strength unless it is from You!” The battle was
soon over and Abu Sufyan rejoiced at the pagans’ revenge for
the defeat at Badr: “This is for what you did to us at Badr!”
The sirahs abound with details about this battle. At the
moments of confusion in the Muslim ranks, when the idola-
ters flocked from all sides to kill the Prophet, p.b.u.h., Umar
said: “O, Prophet of God, curse your people!” “I have not
been sent to curse anyone, but as a mercy. I am a mercy sent
down”, said the Prophet and then lifted his hands toward
the skies and prayed: “Allahum-ahdi qawmi fa-innahum la
ya’lamun – O God, please instruct my people, because they are
really ignorant!”
Allah revealed several verses about this battle with which
He healed the wounds of the believers and advised them of
the causes of their defeat. So, in surah 3, The Family of Imran,
He says: Do not lose heart or despair – if you are true believers
you have the upper hand – if you have suffered a blow, they too
have suffered one like it. We deal out such days among peo-
ple in turn, for God to find out who truly believes, for Him to
285
Al-Siba’i, supra at 46.

294
 18. THE BATTLES OF BADR AND UHUD

choose martyrs from among you – God does not love evildoers
– for Him to cleanse those who believe and for Him to destroy
the disbelievers. Did you think you would enter the Garden
without God first proving which of you would struggle for His
cause and remain steadfast? (3:139-142).
He also revealed: God fulfilled His promise to you: you
were routing them, with His permission, but then you faltered,
disputed the order, and disobeyed, once He had brought you
within sight of your goal – some of you desire the gains of this
world and others desire the world to come – and then He pre-
vented you from [defeating] them as a punishment. He has
now forgiven you: God is most gracious to the believers. You
fled without looking back while the Messenger was calling out
to you from behind, and God rewarded you with sorrow for
sorrow. [He has now forgiven you] so that you may not grieve
for what you missed or for what happened to you. God is well
aware of everything you do. (3:152-153)

The Martyrs of Uhud

Around seventy Muslims and twenty-three idolaters were
killed in the Battle of Uhud. The Muslim fighters displayed
exceptional courage and steadfastness in the battle for Islam.
We shall mention some moving examples of the Muslims
who died on the way of Allah.
Mus’ab ibn ‘Umayr – God’s Prophet entrusted Mus’ab ibn
‘Umayr with the standard, as he had done at Badr. To be a
standard bearer in a combat meant a great honor, but also ex-
posure to great risk as the enemy always tried to first knock
down the standard bearer. At Uhud, Mus’ab, r.a., carried the
banner of Islam proudly and courageously. When the pagans
attacked from behind and broke through the Muslim ranks,
hardly anyone looked for the standard. Mus’ab marched
firmly next to Allah’s Messenger. Suddenly, the notorious

295
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

Ibn Qam’ah dashed at him and struck him with a sword at

the hand in which Mus’ab carried the standard. The strike
was so powerful that it severed Mus’ab’s hand. He seized the
flag with his other hand, but Ibn Qam’ah severed it, too. The
bearer’s hand and the standard of God’s Prophet fell to dust.
Mus’ab then seized the flag with his amputated arms, held
it close to his body, so it still waved. Ibn Qam’ah attacked
Mus’ab for a third time and stabbed him with a spear, where-
upon Mus’ab fell dead on the ground.286
Hanzala (The One Bathed by Angels) – On his wedding
day, Hanzala heard a town-crier summoning to battle. He
responded at once, not having enough time to have a bath.
He fought courageously and fell as a martyr. The Prophet,
p.b.u.h., said that he saw angels bathing Hanzala after he had
been slain.
Hamzah ibn Abd al-Muttalib – When Prophet’s uncle
Hamzah realized the difficult situation of the Muslims in
the Battle of Uhud, he set off with one group toward the hill
abandoned by the archers, trying to recapture that position
of utmost strategic importance. While Hamzah fought he-
roically knocking down everyone who came his way, Wahshi
hit him with a spear from the back so that it pierced through
and out of his chest. Wahshi did not fight at Uhud, but came
there with one task only – to kill Hamzah. He was sent by
Abu Sufyan’s wife Hind, who wanted to avenge the death of
her father ‘Utbah at the Battle of Badr. She was not satisfied
with Hamzah’s death only, but she also mutilated his dead
body, cut out his heart and liver and bit at them in a display
of tremendous hatred for Hamzah and Muslims.
Amr ibn Jamuh – As a man with a limp, Amr fell into the
category of those exempt from fighting. He had four sons and
286
Dr. Abd al-Rahman Ra’fat al-Basha, Iz života ashaba (Tales from the
Companions’ Lives), Zenica, 1997, p. 391.

296
 18. THE BATTLES OF BADR AND UHUD

they told him: “Father, stay at home, we will go and fight in-
stead of you.” He disagreed, went to see the Prophet and told
him: “O, Messenger of God, I want to set this limping foot of
mine on the ground of Paradise!” The Prophet laughed and
told his sons to let him go to fight. Amr fought bravely and at
one moment turned toward Medina and said: “My God, pray
do not take me back to Medina.” He fell as a martyr and the
Prophet said: “I see Amr ibn Jamuh walking in Paradise with
his limp!”287
Abdullah ibn Haram. Abdullah had nine daughters and
a son named Jabir. As they could not agree which of the two
of them would go to battle, they threw a dice and it pointed at
the father. The son started crying out of sorrow that he would
not take part in the battle. The father said: “I hope for Para-
dise, God willing!” When Abdullah got killed, Jabir wished
to see his father’s body, but the Companions did not allow it
as the body was stabbed through and through. The Prophet,
p.b.u.h., told him: “Rejoice Jabir, Allah speaks to mortals only
from behind a veil, but to your father He spoke in Paradise
without a veil (kifahan). Angels make shade to him all the
time.” The Exalted Allah revealed on that occasion: “[Proph-
et], do not think of those who have been killed in God’s way as
dead. They are alive with their Lord, well provided for, happy
with what God has given them of His favour; rejoicing that for
those they have left behind who have yet to join them there is
no fear, nor will they grieve; [rejoicing] in God’s blessing and
favour, and that God will not let the reward of the believers be
lost.” (3:169-171)

Lessons of the Battle of Uhud

The Battle of Uhud carries many lessons that are universal
and valid for all times and we will mention some.
287
Amr Khaled, supra at 151-152.

297
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

1. A breach of order of a wise and reasonable leader leads

to defeat. If the archers that Prophet Muhammad, p.b.u.h.,
deployed to protect the Muslim army rear had stayed in their
positions, as he had ordered, the pagans would not have been
able to attack the Muslims from behind and to turn the tide
of the battle, from defeat in the beginning to victory at the
end. This is how disobedience to leader plays into enemy’s
hands. Allah warned the believers of a punishment should
they oppose the orders of His Prophet: “Those who go against
his order should beware lest a trial afflict them or they receive
a painful punishment.” (24:63)
2. Human greed leads to ruin and defeat, just as it hap-
pened at Uhud when the archers left their positions snatching
greedily at the spoils. It is fair to say that all commotion on
earth is stirred by human greed. People cheat, lie, steal and
kill out of greed. A believer must not be greedy, especially not
the one who calls to Islam. If the missionaries of Islam do
not fight and cure themselves of this malignant disease, they
will not have any influence on the people they call to faith,
because the people will regard them with suspicion as those
who want to attain benefits of this world under the guise of
religion and revival.
3. The heroic conduct of Nusaybah bint Ka’b, known as
Umm ‘Umarah, who stayed together with her husband and
sons by the Prophet’s side at the moments when the Mus-
lims were crushed at Uhud, is a part of the ample evidence
of the significant contribution the Muslim women made to
the struggle for Islam. This shows us that there is a dire need
nowadays for Muslim women to carry again the torch of call-
ing to God, to make the call to other women, to raise their
children to love God and the Prophet, to be committed to
Islam and its teachings, and to work for the common good
and development of society.

298
 18. THE BATTLES OF BADR AND UHUD

4. The wounding of the Prophet at Uhud is a consolation to

missionaries for the bodily troubles that they experience in the
way of God, for harassment in prisons and detention camps,
and for death by execution or assassination. Said the Exalted
Allah in His book: “Alif Lam Mim. Do people think they will be
left alone after saying ‘We believe’ without being put to the test?
We tested those who went before them: God will certainly mark
out which ones are truthful and which are lying.” (29:1-3)
5. The mutilation of the fallen Muslims by the pagans at
Uhud, especially the Prophet’s uncle Hamzah, r.a., shows that
Muslims’ enemies have neither ethics nor compassion. Muti-
lating a dead person will not cause pain to that person, but it
is a sign of the utmost malice on the part of the person doing
it. Even nowadays we watch the images of mutilated Muslims
around the world, suffice it to recall Palestine, Chechnya,
the Philippines, Bosnia, Iraq and other places where Muslim
blood was or is still being shed. Even nowadays, just as in the
Battle of Uhud, hostile groups, imbued with hatred, demon-
strate the worst kinds of evil, disgrace and malice against the
believers who live this life with a genuine and sincere faith in
One and Only God, His Prophets and the Hereafter.
6. The Prophet’s fighting in the first ranks in the battles
and direct engaging in clashes, save when the Companions
advised him otherwise, is a sign that leadership belongs to
the courageous and the steadfast only. This means that the
cowards and the indecisive are not capable of ruling nations,
commanding armies or leading renaissance movements and
missions promoting the good. A leader’s courage in a bat-
tlefield shall inspire in his comrades and followers the fight-
ing spirit and resolve of the kind that a thousand political
speeches cannot. It is natural that fighters and followers draw
their strength from the resolve and strength of their leader or
commander. If he acts cowardly in the times of conflict, or

299
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

backs off or buckles in the face of troubles, he will cause huge

harm to the mission at whose helm he stands.
7. The good things that happen to man come from God
and the bad things that befall him are a result of some per-
sonal mistake or sin. After the defeat at Uhud, the Exalted
Allah revealed: Why do you [believers] say, when a calamity
befalls you, even after you have inflicted twice as much dam-
age [on your enemy], ‘How did this happen?’ [Prophet], say,
‘You brought it upon yourselves.’ God has power over every-
thing (3:165)

300
 19. EVENTS OF THE YEARS 4 AND 5 AH

In the morning following their return to Medina,288 the

Prophet, p.b.u.h., ordered the combatants of the Battle of
Uhud to get ready and attack the pagan troops retreating to-
ward Mecca. The objective of that operation was to protect
Medina from a potential attack and demonstrate to the en-
emy that the Muslims were not defeated despite the casual-
ties suffered at Uhud.
Although exhausted by the events at Uhud,
the Companions accepted the Prophet’s suggestion
unquestioningly. The Muslim troops, led by the Prophet, got

288
Al-Mubarakpuri says in his al-Rahiq al-makhtum (p. 283, and likewise
in the English translation, The Sealed Nectar) that the Prophet returned
to Medina on Saturday, 7 Shawwal. However, this is wrong because
it is a common knowledge that the Battle of Uhud happened on 15
Shawwal. Imam Ibn Kathir, a scholar renowned for his precision and
critical approach, quotes in his work al-Bidaya wa al-nihaya (IV, p. 11) a
tradition from Ibn Ishaq that the Battle of Uhud happened mid-Shawwal
3 AH. Other prominent Islamic scholars, such as Dr. Mustafa al-Siba’i
and Professor Abu al-Hasan Ali al-Nadwi, also argue in favor of that date
(See: al-Siba’i, Poslanikov životni put [The Life of the Prophet: Highlights
and Lessons], p. 44; al-Nadwi, al-Sirah al-nabawiyya, Dar Ibn Kathir,
Damascus, 2004, p. 321.) Moreover, Ibn Hisham specifically reports in
his Sirah: “The Battle of Uhud happened on Saturday, mid-Shawwal. The
following day, Sunday, on the sixteenth night of the month of Shawwal,
the herald of the Messenger of God called people to set out to pursue
the enemy...” (See: Ibn Hisham, Poslanikov životopis [A Biography of the
Prophet], p. 149). So, al-Mubarakpuri is wrong, because, if the Battle of
Uhud happened on 15 Shawwal, how could the Prophet have possibly
returned from that battle to Medina on 7 Shawwal?

301
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

on their way and when they reached the place called Hamra
al-Asad, eight miles off Medina, they camped there. Taking
advantage of their own size and armament the pagans tried
to put pressure on the Muslims, but they failed to make the
Muslims waver or scared. Allah revealed: Those whose faith
only increased when people said, ‘Fear your enemy: they
have amassed a great army against you,’ and who replied,
‘God is enough for us: He is the best protector’ ... (3:173)
Having seen the resolve and the firmness of the Muslim
troops, the pagans decided to retreat toward Mecca and not
engage in a new battle with them.
Owing to this operation, the Prophet, p.b.u.h., succeeded
in lifting the morale of the Muslim fighters, which was very
important after Uhud. In addition to it, the political stand-
ing of the nascent Muslim state would have been consider-
ably shaken without a counteraction to the defeat at Uhud.
Many Arab tribes would have swiftly attacked Medina and
the Muslims would have been exposed to great danger. The
swift post-Uhud reaction showed that the Muslims were de-
termined fighters and that one defeat could not halt them.
This is an important lesson to Muslims – one should never
show weakness in front of an enemy, but firmness and re-
solve.

The Campaign against the Banu Nadir in 4 AH

After the Battle of Uhud, God’s Prophet undertook sev-
eral military operations in order to intimidate enemies and
restore the reputation of the Muslim community. One such
operation was the raid against the Banu Asad, commanded
by Abu Salamah ibn Abd al-Asad, in the month of Muharram
4 AH. In that same month Abdullah ibn Unays launched his
raid against Muslim enemies, and the Muslims triumphed in
both campaigns.

302
 19. EVENTS OF THE YEARS 4 AND 5 AH

Two tragic events happened in the month of Safar of the

same year: in the places of al-Raji’ and Bi’r Ma’una the Proph-
et’s Companions who had been sent as teachers of Islam to
the tribes in these places were killed. These events greatly
saddened the Prophet, p.b.u.h.289
289
S irahs record a very interesting story about the killing of companions
Khubayb ibn Adiyy and Asim ibn Thabit, r.a. At the request of the
Banu Lihyan tribe, the Prophet sent six Companions to teach Islam to
them. However, their hosts betrayed them and handed them over to
the hostile tribe of Khuzayl. Although the six of them fought heroically,
four died as martyrs (including the group leader Asim ibn Thabit, r.a.)
and two were captured and sent to Mecca as a blood-money, one of
them being Khubayb ibn Adiyy, r.a. The pagans decided to crucify him
alive. Before the execution he asked to be allowed to perform two cycles
of the ritual prayer, they allowed it and he did so, and when he finished
he told them: “By God, had I not feared you would think I’m afraid
of you, I would have prayed longer!” After that, they crucified him.
Dying, he prayed: “Allahumma, ahsi-him ‘adada, waqtulhum badada,
wa la tugadir minhum ahada! O, Allah, defeat and destroy them all and
do not leave a single one alive!” Khubayb’s prayer had such an effect
on his executioners that they froze in fear and fell to the ground. This
true believer then recited the following verses: “Wa lastu ubali hina
uktalu musliman, ‘ala ayyi janbin kana fillahi masra’i!”, or “When I am
killed as a Muslim, it does not matter on which side I will fall for the
sake of Allah”. Having heard these verses, Quraysh lord Abu Sufyan
asked Khubayb: “Don’t you wish that you were with your family
and Muhammad were in your place?” “No, by Allah”, said Khubayb,
“I would not like to be with my family now and that Muhammad,
p.b.u.h., were hurt by a thorn there where he is now!” That is what the
great companion Khubayb ibn Adiyy, r.a., said and we say: “O, Exalted
Allah, please reward Khubayb, and make us love Prophet Muhammad
as Khubayb did and gather us together in Paradise!”
Th
 is example is indicative of the Companions’ love for God’s Prophet
and the extent of the sacrifice they were ready to make for Islam.
Khubayb, r.a., does not wish Muhammad to be in his shoes, moreover,
he does not even wish the Prophet to be hurt by a thorn wherever he
may be at the moment! How strong and unwavering his faith is! Great
Islamic scholar, hafiz al-Dhahabi, states that Khubayb ibn Adiyy was
the first person in Islam who prayed two cycles before execution in the

303
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

The Medinan Jews and the hypocrites used the tragic

events at ar-Raji’ and Bi’r Ma’una to recall Quraysh victory
at Uhud in order to chip on the credibility of the Messenger
and the Companions and call into question the future of the
nascent state. The Messenger realized that the hypocrites and
the Jews were scheming and something needed to be done to
foil their plans.
The Jewish tribe of Banu Nadir lived in the vicinity of Me-
dina and they were known as the confederates of the Khazraj
tribe. They made a peace and cooperation pact with the Mus-
lims, however they were prone to treason and fraud, which
made them breach the pact. Biographers state that the Proph-
et, p.b.u.h., once visited them with a group of Companions.
The Jews had devised a plan to kill him by throwing a large
stone on him from a rooftop. The Prophet sensed something
was going on, so he jumped saying that he had an urgent er-
rand to tend to and set off to Medina. The Companions soon
path of God, a fine act and inauguration of a fine tradition. (See: al-
Dhahabi, Tahdhib Siyar a’alam al-nubala’ Mu’assasat al-risala, Beirut,
1991, I, p. 27). Biographers also recorded that this Companion was
seen eating grapes in captivity. As there were no grapes at all in Mecca
at that time, we can conclude that it was one of the miracles that Allah
bestowed on Khubayb in this world. See: al-Mubarakpuri, Zapečaćeni
džennetski napitak (The Sealed Nectar), p. 261.
A
 sim ibn Thabit r.a., was the leader of the group that the Prophet dis-
patched to the Banu Lihyan. He got killed in the clash with the Khuzayl
tribe. Quraysh dispatched a party to retrieve his body in order to be
sure that he was dead, since Asim had killed one Quraysh lord in the
Battle of Badr. However, the pagans could not approach his body since
Allah sent a swarm of bees to protect it. Asim, r.a., had earlier prayed
to Allah that no pagan hand should touch his body, and his prayer was
answered! When Umar, r.a., heard of this, he said: “Allah, the Exalted,
verily protects His believing slave after his death, just as He does during
his life.” See: Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah, Zad al-ma’ad, II, pp. 109-110,
and Sahih al-Bukhari, II, pp. 568-569. Quoted as per: al-Mubarakpuri,
al-Rahiq al-makhtum, p. 293.

304
 19. EVENTS OF THE YEARS 4 AND 5 AH

caught up with him and he told them about the intentions of

the Banu Nadir. He then sent Muhammad ibn Maslamah to
tell the Jews that they had to leave Medina because of treason.
They were given ten days to move out. After the ultimatum,
the Banu Nadir prepared for the move, but Abdullah ibn
Ubayy ibn Salul, the leader of the hypocrites, sent an envoy
to dissuade them from migration and tell them that Ubayy
would send two thousand men to defend them. So, the Jews
changed their minds and gave up the migration. They forti-
fied themselves and sent a message to the Prophet: “We shall
not leave our homes and you can do whatever you want!”
After that the Prophet, p.b.u.h., and his Companions set
out toward the Banu Nadir. Ali, r.a., was the standard bearer.
When the Jews noticed the Muslims, they started shooting
arrows and throwing stones at them. The assistance prom-
ised to them by the hypocrites’ leader was not arriving. The
Muslims held them surrounded for several days, whereupon
the Jews agreed to move out and the Prophet allowed them to
do so, under the condition that they would not carry weap-
ons and would take only as much wealth as their camels
could carry. In return, their lives would be protected and not
a single drop of their blood would be shed. While they were
leaving they grabbed everything they could and pulled down
their houses so that the Muslims could not use them. One
part of the tribe settled in Khaybar, a place some hundred
miles away from Medina, the other in the region of Jarash, in
southern al-Sham. Only two Jews converted to Islam.
Surah 59, The Gathering [of Forces], was revealed with re-
spect to this battle: It was He who drove those of the People
of the Book who broke faith out from their homes at the first
gathering of Forces – you [believers] never thought they would
go, and they themselves thought their fortifications would pro-
tect them against God. God came up on them from where they

305
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

least expected and put panic into their hearts: their homes
were destroyed by their own hands, and the hands of the be-
lievers. Learn from this, all of you with insight! If God had not
decreed exile for them, He would have tormented them [even
more severely] in this world. In the Hereafter they will have the
torment of the Fire because they set themselves against God
and His Messenger: God is stern in punishment towards any-
one who sets himself against Him. (59:2-4)
The defeat of Banu Nadir and their migration out of Me-
dina was very important for several reasons:
1. The Muslims got hold of large spoils of war which
were mostly distributed to the Emigrants since they
had left their property in Mecca.
2. Further presence of the hostile Banu Nadir Jews in
Medina might have led to civic unrest since, with
their proclivity to treachery and fraud, they con-
tinually encouraged the hypocrites in their plotting
against the Muslims.
3. Whenever Medina was under attack, the Jews posed
a threat, as they always sided with the enemy. It is
important to stress here that the expulsion of the
Banu Nadir from Medina was a result of their trea-
son and breach of the pact they had concluded with
the Prophet and the Muslims.
Another two events marked the year 4 AH: the fact that a
retaliation battle at Badr did not take place in the month of
Sha’ban and a campaign known as Dhat al-Riqa’. Quraysh
leader Abu Sufyan had vowed that he would command an-
other battle against the Muslims on the anniversary of the
Battle of Uhud, but he went back home because the year was
rainless and fruitless, which he considered to be a bad omen.

306
 19. EVENTS OF THE YEARS 4 AND 5 AH

The Prophet had prepared well for that battle, made encamp-
ment with the Muslim army at Badr, but the battle did not
occur. Verses 168-175 of surah 3, The Family of Imran, were
revealed with respect to this event.
When the Prophet returned to Medina, he received the
news that one group from the tribe of Ghatafan in Najd was
mounting an army against him. He decided to surprise them
before they finished their preparations. Having gathered sev-
eral hundred troops, he set out to a journey of around 300
kilometers. That campaign was called Dhat al-Riqa’. The
Muslims did not have enough camels, so six men would take
turn on one camel. Abu Musa al-Ash’ari, r.a., described the
journey: “The six of us took turns on one camel. The jour-
ney was so exhausting that our clothes were torn, our toe
nails fell off and our feet were sore, so we would shred the
remaining clothes into strips and wrap our feet in them.”290
When the Muslims reached their destination, they carried
out a surprise assault. Their enemies fled leaving behind their
equipment and wealth.

The Battle against the Confederates (Gazwat al-Ahzab)

This battle, also known as the Battle of the Trench
(Khandak), took place in the month of Shawwal 5 AH
(which started on 23 February 627 CE). After the expulsion
of the Banu Nadir, their exiled leaders went to Mecca incit-
ing Quraysh to fight Prophet Muhammad, the call Quraysh
heeded. Then the Banu Nadir leaders went to the Ghatafan
tribe, where the Banu Fazarah and the Banu Murrah clans
heeded their call and headed toward Medina. When the
Prophet, p.b.u.h., learned of that movement, he sought ad-
vice from his Companions. Salman al-Farisi proposed that
290
Amr Khaled, Stopama Miljenika, sallallahu alejhi ve sellem (On the
Path of the Beloved), p. 159.

307
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

they dig a trench (Arabic: khandak) around Medina in the

line of potential attack. The proposal was accepted and the
Prophet ordered the digging to begin and personally par-
ticipated in that huge enterprise. During the digging the
Prophet, p.b.u.h., demonstrated to the Companions several
miracles – supernatural acts, the privilege bestowed on him
by the Almighty God.291
When Quraysh and their Confederates arrived, some ten
thousand troops in total, they were surprised by the trench
as such war stratagem was unknown to Arabs. Huyayy ibn
Akhtab, who had also engaged in inciting Quraysh and the
Confederates to fight the Muslims, visited Ka’b ibn Asad, the
chief of the Banu Qurayzah (a Jewish tribe that lived inside
291
S irah authors recorded the following: (1) the digging of the trench
around Medina was an extremely exhausting activity. There was a
shortage of food at the time and the diggers were hungry. Jabir ibn
Abdullah, r.a., wanted to treat the Prophet to a lunch and he told his
wife to cook a meal. She told him that what she cooked was sufficient for
the Prophet and perhaps two more men, as there was a food shortage.
When Jabir invited the Prophet, p.b.u.h., to his place, the Prophet told
him to go home and that he would follow with the Companions. Jabir
became truly worried as he knew that there was not enough food.
However, when the Prophet arrived he told the Companions that they
should enter in separate groups. He ladled food to each of them and
they all ate until they were full. Moreover, there was food left for Jabir’s
family as well. The traditions about this event are recorded in many
sirahs and Hadith collections.
2) While digging the trench the Muslims would come across rocks they
were not able to break. In such cases they would call the Messenger
of God, p.b.u.h., who would break them effortlessly having recited
the Bismillah – In the Name of God. Salman, r.a., narrates that while
breaking one such rock, the Prophet announced the Muslim conquest
of Yemen, Persia and Byzantium. That indeed happened later, and
this event tells that the Prophet was a great optimist, even in difficult
situations such as that at the time of the Battle of the Trench. See: Abu
Bakr al-Jaza’iri, Hadha al-Habib Muhammad, sallallahu alayhi wa
sallam, Dar al-Hadith, Cairo, 2004, p. 240.

308
 19. EVENTS OF THE YEARS 4 AND 5 AH

Medina), and asked him to breach his peace treaty with the
Muslims. Ka’b hesitated in the beginning, but Huyay was
persistent and managed to persuade the Banu Qurayzah to
breach the treaty and join the Confederates. This consid-
erably aggravated the position of the Muslims, as the Jews
could now attack from within. The Prophet wanted to make
another treaty with the Banu Qurayzah and offer them one
third of the Medinan crops. But the Ansar, proud of their reli-
gion, disagreed with this proposal as they were of the opinion
that traitors did not deserve to be given anything. The battle
started after some pagan horsemen managed to jump across
the trench at its narrowest point. The Muslims were ready for
that raid and killed them.292
Soon afterward Nu’aym ibn Mas’ud came to see the
Prophet and told him that he had embraced Islam, that his
people still did not know about it, that he was a friend of the
Banu Qurayzah who had great confidence in him, and asked
the Prophet to give him some task. The Prophet, p.b.u.h., told
him: “For us you are only an individual who can do little as
an ordinary fighter, so try to turn the enemies away from us
as much as you can with trickery, for war is trickery!” Nu’aym
indeed employed trickery and managed to set at odds Quraysh
and their supporters, on one side, and the Banu Qurayzah,
on the other, as he caused each side to doubt the intentions of

292
Muslim women also took part in the Battle of the Trench. For example,
the Prophet’s paternal aunt Safiyyah, r.a., displayed a great courage
defending the Muslim rear from the treacherous actions of the Jewish
tribe of Banu Qurayzah. Sirah authors recorded that she killed one Jew
without hesitation while he was trying to sneak into a tent with Muslim
women and children. Many Companions showed exceptional courage
and readiness for personal sacrifice during the Battle of the Trench.
One of them was Hudhayfa ibn al-Yaman, r.a., who, in the night in
which God sent strong wind and storm, went into the idolaters’ camp
to listen in and learn of their intents, risking death or captivity.

309
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

the other. Meanwhile, in one very cold night, God Almighty

sent a terrible storm on the army of the Confederates. Wind
overturned their cauldrons and tore their tents to pieces. This
caused panic in their ranks and the fear was so immense that
they left their positions that same night. At dawn the Mus-
lims could not see a single enemy fighter.
God Almighty revealed several Qur’anic verses about that
battle and one whole surah is named after it. That is surah
33, The Joint Forces, also translated as The Confederates. It
contains the following verses: You who believe, remember
God’s goodness to you when mighty armies massed against
you: We sent a violent wind and invisible forces against them.
God sees all that you do. They massed against you from above
and below; your eyes rolled [with fear], your hearts rose into
your throats, and you thought [ill] thoughts of God. There the
believers were sorely tested and deeply shaken. (33:9-11)
This surah also describes the stance of the hypocrites, their
treachery and retreat from the battle (verses 12-15). It then
goes on to present the view of the devout believers: When
the believers saw the joint forces, they said, ‘This is what God
and His Messenger promised us: the promise of God and His
Messenger is true,’ and this only served to increase their faith
and submission to God. There are men among the believers
who honoured their pledge to God: some of them have fulfilled
it by death, and some are still waiting. They have not changed
in the least. [Such trials are ordained] so that God may reward
the truthful for their honesty and punish the hypocrites, if He
so wills, or He may relent towards them, for God is forgiving
and merciful. God sent back the disbelievers along with their
rage – they gained no benefit – and spared the believers from
fighting. He is strong and mighty. (33:22-25)

310
 19. EVENTS OF THE YEARS 4 AND 5 AH

The Campaign Against the Banu Qurayzah

The battle took place in the year 5 AH, immediately after
the Battle of the Trench in which the Prophet, p.b.u.h., wit-
nessed firsthand the sly and treacherous character of the Jew-
ish tribe of Banu Qurayzah. In the most difficult situation, at
the time when Quraysh and the allied Arab tribes came with
enormous military might to attack Medina and destroy the
Muslims, they breached the treaty they had with the Prophet
and joined the idolaters’ side. The act of treason under such
circumstances could not be left unpunished. For that reason
the Prophet decided to punish the deceivers and traitors and
rid Medina, the center of Islamic mission and the capital
of the new state, of them so that they could never again do
something similar. The Jews had violated agreements with
Muslims earlier as well, but what they did during the Battle
of the Trench was a blatant act of high treason and for that
they had to be punished.
Al-Bukhari transmits from A’ishah, r.a., that on the day
of the Battle against the Confederates, when the Prophet,
p.b.u.h., returned home, laid down his arms and took a bath,
angel Gabriel, p.b.u.h., came to him and told him: “Have you
laid down your arms? By God, I have not laid down mine as
yet!” The Prophet asked him: “Where to?” “There”, answered
Gabriel and pointed in the direction of the Banu Qurayzah.
A’ishah, r.a., says that the Prophet then headed toward
them.
He ordered that no-one should pray the afternoon prayer
until they reached the Banu Qurayzah territory and he then
set out. The standard was again given to Ali, r.a. The Muslim
army was approximately 3,000-strong. When Ali, r.a., came
close to the enemy’s fortresses, he heard insults at the expense
of the Prophet and his wives, so he informed the Prophet about
it and pleaded with him not to come near these malicious peo-

311
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

ple. The Prophet, being familiar with their hypocrisy and syco-
phancy, said that they would not have said it had they seen him.
And indeed, as soon as they saw him, they started toadying to
him, as he had foretold. The Muslim siege of their fortresses
lasted twenty-five nights. When the situation became unbear-
able for the Jews, they agreed to receive a judgment from the
Prophet. However, he appointed Sa’d ibn Mu’adh, the chief of
the Aws tribe, whose allies they were, to pass a judgment on
them. Sa’d’s judgment was: Kill the warriors, make the women
and children captive, and dispense their property!293

293
Sa’d ibn Mu’adh, r.a., was wounded in the Battle of the Trench. He then
prayed to Allah: “My Allah, you know nothing is closer to my heart than
striving in Your way against the enemy who denied Your Messenger and
banished him from his hometown. My Lord, I deeply believe that You have
decreed that we should fight them, so if there is still more fighting to go
with them, let me stay alive in order to strive more against them. If it has
settled down, let me bleed to death from this wound.” He concluded his
supplication by saying: “O, Allah, please do not let me die before I witness
the defeat of the Banu Qurayzah!” As sirah authors state, Allah the Exalted,
answered Sa’d’s prayer – his wound stopped bleeding and he participated
in the Battle of the Trench and the Battle against the Banu Qurayzah.
After he pronounced his judgment on the Banu Qurayzah, his wound
started bleeding again and he died soon afterward. On that occasion
Allah’s Messenger, p.b.u.h., said that Allah’s throne shook at Sa’d’s death.
Several versions of this hadith were transmitted in al-Bukhari’s and
Muslim’s respective Sahihs, which means that it is of the highest degree
of reliability. (See: Ibn Hajar al-’Asqalani, al-Ithaba fi tamyiz al-sahaba,
Dar al-kitab al-’arabi, Beirut, II, p. 35) As noted earlier, the most probable
reason why Sa’d ibn Mu’adh, r.a., attained such a high degree in faith is the
fact that his conversion to Islam prompted the majority of his Aws tribe
to receive Islam and make peace with the Khazraj tribe (whose member
was his cousin As’ad ibn Zurarah). In that way ground was prepared for
the Prophet’s migration to Medina. Therefore, Sa’d’s conversion to Islam
was of paramount importance. He commanded such great respect that
members of his clan also became Muslims after his conversion. For that
reason hafiz Ibn Hajar writes in Sa’d’s biography that his conversion to
Islam was highly beneficial for Islam and Muslims.

312
 19. EVENTS OF THE YEARS 4 AND 5 AH

Martin Lings notes that Sa’d’s judgment was in line with

the Jewish laws. The judgment was carried out and that
marked the end of the Jewish plotting against Islam and its
mission in Medina and environs.294
We should note that this event was frequently used in the
past as a “proof” that Islam is a violent religion and that it
was spread by sword. It is useful to mention what two very
educated Britons, Martin Lings and Karen Armstrong, had
to say about these allegations. They both authored very de-
tailed and useful studies of Prophet Muhammad’s life.
With regard to this event, we should be mindful of the
fact that the Jews committed treason in war circumstances,
which is punishable by every law. Martin Lings, author of the
famous biography of Prophet Muhammad, p.b.u.h., touched
on the events related to the tribe of Banu Qurayzah and Sa’d’s
judgment: “Sa’d’s judgment was no doubt directed mainly
against their treachery; but in fact it coincided exactly with
Jewish law as regards the treatment of a besieged city, even if
it were innocent of treachery: When the Lord thy God hath
delivered it unto thy hands, thou shalt smite every male there-
in with the edge of the sword: but the women, and the little
ones, and the cattle, and all that is in the city, even all the spoil
thereof, shalt thou take unto thyself. (Deuteronomy 20: 12)”295
294
S irahs also note an interesting event related to one companion whose
name was Abu Lubabah. During the siege of the treacherous tribe of
Banu Qurayzah, the Jews asked for him to come to them so they could
ask him for advice as they were close to him. When the Jews asked what
the Prophet would do to them, Abu Lubabah gestured that they would
be killed. At that very moment he realized that he should not have done
it, as with that gesture he betrayed the Prophet and the Muslims in a way.
That notion went down really hard with him and he returned to Medina,
tied himself to a pillar in the Prophet’s mosque and swore that he would
allow no-one but the Prophet to untie him! He spent several days tied
until the Prophet personally untied him.
295
See: Martin Lings, Muhammed, Život Vjerovjesnika zasnovan na

313
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

Karen Armstrong stresses that, given the circumstances

of the era, almost everybody in Arabia would have expected
such judgment. “According to the texts,” says she, “not even
the Qurayzah were surprised by the decision.”296
She clarifies: “It is, however, important to note that the
Qurayzah were not killed on religious or racial grounds.
None of the other Jewish tribes in the oasis either objected
or attempted to intervene, clearly regarding it as a purely po-
litical and tribal matter. A significant number of the Arab
tribe of Kilab, the clients of the Qurayzah, were also executed
alongside the Jews. Muhammad had no ideological quarrel
with the Jewish people. He once said, ‘He who wrongs or de-
stroys a Jew or a Christian will have me to answer on the Day
of Judgment.’ The men of Qurayzah were executed for trea-
son. The seventeen other Jewish tribes of Medina remained
in the oasis, living on friendly terms with the Muslims for
many years, and the Qur’an continued to insist that Mus-
lims remember their spiritual kinship with the People of the
Book.”297
Several verses of the Noble Qur’an were revealed about
this battle, the Jewish treason, violation of the signed treaty
and withholding of assistance to the believers during their
battle against the Confederates: Some of them said, ‘People of
Yathrib, you will not be able to withstand [the attack], so go
back!’ Some of them asked the Prophet’s permission to leave,
saying, ‘Our houses are exposed,’ even though they were not –
they just wanted to run away: had the city been invaded from
all sides, and the enemy invited them to rebel, they would have

najranijim izvorima (Muhammad: His Life Based on the Earliest

Sources), Sarajevo, Connectum, 2004, p. 323.
296
Karen Armstrong, Muhammed – Poslanik za naše vrijeme (Muhammad:
Prophet for Our Time), Buybook, Sarajevo, 2008, p. 137.
297
Ibid, p. 138.

314
 19. EVENTS OF THE YEARS 4 AND 5 AH

done so almost without hesitation. Yet they had already prom-

ised God that they would not turn tail and flee (this is an al-
lusion to the treaty the Prophet entered with them when he
settled in Medina), and a promise to God will be answered for.
[Prophet], say, ‘Running away will not benefit you. If you man-
age to escape death or slaughter, you will only be permitted to
enjoy [life] for a short while.’ (33:13-16)
The revelation about this topic is completed with the
following verses: He brought those People of the Book (the
Banu Qurayzah) who supported them (the Confederates)
down from their strongholds and put panic into their hearts.
Some of them you [believers] killed and some you took
captive. He passed on to you their land, their houses, their
possessions, and a land where you had not set foot: God has
power over everything. (33:26-27)

Several Lessons
There are plenty of lessons that may be drawn from the
events described in this chapter, we shall mention but a few.298
* Numerous are the ways by which the help of the Ex-
alted Allah to His sincere servants comes. Sometimes Allah’s
help comes from where we least expect it. For example, Allah
determined that during the pagans’ siege of Medina, when
the Muslims were surrounded from all sides, the light of Is-
lam would illuminate the heart of a man whose name was
Nu’aym ibn Mas’ud, a great friend of the Banu Qurayzah’s.
Owing to Nu’aym’s conversion it was possible to sow dissen-
sion within the enemy’s ranks, which considerably weakened
their position.
298
See more about the lessons drawn from the referenced events in: al-
Siba’i, Poslanikov životni put (The Life of the Prophet: Highlights and
Lessons), pp. 67-68; Abu Bakr al-Jaza’iri, Hadha al-Habib Muhammad,
sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, pp. 247-248 and 256.

315
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

* The Prophet’s request to Nu’aym ibn Mas’ud during the

Battle of the Trench to weaken the pagans’ confederacy as
much as he could, is a proof that trickery is allowed in a war
if it leads to victory, and that every method that leads to vic-
tory and reduced shedding of blood is acceptable from the
Islamic point of view. An exception to this is treason in case
of a treaty or alliance with some party. The Prophet’s instruc-
tion to Nu’aym to resort to trickery shows that the Prophet,
p.b.u.h., was wise, as reduction of war casualties is in the in-
terest of all human beings.
* The Prophet’s acceptance of Salman’s proposal to dig a
trench around one side of Medina, a tactics previously un-
known to Arabs, is a proof that Islam allows its followers to
use the experiences of other civilizations if they are useful for
the community and not in contravention of a Sharia law prin-
ciple. The trench-digging played a crucial role in repelling the
Confederates’ attacks on Medina. The Prophet’s acceptance of
that proposal indicates his flexibility and willingness to accept
the good and useful things from other peoples. The Prophet
did so on several occasions. When he wanted to send his let-
ters to rulers he was told: “It is a custom of kings not to receive
a letter unless sealed with the sender’s name.” He immediate-
ly ordered the making of a seal with the words Muhammad
Rasulullah – Muhammad, Messenger of God engraved on it,
which he later used to seal his letters with. After the liberation
of Mecca, delegations started arriving from different parts of
Arabia to declare their conversion to Islam. Some Companions
said: “O, Messenger of God, it is a custom of rulers to receive
delegations in special attire”. The Prophet, p.b.u.h., ordered to
be bought the clothes, reportedly worth forty gold coins, which
he then put on when receiving delegations.
Thus acted the Last Messenger of God, so his followers
should make use of his acts. They are allowed to take from

316
 19. EVENTS OF THE YEARS 4 AND 5 AH

other peoples what is good and useful and not in contraven-

tion of the Islamic law (Sharia) and its general principles. A
restraint to do so constitutes rigidity which the Qur’an does
not allow: … so [Prophet] give good news to My servants who
listen to what is said and follow what is best. (39:17-18). It is
also inconsistent with the Prophet’s deeds and words: “Wis-
dom is the lost possession of a believer; wherever he finds it,
he should claim it.” When Muslims disregarded this grand
principle of Islam in the later centuries, especially after the
Renaissance in Europe, and opposed every novelty coming
from the outside world, they started moving backward while
the others started moving forward.
* The events related to the Jewish tribes of Banu Nadir
and Banu Qurayzah show the extent to which the Jews were
prepared to commit treachery and deception. In his first days
in Medina, the Prophet strove to make peace with the Jews,
offering them guarantees for their religion and wealth. An
official document was even drafted in that respect. How-
ever, the Jews soon breached the agreement and abused one
Muslim woman in the territory of the Banu Qaynuqa’ tribe.299
They then plotted to kill the Prophet, which was the cause of
the campaign against the Banu Nadir. Then, in the most dif-
ficult moments of the Battle against the Confederates, they
299
The above-mentioned event happened in 2 AH, after the Battle of Badr.
One Muslim woman brought her goods and sat down at the market to sell
them. A Jew secretly tied and fixed one end of her clothes, so when she
got up, her private parts were revealed and the Jews present there started
roaring with laughter. The woman screamed and a Muslim man who
happened to be there came to her rescue. He fought with the offender
and killed him, whereupon the Jews dashed at the Muslim man and beat
him to death. Thus Banu Qaynuqa’ became the first Jewish tribe that
breached the pact they had with God’s Prophet. The Prophet therefore
surrounded them, but afterward let them leave. This fact also indicates
that the Prophet, p.b.u.h., wanted to have good relations with the Jews,
but their treachery always made them breach the concluded treaties.

317
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

breached the treaty. This triggered the campaign against the

Banu Qurayzah. Finally, they gathered from all sides, ready-
ing their arms and scheming in order to destroy Medina and
the believers in it by treason and slyness, which triggered the
Battle of Khaybar. All of this required taking of a firm stance.
With his resolve the Prophet, p.b.u.h., secured the borders of
the newly-established state and the spreading of the mission
of Islam across the whole Arabian Peninsula.

318
 20. TREATY OF HUDAYBIYYAH

Events of the Year 6 AH

It is not easy for a researcher to single out a particular year
of the Prophet’s life in Medina, given that each of the ten
years that he spent in that city was marked by very important
events. Nevertheless, the year 6 AH300 is special for two very
important events in the Prophet’s life. One is the slander of
A’ishah, r.a., referred to in the Islamic sources as Hadithat
al-Ifk, which represented a great tribulation in the life of the
Prophet and the Muslim community. The other is a peace
agreement at Hudaybiyyah, known in the history of Islam
as the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah (Sulh al-Hudaybiyyah).301 That
Treaty actually facilitated creation of preconditions for the
liberation of Mecca, although it appeared unfavorable to the
Muslims at first glance.
After the Battle of the Trench and the Campaign against
the Banu Qurayzah, which happened in the months of
Shawwal and Dhu al-Qa’da 5 AH respectively, the Prophet
returned to Medina and spent there the months of Dhu al-
Hijjah, Muharram, Safar, Rabi’ al-Awwal and Rabi’ al-Akhir.
In the month of Jumada al-Ula 6 AH, the Prophet, p.b.u.h.,
launched a punitive campaign against the Banu Lihyan who

300
The year 6 AH began on Saturday, 23 May 627 CE, and ended on Tuesday,
10 May 628 CE. See: Zejnil Fajić, Tabelarni pregled hidžretskih godina
preračunatih u godine nove ere (A Tabular Review of Hijri Calendar Years
and Equivalent Common Era Years), Sarajevo, 1999, p. 1.
301
Hudaybiyyah is a place close to Mecca, located on the present-day road
to Jeddah.

319
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

had betrayed and caused the death of Khubayb ibn Adiyy

and his men two years earlier. He then returned to Medi-
na, where he spent a part of the month of Jumada al-Akhira
and the month of Rajab, and then in the month of Sha’ban 6
AH he launched a campaign against the Banu al-Mustaliq, a
clan of the Khuza’ah tribe. He triumphed in that battle, took
many captives and seized abundant spoils. Juwayriyah bint
al-Harith, a daughter of a chief of the clan, was taken captive
and the Prophet offered to release and marry her. She accept-
ed and the news that the Prophet married Juwayriyah spread
quickly, so people said, “These men are now the in-laws of
the Messenger of God”, and they released the members of the
Banu Mustaliq whom they held in captivity. So, Juwayriyah’s
marriage to the Prophet was very beneficial for her fellow
clansmen and that was one of the reasons for the Prophet’s
multiple marriages. Humane and societal (and very often so-
cial) reasons were most often a decisive factor in all Prophet’s
marriages after Khadijah, r.a.
The Prophet took along his wife A’ishah, r.a., in the cam-
paign against the Banu al-Mustaliq. When he prepared for
a journey, he used to cast lots to decide which wife would
accompany him. He did it that time as well and the lot fell
on A’ishah. On their way back, while they were resting at a
place near Medina, she lost her necklace. She stepped out of
her howdah to look for it and that held her back, but the men
that carried the howdah mounted it on a camel believing that
A’ishah was inside and got going. A’ishah narrated:
“I found my necklace after the party had already gone
away. I came to the place where the camp had been, but I
did not find anyone there. I decided to stay at that place, as I
thought they would notice I was missing and come back to
fetch me. And so, as I was sitting, I fell asleep. Safwan ibn
Mu’attal al-Sulami had been in the rear and he set out when

320
 20. TREATY OF HUDAYBIYYAH

the evening came. He reached the place where I was. He no-

ticed that someone was sleeping there. He came closer and
recognized me, as he had known me from before, before veil
was prescribed. I woke up when he exclaimed: Inna lillahi wa
inna ilayhi raji’un! - Verily we belong to God, and verily unto
Him we shall return! When he recognized me, I covered my
face with my veil. By God, he did not utter a single word to
me and I did not hear anything else from him but: Verily we
belong to God, and verily unto Him we shall return! He got
off his camel, made it go down on its knees, stepped on its
front legs and I mounted it. He thus went on foot ushering
the camel I rode until we reached the army in Marisin where
they set up a camp.”302
The hypocrites, led by Abdullah ibn Ubayy ibn Salul,
used this opportunity for defamation of A’ishah and started
spreading rumors in Medina and its vicinity that she had
committed adultery with Safwan. That generated a very un-
pleasant climate in Medina; the devout believers knew that
A’ishah was innocent and they were bothered by the sug-
gestion that a Prophet’s wife could do something like that.
Although the rumors were in full swing, the Prophet kept
silent as he did not have any proof to refute it. As the Revela-
tion about it was not coming, the situation grew ever more
difficult. The slander affected several persons: the Prophet,
p.b.u.h., A’ishah’s husband; Abu Bakr and Umm Ruman,
A’ishah’s parents; and Safwan, the Prophet’s companion who
was accused of something he had not done, but, naturally, it
was A’ishah who had the most difficult time. This unpleas-
ant atmosphere lasted for about a month, until the revelation
302
The event related to the slander of A’ishah, also known as Hadithat al-
Ifk or Hadith al-Ifk is transmitted in many Hadith collections and the
Qur’an commentaries. Martyr Sayyid Qutb gave a very good analysis of
the event in his commentary of the Qur’an. See: Sayyid Qutb, U okrilju
Kur’ana (In the Shade of the Qur’an), Sarajevo, 1999, XVIII, pp. 79-99.

321
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

of the beginning of surah 24, Light, refuting the hypocrites’

allegations and threatening the ones who circulated the ru-
mors. The slander of A’ishah was an extremely trying period
in the Prophet’s life.
Sirahs state that three Muslims were scourged for spread-
ing the calumny: Mistah ibn Uthatha, Hamnah bint Jahsh and
poet Hasan ibn Thabit. Mistah ibn Uthatha was A’ishah’s male
cousin whom Abu Bakr had helped financially and then sus-
pended his assistance because of the rumors that Mistah had
spread, whereupon, after the revelation of verse 22 of surah 24,
he resumed his assistance. Hamnah bint Jahsh thought she was
doing a favor to her sister Zaynab bint Jahsh, the Prophet’s wife
who would have been his favorite had it not been for A’ishah,
according to some opinions.303 Naturally, the hypocrites led by
Ibn Salul were the driving force behind the slander, but some
Muslims thoughtlessly started spreading it, too. These three
persons were most active in it, therefore they earned their pun-
ishment of scourging (with eighty lashes to each, which is a
hadd, a Sharia law penalty for slander).304 Interestingly enough,
the slander originator Ibn Salul was not scourged. Scholars say
that it was because scourging would have diminished a mighty
chastisement in the afterlife that he was threatened with in
verse 11 of surah 24.305
303
Zaynab, r.a., in whose alleged interest Hamnah spread the calumny,
was against it and she thought that A’ishah was innocent. A’ishah said:
“Allah protected Zaynab with her faith and she spoke only good things,
unlike Hamnah bint Jahsh, who spread the calumny and branded me
as her sister’s antipode, which hurt me very much.”
304
See: Martin Lings, supra at 338; Ibn Hisham, Poslanikov životopis
(A Biography of the Prophet), p. 193; al-Mubarakpuri, Zapečaćeni
džennetski napitak (The Sealed Nectar), p. 297.
305
See: al-Mubarakpuri, al-Rahiq al-makhtum, pp. 332-333. It is interesting
to note that Allah revealed as many as ten verses regarding A’ishah’s
slander (one whole page of the Qur’anic text, that is, verses 11-20 of
surah 24), which is an indication of the distress this grave event caused

322
 20. TREATY OF HUDAYBIYYAH

The Pledge of God’s Pleasure (Bay’at al-Ridwan)

The Messenger of God, p.b.u.h., spent the months of Ra-
madan and Shawwal in Medina and in the month of Dhu al-
Qa’da set out to Mecca to perform the lesser pilgrimage (um-
rah). He did not have any intention of entering any conflict.
In his dream he had seen himself and his Companions en-
tering the Ka’bah, some with their heads shaved, some with
their hair cut, safe and not fearing anyone. The biographers
state that the dream was the reason why the Prophet ordered
the people to prepare to go to Mecca for umrah.
He was accompanied by both the Emigrants and the
Ansar, driven by the longing to see the Ka’bah, their great-
est shrine, after they had been prevented from it for full six
years. The Prophet tried to encourage the other Arab and the
neighboring Bedouin tribes to join them on that journey, be-
cause of a risk that Quraysh might do something unpleasant.
Around 1,500 people set on the journey, their only weapon
being sheathed swords, a customary weapon of travelers at
that time.306
They took along sacrificial animals (qurban) (camels and
sheep), and in the place called Dhu al-hulayfa the Prophet
put on an ihram, two white seamless pieces of cloth worn by
pilgrims. In that way he demonstrated that he only wanted
to visit the Ka’bah and pay his respects and that he had no
intention of waging war. But when Quraysh heard that the

in the life of the Prophet and his family. In his commentary of the
Qur’an, al-Jami’ li ahkam al-Qur’an, imam al-Qurtubi transmits the
consensus (ijma’) of all Islamic scholars that whoever doubted A’ishah’s
innocence after the revelation of the relevant verses of surah 24 would
be considered an apostate (murtadd).
306
See: Mustafa al-Siba’i, Poslanikov životni put (The Life of the Prophet:
Highlights and Lessons), p. 51; Ibn Hisham, Poslanikov životopis (A
Biography of the Prophet), p. 202.

323
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

Prophet was on his way to Mecca, the news disturbed them

and they sent a word that they would not allow the Muslims
to enter Mecca. The Prophet ordered all his fellow travelers to
make a stop at Hudaybiyyah, a place close to Mecca.
Quraysh sent ‘Urwah ibn Mas’ud to negotiate with the
Prophet. When he returned he told them that Muhammad
and his Companions really only wanted to make a pilgrim-
age and that they were ready to conclude a peace pact with
him. He also informed them about the great respect and love
that the Companions showed to the Prophet, p.b.u.h.
Quraysh did not accept it and Muhammad sent his son-
in-law Uthman ibn ‘Affan to Mecca to explain to Quraysh
the purpose of their journey from Medina. Uthman stayed in
Mecca longer than expected, which fuelled a rumor among
the Muslims that he had been killed. When the news reached
the Prophet, he exclaimed: ‘’We shall not leave this place be-
fore we square accounts with them!” He immediately called
the Muslims to pledge allegiance to him that they were ready
to fight and die on the way of God. This pledge is known in
the history of Islam as the Pledge of God’s Pleasure (Bay’at al-
Ridwan) or the Pledge of the Tree (al-Bay’a tahta al-shajara),
as it was made in the shade of a tree.
The Noble Qur’an refers to it in verse 18 of surah 48, Tri-
umph: God was pleased with the believers when they swore
allegiance to you [Prophet] under the tree: He knew what was
in their hearts and so He sent tranquillity down to them and
rewarded them with a speedy triumph.
And in verse 10 of the same surah, God commends the
ones who made the pledge: Those who pledge loyalty to you
[Prophet] are actually pledging loyalty to God Himself – God’s
hand is placed on theirs – and anyone who breaks his pledge
does so to his own detriment: God will give a great reward to
the one who fulfils his pledge to Him.

324
 20. TREATY OF HUDAYBIYYAH

Soon afterward the Prophet learned that the news of Uth-

man’s murder was false, but the swearing of allegiance at
that moment and that place close to Mecca yielded a result
– Quraysh agreed to conclude a treaty.

Peace Treaty at Hudaybiyyah

When Quraysh heard that the Companions swore alle-
giance to the Prophet, they got very scared as they had seen
in the previous battles that the Muslims could be very tough
fighters. They decided to conclude a treaty under the condi-
tion that the Prophet and the Muslims should return to Me-
dina that year but come to Mecca for the lesser pilgrimage
the following year. They proposed that they withdrew from
Mecca for three days to let the Muslims perform the pilgrim-
age and that the Muslims should be armed with travelers’
weapons only.
Quraysh sent Suhayl ibn Amr as the negotiator. When the
Prophet saw him approaching, he told the Companions: “The
fact that they have sent this man means they want peace!”
When Suhayl came to the Prophet he spoke at length, where-
upon they embarked on the drafting of a peace treaty. The
treaty they concluded contained the following clauses:
1. The Prophet shall return to Medina and will not enter
Mecca this year, and next year he will come with the Mus-
lims and stay in Mecca for three days. The Muslims will be
allowed to be armed then, but only with arms of a traveler,
that is, with swords in sheaths. Quraysh must not make any
obstacles to them in that period.
2. War activities shall be suspended for ten years, during
which period people will be safe and not aggressive to one
another.
3. Whosoever wishes to enter an alliance with Muham-
mad and honor this treaty, may do so; likewise, whosoever

325
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

wishes to ally with Quraysh, may do so. A tribe that enters

an alliance with one side shall be considered a part of that
side and every attack on the allied tribe shall be treated as an
attack on the whole side.
4. If anyone of Quraysh goes over to Muhammad with-
out his guardian’s permission (that is, flee from Quraysh in
Mecca to Medina), should be sent back to Mecca. Should any
of Muhammad’s followers flee to Quraysh, they shall not be
obliged to send them back to Medina.307
After the Treaty was concluded, the Prophet, p.b.u.h.,
ordered the Companions to take off their pilgrimage attire
and slaughter the sacrificial animals they had brought along.
They did not heed the order immediately because of the great
grief they felt for having been prevented from entering Mecca
and the terms of the treaty that really went down hard with
them. They found the last clause of the Treaty to be particu-
larly painful and hardly acceptable.
One event that occurred before the very signing of the
Treaty only made the matters worse. Suhayl’s own son Abu
Jandal suddenly appeared at Hudaybiyyah in fetters. He had
embraced Islam earlier, but his father had not allowed him
to emigrate to Medina and started mistreating him instead.
Before setting off to Hudaybiyyah, Suhayl had even fettered
him to prevent him from getting to the Muslim camp, which
was within the reach of Mecca. However, Abu Jandal man-
aged to escape and arrived at Hudaybiyyah at the very mo-
ment the peace treaty was concluded.
The moment Suhayl saw Abu Jandal, he sprung toward
him and slapped him fiercely, grabbed him by his chest and
started dragging him. “Muhammad,” shouted Suhayl, “the
307
See: al-Mubarakpuri, al-Rahiq al-makhtum, p. 342. Also, compare: Ibn
Hisham, Poslanikov životopis (A Biography of the Prophet), pp. 200-
201.

326
 20. TREATY OF HUDAYBIYYAH

pact between the two of us had been entered before this one
came to you!”
The Prophet confirmed it, which encouraged Suhayl who
started pulling and dragging his son in order to take him
back to Quraysh side. Abu Jandal cried from the top of his
lungs: “O Muslims! Am I to be returned to the idolaters to
make me apostatize?”
This was another blow to the Companions and the Prophet
said: “Abu Jandal! Pull yourself together and have patience!
Allah will surely give relief and a way out to you and every-
one oppressed like you! We have concluded peace treaty with
these people and we have taken the pledge in the name of
God, as they did, and we shall not breach it!”308
The Prophet noticed that the Companions were some-
what reluctant to take off their pilgrimage clothes, but he did
not order them again to do it. He entered the tent of his wife
Umm Salamah, who accompanied him on that journey. He
told her he was afraid to repeat the order lest they should fail
to obey it again and be punished by Allah! She advised him to
be the first one to take his ihram off, get out in front of them,
shave his head off and slaughter an animal. The Prophet did
so and when the Companions saw what he was doing, they
all did the same. The Prophet’s manner with his Companions
is an example of an excellent methodical approach that can
be useful for all educators.
Some sirahs read that after he had shaved his head off
the Prophet collected his luxuriant black hair and threw it
over a nearby mimosa tree. Having seen it, the Companions
crowded around in order to take what they could of Allah’s
Prophet’s hair for its blessing. The famous female compan-
ion Umm ‘Umarah, who was also present when the Treaty of

308
Ibn Hisham, supra at 201.

327
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

Hudaybiyyah was being concluded, was not outdone by the

men: she also approached the tree and snatched some locks
of the Prophet’s hair, which she treasured until her dying
day.309 The sirahs make no mention that the Prophet, p.b.u.h.,
prohibited it to the Companions, which is a proof that it is
permitted to seek God’s blessing (tabarruk) with something
related to God’s Messenger.

Significance of the Peace Treaty at Hudaybiyyah

The Peace Treaty at Hudaybiyyah produced a multitude of
benefits. The Exalted Allah revealed to His Prophet surah 48,
Triumph, while he was returning from Hudaybiyyah, on the
road between Mecca and Medina.
At the very opening of the surah, Allah announces an im-
minent triumph to the Prophet: Truly We have opened up a
path to clear triumph for you [Prophet], so that God may for-
give you your past and future sins, complete His grace upon you,
guide you to a straight path, and help you mightily. It was He
who made His tranquillity descend into the hearts of the believ-
ers, to add faith to their faith – the forces of the heavens and
earth belong to God; He is all knowing and all wise – so as to ad-
mit believing men and women into Gardens graced with flowing
streams, there to remain, absolving their bad deeds – a great
triumph in God’s eyes -- and to torment the hypocritical and
idolatrous men and women who harbour evil thoughts about
God – it is they who will be encircled by evil! – who carry the
burden of God’s anger, whom God has rejected and for whom
He has prepared Hell, an evil destination! The forces of heaven
and earth belong to God; He is almighty and all wise. (48:1-7)
With respect to the dream of Allah’s Messenger, p.b.u.h.,
which was the actual cause of the journey that ended at Hu-

309
See: Martin Lings, supra at 353.

328
 20. TREATY OF HUDAYBIYYAH

daybiyyah, Allah revealed: God has truly fulfilled His Mes-

senger’s vision: ‘God willing, you will most certainly enter
the Sacred Mosque in safety, shaven headed or with cropped
hair, without fear!’– God knew what you did not – and He has
granted you a speedy triumph. (48:27)
These verses announced a certain and imminent victory
of Islam and Muslims. Some Islamic scholars even think that
the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah was actually the clear triumph
(fathun mubin) referred to in the opening of surah 48. In
that respect, imam al-Zuhri, a great scholar from the second-
generation of Muslims, says:
“Islam had not known a greater victory before that. Until
then, clashes would always occur wherever people met. After
that armistice, when war finally stopped, and when people
no longer feared one another, but actually talked things over
in case of misunderstanding or verbal arguments, whenever
Islam was presented to anyone who had any capacity to think
and understand, that one embraced it! In those two years the
number of Muslims doubled, even surpassed that number.”
Commenting on imam al-Zuhri’s words, Ibn Hisham
wrote in his Sirah: “These words of al-Zuhri’s are also con-
firmed by the fact that God’s Messenger was at Hudaybiyyah
with around 1,400 people, according to Jabir ibn ‘Abdullah,
whereas two years after that, during the liberation of Mecca,
he was accompanied by ten thousand people.”310
The armistice with Quraysh in Mecca enabled the Mus-
lims to turn their attention to the threats coming from the
North. The greatest threat came from Khaybar, a place popu-
lated by the Jews who were notorious for their intense hatred
for Islam. Khaybar was a large oasis 100 miles north of Me-
dina, in the direction of al-Sham. The inhabitants of Khaybar

310
Ibn Hisham, supra at 202.

329
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

were very rich and their community was probably among the
richest in the whole Arabia.
As the Jews had shown breach of agreements and failure
to honor written treaties (for example, in the Battle of the
Trench, they violated a pact with the Prophet and sided with
his enemy at the most difficult moment for the Muslims),
it was necessary to make the nascent state safe from their
perfidiousness and scheming. For that reason, in the second
half of the month of Muharram 7 AH (immediately after the
treaty with Quraysh was concluded), the Prophet decided
to lead a campaign on Khaybar.311 He led one thousand six
hundred troops, two hundred of whom were horsemen. Al-
though Khaybar was well-fortified, it soon fell into the Mus-
lims’ hands and they took hold of abundant spoils.312 The
taking of Khaybar was also heralded in surah 48, revealed
immediately after the Hudaybiyyah events: He has promised
you [people] many future gains: He has hastened this gain for
you. He has held back the hands of hostile people from you as
a sign for the faithful and He will guide you to a straight path.
(48:20) In that way the Muslim community gained economic
strength which paved the way for new campaigns.313
311
That was in late May and early June 628 CE, as the Muharram of 7 AH
started on 11 May and ended on 9 June 628 CE.
312
S irahs read that on the day of the capture of Khaybar, the Prophet, p.b.u.h.,
was visited by his cousin Ja’far ibn Abi Talib, who just returned with
the remaining Muslims from Abyssinia to which they had emigrated a
long time ago, before the Muslims’ migration to Medina. The Prophet
was utterly delighted at Ja’far’s return. Ibn Hisham transmits from al-
Sha’bi that the Prophet embraced Ja’far, kissed him between the eyes
and said: “I don’t know for which of the two my rejoicing is greater,
for the victory of Khaybar or for Ja’far’s arrival.” These words are an
indication of the Prophet’s great esteem for this companion.
313
Muslims took many captives at Khaybar, including Safiyyah, daughter
of the Jewish lord Huyayy ibn Akhtab. The Prophet, p.b.u.h., married
her shortly after her conversion to Islam. Sirahs note an interesting

330
 20. TREATY OF HUDAYBIYYAH

The truce with Quraysh also made it possible for the

Prophet to send letters to the rulers of the neighboring king-
doms and empires. The biographers agree that it happened
in early Muharram 7 AH, several days prior to the begin-
ning of the Khaybar campaign. In those letters the Prophet,
p.b.u.h., called the rulers of the leading states and empires of
the time to embrace Islam and conveyed to them the chief
message of his prophetic mission: La ilaha illallah, Muham-
madun Rasulullah – There is no god but Allah and Muham-
mad is a Messenger of Allah. The letters were dispatched to
the Abyssinian King or the Negus, Persian Emperor Chos-
roes, Byzantine Emperor Heraclius, the governor of Alexan-
dria or the Muqawqis, and the rulers of the neighboring Arab
countries (Yamamah, Bahrain and Oman). Although these
rulers did not answer positively (save for the Abyssinian King
who secretly converted to Islam, and the Alexandrian ruler,
who did not convert to Islam but did send a fine answer to
Muhammad and gifts),314 the importance of the sending of
story related to that event which is a proof of the Companions’ great
concern for the Prophet’s safety. During the Prophet’s first night with
Safiyyah, which happened either at Khaybar or somewhere on the
road toward Medina, Khalid ibn Zayd (better known as Abu Ayyub al-
Ansari), girded with his sword, circled around their tent for the whole
night. When the Prophet saw him there in the morning, he asked him:
“What’s up, Abu Ayyub?” “O, Messenger of God,” he responded, “I
feared something might happen to you from that woman, because her
father and many of her kinsmen had been slain in the war with us, and
she had also been in unbelief up until recently! So, I simply feared for
you!” The Prophet then said: “O, Allah, please guard Abu Ayyub just
as he guarded me for the whole night!” See: Ibn Hisham, Poslanikov
životopis (A Biography of the Prophet), p. 207.
314
Among the gifts were two slave girls: Mariya and her sister Sirin.
Muhammad, p.b.u.h., gave Sirin to Hasan ibn Thabit (which speaks of
Prophet Muhammad’s great kindness as Hasan had earlier participated
in the slander of A’ishah and was scourged for it). He kept Mariya for
himself and she gave birth to his son Ibrahim in the month of Dhu

331
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

these letters is enormous, as it meant a confirmation of the

international character of Muhammad’s prophethood.315
All of this was made possible by the truce with Quraysh.
There were also some other important events which were a
result of that treaty. A peaceful communication among peo-
ple, their encounters and conversations brought about new
converts to Islam from the ranks of very prominent people
from Mecca and beyond. Two of the new converts were par-
ticularly important: Khalid ibn al-Walid and Amr ibn al-’As.
Both commanded great respect with Quraysh, the former as
an exceptionally brave and capable warrior and general, the
latter as a man of superior intelligence and intuition. Profes-
sor Martin Lings quotes a very interesting story about their
conversion to Islam, which was a great benefit for the Muslim
community.316
As reported earlier, the most painful aspect of the Treaty
of Hudaybiyyah was that the Muslims had to send back those
Muslims who arrived in Medina after the signing of the Trea-
ty. Since those persons defected to Medina because of the
torture and persecution they had been exposed to in Mecca,
their sending back to the pagans implied new tortures and
horrific mistreatment. This really bothered the Muslims, but
God’s wisdom and providence solved that problem, too.
One day after the signing of the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah,
a Muslim named Abu Basir from the Thaqif tribe arrived
al-Hijjah 8 AH. Ibrahim died in Shawwal 10 AH, approximately four
months prior to the Prophet’s death.
315
S irahs provide the contents of these letters in detail and the names of
the envoys who delivered them. The letter to the Negus was thus taken
by Amr ibn Umayyah, to Chosroes by Abdullah ibn Hudhafah al-
Sahmi, to the Muqawqis by Khatib ibn Balta’a, to Heraclius by Dihyah
al-Kalbi (who delivered the letter to the Byzantine governor in Busrah
in al-Sham who then passed it on to the Emperor).
316
Martin Lings, supra at 395-398.

332
 20. TREATY OF HUDAYBIYYAH

in Medina. His family was originally from Ta’if but lived in

Mecca. After Abu Basir converted to Islam, he was harassed
and mistreated in Mecca and even imprisoned, but he suc-
ceeded in escaping.
Under the terms of the Treaty, Abu Basir was to be sent
back to Mecca. Quraysh were aware of it, so they sent two
envoys to bring him back. The Prophet acted in line with the
Treaty and handed Abu Basir over to the envoys. Being a very
resourceful man, at the first resting place Abu Basir managed
to get hold of a sword and he killed one Qurayshite envoy,
while the other fled to Medina. Abu Basir was told that he
could not stay in Medina, but that he should find himself an-
other abode, since the Prophet had to fulfill his obligation. He
made his way to the shores of the Red Sea and was afterward
joined by other young men who fled the mistreatment in the
hands of the idolaters in Mecca (one of them being Abu Jan-
dal, son of Suhayl ibn Amr). Abu Basir made an encampment
with them at a strategic point on the caravan route to Syria.
They started raiding Quraysh caravans traveling to al-Sham.
Quraysh protested but the Prophet answered that he com-
plied with the terms of the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah and that
those men were not in the territory of Medina. Quraysh soon
became fed up with the situation, so they asked the Prophet
for rescinding of the Treaty clause stipulating that the Mus-
lims who fled Mecca should be sent back. The Prophet ac-
cepted it and that issue of contention was thus resolved.317
We should also note some sorrowful events that took
place after Hudaybiyyah, such as the death of Abu Bakr’s
wife Umm Ruman, r.a., and two perfidious attempts by Jews
to kill the Prophet, p.b.u.h. The first took place immediately
317
We should note that, under the terms of the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah,
the women who would come to Medina were not sent back to the
idolaters, as the provision on the sending back concerned men only.

333
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

after the return from Hudaybiyyah in a very strange and se-

cretive way, according to Martin Lings. In every generation
of the Jews in Arabia there was someone skilful in the art
of black magic, and one of these was a Jew named Labid, an
expert sorcerer who had also instructed his daughters in the
clandestine art so that his own knowledge should not die with
him. Labid was bribed to put as deadly a spell as he could
upon the Prophet. For this purpose he needed several hairs of
the Prophet’s. When he received them, he tied eleven knots in
them, and he and his daughters breathed imprecations upon
each knot. Then he attached the hairs to a sprig from a male
date-palm which had on it the outer sheath of the pollen, and
threw it into a deep well. The Prophet was soon aware that
something strange was happening to him: he began imagin-
ing that he had done things which in fact he had not. He was
also overcome with weakness and could not eat. This lasted
for a while. The Prophet prayed to God to cure him, and in
his sleep he was informed about the spell he was under and
how to undo it. Two surahs of the Qur’an were revealed to
him in this respect, surah 113, Daybreak, and surah 114, Peo-
ple. The Prophet said these two surahs were “the two surahs
of refuge” or “the two protectors” (al-Mu’awwidhatayn). He
recommended that they be invoked whenever protection
from evil was sought. They were recited when the spell cast
by Labid on the Prophet was being undone.318
The second attempt at the Prophet’s life happened during
the Khaybar campaign. After the fortresses of Khaybar were
taken, one Jewish woman roasted a sheep (or a lamb, accord-
318
See: Martin Lings, supra at 363-364. The event regarding the spell cast
against the Prophet was recorded in the relevant Hadith collections,
such as, for example, al-Bukhari’s Sahih. See more in: Safvet Halilović,
Metodologija tumačenja Kur’ana u hanefijskome mezhebu (The
Methodology of Exegesis of the Qur’an in the Hanafi Madhhab), pp.
561-572.

334
 20. TREATY OF HUDAYBIYYAH

ing to some traditions) which she had doused with poison

beforehand. She particularly concentrated on the shoulders,
as she had inquired and learned that the shoulder meat was
the Prophet’s favorite. She then brought the roast to the Mus-
lim camp and people started eating. The Prophet quickly spat
out the piece he had put in his mouth, as he received a revela-
tion that the meat was poisoned. According to some tradi-
tions, until his last breath the Prophet, p.b.u.h., felt pain and
bitterness of the poison used in that perfidious Jewish assas-
sination attempt.
The Prophet did not take revenge on those who tried to kill
him in either of these attempts, despite the manifest proofs
as the protagonists admitted their guilt in both cases. This is
yet another indication of the Prophet’s strong sense of com-
passion with all people, including the Jews, who constantly
plotted against him ever since he had arrived in Medina and
even planned his murder.

335
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

21. LIBERATION OF MECCA (Fath

Makka)

Compensatory Umra (Umrat al-Qada)

We noted earlier that, although the Peace Treaty of Hu-
daybiyyah did not seem favorable to the Muslims at first
glance, it actually represented a major strategic victory as it
paved the way for the liberation of Mecca. Under the terms
of the Treaty, the Prophet and the Muslims were to return to
Medina that year when the Treaty was concluded and would
come to Mecca the following year (7 AH) to make the Lesser
Pilgrimage (umrah).
Having returned from Khaybar, the Prophet, p.b.u.h.,
spent eight months in Medina: Rabi’ al-Awwal, Rabi’ al-
Akhir, Jumada al-Ula, Jumada al-Akhira, Rajab, Sha’ban,
Ramadan and Shawwal. In that period he occasionally dis-
patched small military formations and carried out some
combat activities against the Arab tribes with which he had
not concluded treaties.
In the month of Dhu al-Qa’da, that is, the same month in
which in the previous year the idolaters had prevented him
from making the umrah, he set out to make a compensato-
ry umrah. He was accompanied by all those who had been
turned back together with him in the previous year. This
happened in 7 AH.319
319
The year 7 AH began on 11 May 628 CE, and ended on 30 April 629 CE.
The month of Dhu al-Qa’dah of 7 AH began on 2 March, and the month
of Dhu al-Hijjah on 1 April 629 CE. See: Zejnil Fajić, Tabelarni pregled

336
 21. LIBERATION OF MECCA (Fath Makka)

In line with the terms of the Treaty, the Meccans vacated

the center of Mecca. Rumors started circling among them
that Muhammad, p.b.u.h., was struck by troubles, exhaus-
tion and setbacks. Ibn Hisham transmits from Ibn Abbas:
“They lined up in front of their Council (Dar al-Nadwah) so
that they could observe the Prophet and his party. As soon
as he entered the Ka’bah compound, the Messenger of God
passed his upper garment under his right armpit, leaving the
right shoulder bare, and crossed the other end over the left
shoulder, and then said: ‘May God have mercy to the man
who shows his strength to them today.’ He then touched that
corner of the Ka’bah where the Black Stone was (rukn) and
started circumambulating the Ka’bah briskly, and his Com-
panions followed suit. When the Ka’bah walls shielded him
from the pagans’ view and when he touched its southern cor-
ner, he slowed down and walked slowly until he reached the
Black Stone Corner when he again started walking briskly
and thus made three circumambulations (tawaf). He did the
remaining circumambulations at a slower pace.”320
The biographers state that the Prophet married Maymu-
nah bint al-Harith during that journey. His uncle Abbas ibn
Abd al-Muttalib gave her hand in marriage to him. When the
prescribed three days expired, the Prophet asked Quraysh to
allow him to stay in Mecca for a while longer so that he could
arrange a wedding feast there to which he would invite them
as well, but they refused: “We do not need your food! Go
away from us!”
The Prophet’s conduct shows his attempt to communicate
with people in every possible way, including the most fierce
opponents, with the aim of arriving at a more favorable cli-

hidžretskih godina preračunatih u godine nove ere (A Tabular Review of

Hijri Calendar Years and Equivalent Common Era Years), p. 2.
320
Ibn Hisham, Poslanikov životopis (A Biography of the Prophet), p. 209.

337
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

mate that would have facilitated a peaceful resolution to the

conflict. This is also an indication that the Prophet, p.b.u.h.,
avoided wars and shedding of blood whenever possible.

The Battle of Mu’tah (Gazwat Mu’ta)

Having returned from Mecca, the Prophet spent in Medi-
na the remaining part of the month of Dhu al-Hijjah, leaving
it to the idolaters to perform the pilgrimage that year, and the
months of Muharram, Safar, Rabi’ al-Awwal and Rabi’ al-
Akhir. In Jumada al-Ula (September 629 CE), he dispatched
an army against Syria, as a punitive measure against the
murderers of his envoy to the Byzantine Emperor Heraclius.
Previously, in early 7 AH, the Prophet had sent companion
Dihya al-Kalbi to the governor of Busrah with a letter for
Heraclius. As he did not get any response to the letter, he sent
another envoy, Harith ibn ‘Umayr al-Azdi. This envoy was
intercepted and killed by the chief of the Ghassan tribe. Such
an act could not be left unpunished, despite the risk that the
Ghassanides, who were mostly Christians, might persuade
Heraclius to send them assistance.
The Prophet mobilized a 3,000-strong army and ap-
pointed Zayd ibn Harithah the commander. He ordered that,
should Zayd fall, Ja’far ibn Abi Talib should take his place.
Should Ja’far be killed, Abdullah ibn Rawahah should as-
sume the command. He ordered to Zayd to go to the place
where Harith ibn ‘Umayr al-Azdi had been killed and call
the inhabitants to Islam, and should they heed the call, there
would be no war; should they refuse, he should then pray to
God for help and fight them. On that occasion the Prophet is-
sued an order to the Muslim troops how to behave in war. He
told them: “I order you to fear God and to treat the enemy
kindly! Fight in the name of God and in His way! Do not
attack without a warning and do not plunder! Do not kill

338
 21. LIBERATION OF MECCA (Fath Makka)

children, women, feeble old men or monks in monasteries!

Do not damage palms! Do not cut trees! Do not pull down
buildings!” These words of the Prophet are an indication of a
high moral code that the Muslims adhered to in warfare and
the best rebuttal of allegations that Islam spread violently.
Soon afterward the army got on its way with God’s bless-
ing and the Prophet’s farewell. They marched until they
reached a place called Ma’ân, where they learned that Hera-
clius had mobilized an enormous army against them (some
authors assert that it had two hundred thousand troops), so
they made an encampment to assess the new situation. The
Byzantine army comprised the Byzantines and the baptized
Arabs. The Muslims held a council what to do and eventually
decided to seek help from the Prophet in Medina or ask him
to give them a different order. Then Abdullah ibn Rawahah
stood up and said: “The thing you despise now is the very
one for which you set out. You seek death in the way of God
(martyrdom). We do not fight enemy with our equipment or
size or strength, but we fight with the faith that God has hon-
ored us with. You have before you one of the two good things:
victory or martyrdom!” After this speech, the Companions
agreed they should fight. The battle took place at Mu’tah, a
place on the border with al-Sham at that time. The town’s
modern name is al-Karak and it is located southeast of the
Dead Sea, in modern Jordan.
Zayd fought heroically until he was killed and then the
flag was taken over by Ja’far ibn Abi Talib. At first he fought
in the saddle and when he was forced to dismount from his
horse, he did so and continued fighting on foot. When his
right hand was cut off, he took the standard with his left
hand, and when it was cut off as well, he clasped the standard
with his arms to his chest and held it so until he was killed.
His comrades found more than seventy wounds on him –
may Allah be Pleased with Him! - including spear stabs and

339
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

sword lacerations. Then Abdullah ibn Rawahah assumed

the command and fought until he, too, fell as a martyr. The
Muslims then appointed Khalid ibn al-Walid as their com-
mander. That was his first battle in Islam. Making use of his
strategic skills he succeeded in saving the Muslim army from
annihilation, given that it was far outnumbered by the ene-
my – historians state that the Byzantines, helped by the Arab
tribes from the North, mobilized an army of two hundred
thousand well-equipped warriors.321
That was the first battle that the Muslims launched against
Byzantium outside the Arabian Peninsula. Although the
Prophet did not take part in it, it was called a campaign
(gazwa) because of a large number of the Companions who
took part in it. There were three thousand of them, which dif-
fers considerably from the other dispatched reconnaissance
missions (saraya). Owing to that battle, the Prophet, p.b.u.h.,
gave Khalid ibn al-Walid, r.a., an honorific title Sayfullah, the
Sword of God.

The Liberation of Mecca (Fath Makka)

The campaign against Mecca took place in the month
of Ramadan 8 AH.322 The Peace Treaty of Hudaybiyyah or-
dained an armistice in the next ten years. So, how did it hap-
pen that the Muslims launched a campaign against Mecca,
when it is well-known that the Prophet, p.b.u.h., always hon-
ored agreements, especially written peace treaties?

321
See: al-Mubarakpuri, Zapečaćeni džennetski napitak (The Sealed
Nectar), p. 352.
322
The year 8 AH began on 1 May 629 and ended on 19 April 630 CE. The
month of Ramadan of that year began on Saturday, 23 December 629 CE
and lasted until 21 January 630 CE. See: Zejnil Fajić, Tabelarni pregled
hidžretskih godina preračunatih u godine nove ere (A Tabular Review of
Hijri Calendar Years and Equivalent Common Era Years), pp. 1-2.

340
 21. LIBERATION OF MECCA (Fath Makka)

The third clause of the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah reads:

“Whosoever wishes to enter an alliance with Muhammad
and honor this treaty, may do so; likewise, whosoever wishes
to ally with Quraysh, may do so. A tribe that enters an alli-
ance with one side shall be considered a part of that side and
every attack on the allied tribe shall be treated as an attack
on the whole side.”
So the Treaty allowed alliances between Arab tribes
and the Prophet or Quraysh, as desired. On these grounds
the tribe of Banu Bakr entered an alliance with Quraysh,
while the tribe of Khuza’ah allied with Prophet Muhammad,
p.b.u.h. That year, the tribe of Banu Bakr, which Quraysh
helped with money and arms, attacked the Khuza’ah tribe
and killed twenty of its members. The Prophet got very angry
when he heard about this, as it meant a breach of the Peace
Treaty of Hudaybiyyah, its mutual non-aggression clause.
The Prophet began preparing for the final showdown with
Quraysh. He made every effort to make the preparations qui-
etly and for that reason did not want to inform the men of
his intent so as to prevent Quraysh from getting ready. In
that way the Prophet wanted to avoid a major armed conflict
that would have resulted in a large number of casualties and
desecration of the integrity of the Holy City. However, a com-
panion named Khatib ibn Abi Balta’ah secretly sent a letter to
Mecca informing the Meccans about the Prophet’s imminent
campaign against them. Allah, swt, sent down a revelation
about this event to the Prophet, p.b.u.h., who sent a group of
Companions to catch up with a woman who was carrying the
letter hidden in her plait. When the secret was discovered,
the Prophet summoned Khatib and asked him: “What made
you do it?” He answered: “O Prophet, by God, I do believe in
God and His Prophet. I have not changed or substituted my
faith with something else, but I am a man without standing

341
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

or kinsmen among the people of Mecca, and my child and

wife have stayed behind among them, so I wanted to win fa-
vor with the Meccans for my family’s sake.” Umar exclaimed:
“O, Messenger of God, allow me to cut his head off! He is a
hypocrite!” The Prophet said: “He fought at Badr. What do
you know? Perhaps God looked upon the Badr participants
and said: ‘Do what you will, for I have forgiven you.’” The
Prophet’s compassion and endeavor to forgive people when-
ever possible was manifested in this case as well.
On 10 Ramadan, the Prophet, p.b.u.h., made his way
toward Mecca. He broke the Ramadan fast on the journey
because of the great strain and exhaustion, and the others
followed suit. When they set off from Medina, they were ten-
thousand-strong, but several other Arab tribes joined them
on their way to Mecca. In the place of Marr al-Zahran the
Prophet’s sentries came across Abu Sufyan and two compan-
ions of his, apprehended them and took them to the Prophet.
Abu Sufyan embraced Islam on that occasion. The Prophet’s
uncle Abbas, whom they encountered en route while he was
on his way to emigrate to Medina, told the Prophet: “Abu
Sufyan is indeed a proud man, so give him something that
he can have pride in.” The Prophet then said: “Whoever takes
refuge in Abu Sufyan’s house shall be safe!” When the Muslim
army came close to Mecca, the Prophet’s herald announced:
“Whoever stays in his house behind closed door shall be safe!
Whoever enters the Holy Sanctuary shall be safe! Whoever
takes refuge in Abu Sufyan’s house he, too, shall be safe!”
This general amnesty was not granted to fifteen persons who
committed the most heinous crimes against Islam and Mus-
lims and who were, thus, specially responsible.
The Prophet, p.b.u.h., entered Mecca on his camel, with his
head bent so low that his forehead almost touched the saddle.
In that way he expressed his gratitude to God Almighty for
this great victory. The Prophet then performed circumam-

342
 21. LIBERATION OF MECCA (Fath Makka)

bulation of the Ka’bah and demolished nearly three hundred

and sixty idols that were inside and around the Ka’bah. He
then entered the Ka’bah, performed two cycles of prayer and
stood at its door while Quraysh waited to see what he would
do to them. He asked them: “O, Quraysh! What do you think
how I will treat you?” They answered: “Well! You are a no-
ble brother and a son of a noble brother!” The Prophet then
said: “Today I say as my brother Joseph (Yusuf) had said to
his brothers long ago: I will not reproach you now. God will
forgive you and He is the most Merciful of the merciful.’ Go
your way now! You are free!”
With these words the Prophet proclaimed for all times
the character of his prophetic mission that abounded with
kindness, generosity, forgiveness and every possible good.
That magnificent event, when the Prophet could have eas-
ily slain hundreds, even thousands of people, yet he did not
but forgave them generously instead, marked a precedent in
the history of warfare in which triumphant armies usually
slaughtered en masse the people on the defeated side.
The people were deeply moved having witnessed the
Prophet’s mercy and forgiveness. They gathered at Safa to
swear allegiance to Islam before him. The Prophet came at
Safa and took allegiance from them that they would be sub-
missive and obedient to God and His Prophet, as much as
they could. First the men pledged allegiance and then the
women, and he did not shake hands with any of the women.
Among the women who swore allegiance was Abu Sufyan’s
wife Hind, who had mutilated the Prophet’s beloved uncle
Hamzah at the Battle of Uhud. For that reason the Prophet
had earlier allowed her execution. However, he recognized
her only after she had sworn allegiance, so he forgave her.
That day the Prophet, p.b.u.h., ordered Bilal, r.a., to make
the noon prayer call from the rooftop of the Ka’bah, which

343
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

marked the end of the pagan religion in the Arabian Penin-

sula. At that moment the light of true monotheism (tawhid)
shone brightly putting an end to the darkness of idol-wor-
shipping around the world ever since.

Did Islam Spread Violently?

Recently certain non-Muslim circles in the West have ac-
cused Muslims that their religion is inhumane as it, allegedly,
spread in a violent manner. Unfortunately, such accusations
do not only come from the journalists who belong to certain
media lobbies and centers, but also from the highest-ranking
religious dignitaries, such as Pope Benedict XVI. In a lecture
he delivered in Regensburg in Germany in September 2006,
he made a reference to one dialogue from the Middle Ages
between the Byzantine Emperor Manuel II and a Persian
sage. The Emperor accused Prophet Muhammad, p.b.u.h.,
that what he had brought to mankind was “evil and inhu-
mane”, as he had allegedly ordered that his religion should be
spread by sword.
We shall not discuss here whether what the Prophet,
p.b.u.h., brought to mankind is “evil and inhumane”. An un-
biased look into the history of Islam suffices to realize easily
that Muslims gave a huge contribution to the development of
different scientific disciplines, such as medicine, mathemat-
ics, astronomy, geography and other sciences that enabled
the progress of human civilization.323 At a cultural level, the
323
Many articles written in response to the Pope’s offenses criticized him.
Mr. Boris Dežulović wrote a well-researched and well-received article in
Globus, Croatian national weekly, entitled What Has the Catholic ‘Jihad’
Ever Brought to Us Save Evil? Mr. Dežulović writes that Muslims are to be
credited for numerous inventions and scientific achievements without
which the modern life would have been impossible. They include
mathematics, decimal system, the unknown X, revolutionary zero,
trigonometry, algebra, geography, philosophy, the first measurement of

344
 21. LIBERATION OF MECCA (Fath Makka)

Prophet, p.b.u.h., initiated, without any coercion, one of the

greatest transformations in the history of mankind.
The events surrounding the liberation of Mecca are an im-
pressive and distinctive indication of the true character of
Prophet Muhammad, p.b.u.h., who never felt hatred for his
opponents. The Prophet released his opponents and showed
mercy to them, after their conflicts that had lasted for more
than twenty years. At the time of these conflicts, there was
not a single manner or method of annihilation of the Proph-
et, his Companions and his mission that his enemies did not
employ. And even when he completely defeated them and
conquered the capital of their idolatry, everything he did was
to release the captives and pray to God to forgive them. It is
very difficult to find a similar example in history; it could only
be done by the Noble Prophet, who did not seek power nor
superiority with his mission, but was sent by the Almighty
Creator to guide and conquer human hearts and minds. That
is why he entered Mecca humbly, grateful to God, and not
arrogant like great conquerors.324
In the Prophet’s instructions to the Muslim army on the
eve of the Mu’tah campaign one detects a compassion that
characterizes the Islamic fighting. The Prophet forbids kill-
ing of non-combatants: Do not kill children, women, feeble
the Earth’s perimeter, discovery of the heliocentric system, the first map
of the world, the first observatory, discoveries in astronomy, compass,
paper, rice, sugar, orange, lemon, peach, oil press, irrigation system,
modern agriculture, cotton, textile industry, fashion, clothes, guitar,
coffee, pharmacology, soap, perfume, the famous Qanun by Ibn Sina
(Avicenna), alchemy, distillation process, alcohol, camera obscura (dark
chamber), the first concept of university in the world, silk and velvet.
N
 umerous books have been written about the Muslims’ contribution
to the development of human civilization. See, for example: John
Esposito, Oxford History of Islam, chapters: Science, Medicine and
Technology and Art and Architecture.
324
See: Mustafa al-Siba’i, Poslanikov životni put (The Life of the Prophet:
Highlights and Lessons), p. 71.

345
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

old men or monks in monasteries! Do not damage palms!

Do not cut trees! Do not pull down buildings!”
The Prophet’s Companions and the Muslims who came
after adhered to this advice for centuries to come. The wars
they waged were the most merciful wars recorded in history.
While they fought, they showed more benevolence and mercy
than others did in peacetime. Such conduct of Muslims went
down in history as a shining example, whereas the conduct
of others was recorded as a negative example. Suffice it to
recall the barbarism of the Crusaders when they conquered
Jerusalem and compare it with the compassion that Salah al-
Din al-Ayyubi demonstrated toward Europeans when he re-
gained control of that city. Likewise, we should not forget the
crimes that the Inquisition committed against Muslims and
Jews in Spain when Christians regained power in the Iberian
Peninsula, whilst a multicultural and multireligious society
had existed in Muslim Spain for centuries before that.
The prohibition of killing the feeble and non-combatants,
such as monks, women, children and the elderly, and the
ones who are forced to fight as farmers and hired workers, is
a feature that, beyond any doubt, makes Islam stand out in
the history of warfare. Nothing similar to that unique regula-
tion full of mercy and compassion has been known to exist,
either before or after the rise of Islam. It was a customary
and tacitly admitted rule with all peoples that, at times of
war, warring parties are permitted to kill all categories of the
population of the adversary, making no exception. Even in
our times, with the formal proclamation of respect for hu-
man rights and international organizations’ assistance to
endangered peoples, the mankind has not yet achieved that
degree of nobility so as to impose a prohibition of killing the
above-mentioned categories. Whole cities and villages were
destroyed in the First and the Second World War.325
325
Ibid, p. 79.

346
 21. LIBERATION OF MECCA (Fath Makka)

In the aggression against Bosnia-Herzegovina in the early

1990s, Sarajevo and many other towns in the country were
besieged from 1992 to 1996 and exposed to constant shell-
ing. Dozens of thousands of innocent children, women and
elderly were killed in the aggression. At the same time, non-
Muslim communities lived and survived in the besieged
Sarajevo and other towns under Muslim control.
The Islamic regulations require from Muslims to treat
non-Muslims normally and kindly. Except when it comes to
the rights and duties related to religious practice (‘ibadah),
non-Muslims are equal with Muslims in all other aspects of
social life and civic rights.
In that regard, it is advisable to recall the writing of one
respectable European author, a Christian who cannot be ac-
cused of bias. That is Thomas Walker Arnold, who wrote in
his book The Preaching of Islam about the rapid spread of
Islam and a large number of conversions to it. He says:
“That force was not the determining factor in these conver-
sions may be judged from the amicable relations that existed
between the Christian and the Muslim Arabs. Muhammad
himself had entered into treaty with several Christian tribes,
promising them his protection and guaranteeing them the
free exercise of their religion and to their clergy undisturbed
enjoyment of their old rights and authority. ... From the ex-
amples given above of the toleration extended towards the
Christian Arabs by the victorious Muslims of the first centu-
ry of the Hijrah and continued by succeeding generations, we
may surely infer that those Christian tribes that did embrace
Islam, did so of their own choice and free will.”326
The same author also wrote: “When the Muslim army
reached the valley of the Jordan and Abu ‘Ubaydah pitched
326
T. W. Arnold, The Preaching of Islam, Charles Scribner’s Sons, New
York, 1913, pp. 47-48, 51-52.

347
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

his camp at Fihl, the Christian inhabitants of the country

wrote to the Arabs, saying: ‘O Muslims, we prefer you to the
Byzantines, though they are of our own faith, because you
keep better faith with us and are more merciful to us and
refrain from doing us injustice and your rule over us is bet-
ter than theirs, for they have robbed us of our goods and our
homes.’”327

327
Ibid, p. 55.

348
 22. THE TABUK CAMPAIGN AND
FAREWELL PILGRIMAGE

The Battle of Hunayn

After the liberation of Mecca people started embrac-
ing God’s faith in crowds. The idolaters decided to make
a last-ditch attempt against Islam and the Muslims. The
Hawazin tribe was the second greatest power among the
Arabs after Quraysh, and there was always a rivalry be-
tween the two tribes. After the Muslims entered Mecca tri-
umphantly, the lords of the Hawazin thought the Prophet
would launch a campaign against them now. They, there-
fore, decided to prepare well and rushed to mount as large
an army as possible. They persuaded the Thaqif tribe war-
riors to join them in that decisive battle. They chose Ma-
lik ibn ‘Awf al-Nasri as the commander and he ordered
them to march to battlefield with their assets, families and
cattle, so that they would be motivated to the maximum.
Awaiting conflict, they gathered an army of twenty to
thirty thousand strong.
When he heard of the preparations, the Prophet, p.b.u.h.,
decided to launch a military campaign with the troops that
were in Mecca. Those were the ten thousand Companions
who participated in the liberation of Mecca and two thou-
sand Muslim converts from Mecca, that is, twelve thousand
troops in total. They were delighted with their strength and
some said: “Today we shall not be defeated as we will not
be outnumbered.” The campaign happened in the month of

349
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

Shawwal 8 AH, or late January 630 CE, immediately after the

liberation of Mecca.328
When they arrived in the valley of Hunayn (a location
more than 10 miles away from Mecca from the direction
of Arafah), in the early morning they were attacked by the
Hawazin warriors and their confederates. The Muslims were
surprised by the attack and many started retreating. Allah,
swt, sent down the Revelation: God has helped you [believers]
on many battlefields, even on the day of the Battle of Hunayn.
You were well pleased with your large numbers, but they were
of no use to you: the earth seemed to close in on you despite its
spaciousness, and you turned tail and fled. Then God sent His
calm down to His Messenger and the believers, and He sent
down invisible forces. He punished the disbelievers – this is
what the disbelievers deserve. (9:25-26)
Another reason that made many give up the fighting was
the news that the Prophet was killed. When they heard it,
many Muslims threw their weapons and started fleeing. Nat-
urally, this was misinformation whose objective was to break
the Muslim army. The Prophet ordered his uncle Abbas, who
had a strong voice, to make it known to the people that he
was alive. One group started gathering around the Prophet,
p.b.u.h., and it halted the idolaters’ advance and launched a

328
Some sirahs specify the date of the Battle of Hunayn as 10 Shawwal
8 AH, which corresponds to 31 January 630 CE. See: Abu al-Hasan
al-Nadwi, Život Božijeg Poslanika (The Life of God’s Prophet), p. 154;
al-Siba’i, Poslanikov životni put (The Life of the Prophet: Highlights and
Lessons), p. 56. The conversion of the Hijri dates to the Common Era
dates done according to: Zejnil Fajić, Tabelarni pregled hidžretskih
godina preračunatih u godine nove ere (A Tabular Review of Hijri
Calendar Years and Equivalent Common Era Years), p. 2. The same date
(10 Shawwal) is mentioned in the Arabic original of al-Mubarakpuri’s
al-Rahiq al-makhtum (See: al-Rahiq al-makhtum, Jam’iyya ihya’ al-
turath al-islami, Kuwait, 1994, p. 415).

350
 22. THE TABUK CAMPAIGN AND FAREWELL PILGRIMAGE

counter-attack. The other Muslims followed suit, and after

realizing that the Prophet was alive, they resolutely engaged
in the battle and defeated the enemy.
The Muslims won enormous spoils in that campaign:
6,000 captives, 24,000 camels, more than 40,000 sheep and
4,000 ounces of silver. The Prophet afterward divided it, giv-
ing a considerable share to the new converts from Mecca,
such as Abu Sufyan. In that way he tried to win their hearts
over for Islam. Among the captives was Shaymah, the Proph-
et’s sister-in-nursing from the Banu Sa’d tribe, whom he re-
leased immediately and sent back to her family with gifts and
escort.
After the defeat the majority of the idolaters fled to Ta’if,
the capital of the Thaqif tribe, where they fortified themselves
together with their commander Malik ibn ‘Awf. The Prophet
ordered the Muslim army to go after them and besiege them.
The siege lasted for a long while and on that occasion the
Prophet used the catapult for the first time. In an attempt
to reduce casualties he pledged that whoever of the idolaters
left the fortified city would be free and safe. The siege was
terminated when the Prophet, p.b.u.h., wishing to avoid ma-
jor bloodshed, ordered the Muslims to withdraw and leave
the Ta’if citizens inside. After that, the Prophet returned to
Ji’ranah, where he distributed the spoils of the Battle of Hu-
nayn. He showed great generosity and mercy to the captives
from the Hawazin tribe. Many of them were set free, moreo-
ver, the Prophet personally intervened in favor of some.
Famous female companion Umm Sulaym bint Milhan,
mother of the prominent companion Anas ibn Malik, r.a.,
also participated in the Battle of Hunayn. She participated
in it together with her husband Abu Talhah, with a garment
wrapped around her belly as she was pregnant! She carried
a little curved dagger on her and when her husband, Abu

351
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

Talhah, asked her why she was carrying it she said: “I carry it
in order to rip open any idolater who comes near.” Hers is an
example of the extraordinary readiness for personal sacrifice
on the part of the first generations of Muslim women.329

The Tabuk Campaign

After that the Prophet performed the Lesser Pilgrimage in
the month of Dhu al-Qa’dah, and at the end of that month or
the beginning of Dhu al-Hijjah, returned to Medina. He was
in Medina until the month of Rajab next year, 9 AH. He then
ordered preparations for a great military campaign against
the Byzantines. That campaign, also called the Battle of Dis-
tress (Gazwat al-‘usra or Sa’at al-’usra), took place in Rajab 9
AH (Rajab began on 14 October 630 CE).
The biographers state that the Byzantine Emperor Hera-
clius could not forget the battle at Mu’tah, which made the
Muslims famous. Also, the Arab tribes in the North of the
Arabian Peninsula, which had been loyal to Byzantium earli-
er, grew ever more attracted to Muslims. This caused a threat
and instability on the border of the Byzantine Empire. Hera-
clius, therefore, regarded a defeat of the Muslims to be the
only way to prevent them from growing into a force impos-
sible to conquer. He ordered mobilization of a huge army that
would launch a campaign aimed at destroying the nascent
Muslim state.
When the Prophet, p.b.u.h., was informed of the inten-
tions of the Byzantine army, he started preparations for that
difficult and remote campaign. That period was very unfa-
vorable for everyone as there was a drought that year, it was
very hot and shortages reigned. The Prophet would usually
not disclose the destination of a new military campaign, but
would rather make allusions to it and mention some direc-
329
See: Ibn Hisham, Poslanikov životopis (A Biography of the Prophet), p. 234.

352
 22. THE TABUK CAMPAIGN AND FAREWELL PILGRIMAGE

tion other than the intended one. However, he did differently

in the case of the Tabuk campaign – he announced it to the
people overtly, as the journey there was to be a long and hard
one and the future of the whole Muslim community depend-
ed on it. For all these reasons it was necessary for the people
to make the preparations like no other.
The Prophet proclaimed general mobilization. All but
three devout believers heeded the call. The Prophet appealed
on the affluent men to provide equipment and provisions for
the army and they responded by giving considerable wealth
in the way of God. Abu Bakr brought his whole wealth of forty
thousand silver coins. Umar contributed half his wealth and
Uthman contributed so much money and so many camels
that one third of the army could be equipped out of his dona-
tion alone. For that reason the Prophet said: “From this day
on nothing will harm Uthman whatever he does.” A group of
poor men who did not have any riding animal came to the
Prophet to ask for them, but he told them: “I have nothing to
give to you.” They went back weeping because they could not
take part in that great campaign for which Allah, swt, would
bestow a valuable reward.
Around eighty hypocrites did not take part in the Tabuk
campaign. They tried to talk the people out of it saying: “Why
would you go at such heat?” Several verses about them and
their scheming were revealed in surah 9, Repentance (al-Taw-
ba), whose other name is The Disgracer (al-Fadiha), because it
revealed the true face of the hypocrites and disgraced them.
Among the ones who stayed behind were four honest
companions: Ka’b ibn Malik, Murarah ibn al-Rabi’, Hilal ibn
Umayyah and Abu Khaythamah. The first three men stayed
in Medina for no particular reason and they are known as
The Three Who Stayed Away (al-Thalathat alladhina khulifu).
After their genuine repentance and the Prophet’s order that

353
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

they be isolated, which lasted fifty days, the following verses

were revealed: In His mercy God has turned to the Prophet,
and the emigrants and helpers who followed him in the hour
of adversity when some hearts almost wavered: He has turned
to them; He is most kind and merciful to them. And to the
three men who stayed behind: when the earth, for all its spa-
ciousness, closed in around them, when their very souls closed
in around them, when they realized that the only refuge from
God was with Him, He turned to them in mercy in order for
them to return [to Him]. God is the Ever Relenting, the Most
Merciful. (9:117-118)
After the Prophet, p.b.u.h., had marched away with the
troops, Abu Khaythamah exclaimed: “The Messenger of God
is out there under the scorching sun and hot wind, while Abu
Khaythamah is here in his own estate in the pleasant shade,
with meals prepared and a beautiful wife! This is not right!
By God, I will not enter a hut of any wife of mine until I join
the Messenger of God. Prepare the provisions for journey.”
And he set off and caught up with the Prophet at Tabuk.330
The Prophet set out with thirty thousand troops, includ-
ing ten thousand horsemen. That was the mightiest force that
Arabs had ever seen. They made an encampment at Tabuk and
stayed there for twenty nights. However, there was no direct
clash as the chiefs of the Arabs who lived at the border with
Byzantium came to see the Prophet at his camp at Tabuk,
agreed to pay the yearly tribute (jizyah) and entered a security
treaty containing provisions on the security of borders, waters
and roads and a guarantee for the benefit of both sides. After
that the Prophet returned to Medina with the troops.331

Ibn Hisham, supra at 249.

330

Al-Mubarakpuri states that the Tabuk campaign lasted fifty days, with the
331

Prophet spending twenty days at Tabuk and the remaining days traveling there
and back. See: Zapečaćeni džennetski napitak (The Sealed Nectar), p. 398.

354
 22. THE TABUK CAMPAIGN AND FAREWELL PILGRIMAGE

The Tabuk campaign was the last military campaign un-

dertaken by the Messenger of God. Famous Indian scholar,
sheikh Abu al-Hasan al-Nadwi, writes in his Sirah: “The
campaign at Tabuk marked the end of the Prophet’s mili-
tary campaigns (al-gazawat), twenty-seven in total. There
were sixty instances of dispatching small units and recon-
naissance missions (al-saraya), but not every one included
actual fighting. There were no more than 1,018 casualties
on both sides in all of the campaigns, and only God knows
how many times bloodshed was prevented. Safety prevailed
across the Arabian Peninsula, so even a woman could travel
alone from Hira (a mountain in Iraq) to the Ka’bah, to do the
ritual circumambulation, without fearing anyone but God
Almighty.”332

Lessons from the Tabuk Campaign

Many lessons may be drawn from the Tabuk Campaign
and we shall present the most important ones:333
One: As all biographers state, the motive for the inva-
sion of Tabuk was the fact that in al-Sham, the Byzantines
mounted a vast army for which Heraclius secured a year’s
supplies in advance. They were joined by the Arab tribes of
Lakhm, Judham, Ghassan and ‘Amilah. Their advance party
marched to al-Balqa’, located between al-Sham and Wadi al-
Qura. When the Prophet learned this, he called the people
to get ready to march to Tabuk and called the affluent ones
to make contributions. This explains the nature of war in Is-
lam. It is not a war of provocation or aggression, but a war to
defend the religion and state, deter and prevent an aggressor
332
Al-Nadwi, Život Božijeg Poslanika (The Life of God’s Prophet), p. 169.
333
The lessons taken over, with some abbreviation, from Dr. Mustafa al-
Siba’i’s Poslanikov životni put, pouke i poruke (The Life of the Prophet:
Highlights and Lessons), pp. 89-91.

355
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

from causing disorder and inflicting damage. Many verses of

the Qur’an and the Hadith of God’s Messenger refer to it.
Two: The Prophet’s call to battle came at the time of short-
ages, great heat and fruit harvesting. Devout believers rushed
to heed the call, disregarding the difficulties, whereas the
hypocrites stayed away offering various excuses. This is how
devout believers are distinguished from the hypocrites in
times of trouble. Allah said: Alif Lam Mim. Do people think
they will be left alone after saying ‘We believe’ without being
put to the test? We tested those who went before them: God
will certainly mark out which ones are truthful and which are
lying. (29:1-3)
Missions may succeed and communities may be estab-
lished only after they get rid of hypocrites and impostors, as
only the resolute and the sincere ones who have faith in an
idea remain steadfast in troubles. It often happens that weak
people and impostors pose an obstacle on the path of renais-
sance and render its triumph impossible or cause its delay.
The army that marched to Tabuk was rid of such persons ow-
ing to the fact that their true faces, weakness of their faith and
indecisiveness were revealed. An army that presents a united
front and firmly believes in the truthfulness of its fighting
cause, even if small in size, is more useful to a community
and closer to victory than a huge army with a different degree
of belief, strength and steadfastness within its ranks. ‘How
often a small force has defeated a large army with God’s per-
mission! God is with those who are steadfast.’ (2:249)
Three: The prompt response of the companions such as
Abu Bakr, Umar and Uthman to the Prophet’s appeal to make
contributions from personal wealth is an indication of what
faith may do in the souls of followers in terms of encouraging
them to do good and fight their passions and instincts, and
that is what every community and every movement needs in

356
 22. THE TABUK CAMPAIGN AND FAREWELL PILGRIMAGE

order to triumph over opponents and to secure the sources of

funding. The Muslim community dearly needs it nowadays.
The opponents are multiple, the problems are huge, the bat-
tle is merciless, and the adversary is strong and perfidious,
and we can prevail only with additional sacrifice of wealth,
life, passions and indulgence. This can be done only by a true
faith, the one that will educate the believers to regard the in-
vesting of their own wealth and the enduring of hardships in
the name of the community as jihad, the struggle that God
rewards equally as He rewards soldiers in battlefield. The best
that the protagonists of Islamic transformation can do is to
implant faith into people’s hearts.
Four: The case involving the men who came to the Proph-
et asking him to take them to the campaign but whom he
turned back as he could not find riding animals for them,
whereupon they left his side in tears, is a most beautiful ex-
ample of the miracles that faith can perform. This event is
also referred to in the Qur’an. It is in human nature to rejoice
at a rescue from danger or evasion of war. On the contrary,
these devout believers cried as they were deprived of it, since
they believed they would miss a great reward by Allah and an
opportunity to become martyrs in His path. What other ide-
ology can have the same impact on the souls of its followers
that Islam had on the souls of these men? What a great pity
that there are not enough men of that kind in the Muslim
community nowadays!
Five: The story of the three men who stayed behind and
did not take part in the battle although they were devout be-
lievers contains an important social lesson. The three pre-
ferred enjoyment to exhaustion, pleasurable stay in shade to
traveling in the heat. It did not take long for the faith to wake
in their souls. They realized that they committed a grave
sin by failing to join the Prophet and the faithful. However,

357
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

that did not save them from punishment, which was strict
and merciless: they were completely isolated from the com-
munity and everyone, including their wives, was forbidden
to communicate with them. When they sincerely repented
and when their repentance, pain and grief reached climax,
God forgave them. When they heard this, their joy knew no
boundaries. One of them relinquished his whole wealth out
of gratitude to God for His forgiveness and pleasure. The les-
son for the believers is that they should not be satisfied with
enjoyment while others suffer, and with comfort while their
brethren in faith undergo difficult situations. Islam com-
mands its followers to always be aware that they belong to
one community, make a part of the whole, and that what is
harmful to the community is harmful to individuals, too.

The Farewell Pilgrimage (Hajjat al-wada’)

The Messenger of God returned from Tabuk in Ramadan
and in that month a delegation of the Thaqif tribe came. The
year 9 AH is also known as the Year of Delegations (‘Am al-
wufud), as delegations of many Arab tribes came that year
and declared their conversion to Islam. Other important
events that happened that year are as follows:
a) Pilgrimage was commanded, so the Messenger of
God sent Abu Bakr to lead the pilgrims;
b) The Negus, King of Abyssinia, died so the Prophet
and the Companions prayed the funeral prayer for
him in absence (salat al-gha’ib);
c) Umm Kulthum, the Prophet’s daughter and Uth-
man’s wife, died;
d) Abdullah ibn Ubayy ibn Salul, the leader of the hypo-
crites, died;
e) Sharia punishment was executed against a Ghamidi-

358
 22. THE TABUK CAMPAIGN AND FAREWELL PILGRIMAGE

yah woman, who confessed to have committed adul-

tery. The punishment was executed after she stopped
breastfeeding.334
The year 10 AH also saw arrival of some delegations. When
the month of Dhu al-Qa’dah began, the Prophet, p.b.u.h.,
started making preparations for pilgrimage. He ordered oth-
ers to do it, too, so a huge procession set off in the direction
of Mecca. When they arrived there, he demonstrated to the
people how to perform the pilgrimage rituals and explained
its regulations. That pilgrimage is the only pilgrimage that
God’s Messenger performed after having received the first
Revelation and is called the Farewell Pilgrimage (Hajjat al-
wada’). As people heard that the Prophet would make the pil-
grimage to the Ka’bah that year, they came in throngs from
all corners of Arabia, so there were 124,000 pilgrims in total,
or 144,000, according to some other estimates.335
On that occasion the Prophet delivered the famous ser-
mon, which everyone in search of knowledge should learn,
because it contains a proclamation of the general tenets of
Islam. In that sermon, Prophet Muhammad, p.b.u.h., said,
among other things:
“O, people, hear me out, for I do not know whether I will
ever meet you at this place again. It is forbidden (haram) to
you to shed the blood of one another or take unlawfully the
fortunes of one another. That is as forbidden as is the shed-
ding of blood in this sacred month (Dhu al-Hijjah) and in
this sacred city (Mecca). Verily you will meet your Lord and
He will ask you for your deeds – I have conveyed it to you!
Whoever of you is entrusted with something to do, he should
do it! All kinds of interest are hereby abolished and you are
entitled only to the capital sum of your wealth – you must not
334
Al-Mubarakpuri, supra at 401.
335
Ibid, p. 418.

359
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

inflict or suffer injustice. God has ordained that there shall be

no interest and the amount of interest due to Abbas ibn Abd
al-Muttalib is hereby annulled! The blood-revenge from the
Time of Ignorance (Jahiliyah) is hereby abolished. The first
claim on blood I abolish is that for the life of Ibn Rabi‘ah ibn
al-Harith ibn Abd al-Muttalib. …
“O, people! Satan has lost all hope of ever again being wor-
shipped in this land of yours, but he will be satisfied with
your submission to him in some other things, in some acts of
yours that you may find insignificant – so beware of him for
the safety of your religion! (…)
“O, men! Verily you have certain rights with your wives
as they have with you. Your right is that their conjugal duty
is to you alone and that they must not commit acts of impro-
priety. (…) Treat your wives well, as they are your captives
possessing nothing for themselves. You have taken them as
your wives and have made their flesh lawful unto you under
God’s trust and owing to His words!
“O, people! Understand well these words that I have con-
veyed! I have left amongst you something absolutely clear
that shall protect you from going astray if you hold fast to it:
I have left the Book of God and the practice (Sunnah) of His
Prophet!
“O, people! Hear my words and understand – every Mus-
lim is a brother to another Muslim: Muslims are brethren! It
is only lawful to take from a brother what he gives on his own
free will, so do not do injustice to yourselves for anything! O,
God, have I delivered the message?”
The people replied: “Yes, you have delivered it.” The Proph-
et added: “O, God, bear witness!”336

336
Abd al-Salam Harun: Tahdhib Sirat Ibn Hisham, pp. 285-287; Ibn
Hisham, Poslanikov životopis (A Biography of the Prophet), pp. 276-

360
 22. THE TABUK CAMPAIGN AND FAREWLL PILGRIMAGE

The Prophet’s Farewell Pilgrimage sermon is exceptionally

important, as it tells, among other things, about the charac-
ter of Muhammad’s prophethood. It contains a synthesis of
man’s rights and duties. Islamic principles of liberty, brother-
hood and equality of men brought about a transformation
in the spiritual and social life of humankind. The prevailing
opinion in the West is that the French Revolution marks the
true beginning of the struggle for freedom and dignity of in-
dividuals and peoples and equality of men. However, an im-
partial expert in history of democratic doctrines must admit
that long before the French Revolution, in the seventh century
of the Common Era, the Qur’an and Muhammad proclaimed
the ideals of free humankind and declared universal equality
before God and equality in the eyes of law. Whilst the major-
ity of revolutions were followed by bloodshed and violence, it
can be safely said that only Islam executed its enormous task
in the cultural and historical evolution of mankind with full
freedom of consciousness and dignity and absence of blood
and violence.337
The Prophet’s sermon at the Farewell Pilgrimage points
at another very important fact. The Prophet delivered that
speech after a successfully completed mission and in it he
proclaimed the principles identical to the principles he had
proclaimed at the beginning of his mission, when he had
been alone, persecuted, weak and powerless. These princi-
ples are permanent and they do not change depending on
the number of followers; they are constants valid in war and
peace, after defeat and after victory, in fortune and misfor-
tune, when the enemy is strong and when the enemy is weak.
On the other hand, we see that the world leaders change their

277.
337
Mustafa Busuladžić, Muslimani u Evropi (Muslims in Europe), Sejtarija,
Sarajevo, 1997, p. 219.

361
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

convictions depending on their strength or weakness. We see

them changing means and ends, thinking one thing but say-
ing another, calling unto something they do not believe in.
They show one face in times of trouble, another in times of
strength. It is because they are advocates of interests, not mes-
sengers of a genuine mission whose goal is to bring happiness
to mankind. Enormous is the difference between those who
work in their own interest and those who work in the inter-
est of mankind. Enormous is the difference between Satan’s
friends and God’s friends. God is the ally of those who believe:
He brings them out of the depths of darkness and into the light.
As for the disbelievers, their allies are false gods who take them
from the light into the depths of darkness, they are the inhabit-
ants of the Fire, and there they will remain. (2:257)
The sermon was delivered at Arafah, on 9 Dhu al-Hijjah
10 AH, which corresponds to 8 March 632 CE. After that the
Prophet, p.b.u.h., lived for another three months or, more
precisely, ninety-two days. The biographers agree that the
Prophet passed away on Monday, 12 Rabi’ al-Awwal 11 AH
(8 June 632 CE).338
That day at Arafah, the Prophet received one of the last
revelations of the Qur’an: Today I have perfected your religion
for you, completed My blessing upon you, and chosen as your
religion Islam. (5:3) After this verse the Prophet was not re-

338
The conversion of the Hijri date to the Common Era date done according
to: Zejnil Fajić, Tabelarni pregled hidžretskih godina preračunatih u
godine nove ere (A Tabular Review of Hijri Calendar Years and Equivalent
Common Era Years), pp. 1-2. Some books (see, for example, Tefsir Ibn
Kesir [Ibn Kathir’s Tafsir], Abridged Version, Sarajevo, 2002, p. 342) read
that the Prophet lived for another eighty-one days after the sermon at
the Farewell Pilgrimage. That is a mistake since it is known for a fact that
the Prophet delivered the sermon on 9 Dhu al-Hijjah, that is, the Day of
Arafah, just as the date when the Prophet passed away is known as a fact.
Precisely ninety-two days elapsed between these two events.

362
 22. THE TABUK CAMPAIGN AND FAREWELL PILGRIMAGE

vealed anything else concerning what is permitted (halal) and

what is forbidden (haram).339 The message of this verse is clear:
the religion of Islam is complete and it needs no amendments.
The Muslims should, therefore, be proud of and stick firmly
to Islam, the only religion recognized by God. The verse also
indicates that Muslims must be pleased with the religion that
their Lord is pleased with. He sent down with that religion His
favorite Muhammad, the best among the Messengers of God.
There is an interesting tradition in the Hadith collections.
Tariq ibn Shihab transmits that one Jew came to see Umar,
r.a., and told him: “O, Commander of the Faithful, indeed
there is a verse in your Book and had it been revealed to us,
Jews, we would have celebrated the day of its revelation.” “And
which verse is that “, asked Umar. “Those are the words: To-
day I have perfected your religion for you, completed My bless-
ing upon you, and chosen as your religion Islam.” Umar said:
“By God, I know precisely the day and hour in which this
verse was revealed to God’s Messenger, p.b.u.h. That was on
the eve of the standing at Arafah, and the standing at Arafah
that year was on Friday.”340

339
See: Tefsir Ibn Kesir (Ibn Kathir’s Tafsir), Abridged Version, p. 342.
340
Tradition recorded by Ahmad, al-Bukhari, Muslim, al-Tirmidhi and
al-Nasa’i. See: al-Wahidi, Asbab al-nuzul, Dar al-kutub al-ilmiyya,
Beirut, 1398 AH/1978 CE, pp. 126-127.

363
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

23. THE PROPHET’S ILLNESS AND DEATH

After the revelation of the verse, Today I have perfected

your religion for you, completed My blessing upon you, and
chosen as your religion Islam, and after the Prophet’s sermon
at the Farewell Pilgrimage, it became clear that Muhammad’s
prophetic mission and life were coming to a close. This meant
that the Prophet’s death hour was near, which was announced
in the Qur’anic surah 110, Help: When God’s help comes and
He opens up your way [Prophet], when you see people embrac-
ing God’s faith in crowds, celebrate the praise of your Lord and
ask His forgiveness: He is always ready to accept repentance.
This short surah was among the last Revelations that were
sent down to the Prophet, p.b.u.h.
After he had performed the pilgrimage, the Prophet,
p.b.u.h., returned to Medina where he spent the remaining
part of the month of Dhu al-Hijjah and the months of Mu-
harram and Safar, and he then ordered that a military expe-
dition to Syria (al-Sham) be prepared. He appointed young
Usamah ibn Zayd (freedman Zayd ibn Haritha’s son) as the
commander. That was the last campaign that God’s Messen-
ger undertook with the goal of spreading and protecting Is-
lam and foiling enemies’ claims against the young state.
The Prophet entrusted the command to Usamah, who was
younger than twenty at the time yet under his banner stood the
eldest Emigrants and Ansar, such as Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman,
Ali and others, who had embraced Islam at its very dawn, made
immeasurable sacrifice for it and were older and more promi-
nent than Usama. In this lies a most important lesson – duties

364
 23. THE PROPHET’S ILLNESS AND DEATH

should be delegated to the most competent ones, irrespective of

their age or social class. Also, the consent of these great men,
unique in history, to follow the command of the young Usa-
mah, is an indication of the spiritual and moral purification and
transformation that these men experienced owing to Prophet
Muhammad, his guidance, education and spiritual care.
While the troops were getting ready at the outskirts of
Medina, the Prophet fell gravely ill. The army postponed its
movement waiting for the Prophet’s recovery and instruc-
tions from him. However, several days later the Messenger of
God, p.b.u.h., passed away. The biographers recorded:
The Prophet’s illness began in late Safar or early Rabi’ al-
Awwal 11 AH. One evening, in the small hours, the Prophet
went to Medina’s al-Baqi cemetery in the company of Abu Mu-
wayhibah and there prayed to God to forgive the Companions
buried there. He then said: “O Abu Muwayhibah, I have been
offered the keys of all treasuries of this world and immortality
in it followed by Paradise, and I have been given a choice be-
tween that and meeting my Lord and entering Paradise!”
“O, Messenger of God, you who are dearer to me than my
father and mother,” said Abu Muwayhibah, “take the keys of
the treasuries of this world and immortality therein followed
by Paradise!”
“No, by God, Abu Muwayhibah,” he answered. “I have al-
ready chosen the meeting with my Lord and Paradise!”
When he returned home, he started feeling pain which
marked the beginning of the illness from which he never re-
covered. A’ishah recounted: “When the Messenger of God
returned from al-Baqi, he found me with a strong headache.
‘My head aches so much’, I told him and he answered: ‘No,
A’ishah, I should say that. My head aches far more!’”341
341
Ibn Hisham, Poslanikov životopis (A Biography of the Prophet), p. 280.

365
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

The Prophet’s health rapidly deteriorated and one day

when he was at Maymunah’s home, he summoned his wives
and asked them to allow him to stay at A’ishah’s home during
his illness. They allowed it and the Prophet, wearing a head-
band, moved there stumbling and leaning on his two cous-
ins, Fadl ibn Abbas and Ali ibn Abi Talib. A’ishah said: “Dur-
ing his terminal illness, the Prophet, p.b.u.h., would tell me:
‘A’ishah, I still feel the pain from the food I ate at Khaybar.
Even now I feel my artery tearing apart from that poison.’”342
The Prophet was ill for thirteen or fourteen days. Al-
though ill, he led the people in ritual prayers. On Wednesday,
five days before his death, the fever spread all over his body
and the pain increased. The Prophet, p.b.u.h., started feeling
dizzy. He ordered that seven skins of water from different
wells be brought to him. They seated him in a tub and poured
the water over him, after which he felt relief. He came to the
mosque with a headband and preached. He warned the con-
gregation against his grave becoming an object of worship
and said that the Jews and the Christians were cursed because
they took the graves of their prophets for houses of worship.
Then he asked the congregation for forgiveness. That and the
following day he led the prayers. The last prayer he prayed in
congregation was the sunset prayer on Thursday, four days
before his death. As usual, at the sunset prayer he recited su-
rah 77, Sent Forth. When he wanted to go to the night prayer,
he was so feeble that he fell, so he ordered Abu Bakr to lead
the congregation in prayer. Abu Bakr led seventeen prayers
as an imam while the Prophet was alive.343
342
Al-Nadwi, supra at 182. Al-Mubarakpuri states that while the Prophet
was ill A’ishah would recite al-Mu’awwidhatayn (surahs 113 and 114)
and the supplications she had learned from the Prophet, and she would
then blow over him and pass over him with his own hand, praying to
God for his recovery. See: Zapečaćeni džennetski napitak (The Sealed
Nectar), p. 424.
343
Al-Mubarakpuri, supra at 424-426.

366
 23. THE PROPHET’S ILLNESS AND DEATH

On Sunday, just one day before his death, the Prophet,

p.b.u.h., manumitted his slaves and divided the last seven dinars
he possessed. He gave his weapons as a present to the Muslims.
Anas ibn Malik, r.a., transmits that while the Muslims
prayed behind Abu Bakr at dawn on Monday, the Prophet,
p.b.u.h., raised the curtain from the door of A’ishah’s home
and watched them pray aligned in rows. He smiled and the
congregation almost interrupted the prayer delighted to see
him standing. He motioned them to finish the prayer, en-
tered the room and drew the curtain down. He did not live
to see the next prayer time. He smiled out of satisfaction that
they prayed in congregation.
Later that morning, the Prophet, p.b.u.h., summoned his
daughter Fatimah, r.a., and whispered something to her ear, to
which she burst into tears. He then whispered again and she
smiled. She later said that the Prophet had told her that he would
soon pass away, so she cried. But then he told her that she would
be the first of his family to join him in the Hereafter, that is, that
she would die soon after him, and then she smiled.
The Prophet then asked for his grandsons Hasan and
Husayn to come to him, kissed them and recommended that
they be looked after. He then summoned his wives, preached
to them and reminded them of their duties.
The pain grew stronger. The last message of the Messenger
of God was: Al-Salat! Al-Salat! wa ma malakat aymanukum!
– Prayer! Prayer! Observe the prayer and treat the ones in your
possession fairly!
The Messenger of God, p.b.u.h., passed away before noon
on Monday, 12 Rabi’al-Awwal 11 AH (8 June 632 CE). At the
day of his death the Prophet was sixty-three (lunar) years and
four days old. 344
344
Ibid, p. 428. On the illness of God’s Messenger see also: al-Mansurfuri,

367
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

The Companions were devastated at the news of the

Prophet’s death. In the beginning they were shocked and
could not believe it was true. Umar ibn al-Khattab even drew
his sword out threatening to strike anyone who would say
that the Prophet had died! Describing the situation after the
news of the Prophet’s death spread around, the biographers
assert that Medina looked as if it had been struck by an earth-
quake.
Abu Bakr, r.a., was the only one who acted with composure
in that situation. He entered the room where the dead Proph-
et, p.b.u.h., lay covered on the bed, kissed him and said: “O,
Messenger of God! You are dearer to me than my father and
mother! How beautiful you are in life and in death. You have
tasted the death that God Almighty ordained for you and no
other death shall ever befall you. Pray for us with your Lord,
O, Messenger of God!”
He then stepped in front of the people and told them: “O,
people, whosoever has worshipped Muhammad, he should
know that Muhammad is dead, but whosoever has wor-
shipped God, he should know that God is alive and immor-
tal!” He then recited the following verse of the Qur’an: Mu-
hammad is only a messenger before whom many messengers
have been and gone. If he died or was killed, would you revert
to your old ways? If anyone did so, he would not harm God in
the least. God will reward the grateful. (3:144)
When they heard this verse the Companions pulled them-
selves together and it was as if they had never heard it before.
Rahmatun li-l-’alamin, al-Dar al-salafiyya, Bombay, India, 1989, I, pp.
282-290.
A
 calculation of the Prophet’s age according to the solar calendar gives
the following result: he was sixty-one years and sixty-four days old (if
we take 20 April 571 CE as the date of his birth and add to it the fifteen
days from the leap years), or, sixty-one years and sixty-two days (if 22
April 571 CE is taken as his birth date).

368
 23. THE PROPHET’S ILLNESS AND DEATH

Abu Hurayrah narrates: “Umar said: ‘By God, when I heard

Abu Bakr reciting this verse, I was so shocked that I fell on
the ground. My legs would no longer carry me and I realized
that the Messenger of God had died.’”
Abu Bakr’s conduct in that difficult situation shows the
strength of his character and his presence of mind which, to-
gether with his many other merits, made him the best choice
for the first caliph. Soon after the Prophet’s death Abu Bakr
was elected the caliph, or, the successor of the Prophet.
On Tuesday, the Prophet’s blessed body was washed by his
uncle Abbas, Ali, Abbas’ sons Kusam and Fadl, the Prophet’s
freedman Shuqran, Usamah ibn Zayd and Aws ibn Khawli.
They then wrapped the body in a three-piece white burial
shroud.
They had a dilemma as to where to bury God’s Messenger.
Abu Bakr said: “I heard the Messenger of God, p.b.u.h., say:
‘Every prophet was buried at the place where he died.’”
They then moved the bed in which the Prophet, p.b.u.h.,
had died and dug out a grave in the floor underneath. The
people then entered the room in groups of ten and prayed the
funeral prayer. When the men finished, the women entered
and after them the children came. Nobody led them in that
funeral prayer, so they all prayed individually which made
the funeral rite quite long.
The Messenger of God, p.b.u.h., was buried on Tuesday
night. He was laid in the grave by Ali ibn Abi Talib, Abbas’
sons Fadl and Kusam, Shuqran and Aws ibn Khawli.345

Inna lillah wa inna ilayhi raji’un! Wa sallallahu

‘ala sayyidina Muhammad, sallallahu alayhi wa ali-
hi wa sallam! Allahummarzuqna shafa’ata habibika
345
Ibn Hisham, supra at 296-297.

369
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

Muhammad! Allahummahshurna fi zumratihi, wa

tahta liva’ih, wa avridna havdah, wa-skina min ya-
dihi-sh-sharifah! Allahuma, in kunna kad hurimna
suhbatahu fi-d-dunya fa la tahrimna suhbatahu fi-l-
akhirah! Amin! Amin! Wa akhiru da’vana ani-l-ham-
du lillahi rabbi-l-’alamin!
To God we belong and to Him we shall return!
And may the peace and blessings of God be upon the
master of all men, Muhammad! O, God, please allow
Your favorite, Muhammad, peace be upon him, to
intercede for us! O, God, please resurrect us in his
group and under his standard! Lead us to his well
and allow us to drink from his blessed hand! O, God,
since we were deprived of his company in this world,
please do not deprive us of his company in the Here-
after! O, God, please accept our invocation! Please
accept it! And let our last supplication be: Praise be
to God, the Lord of the Worlds!

370
 BIBLIOGRAPHY
• Abd al-Salam, Ja'far: Jedinstveno islamsko tržište u
okviru ideje islamskog jedinstva (A Single Islamic
Market within the Framework of the Idea of Islamic
Unity), translated from Arabic by Safvet Halilović,
Novi horizonti, Nos. 25-29, Zenica, 2001
• Abu Ghudda, Abd al-Fattah: Poslanik kao učitelj
i njegovi metodi u podučavanju (The Prophet as a
Teacher and His Teaching Methods), El-Kelimeh, Novi
Pazar, 2003
• Abu Shahbah, Muhammad: al-Sirah al-nabawiyya fi
daw’ al-Qur’an wa al-sunna, Dar al-Qalam, Damascus,
1988
• al-Albani, Muhammad Nasir al-Din: Da’if al-Jami’
al-sagir wa ziyadatuhu, al-Maktab al-islami, Beirut,
1990
• al-Alusi, Ruhu al-ma’ani: Dar al-fikr, Beirut, 1987
• Arberry, Arthur J.: The Koran Interpreted, Oxford
University Press, 2008
• Armstrong, Karen: Muhammad: Prophet for Our
Time, Harper Perennial, London, 2006
• Armstrong, Karen: Muhammed – Poslanik za
naše vrijeme (Muhammad: Prophet for Our Time),
Buybook, Sarajevo, 2008
• Arnold, Thomas W.: The Preaching of Islam, Charles
Scribner’s Sons, New York, 1913
• Asad, Muhammad: Poruka Kur’ana (The Message of
the Qur’an), El-Kalem, Sarajevo, 2004

371
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

• Asad, Muhammad: The Message of the Qur’an, Dar al-

Andalus (Ltd.), Gibraltar, 1980
• ‘Ashur, Sa’id Harun: Nisa’ al-Nabiyy, siyar wa qadaya,
Maktabah al-adab, Cairo, 1996
• al-'Asqalani, Ibn Hajar: al-Isaba fi tamyiz al-sahaba,
Dar al-kitab al-‘arabi, Beirut (n.d.)
• al-'Asqalani, Ibn Hajar: Tahdhib al-tahdhib, Dar al-
kitab al-islami, Cairo, 1993
• al-'Asqalani, Ibn Hajar: Taqrib al-tahdhib, Dar al-
kutub al-’ilmiyya, Beirut, 1993
• al-Attas, Syed Muhammad Naquib: Islam i sekularizam
(Islam and Secularism), Bosančica, Sarajevo, 2003
• al-Basha, Abd al-Rahman Ra'fat: Iz života ashaba
(Tales from the Companions’ Lives), Zenica, 1997
• Besant, Annie: The Life and Teachings of Muhammad,
Madras, 1932
• The Holy Bible in the King James Version, Thomas
Nelson Publishers, Nashville, 1984
• al-Bukhari: al-Jami’ al-Sahih, with Ibn Hajar’s
commentary, Fath al-bari, Dar al-rayyan li al-turath,
Second Edition, Cairo, 1987
• al-Busayri, al-Imam: al-Burdah, Maktabat al-safa,
Cairo, 1999
• Busuladžić, Mustafa: Harmonija između
Muhammedove, alejhisselam, riječi i djela (Harmony
between the Teachings and Deeds of Muhammad,
p.b.u.h.), El-Hidaje, Sarajevo, Year VI (1942/43), No.
6-8

372
 BIBLIOGRAPHY

• Busuladžić, Mustafa: Muslimani u Evropi (Muslims in

Europe), Sejtarija, Sarajevo, 1997
• al-Buti, Muhammad Sa'id Ramadan: Fiqh al-sirah
al-nabawiyya, Dar al-fikr, Damascus, Tenth Edition,
1991
• al-Dhahabi: Siyar a’alam al-nubala’ – Tahdhib,
Summarized Edition, Mu’assasah al-risala, Beirut,
1991
• Esposito, John: Oksfordska historija islama (The
Oxford History of Islam), Selsebil, Živinice, 2005
• Esposito, John: The Oxford History of Islam, Oxford
University Press, New York, 1999
• European Council for Fatwa and Research: Fetve
Evropskog vijeća (Fatwas by the European Council for
Fatwa and Research), Connectum, Sarajevo, 2005
• Fajić, Zejnil: Tabelarni pregled hidžretskih godina
preračunatih u godine nove ere (A Tabular Review of
the Hijri Calendar Years and the Equivalent Common
Era Years), Sarajevo, 1982
• Farid, Ahmad: Waqafat tarbawiyya ma’a al-sirat al-
nabawiyya, al-Maktabat al-tawfiqiyya, Cairo, 2000
• Garaudy, Roger: Slučaj Izrael, studij političkog
cionizma (The Case of Israel: A Study of Political
Zionism), Bemust, Sarajevo, 2000.
• al-Ghadban, Munir Muhammad: Fiqh al-sirah al-
nabawiyya, Mecca, University of Umm al-qura, 1989
• al-Ghadban, Munir Muhammad: al-Manhaj al-harik
li al-sirah al-nabawiyya, Maktabat al-manar, Jordan,
Fifth Edition, 1989

373
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

• al-Ghazali, Muhammad: Fiqh al-sirah, Dar al-da’wa,

Alexandria, 1989
• Gibbon, Edward: History of the Saracen Empire.
Ockley, Simon, History of the Saracens, London, Alex
Murray and Son, 1870
• Glassé, Cyril: Enciklopedija islama (The Concise
Encyclopedia of Islam), Libris, Sarajevo, 2006
• Glassé, Cyril: The Concise Encyclopedia of Islam,
Harper and Row, San Francisco, 1989
• The Gospel of Barnabas: Oxford at the Clarendon
Press, 1907, reprinted by Begum Aisha Bawany Waqf,
Karachi, 1973
• Haleem, Abdel M.A.S.: The Qur’an: A New Translation,
Oxford University Press, 2005
• Halid, Halid Muhammed: Humanost Muhammeda,
alejhisselam (Humanity of Muhammad, p.b.u.h.),
Sarajevo, 1984
• Halilović, Safvet: Ehli-bejt u tradicionalnom tefsiru
(The Ahl al-Bayt in the Traditional Tafsir), Proceedings
of the Symposium on the Ahl al-Bayt in Bosnia and
Herzegovina, Ibn Sina Research Institute, Sarajevo,
2003
• Halilović, Safvet: al-Imam Abu Bakr al-Razi al-Jassas
wa manhajuhu fi al-tafsir, Dar al-Salam, Cairo, 2001
• Halilović, Safvet: Islam i Zapad u perspektivi Asadovog
mišljenja (Islam and the West from the Perspective of
Asad’s Thought), Novi Pazar, 2006
• Halilović, Safvet: Islamsko vjerovanje u svjetlu El-
Džessasovog tefsira Ahkam al-Qur’an (Islamic Creed in

374
 BIBLIOGRAPHY

the Light of al-Jassas’ Tafsir Ahkam al-Qur’an / Rules

from the Qur’an), Zenica, 2005
• Halilović, Safvet: Metodologija tumačenja Kur’ana
u hanefijskome mezhebu, studija na primjeru El-
Džessasovog tefsira Ahkam al-Qur’an (The Methodology
of Exegesis of the Qur’an in the Hanafi Madhhab – A
Case Study of al-Jassas’ Tafsir Ahkam al-Qur’an / Rules
from the Qur’an), Faculty of Islamic Studies and El-
Kalem, Sarajevo, 2004
• Halilović, Safvet: Osnovi tefsira (The Essentials of
Tafsir), Zenica, 2005
• Hamidullah, Muhammad: Muhammad Rasulullah, A
Concise Survey of the Life and Work of the Founder of
Islam, Hyderabad-Deccan, 1974
• Hamidullah, Muhammed: Muhammed, alejhisselam,
život i djelo (Le Prophète de l’Islam, sa vie, son œuvre),
Sarajevo, Second Edition, 1983
• Hart, Michael H.: The 100: A Ranking of The Most
Influential Persons in History, New York, Hart
Publishing Company, Inc., 1978,
• Harun, Abd al-Salam: Tahdhib Sirat Ibn Hisham,
Maktabat al-sunna, Sixth Edition, Cairo, 1989
• Hawwa, Sa’id: al-Asas fi al-tafsir, Dar al-Salam, Cairo,
Fourth Edition, 1993
• Hawwa, Sa’id: al-Rasul, sallallahu alejhi ve selle, Dar
al-Salam, Cairo, Second Edition, 1990
• Hawwa, Sa’id: Kay la namdi ba’idan ‘an ihtiyajat al-
‘asr, Dar al-Ammar, Beirut, 1988
• Haykal, Muhammad Husayn, Život Muhammeda,

375
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

alejhisselam (The Life of Muhammad, p.b.u.h.), El-

Kalem, Sarajevo, 2004
• al-Haythami: Majma’ al-zawa’id wa manba’ al-fawa’id,
Dar al-kutub al-ilmiyya, Beirut, 1988
• Hitti, Philip K.: History of the Arabs: From the Earliest
Times to the Present, Macmillan, New York, 1951
• Hitti, Philip K.: Istorija Arapa (History of the Arabs:
From the Earliest Times to the Present), Second
Edition, Sarajevo, 1988
• Hofmann, Murad: Islam kao alternativa (Islam: The
Alternative), Bemust, Sarajevo, 1996
• Hofmann, Murad: Islam: The Alternative, Amana
Publications, Beltsville, Maryland, 1418 AH/1997
CE
• Ibn Abd al-Barr: al-Isti’ab fi ma’rifa al-ashab, printed
on the margins of al-Isaba fi tamyiz al-sahaba, Beirut
(n.d.)
• Ibn Hanbal, Ahmad: Musnad, Dar al-Hadith, Cairo
(n.d.)
• Ibn Hisham: Poslanikov životopis (A Biography of the
Prophet), Bemust, Sarajevo, 1998
• Ibn Kathir: al-Fusul fi sirah al-Rasul, Maktabah al-
ma’arif, Riyadh, 2000
• Ibn Kathir: Kazivanja o vjerovjesnicima (Stories of the
Prophets), Zenica, 1997
• Ibn Kathir: Tafsir al-Qur’an al-azim, Dar al-fijha’,
Damascus, and Dar al-Salam, Riyadh, 1994
• Ibn Kathir: Tefsir, skraćeno izdanje (Tafsir, the Abridged

376
 BIBLIOGRAPHY

Version), Saudi High Commission for Relief of Bosnia

and Herzegovina, Second Edition, Sarajevo, 2002
• International Union for Muslim Scholars: Islamic
Charter, published as part of the Resolution of the
Islamic Community in Bosnia and Herzegovina on the
Interpretation of Islam, Sarajevo, El-Kalem, 2006
• 'Isa, Abduhu Galib Ahmad: Akhlaq al-nabiyy, Dar al-
Jil, Beirut, 1990
• al-Jassas, Abu Bakr al-Razi: Ahkam al-Qur’an, Dar al-
kutub al-‘ilmiyya, Beirut, 1994
• al-Jawziyyah, Ibn Qayyim: Zad al-ma’ad fi hadyi
khayr al-‘ibad, Mu’assasat al-Risala, Beirut, Fifteenth
Edition, 1987
• al-Jaza’iri, Abu Bakr: Hadha al-Habib Muhammad,
sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, Dar al-Hadith, Cairo,
2004
• al-Jazuli, Muhammad ibn Sulayman: Dala’il al-
khayrat, with commentary by al-Azhari, Abd al-
Majid, Maktabah al-adab, Cairo, 1414 AH/1994 CE
• al-Jurjani: Dala’il al-i’jaz, Dar al-Manar, Cairo (n.d.)
• Karić, Enes: Muhammed, alejhisselam, važniji
aspekti ljudskog posvjedočavanja njegova života i
djela (Muhammad, p.b.u.h. - Some Important Aspects
of Witnessing His Life and Work), afterword to the
Bosnian edition of Ibn Hisham’s Sirah (A Biography
of the Prophet), Bemust, Sarajevo, 1998
• al-Kattan, Manna’: Mabahith fi ’ulum al-Qur’an,
Maktaba al-Wahba, Cairo, 1990
• Khaled, Amr: ‘Ala khuta’ al-habib Muhammad,

377
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, al-Dar al-‘arabiyya li al-

‘ulum, Beirut, 2006
• Khaled, Amr: Stopama Miljenika (On the Path of the
Beloved), Novi Pazar, 2007
• al-Khandihlawi, Muhammad Yusuf: Hayat al-sahaba,
al-Maktab al-Thaqafi and Dar al-Hadith, Cairo, 1993
• Kurdić, Šefik: Velikani hadiskih znanosti (Leading
Scholars of the Hadith Studies), Academy of Islamic
Pedagogy, Zenica, 2003
• de Lamartine, Alphonse: Histoire de la Turquie, Paris,
1854
• Lings, Martin: Muhammad: His Life Based on
the Earliest Sources, New York, Inner Traditions
International, 1983
• Lings, Martin: Muhammed – Život vjerovjesnika
islama zasnovan na najranijim izvorima (Muhammad:
His Life Based on the Earliest Sources), Connectum,
Sarajevo, 2004
• Mahmud, 'Ali Abd al-Halim: Tarbiyyah al-nashi’
al-muslim, Dar al-Wafa’, Mansura, Egypt, Fourth
Edition, 1994
• al-Mansurfuri: Rahmatun li al-’alamin, al-Dar al-
salafiyya, Bombay, India, 1989
• al-Mubarakpuri, Safi al-Rahman: al-Rahiq al-
makhtum (The Sealed Nectar), Jam’iyya ihya’ al-turath
al-islami, Kuwait, 1994
• al-Mubarakpuri, Safi al-Rahman: Zapečaćeni
džennetski napitak (The Sealed Nectar), Sarajevo,
2001

378
 BIBLIOGRAPHY

• Muftić, Teufik: Gramatika arapskoga jezika (A

Grammar of the Arabic Language), Sarajevo, 1998
• Muslim: Sahih, with Nawawi’s commentary, Dar al-
fijha’, Damascus, and Saad Suubbar, Riyadh (n.d.)
• al-Nadwi: Abu al-Hasan Ali, al-Sirah al-nabawiyya,
Twelfth Edition, Dar Ibn Kathir, Damascus, 2004
• al-Nadwi: Abu al-Hasan Ali, Život Božijeg Poslanika
(The Life of God’s Prophet), Tuzla, 2004
• Qal'ahji, Muhammad Rawwas: Dirasa tahliliyya li-
shakhsiyya al-Rasul, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, min
khilal siratih al-sharifa, Dar al-nafa’is, Beirut, 1988
• Qal'ahji, Muhammad Rawwas: Ličnost posljednjeg
Allahovog Poslanika (The Last Messenger of Allah),
translated from Arabic by Safvet Halilović and
Mehmed Kico, Faculty of Islamic Pedagogy, Zenica,
and El-Kalem, Sarajevo, 2006
• al-Qaradawi, Yusuf: Fatawa mu’asirah, Dar al-Qalam,
Kuwait, Fifth Edition, 1990
• al-Qaradawi, Yusuf: al-Sunnah, Masdaran li al-
Hadarah wa al-Marifah, Dar al-Shorouk, Cairo, 1997
• al-Qurtubi: al-Jami’ li ahkam al-Qur’an, Dar al-
Hadith, Cairo, Second Edition, 1996
• Qutb, Mohammad: Dileme oko islama (Dilemmas
Surrounding Islam), International Islamic Federation
of Student Organizations, Kuwait, 1992
• Qutb, Sayyid: U okrilju Kur’ana (In the Shade of
the Qur’an), translated from Arabic by a group of
translators, Faculty of Islamic Studies, Sarajevo, 1999
• Rahman, Fazlur: Pravo i etika u islamu (Law and

379
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

Ethics in Islam), Proceedings of the Third Symposium

organized by the Zagreb mosque, 1410 AH/1990 CE
• Ramić, Jusuf: Povodi objave Kur’ana (Causes of the
Revelation of the Qur’an), Sarajevo, 1984
• al-Sabuni, Muhammad 'Ali: Tafsir ayat al-ahkam, Dar
al-Sabuni (n.p.) (n.d.)
• Saqr, Rajab Ibrahim: Manhaj al-tahdith fi ulum al-
hadith, Cairo, 1984
• al-Shu'aybi, Ahmad: Wathiqat al-Madina: al-madmun
wa al-dalala, edition Kitab al-ummah, Ministry of
Endowment, Doha, Qatar, 2006
• al-Siba'i, Mustafa: Poslanikov životni put, pouke
i poruke (The Life of the Prophet: Highlights and
Lessons), translated from Arabic by Ahmet Alibašić
(n.p.) (n.d.)
• al-Siba'i, Mustafa: Žena između šerijatskog i svjetovnog
prava (Women Between the Sharia and the Secular
Law), Zenica, 2004
• Smith, Reginald Bosworth: Mohammed and
Mohammedanism, London, 1874
• Sulayma, Muhammad Muwaffaq: Kćerke Vjerovjesnika,
sallallahu alejhi ve sellem (The Daughters of the
Messenger of God, p.b.u.h.), Novi Pazar, 2004
• al-Suyuti, Jalal al-din: al-Jami’ al-Sagir, Dar al-kutub
al-‘ilmiyya, Beirut, 1990
• al-Tabari, Ibn Jarir: Jami’ al-Bayan, Dar al-kutub al-
‘ilmiyya, Beirut, 1992
• al-Tabari: Tarikh al-rusul wa al-muluk, al-Matba’a al-
Husayniyyah, Cairo (n.d.)

380
 BIBLIOGRAPHY

• Tahir, Hamid: Islam između istine i optužbe (Islam

Between the Truth and Accusations), translated from
Arabic by Dr. Omer Nakičević, Sarajevo, 2004
• al-Tirmidhi: Sunan, Dar al-hadith, Cairo (n.d.)
• Valjevac, Mensur: Vrijednost i značaj donošenja
salavata (The Value and Significance of Invoking Allah’s
Blessing on the Prophet), Zenica, 2011
• al-Wahidi: Asbab al-nuzul, Dar al-kutub al-ilmiyya,
Beirut, 1398 AH/1978 CE
• Watt, William Montgomery: Mohammad at Mecca,
Oxford, 1953
• The World Book Encyclopedia, Vol. XVII, Chicago,
London, Sydney, Toronto: World Book, Inc. A Scott
Fetzer Company, 1994
• al-Zirikli: al-A’alam, Ninth Edition, Dar al-’ilm li al-
malayin, Beirut, 1990

381
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Safvet Mustafa Halilović (born in

1968, Zenica, Bosnia-Herzegovina)
is a professor of Tafsîr and Qur’ânic
Anthropology at the Faculty of Is-
lamic Pedagogy of the University of
Zenica (Bosnia-Herzegovina) and a
member of the Board of Trustees of
the International Union for Muslim
Scholars. Professor Halilović studied
at the prominent Islamic university,
Al-Azhar in Cairo, where he gradu-
ated in 1992, obtained his Master’s
degree in 1997, and defended his doctoral thesis at the De-
partment of Tafsîr and Qur’ânic Sciences in 2001. As a Visit-
ing Professor, he lectured postgraduate courses at the Faculty
of Islamic Studies in Sarajevo (Bosnia-Herzegovina) and the
International University of Novi Pazar (Serbia).
Professor Halilović has published over 150 original schol�-
arly works in Tafsîr (interpretation of the Qur’ân), Sîrah (life
of Prophet Muhammad), Qur’ânic Anthropology, history of
Islam, Islamic missionary work and education. He is contrib-
uting author to a number of Islamic academic journals. He
has also participated in numerous symposiums of scholars in
Bosnia-Herzegovina and abroad.

382
 ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Works published:

At-Tafsîr bi al-Ma’thûr, Ahammiyyatuhû wa Dawâbituhû,

Dirâsa Tatbîqiyya fî Sûrah an-Nisâ’ (Traditional Interpretation of
the Qur’ân - Its Significance and Postulates – A Critical Study of
Sûrah An-Nisâ’), Master’s thesis in Arabic published by Dâr an-
Nashr li al-Jamiâ’at (University publications), Cairo, 1999.
Al-Imâm Abû Bakr ar-Râzî al-Jassâs wa Manhajuhû fî at-Tafsîr
(Methodology of Interpretation of the Qur’an Based on the Exam-
ple of an Outstanding Hanafi Scholar Abû Bakr ar-Razî Al-Jassâs),
doctoral thesis in Arabic, defended at the University of Al-Azhar in
Cairo on 25 March 2001 with greatest honors (martabah ash-sharaf
al- ûlâ) and recommendations that it should be published due to its
scholarly contributions and values. In 2001, the doctoral thesis was
published by the renowned Cairo publishing house, Dâr as-Salâm.
In 2004, it was translated into Bosnian by Dr. Mehmed Kico, pro-
fessor of Arabic Language and Literature at the Faculty of Islamic
Studies in Sarajevo. The translation was published under the follow-
ing title: Metodologija tumačenja Kur’ana u hanefijskome mezhebu -
Studija na primjeru El-Džessasovog tefsira Ahkam el-Kur’an (Propisi
Kur’ana) [The Methodology of Exegesis of the Qur’ân in the Hanafî
Madhab – A Case Study of Al-Jassâs’ Tafsîr Ahkâm al-Qur’ân (Rules
from the Qur’ân )], published by the Faculty of Islamic Studies in
Sarajevo and El-Kalem.
Hifz - Učenje Kur’ana napamet (2003, 2005) (Hifz – Memoriz-
ing the Qur’ân) The book was translated into English in Toronto
(Canada) and the translation was published twice.
Islam i Zapad u perspektivi Muhammeda Asada (Islam and the
West in the Thought of Muhammad Asad – Leopold Weiss). This
book was translated into English, German, and Arabic, and all
three translations were published in Cairo. The foreword in Eng-
lish and German was written by a renowned German author, Mu-
rad Wilfried Hofmann.
Osnovi tefsira, opsežna studija o temeljnim postavkama razum-
ijevanja i tumačenja Kur’ana (Fundamentals of Tafsîr, An In-Depth

383
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

Study of the Fundamental Principles of Understanding and Inter-

preting the Qur’ân), Faculty of Islamic Pedagogy, Zenica, 2005.
Islamsko vjerovanje u svjetlu El-Džessasovog tefsira Ahkâm al-
Qur’ân (Islamic Creed in the Light of Al-Jassas’ Tafsîr Ahkâm al-
Qur’ân (Rules from the Qur’ân), 2005.
Uloga Kur’ana u životu muslimana (The Role of the Qur’ân in
the Life of Muslims), 2006.
Sira – Životopis posljednjeg Allahovog Poslanika (Sîrah – A Bi-
ography of Muhammad, the Last Messenger of Allah), First Edition
2007; Second, Revised Edition 2010; Third, Revised Edition 2011;
Fourth, Enlarged Edition 2013.
Kur’anska antropologija – Čovjek u svjetlu Kur’ana (Qur’ânic An-
thropology – The Human Being in the Light of the Qur’ân), 2009. This
is a pioneer work since, for the first time in these parts, the author
does an in-depth research into this field of great importance. The
second, revised edition was published in 2011: Šta Kur’an kaže o
čovjeku, Uvod u kur’ansku antropologiju (What the Qur’ân Says
about the Human Being – Introduction to Qur’ânic Anthropology).
This second, revised edition was published in the English language
by the renowned Cairo publishing house, Dâr as-Salâm, in 2013.
Supruge vjerovjesnika Muhammeda i razlozi njegovog
višeženstva, 2009 (English translation: Wives of Prophet Muham-
mad and Reasons for His Multiple Marriages, German translation:
Die Ehefrauen des Propheten Muhammed und die Gründe für Seine
Mehrehe); translations published in Vienna (Austria), 2009.
Šta živi mogu učiniti za umrle (What the Living Can Do for the
Deceased), First Edition 2009; Second Edition 2010.
Šta moramo znati o grijesima (What We Have to Know about
Sins), First Edition 2011; Second Edition 2010.
Together with Dr. Mehmed Kico, Professor Halilović trans-
lated two significant works from Arabic into Bosnian: Ličnost
posljednjeg Allahovog Poslanika (The Last Messenger of Allah) by
Muhammad Rawwas Qal’ahji, and Islamska povelja Svjetske unije
islamskih učenjaka (Islamic Charter by the International Union for
Muslim Scholars). The Charter, as part of the Resolution of the Is-

384
 ABOUT THE AUTHOR

lamic Community in Bosnia-Herzegovina on the Interpretation of

Islam, was published by the Riyasat of the Islamic Community in
Bosnia-Herzegovina. As a separate publication (The Islamic Char-
ter), it was published in 2010.
Safvet Halilović has edited and reviewed numerous books and
publications and with a group of intellectuals he inaugurated Novi
Horizonti (The New Horizons), an academic journal that has been
published for the past twelve years. Since 2008, Professor Halilo�-
vić has been a Visiting Professor of Sîrah at the Faculty of Islamic
Studies in Novi Pazar (Sandžak, Serbia).
At the Assembly of the International Union for Muslim Schol-
ars in Istanbul (July 2006), Professor Halilović was elected a mem�-
ber of the Board of Trustees, the body governing the International
Union of the Ulama whose members are Muslim scholars from
around the world. In 2010, the General Assembly re-elected Pro-
fessor Halilović a member of the Board of Trustees.
(For a more detailed biography, see:
http://w w w.ipf.unze.ba/uploads/tx_extendedshop/CV_
Safvet_Halilovic_bosanski.pdf
- the official website of the Faculty of Islamic Pedagogy, Uni-
versity of Zenica, or:
ht t p: //w w w. iu m s on l i ne .c om /a r/d e f au lt .
asp?memberID=88&menuID=3, the official website of the Inter-
national Union for Muslim Scholars)

385
 CONTENTS

FOREWORD........................................................................................5
A REMARKABLE CONTRIBUTION TO THE
UNDERSTANDING OF THE LIFE OF MUHAMMAD,
OUR GREATEST AND FINEST ROLE MODEL ........................10
1. T
 HE SIGNIFICANCE OF STUDYING
THE PROPHET’S LIFE . ...............................................................21
Reasons to Study Prophet Muhammad’s Life .........................23
The Prophet’s Biography and Contemporary Age ..................28
Specific Qualities of the Prophet’s Biography...........................32
What the Leading World Figures Said About
Prophet Muhammad....................................................................38
Mahatma Gandhi.........................................................................38
Michael H. Hart, US author . ....................................................39
Leo Tolstoy, Russian writer.........................................................39
Alphonse de Lamartine, French Writer and Politician . ........40
William Montgomery Watt, Scottish Historian .....................41
Reginald Bosworth Smith, English Author..............................41
Edward Gibbon and Simon Ockley, British Historian and
British Orientalist . ......................................................................42
George Bernard Shaw, British playwright ...............................42
Annie Besant, British Theosophist and Women’s
Rights Activist...............................................................................43
2. SOURCES OF THE PROPHET’S BIOGRAPHY .....................44
The First Source: The Noble Qur’an . ........................................45
The Second Source: The Hadith ................................................47
The Third Source: Arabic Poetry from the
Time of the Prophet, p.b.u.h.......................................................48
The Fourth Source: Biographies of the Prophet, p.b.u.h. . .....50
 CONTENTS

3. THE WORLD AND ARABIA BEFORE ISLAM ......................55

Geopolitical and Religious Situation ........................................55
Byzantine-Persian Wars Over Yemen.......................................59
Situation in the Arabian Peninsula . .........................................61
4. MECCA, THE CENTER OF ISLAM...........................................67
Mecca, Umm al-Qura: The Mother of Cities ...........................67
Arabs and Their Prophets ..........................................................70
Why Was Mecca Chosen as the Center of Islam?....................73
5. PROPHET MUHAMMAD’S BIRTH AND
CHILDHOOD ................................................................................76
Prophet Muhammad’s Grandfather Abd al-Muttalib ...........80
Prophet Muhammad’s Birth . ....................................................83
Prophet Muhammad’s Childhood ............................................86
In the Care of Wet Nurse Halimah of
the Banu Sa’d Tribe .....................................................................86
Prophet Muhammad as an Orphan...........................................92
Lessons to Parents, Young Persons and Missionaries ............94
6. LIFE BEFORE THE PROPHETHOOD......................................97
Adolescence Prepares Man for Life ..........................................97
An Honorable and Virtuous Life ............................................100
League of the Virtuous (Hilf al-Fudul) and Participation in
War (al-Fijar) . ............................................................................102
Marriage to Khadijah.................................................................103
7. THE PROPHET’S FAMILY AND CHILDREN . ....................107
Prophet Muhammad’s Children ............................................. 110
The Prophet’s Family Is Ahl al-Bayt, the Noblest Family..... 114
The Prophet’s Wives and Reasons for His
Multiple Marriages . .................................................................. 116
Mothers of the Faithful (Ummahat al-Mu’minin).................123

387
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

8. P
 ROPHETHOOD FORETOLD IN
EARLIER REVELATIONS .........................................................133
Reconstruction of the Ka’bah ..................................................133
Muhammad’s Prophethood as Foretold in
Earlier Revelations......................................................................135
Prophethood as Foretold in the Torah, Hebrew
Holy Scripture . ..........................................................................137
Prophethood as Foretold in the Gospels,
Christian Holy Scripture ..........................................................139
Physical Appearance of God’s Messenger . ............................143
Names of God’s Messenger ......................................................145
9. BEGINNING OF THE REVELATION.....................................147
Seclusion in the Cave of Hira.................................................... 147
The Beginning of the Revelation..............................................148
Reflections on the First Revelation of the Qur’an..................153
Read! and Its Effect on History of Mankind .........................156
10. SECRET PREACHING OF ISLAM
AND FIRST MUSLIMS..............................................................162
The Prophet after the First Revelation.....................................162
The First Muslims (al-Sabiqun al-Awwalun) .........................164
Commandment of Ritual Prayer..............................................168
Several Lessons ..........................................................................170
11. PUBLIC PREACHING OF ISLAM.........................................173
“Warn Your Nearest Kinfolk!”.................................................173
“Proclaim Openly What You Have Been Commanded!”.....175
Suffering and Tribulations of the First Muslims....................177
Hamzah and Umar Embrace Islam ........................................ 181
12. MIGRATION TO ABYSSINIA................................................186
Ja’far’s Speech about Islam – A Fine Example
to Preachers and Missionaries .................................................188

388
 CONTENTS

Two Important Lessons............................................................. 191

Muslims Must Be Persistent and Work Hard for Islam........194
13. BOYCOTT AND THE YEAR OF GRIEF..............................197
Pagans’ Campaign against the Prophet .................................197
Sahifah – Document on the Boycott of Muslims . ................200
There Cannot Be Any Compromise on
Fundamental Tenets of Faith ...................................................202
The Year of Grief.........................................................................203
How Did the First Muslims Hold Out?...................................205
14. ISRA’ AND MI’RAJ . ................................................................209
The Prayer of Ta’if.......................................................................209
Example of Prophet’s Graciousness and Compassion ......... 211
Muhammad was Sent to the Mankind and the Jinn ............213
Two Great Miracles: Isra’ and Mi’raj . ....................................215
Important Lessons . ...................................................................221
15. HIJRA – MIGRATION TO MEDINA....................................225
Preaching Islam to Tribes Beyond Mecca . ............................225
The Beginnings of Islam in Medina .......................................227
The First Pledge of Aqabah.......................................................228
The Second Pledge of Aqabah . ................................................231
The First Muslims’ Readiness for Sacrifice.............................234
The Prophet’s Migration . .........................................................237
Hijra – A Symbol of Personal Sacrifice
in the Way of God......................................................................242
16. THE PROPHET IN MEDINA.................................................246
Social and Religious Setting in Medina .................................246
The Most Important Events in Medina
Following the Prophet’s Migration .........................................250
Fraternization of Emigrants and Ansar..................................253

389
Safvet Halilović � A BIOGRAPHY OF THE LAST MESSENGER OF ALLAH

17. CHARTER OF MEDINA . .......................................................261

First Written Constitution in the History of Mankind .......261
Text of the Charter of Medina..................................................262
Review of Principles and Legal Standards
in the Charter of Medina .........................................................269
18. THE BATTLES OF BADR AND UHUD................................273
Islamic Understanding of Peace and War .............................273
Islam and Peace .........................................................................277
Islam and Jihad ..........................................................................278
The Battle of Badr.......................................................................283
Lessons of the Battle of Badr.....................................................288
The Battle of Uhud.....................................................................290
The Martyrs of Uhud.................................................................295
Lessons of the Battle of Uhud...................................................297
19. EVENTS OF THE YEARS 4 AND 5 AH................................301
The Campaign against the Banu Nadir in 4 AH....................302
The Battle against the Confederates (Gazwat al-Ahzab).......307
The Campaign Against the Banu Qurayzah ......................... 311
Several Lessons .......................................................................... 315
20. TREATY OF HUDAYBIYYAH................................................319
Events of the Year 6 AH . .......................................................... 319
The Pledge of God’s Pleasure (Bay’at al-Ridwan) . ................323
Peace Treaty at Hudaybiyyah ..................................................325
Significance of the Peace Treaty at Hudaybiyyah .................328
21. LIBERATION OF MECCA (Fath Makka)..............................336
Compensatory Umra (Umrat al-Qada)...................................336
The Battle of Mu’tah (Gazwat Mu’ta).......................................338
The Liberation of Mecca (Fath Makka)...................................340
Did Islam Spread Violently?......................................................344

390
 CONTENTS

22. THE TABUK CAMPAIGN AND FAREWELL

PILGRIMAGE.............................................................................349
The Battle of Hunayn ................................................................349
The Tabuk Campaign.................................................................352
Lessons from the Tabuk Campaign .......................................355
The Farewell Pilgrimage (Hajjat al-wada’).............................358
23. THE PROPHET’S ILLNESS AND DEATH ..........................364
BIBLIOGRAPHY.............................................................................371
ABOUT THE AUTHOR.................................................................382

391
View publication stats