Hassan

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ta’burni is a Levantine Arabic expression that translates as “may you bury me”. This phrase is used to express one’s love for the other person, implying that he should die after oneself, because it would be too difficult to live without him.

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Oh Allah, make this task easy and do not make it difficult. Oh Allah! Make it end well.

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This is your personal journey to Allah (swt), it is not a race. It makes no sense to compare the beginning of your story to another person’s middle. Start from whatever level you may be at and keep going. Do not give up and purify your intentions. It is not about quantity, it is about quality.

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They may not be your sisters/brothers in faith, but they are certainly still your sisters/brothers in humanity and deserve every ounce of your respect and kindness.

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Every righteous person has a past, and every sinner has a future.

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So many times in our lives, when tough times keep on getting tougher, patience can be a hard concept to reckon. We ask ourselves, "will I make it through this?" or "is it worth waiting for?" If you feel down or are striving hard against the desire to do something, know that Allah SWT has only tested you to the fullest extent that you can handle. One of the most beautiful things about the Arabic language is the word play found in root letters. Sabr (patience) shares the root and relation to صَبِرٌ, a word used for aloe vera, a bitter medicine. Even though patience can be so hard to comprehend in the beginning, it is like a bitter medicine; tough to swallow but better for you in the end. May Allah ease our affairs and make us amongst those who are patient in matters of faith, family, and everything in between.

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You name your mosques masjid e bilal when in reality if bilal (ra) was here he would not be allowed to join the mosque committee

Shaykh Zahir Mahmood 

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Episode-21The Prophet Marries Khadijah

— Muhammad (saw) would discourage the taking of loans

Nothing wrong with investing your money

— Abdul Rahman bin Awf’s (ra) business caravan arrived in Medina. His caravan was so huge that the front camel was in one end of the border of Medina & the last camel was on the other end of the border (700 camels). The caravan was filled with goods from Bilad as-Sham to be sold in Medina

Aisha (ra) heard a lot of commotion & she saw the caravan. She asked someone who the caravan belonged to. Someone told her it belonged to Abdul Rahman bin Awf

Aisha went to Abdul Rahman bin Awf & congratulated him. She said to him, “Do you remember what the Prophet told you?”

The Prophet was once giving the good news of Paradise – he e was congratulating the Jannati Sahabi, telling them, “You’re gonna go to Paradise. And YOU are going to Paradise.” (Oprah moment)

When the Prophet reached Abdul Rahman bin Awf, he said, “Abdul, you are going to Paradise, but you’re going to get left behind.”

Abdul Rahman bin Awf asks, “Why, O Rasullullah?”

Abdul Rahman bin Awf was one of the only two individuals behind whom the Prophet prayed, so he was an amazing man

Prophet: “Because all the accounting of your wealth is going to lag you behind.”

Keeping this memory in mind, Aisha asked Abdul Rahman bin Awf, “Do you remember what the Prophet said?”

Hearing this, Abdul Rahman bin Awf became very teary-eyed. He was hit by her question. Immediately, he tells the people working for him to take all of his goods & give it to the Bayt al-Mal as sadaqah

— Muhammad was a businessman. He never gave advice and guidance on something he didn’t have experience in. He was credible on the issues he talked about (family, business, etc.)

— The one time the Prophet recommended something out of his knowledge to the Sahaba was about farming.

He once asked the Sahaba, “Why do you cross-pollinate the date trees? Don’t do that. That’s sounds weird.”

When the Prophet tells you to stop, you stop. The Sahaba decide not to cross-pollinate that year

That year they had a terrible harvest

They go up to the Prophet, telling them of their poor harvest.

The Prophet: “I don’t know anything about farming. I just asked why you cross-pollinate. I thought it was weird. Go do what you’re supposed to do. You know what you’re doing.”

— Prophet would only give practical advice based on his experiences & what he knows

Especially in matters in business ethics – honesty & fairness

He’s not just shooting in dark, but he’s talking from a frame of reference, since he was a very successful businessman

He qualifies as Uswatul Hasanat

— The Prophet established some form of income (through business) before getting married, so that he could support his family

Abu Talib once asked Muhammad, “Muhammad, you’re at the age of marriage. Wouldn’t you like to get married?”

Muhammad replied, “Yes, but first I need to have a source of income. I’m not working right now. How am I going to support my wife?”

This is from the sunnah of the Prophet – to have some source of finance to be able to support your spouse before getting married

This isn’t to say that you should become filthy rich & have $100,000 weddings and $50,000 mahrs

This is also not referring to the other opposite extreme – “I pray five times a day, I can get married now inshAllah. Both of us are gonna sit together & we’re gonna make du’a & Allah’s going to send down biryani from the sky to us.”

— Muhammad went on a business trip on behalf of Khadijah with her slave Maysara. She is very impressed with all the profit he brought back & considers marrying him. Her friend Nafisa asked Muhammad if he would be interested in marrying Khadijah, to which he said yes. Nafisa went to inform Khadijah of this.

Vast majority of seerah say that the brother & uncle of Khadijah oversaw the nikkah (marriage) of Muhammad & Khadijah.

A minority position says that the father of Khadijah, named Khuwaylid, oversaw his daughter’s marriage

— After both parties express mutual interest in marriage, Khadijah’s and Muhammad’s family meet before the official marriage proposal goes through

In Islam, a woman who has never been married before is primarily represented by one of her male guardians (wali). The wali speaks on her behalf & represents her. However, If a woman is a thayyib, a woman who has been married before, then she can represent herself & does not need a wali

Khadijah had already been married twice before (widowed both times) she married Muhammad

Most narrations say that Khadijah was 40 years old when she married Muhammad, but some seerah narrations say that Khadijah was in her mid-30s

At the family gathering, where the official engagement is about to take place, Khadijah addresses Muhammad: “Oh son of my uncle (a term of respect & endearment), I am interested in marrying you because of how you maintain your relationships, and how you are the best of your people. You’re honest and have excellent character. You are honest in your speech. Therefore, I would like to propose to you.”

Muhammad then praises Khadijah as well. “You are the most honorable & dignified woman of the Quraysh.”

— Before the engagement, Muhammad speaks to his own uncles, asking them what they think of the proposal

They’re cool with it. They all leave together to the engagement

Hamza, Muhammad’s uncle & older milk brother, speaks on Muhammad’s behalf with Khadijah’s family

“We’ve come here with our son & nephew to marry your daughter Khadijah.”

— Details of Muhammad & Khadijah’s nikkah

Abu Talib addresses Khadijah’s family

“I want you to understand who this young man is. Yes, he’s very trustworthy & honest, but he’s very special at the same time. I want you to understand how much work and effort was put into protecting & raising him. His father died before he was born.  His mother, and his grandfather died and I raised him. When this nikkah goes through, you people will be receiving a treasure. I love him like my own son. He is a blessing.”

Some scholars in books of hadith & seerah mentioned that when Muhammad’s nikkah was taking place, the father of Khadijah, Khuwaylid, was heavily intoxicated

During the ceremony, Khuwaylid, being so drunk, was snapped out of reality. He looks around, & asks, “What’s going on over here?”

Someone replies, “It’s a party! There’s a celebration going over here.”

Khuwaylid asks, “Yeah, I see it’s a party, but why is there a party going on?”

“Your daughter got married to Muhammad.”

Khuwaylid is surprised. “Wait, what? What are you talking about? I don’t know about this marriage. I’m not okay with this. No one told me!”

“You were sitting here the whole time! You’re just drunk out of your mind.”

Khuwaylid starts causing a bit of commotion.

Others try to tell him that yes, he approved of the proposal and that he was hammered. Khuwaylid continues to carry on the disruption at his daughter’s nikkah

Shaykh Abdul: “Now why did I feel this was of any benefit to mention? Just for anybody who’s been through that situation – trouble with the in-laws isfrom the seerah of the Prophet (saw), okay?”

Muhammad is already having a bit of difficulty with his father-in-law

Khuwaylid respects Muhammad & thinks he’s a great kid, but “Nobody asked me!” He didn’t believe the others when they said that he gave his blessing for the marriage

After throwing a bit of a fit, Khuwaylid gets over the initial shock

He then says, “Ok, here’s the compromise. If I agreed to this marriage, which I don’t remember, then of course Khadijah’s married, because I had given my permission. If I hadn’t given my permission for her marriage, and all you people are lying to me, then I give my permission now. Because I said so, now Khadijah’s married to Muhammad. BUT ONLY BECAUSE I SAID SO.”

Mahr that Muhammad offered Khadijah was 20 goats. Some narrations say 20 camels.

Respectable, modest mahr

Typically, in those days, weddings would bring 200 camels/goats.

— In a few narrations of seerah, it’s mentioned that the mahr of the Prophet (marriage gift to Khadijah) was 20 goats or 20 camels.

Muhammad is not a wealthy individual nor does he come from a wealthy family. Still, he’s a very respected & well-known person in Makkah because he’s from Banu Hashim – an elite family of Quraysh. Khadijah also comes from a similar high-standing family

When 2 elite families like this would unite, the mahr would generally be 200 or 300 goats or camels, even though to us, 20 goats/camels seem like a lot. 20 goats was a respectable & modest amount

Israaf – to spend a little extra on something you need

Tabdeer – to spend without need at all (like having 8 cars for yourself)

Mahr should be a modest, respectable amount, according to sunnah of Prophet

There’s a hadith that the Prophet told someone to teach his wife Qur’an because he couldn’t afford mahr

But if you ARE in a position to give mahr, don’t be that stingy guy today who says, “Alright, I’ll teach her Surat Al-Ikhlas.”

When Muhammad’s cousin, Ali (son of Abu Talib), got married to Muhammad’s daughter Fatima, the Prophet told Ali to give his new wife 500 darahim (silver coins) as mahr, since it was within Ali’s means

500 silver coins is like $5000 today

— Muhammad & Khadijah were married for 25 years in a monogamous marriage. He was deeply in love with Khadijah. They had six children together – 2 sons and 4 daughters.

Al Qasem, first child

Muhammad loved to be called “Abul Qasem” – father of Qasem. He used to love being called Abul Qasem so much, that there’s a hadith by Imam Tirmidhi that the Sahaba used to discourage calling someone else Abul Qasem, even if they had a son named Qasem to honor the Prophet’s son or because they liked the name

Qasem died when he was a few years old (3-4). Some say he died when he was old enough to ride an animal (horse), probably 5-6

4 daughters followed who lived to see Nubu’a (Prophethood) & they accepted Islam. The first 3 daughters passed away during Prophet’s lifetime

Zainab

She passed away from injuries while making Hijra, from being attacked 

Ruqayyah

She suffered from serious fever around Battle of Badr & ended up dying

Prophet told his son-in-law, Uthman bin Afaan (who was getting ready to accompany the Prophet to Battle of Badr), to go back home & take care of his wife

After the battle, the Prophet gave Uthman a share of the spoils of Battle of Badr. The Prophet treats his son-in-law just as Uthman was present in the battle

Ummu Khulthum

She married Uthman after Ruqayyah passed away. That’s why Uthman is called Dhun-Nurayn, the Possessor of Two Lights (the Prophet’s daughters)

She also became very ill & passed away during the lifetime of the Prophet

Fatimah

She came to see Prophet day before he passed away, noticed his dying pains. She said, “Look at my father, look at how much pain he goes through.”

Muhammad replied, “After today, your father will never suffer again.”

She was so overcome with grief & sorrow, that she passed away 6 months after her father

Abdullah

Nicknames: At-tayyib (beautiful one), Tahir (pure one, clean one)

He passed away within days of his birth

— Muhammad had another son named Ibrahim, with his wife Marya, who was previously a slave

Ibrahim also passed away very young. He was 18 months old.

The Prophet was deeply stricken with grief at his son’s death. Even when he wasn’t actually sobbing & crying, the Prophet would just have tears streaming out of his eyes

He said at the time, “Allah has appointed a woman to nurse Ibrahim in Paradise, so that he is still taken care of.”

— Muhammad had a total of 7 children (6 with Khadijah)

The Prophet buried 6 out of 7 children in his lifetime. Only Fatimah outlived her father

He not only lived through the death of his wife, but also through the deaths of six of his children

When the Prophet talks about patience & grief, he knows what he’s talking about. He knew pain & suffering. He was the pillar of patience. That’s why his guidance is important

[hassanfreeman]

Episode 20 -seerah Muhammad th -businessman

— Muhammad (saw) was in his early 20s; he was at the age where he was looking to establish himself financially

— In his teens, he was a shepherd, like the Prophets of the Past. He could not take any other menial task given his status as the grandson of the great leader Abdul Mutallib

After the incident with Bhaira the Monk, who warned Abu Talib about the possible dangers his nephew Muhammad could face, Abu Talib forbade his nephew from going on long business trips

Muhammad wanted to help out his family because Abu Talib’s family weren’t very well off, so he decided to do business locally in Makkah

— To be able to do business, Muhammad had to have some money, which he didn’t have.

Abu Talib was not wealthy, so he couldn’t provide Muhammad with the merchandise he needs to be a businessman. Muhammad himself is an orphan, so he didn’t inherit any money either

Muhammad decided to go into the business of brokering deals, basically working on commission

Someone is wholesaling and someone is in retailing

Muhammad would go around trying to broker deals; he would hook up the wholesaler with the retailer

— In his early days of doing local business, Muhammad had a partner named As Saib bin Abi Saib (aka Abu Saib). They were able to make money for themselves & build up some seed money

Abu Saib was a very honest & noble businessman

Muhammad was also building reputation as honest businessman, as Sadiq al-Amin

— 20 years after Prophethood (almost 40 years of doing business with this Abu Saib), the son of Abu Saib, Abdullah, had accepted Islam

When Muhammad arrived in Makkah during the conquest, he met his old business partner in the city. They reminisced about the old days.

The Prophet offered Abu Saib a compliment. “Abu Saib is the best business partner. La yushari wa la yumari – he would never undercut someone when doing business, and he would never cheat/lie when doing business.”

This was the character of the Prophet – to remember people, to remember the good of people, & to pay compliments to people

Abu Saib wasn’t even Muslim at this time (he accepts Islam later on). The Prophet remembered his business partner after all this time (more than 20 years later) & gives him a shout-out

— After Muhammad earned some seed money for himself by brokering deals, he was ready to do some real business (to defeat the Huns)

He went to his uncle Abu Talib & persuaded him to be able to go make an actual business trip

One narration says that Muhammad went on his first business trip on behalf of his uncle, where he really established a reputation for himself as an honest man

— Khadijah bint Khuwaylid

She had been married twice; both of her husbands passed away

She was born into wealth & married into wealth, & she possessed a lot of business assets

Khadijah invested her wealth by hiring businessmen to do business in Bilad al Shaam (modern day Syria). The businessmen would take goods from Makkah & sell them in Bilad al Shaam, and would bring back goods from that region to sell in Makkah.

She couldn’t travel alone for business due to unsafe roads, so she needed to find someone trustworthy to take care of her money & her business

When Khadijah started to hear about the reputation of a young man named Muhammad around Makkah, she called him in

She offered him twice the amount of commission that she’d offer anyone else. It’s possible that Muhammad initially declined her request , so she doubled the offer

Other narrations says that Muhammad told Khadijah that his uncle didn’t want him to travel for business, so Khadijah went directly to Abu Talib and spoke to him.

She assured Abu Talib that Muhammad will be fine, & she offered to let her slave named Maysara to travel with Muhammad to as-Sham. Maysara was a very skilled fighter & archer; he was a bodyguard of Khadijah

Abu Talib, looking out for the best interest of Muhammad, was the one who asked Khadijah to double her offer

— While traveling to as-Sham, Muhammad & Khadijah’s slave Maysara stopped at the regular rest area where he met Bhaira years ago

Another monk resided at that monastery now, not Bhaira

While Muhammad was resting underneath the tree, the monk comes down from the monastery & meets Maysara at the water well, asking him who the man underneath the tree was

Maysara replied, “That’s Muhammad ibn Abdullah. He’s from the people of the Quraysh; they’re the caretakers of the Haram.”

The monk tells Maysara, “No man will sit underneath that tree at this time or place except for a prophet.”

This was a sign he read in the scriptures

— Muhammad & Maysara carries on to as-Sham, arrive back with plenty of goods & profits. Those goods were sold with a lot of profit in Makkah

While traveling back from as-Sham, it was extremely hot. Maysara noticed that Muhammad seemed very calm, and it was because he was being covered by a shade while traveling. Maysara recalls, “It was as if two angels were providing shade for Muhammad.”

— They get back to Makkah. Muhammad sits down with Khadijah, & gives her a full & precise breakdown with Maysara of the business dealings

Khadijah was impressed by the attention to detail & the honesty Muhammad displayed

The accounts are settled & Khadijah gives Muhammad his commission, who goes about his way.

Khadijah then asks Maysara what Muhammad is like in business, & whether they should continue to do business with him.

Maysara says nothing but good things about him; that Muhammad is very honest & intelligent.

He also tells her about the extraordinary things he saw regarding Muhammad (such as the clouds providing shade for him constantly)

— After this, Muhammad did a couple of more business deals with Khadijah, which earned lots of profits

By now, Khadijah is becoming more and more interested & impressed by Muhammad

She asks one of her cousins, Waraqah bin Nowfal, “Do you know anything about Muhammad?”

Waraqah tells her that he knows Muhammad in general, & of his reputation as Sadiq-al-Ameen

Khadijah was still relatively young & wealthy, so she’d get a lot of proposals, but she’d worry that these men wanted to marry her for her money only, not her character

Khadijah asked her cousin Waraqah what he thought of a marriage between herself & Muhammad

Waraqah encourages Khadijah to pursue the marriage

— Nafisa, or Nufaisa (Khadijah’s friend) also tells Khadijah to pursue the marriage proposal

Nafisa offers to speak on Khadijah’s behalf in regards to the proposal.

She goes to Muhammad, & asks him, “What do you think of Khadijah as a person?”

Muhammad: “She’s an exemplary woman. She’s honest & trustworthy. I’ve only seen good from her.”

Nafisa: “Would you be interested in marrying her?”

Muhammad: “Yes, is she interested in marriage?”

Nafisa: “Yes, I wouldn’t be here if she wasn’t.”

Muhammad: “Then, yes, if she’s interested, then I am also interested in the marriage.”

— Nafisa & Muhammad go to Abu Talib to speak about the proposal

— Shaykh Abdul: “We’ll stop here. A little bit of a cliffhanger. Not really, because everybody knows what happened.”

— Lessons from this episode

Prophet did business. Not only that, but he was an honest businessman.

“A trustworthy & honest businessman will be in the ranks of the prophets and the martyrs and the pious and the righteous.”

The Prophet is an example of how to establish relations with people

The number one priority for marriage is considering the person’s character

The Prophet and Khadijah considered each other’s character. Deen is important, but one of the most important manifestations of deen is character

We have 2 extremes today when it comes to marriage proposals

Social & material qualifiers – which family does he come from? How good-looking are they? How much money do they have? What type of education do they have?

Opposite extreme where marriage is considered solely based on superficially religious qualifiers – does he have a beard? Does she wear a hijab? Does he wear a kufi? Does he wear a thobe? What kind of hijab does she wear? How much Qur’an has she memorized?

Character is a part & parcel of our deen & a manifestation of our deen, because character shows the sincerity of one’s deen. A person may be outwardly religious, but may not have internalized his deen

[hassanfreeman]

Episode-19 - seerah the virtuous pact of social

 The Sacrilegious War had just ended, but still fresh on everyone’s mind

Muhammad (saw) was 19-20 years old when the war had ended

— A man from outside of Makkah (Yemen) from another tribe (Zubaid) came to Makkah to do some business

He came into contact with a Qurayshi Makkan named Al-Aas bin Wa-il. They agree to do business together.

Aas bin Wa-il said, “Forward me the merchandise, and I’ll pay you tomorrow.”

He was a Quryashi Makkan. Qurayshi Makkans were generally seen as honest because they were the caretakers of al-haram

— When the Zubaidi man went to collect his payment, Al-Aas said, “What payment? I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

This Zubaidi man was distraught at being taken advantage of – he was a simple man just looking to support his family

He went to different leaders of Quraysh telling them that one of their men has stinged him on a business payment

Custom of the time was that your loyalty was to your tribe, not to truth & justice.

So other leaders replied, “We don’t know what you’re talking about. We can’t help you.” They pretty much dismissed him

— During sunrise, leaders of the Quraysh would congregate at the Kab’ah to go over day’s agenda

The Zubaidi man went to the Kab’ah during sunrise & stood in front of the door

He took his shirt off, which meant a sign of desperation

He calls out to the people, “Oh people of dignity & honor. This man has taken merchandise from me. How can this happen in the heart of the Kab’ah? This is where sanctuary is, where people flock to. I cam here not just to sell my merchanise, but I also had the hope to worship here at the Kab’ah. I haven’t even fulfilled my wish of worshipping here at the sacred sanctuary. Where are the all the men of honor & dignity in this House of God. This sacred sanctuary is for people who are honorable, but here I find people who are dishonest and deceitful.”

Everyone is just sitting & listening. First one among them to stand was Zubair bin Abdul Mutallib, Muhammad’s uncle (he later accepted Islam)

— Zubair goes to the Zubaidi man & sympathizes with him

All the Qurayshi gather together, saying that they need to do something about this. This situation is reminiscent of the events that led to the Sacrilegious War

— A man named Abdullah bin Jada’an calls a meeting in his house

The leaders of Quraysh gather at his house & reach an agreement. They were just done with a 5 year war & don’t want more trouble, so they make a pact

They make a pact, which stated that they will support the rights of the all the oppressed, even if it’s an outsider. The pact also stated that they will oppose the oppressor, even if he’s one of the Quraysh

— This pact was called Hilf al-Fudl (“League of the Virtuous”)

Conditions of the pact

The Quraysh will support the rights of all the oppressed, even if it’s an outsider

The Quraysh will oppose the oppressor, even if he’s one of the Quraysh

Basically, they pledged to “respect the principles of justice and collectively intervene in conflicts to establish justice” (X)

2 explanations behind the name

There were 3 individuals from the dozens of Qurayshi men present at the meeting. These 3 men were named Al-Fadul

Fudul means “virtue”, so the Virtuous Pact

— What the Quraysh did aftering drawing up the pact

Two dozen powerful Qurayshi leders go & knock on door of Al-Aas bin Wa-il. They tell him, “You did business with a man from Zubaid, but you didn’t pay him.”

Al-Aas: “Yeah, but you know how we do. You’re supposed to overlook these things. You scratch my back, I scratch yours.”

Qurayshi men: “Sorry we don’t roll that way anymore. It’s not gonna fly. Things have changed. We’re going to be fair. First things first. You pay that man.”

Al-Aas: “I don’t have money.”

Qurayshi men: “Then bring the merchandise.”

Al-Aas: “Are you serious?”

Qurayshi men: “We’re absolutely serious. We got swords to prove that we’re serious.”

They take Al-Aas & the merchandise and return it to the Zubaidi. The Quraysh apologizes on behalf of the Alas & the rest of the tribe to the Zubaidi man.

— During the Medinan Period of his Prophethood, Muhammad looked back on this pact & said, “I witnessed a pact and an oath in the house of Abdullah bin Jada’an. I wouldn’t like for me to have red she-camels in exchange for witnessing that pact – I wouldn’t trade my presence there & witnessing that pact take place for the most valuable things in the world. If I was called to take part in that pact today, with Islam & Shari’ah established, I would go.”

Red-she camels at the time were like ferarris today. The Prophet was saying that he wouldn’t trade his presence at the pact-drawing for any materialistic things. Essentially, he was very proud of this moment in his tribe’s history

This pact was in the cause of social justice & ethics, even though it was in the pre-Islam period & conjured by idolworshippers in an era of ignorance. The pact was vital in the role of Islamic ethics – shari’ah, & thus the pact was praised by the Prophet

— Hussain (ra) ibn Ali ibn Abu Talib ibn Abdul Mutallib (grandson of Muhammad) and Al Walid, grandson of Abu Sufyan had a disagreement over money

Walid was the amir of Medina at the time – his uncle Mu’a (ra) had appointed him

Walid used his position as a leader to take advantage of Hussain, threw his political weight to take advantage of Hussain

— Hussain said to Walid, “I swear by Allah, that you will fulfill my right to me, or I’ll pick up my sword if I have to. Walid, you will pay me my money or I will take my sword & stand in the masjid of the Prophet & call for the Hilf al-Fudul”

Abdullah bin Zubair (ra) says to Hussain, “If Hussain bin Ali calls for the Hilf al-Fudul, then by the virtue of that oath, I will also take my sword & stand by him in the masjid of Prophet & support him. I will die pursuing his right to be fulfilled.”

Miswar bin Rama said, “Same here, I will also take my sword & stand by Hussain by virtue of that oath & make sure that Hussain’s right is fulfilled.”

Abdul Rahman bin Uthman said, “I will also take my sword & stand in the masjid of the Prophet & support Hussain until his right is fulfilled by virtue of the pact.”

More & more of the Sahaba & the children of the Sahaba express their support of Hussain by virtue of the Hilf al-Fudul

Finally this news reaches Walid, who gives Hussain his right, “My bad. Here’s your payment.”

This event took place long after Muhammad’s passing. This event was significant because the Sahaba called on this pact (which took place 50+ years ago) to settle a dispute to support a cause of justice

— Tariq Ramadan draws 3 principles from this pact:

Islam embraces values derived from the human conscience that are outside of the Islamic tradition. This is because Muhammad had acknowledged a pact before revelation, in the pre-Islamic era.

Islam acknowledges the righteousness of non-Muslims. In this case, the non-Muslims had defended justice and the oppressed.

Islam, instead of building allegiance to a closed community, requires allegiance to a set of universal principles. The message of Islam is not a closed value system, or at variance or conflict with other value systems.

[hassanfreeman]

"Somewhere are religious divisions and somewhere are differences based on caste. Is this the way to prosper in the world?"

"You are Syed; you are Mirza; you are Afghan. You are everything. Tell me, are you Muslim too?"

- Allama iqbal the poet of east

Qur’an says that those who create differences in the Deen (Islam) are among the Mushrikun: "Be not among the Mushrikun i.e., those who create differences in Deen (Isalm) and become sects. Each (sectarian) party quite content with itself (that it is following the correct path)." (30:32) "And those who create division in Deen (Islam) and become divided into sects, O Prophet (PBUH)! You have no part in them in the least." (6:159)

[hassanfreeman]

"Greed has torn apart humankind. You (Muslims), become role models of love and brotherhood. Get beyond the narrow boundaries of nationalities (like Indian, Khurasani, Afghani, and Turkish) and jump into the limitless ocean (of Islam)."

[hassanfreeman]

[hassanfreeman]

Episode - 17-seerah - Muhammads teenage years

— Ismatul Anbiya – the Prophets & Messengers of Allah are protected by Allah from falling into any reprehensible behavior

A few Prophets did have a few questionable behaviors, but those were divinely decreed to teach us a lesson (e.g. Musa (as) getting into a confrontation with a man who was whipping a slave)

For the most part, the Prophets are dignitaries of Allah & they were protected from bad behaviors

— One day, young Muhammad (saw) was playing with rocks with other boys around his age

Traditional clothing of those days was in 2 pieces: a lower garment like a lungi (izaar) that covered your lower body & an upper garment (a shawl type) that covered your upper body. It was similar to the clothing that the hujjaj wear

Very young boys will be given one garment that would be wrapped around the chest, so that they can run around & play

Some of the boys took off their lower garments & placed a bunch of rocks on it. They slung the garment full of rocks over their shoulder & carried it as a knapsack

As a result, their lower half was uncovered

They were kids, so they didn’t really see a problem with this

Muhammad didn’t feel comfortable taking his cloth off, so he just use his hands to carry them (the rocks were heavy, painful, sharp)

Other boys urge him to follow their method. “Come on, it’ll be just for a little while. We’ll move the rocks & then we’ll just put our clothes back on.”

Muhammad was a child & influenced by peer pressure, so he thought, “Ok, no biggie. I’ll do that.”

He started to remove his garment to put the rocks in. All of a sudden, he felt like he got slapped hard in the back of his head, but he couldn’t see who just smacked his head.

Then he heard a voice saying, “Put your izaar back on.”

He was a kid; in that situation what else can you do but say, “Yes, sir.”

He put his izaar back on. Then he just carried the rocks in his hands even if they were heavy & painful; he didn’t take his garment off to use as a knapsack

— Another similar incident like this is narrated by Muhammad’s Uncle Al Abbas

Muhammad was a bit older, in his mid-teens. Renovations of Kab’ah were taking place. Everyone wanted to get in on it, because Kab’ah was a special place. Everyone wanted a piece of that action. High ranking members (Families) of Quraysh were given first preference to renovate – in this case, Banu Hashim, Muhammad’s clan

Al-Abbas was there, carrying rocks & bricks to renovate the Kab’ah. Muhammad was also one of the first ones to carry rocks & bricks

A display of manhood was to carry a big old rock. The bigger rock you carried, the bigger man you were

Men were removing their lower clothing & readjusting their upper cloth, but still, there was chance of being exposed

They wrap up the rocks/bricks in their lower garment to sling over shoulder

Muhammad was struggling to carry the heavy bricks. His uncle Al-Abbas suggests to his nephew  to use the lower garment to carry the rocks

Muhammad started to remove his lower garment

All of sudden, Muhammad collapsed as he was on the verge of removing his cloth

His eyes rolled up to stare into the sky for some time. Then he stood up and said, “Izaari! Izaari! Where’s my izaar? Where’s my izaar?” Then put his izaar back on

Abbas asks nephew what’s wrong

Muhammad replied, “I have been forbidden from walking around, not fully clothed. I’ve been told not to expose my body in public.”

— Muhammad comes from a very elite clan (Banu Hashim), of a very elite tribe (Quraysh)

Much of the Quraysh tribe was very elitist. It was not deemed acceptable for members of Banu Hashim to have some menial task/physical labor for a career, because the men of Quraysh had the most prestigious career of being international merchants (going to as-Sham & Yemen)

It was looked down upon to take up a menial job like getting into construction, or being a deliverer, etc.

Muhammad was too young to be traveling for business, & Abu Talib wasn’t having any of it because of Bhaira’s encounter. Muhammd wanted to help out Abu Talib because of his financial difficulties. Muhammd couldn’t be a merchant, & he couldn’t do physical labor for “honor” reasons.

Only one type of work was left available to him – shepherding

Shepherding was attributed to good leadership & qualities

So the young Muhammad becomes a shepherd, to help out his family

A shepherd has to be cautious, responsible, patient, alert, & gentle with his flock

Isa (as) said to his disciples: “Shepherd well.”

To lead his people well after he’s gone

Many of the prophets have been shepherds

— Muhammad recalls that he never really had a strong desire to indulge in the typical things that teenage boys take part in

— There were other shepherds around Muhammad’s age as well. They would all socialize while on the job when their flocks would get together

These young shepherds would often tell each other of the stories/events of the night before

“Yo, bro, I hit up a crazy party last night.”

“You look really tired.”

“Yo, you got no idea what went down!”

They’d ask Muhammad what he did. “Nothing. I just went home and slept.”

The other boys would invite Muhammd over to a party. They knew that Muhammad is a very straight-laced & decent guy, so they would tell him, “You don’t have to do anything. Just swing by. Just check out the party for a bit.”

Peer pressure is a big deal during teenage years, so Muhammd makes arrangements to have another shepherd cover his shift.

Muhammad was on duty that evening with the flock. He asked one of the other young men to cover his shift so he can check out the party.

“Yeah, man, I got your back. You need to party,” replied the other

— Later in the evening, Muhammad makes his way to the party. As he gets near the house where the party is held, he can hear loud party noises & obviously drunk rowdy boys. He could also hear women singing. Many times there were entertainment slave girls who would be rented out for these types of occasions.

Muhammad hears all of this as he’s just outside the house; before he could take another step, he literally just passed out

Muhammad recalls, “I didn’t wake up until I felt the sun on my face”

Party’s over

— The next day Muhammad goes to work with the other shepherds, who inquire about his absence at the party

Muhammad said, “I tried to come, and I just fell asleep.”

“Man, you’re so lame.” The boys put more pressure on Muhammad to come to the party. “Tonight, you GOT to come to this party.”

Muhammad replied, “I’m working tonight.”

“Don’t worry, that guy will cover your shift.”

— With another shepherd covering his shift, Muhammad starts making his way to the party again that nigh. He’s outside the party casa again, & he can hear the loud obnoxious rowdiness of the other party-goers.

Before he can take another step forward, Muhammad passes out again & woke up only when the sun was shining on his face

Muhammad goes to work that morning. The other boys say, “Where were you?! You didn’t show up again.”

Muhammad says later on, “I swear by Allah, I had never had desire to go back to something like that.”

— Muhammad has been protected from such events, but not sheltered. He was cognisant of what was going around him, but he remained pristine by divine decree.

When the time of Prophethood comes and he starts spreading his message, Muhammad has a general idea of what’s going on in his society, about the parties, the alcohol, etc. He has the ability to say, “I know exactly what you guys are up to.”

This knowledge was relevant to the Prophet’s method of preaching. He was exposed to things even though he never partook in them due to divine intervention

— Even before receiving his Prophethood, Muhammad used to do tawaaf around the Kab’ah; he wouldn’t worship the idols there, but just do tawaaf. He sometimes took his adopted son Zayd bin Haditha to do tawaaf around the Baytullah

In the Haram, there was an idol (named either Isaaf or Na’ilath) made of copper,

As the mushrikoon would do tawaaf, they would rub their hand on the idol everytime they passed by it. That was their way of acknowledging their god

As Muhammad & Zayd walked by the idol during their regular tawaaf, Zayd stretches out to rub his hand on the idol

 “Lata masohu, don’t touch the idol,” says Muhammad as he pulled Zaid’s hand away from the idol

Zayd was a very young boy. He sees everybody else pass the idol & reach their hand toward it, so he’s imitating them.

As Zayd & Muhammad pass that idol again during tawaaf, Zayd stretches his hand out again to touch the idol

Then Muhammad again pulls Zayd’s hand away, saying, “Don’t touch the idol. Didn’t I tell you not to do this?”

— From early on, Allah had instilled within Muhammad this natural hesitation for shirk or other inappropriate activities

When you’re talking with another Arab/Muslim, & they something surprising, you say, “Say wallahi”

Similarly, in the early days, people would say, “Aksim billati al uzza.” Swear by Allat and Al Uzza, which were the two most prominent idols of that time

Whenever people would say this to the young Muhammad, he’d always tell them, “If you want me to take an oath to prove to you what I’m saying, don’t ask me to swear by Allaat and Al Uzza. There’s nothing I dislike more than those two things.”

Then Muhammad would distance himself from that conversation

— Muhammad grew up to become the most dignified & examplary man in his community. He had to most excellent character & the most excellent company (Khadijah, Zayd bin Haditha, Bilal, Abu Bakr, Ali, etc.)

He was known by his entire society as “Al-Amin”. Even people who didn’t know his name knew him as Al-Amin, because of his well-known reputation of his great character

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Episode - 16 - Seerah bhaira the monk

— After his grandfather Abdul Mutallib died, the 8-year-old Muhammad (saw) was taken under the guardianship of his uncle Abu Talib

Abu Talib was an extremely caring uncle, & raised Muhammad among his own children

— There are differences in narrations as to the age of Muhammad when this incident with the monk took place

The minority position is that Muhammad was 9 years old

The majority position is that Muhammad was 12 years old

— Abu Talib was a businessman

Makkah was a strategic business center, where the products were imported & sold from all over the Arab world

Also the Kab’ah attracted lots of pilgrims, so Makkah was the ideal business center

Abu Talib decided to go to business trip to As-Sham (modern day Syria & surrounding regions)

As-Sham was ruled by Roman Empire at the time & had a strong Christian presence

— Muhammad’s entire world revolves around Abu Talib. The child had lost his mother & grandfather in a short time, so he’s very attached to his uncle.

As Abu Talib gets ready to leave for his business trip & says farewell to his family, Muhammad starts to cry very profusely

“Don’t leave me here by myself.”

Abu Talib tries to comfort his nephew. Other family members are saying, “Oh, he’s just a child, he’ll forget about it come tomorrow.”

Travel those days was not a walk in the park. Hashim died, Abdullah died, Aminah died all during travels. It’s out of the question to take a child on a long journey

Muhammad was very distraught & Abu Talib was equally troubled by his nephew’s distress

Abu Talib says, “I can’t go like this. I swear by Allah, that I’m going to take him with me. I will never leave him, and he’ll never leave me. I don’t care if the rest of the business caravan refuses to take us along. I don’t care what the family has to say. Don’t worry son, I’m never going to leave you by yourself.”

— While they travel to As Shaam, the business caravan stop at a place called Busra, a small type of village on the outskirts. Busra was a safe place, like a rest stop for food & shelter.

There was a temple in Busra – not certain whether it’s a church or synagogue

Buhaira ar Rahib was the one who occupied the place of worship. Most say he’s Christian, but there are some narrations that say that he’s Jewish.

He’s also known as “Sergius the Monk”

— That monastery has always been inhabited by one of the greatest scholars of the Christian-Jewish history at the time

The temple was reserved for a well-educated academic. They weren’t public preachers

The temple was a research center. It had a library that was one of the most well-stacked libraries of ancient texts of the Christian tradition

Whenever the monk/priest occupying the monastery would be old & near death, he’d handpick his successor

Bhaira was the latest resident monk of that monastery

He was a bit anti-social. He wasn’t very conversational or friendly. The locals of that area would avoid him

He’d also actively avoid the idol-worshipping Arab caravans that would make the rest stop. He wouldn’t come outside of the monastery to greet the pagans whenever he saw them

— In the old Christian tradition, there were 3 people who were most educated from that era of Jahiliya (pre-Prophethood era)

Bhaira ar Rahib (the Monk)

His original name was Surgis, from Banu Abdul Kais

Reyab as Shanni (aka ibnul Barra)

He was a very pious man. He was one of the Hunafa, one of the few people who at the time was on the righteous monotheistic path

His grave would have a light drizzle (as a Rahma)

Al Muntadhar

We still await his arrival

Possibly refers to Muhammad

— So Abu Talib & his business caravan makes a rest stop at Busra

Bhaira is sitting in his monastery on a hill with a great view into the distance

He sees the Quryash and Makkans arriving; “Oh great here we go again.”

Something catches his attention

What he spots is that there’s a cloud moving along with the caravan, casting a shadow

When they stop where the Quraysh usually stops, the cloud stops as well

Now Bhair comes out of his monastery to take a closer look. He notices that the cloud follows a boy

Others in the caravan have all sat down under the shade under a tree. All the spots in the shade of the tree have been taken

The boy goes to lean against the other side of the tree, where there’s no shade

Branches literally bend to provide shade for the boy

— Now Bhaira is completely blown away

“Is this the moment I’ve been waiting for?”

He flips the monastery & goes through all the manuscripts & refreshes on the description of Prophet of the Last Times

He reads that a shade will always cover the Prophet. All the trees & nature will show respect to the Prophet

Bhaira calls for his devotees & students

“Here’s some money. Gather a lot of food for a large feast.”

— Bhaira then leaves his monastery & goes down to the place where the Qurayss are chillin’

The Quraysh are startled, because Bhaira usually avoids them. “Look who it is. It’s the cranky old guy. Watch him, he won’t even acknowledge us. He’s just gonna walk on by without even waving at us.”

Instead, Bhair awalks right up to the Quraysh. Bhaira greets them & is polite & friendly with them.

Bhaira says, “I’d like to invite you all to my monastery for a feast.”

The Quraysh quickly get past their surprise & are excited for some hospitality & a nice meal

— In the evening, the Quraysh gets ready for Bhaira’s feast. Most of the caravan considered Muhammad a burden on the trip, who came with them on Abu Talib’s insistence

They said, “We’re gonna go get our grub on. The young one has to stay here and watch the animals, merchandise, and the money.”

The Makkans all freshen up & go up to eat with the famous monk

They show up for the food

— Bhaira’s scanning the crowd, looking for the boy. He doesn’t want to blow his cover, so he says, “Ya Quraysh. Is everybody here? I kind of notice someone’s missing.”

The Quraysh reply, “Oh, he’s nobody important. He’s just a child. He’s looking after the animals & supplies. Don’t worry, he’s nobody.”

Bhaira said, “No, look. I invited all of you. I want to show hospitality to everybody.”

— The Quraysh notice that Bhaira’s getting agitated; now their meal is in jeopardy

Before Bhaira loses his cool, one of the Quraysh members goes to fetch Muhammad

Quraysh: “Oh how thoughtless of us! He’s Muhammad the son of Abdullah who’s the son of the famous Abdul Mutallib. Of course, I’ll go get him.”

With Muhammad there, the feast starts

— While everyone is eating, Bhaira is sitting there & literally staring  very intently at the Muhammad the entire time, observing the young boy’s facial features & mannerisms

As the food starts to flow & people start to loosen up (ice is broken, people are laughing & talking), Bhaira makes his way over to Muhammad & shows a lot of affection to him

Bhaira places his hand on Muhammad’s back, & says, “How is everything son? Is the food good?” Bhaira places more food on Muhammad’s plate

 Bhaira was fully convinced that this is the final Nabi.

Bhaira is doing khidma. He’s doing whatever he can to show respect to the final Prophet, serving more and more food

Now Bhaira starts asking Muhammad some questions. Muhammad was a child, & he’s honestly answers them, as is his nature

Bhaira: “How do you sleep? What kind of thoughts do you have? What do you during the day? What are your likes and dislikes? Do you play with other children?”

As Muhammad answers these questions, Bhaira gets more & more convinced that this is the Final Prophet

Bhaira also notices the mark of Prophethood on the boy’s back

— Now everyone is full; they’ve finished eating & waiting for tea. Bhaira then goes to Abu Talib & asks of his relationship to the boy.

Abu Talib: “This is my son.”

Abu Talib always affectionately referred to Muhammad as his son

Bhaira: “This can’t be your son.”

Abu Talib: “This is my brother’s son.”

Bhaira: “Where is his father?”

Abu Talib: “He passed away.”

Bhaira: “When did he pass away?”

Abu Talib: “He passed away before he was born, when his mother was expecting.”

Bhaira:  “Now you’re telling the truth. There’s something very special about your nephew. You’re heading farther into as-Shaam. I strongly suggest that you don’t take him to as-Shaam. Just like I’ve noticed something special about him, there’s other people in as-Shaam who’ll notice these things. You people are not people of the Kitab. They might not be merciful or hospitable as I am. Some of them might have ill will toward that child. You’ll be putting him in harm’s way.”

— Abu Talib decides best course of action is to take Muhammad back to Makkah

While the Makkans are encamped at Busra, about 5 people from as-Sham come to Busra

They go to Bhaira & they tell him that, “We’ve been reading some of the ancient sacred texts that we have, & all the signs & prophecies align to the fact that the Final Nabi is supposed to be here in this region right now. No one knows about these ancient traditions more than you do. Can you tell me if you’ve seen anything?”

Bhaira’s worried because he doesn’t know if these people are trustworthy. “Hold up,” he says, “Let me go check my notes.”

After Bhaira comes back, he tells them, “I don’t think you’re reading things correctly. I don’t agree at all that he’s supposed to be here. You’ve got your dates wrong.”

Bhaira goes to Abu Talib and says, “Look, some people just came asking about your nephew. You should go now.”

— There are 3 narrations as to what happens next

Minority position says  that Abu Talib takes care of business quickly in as-Sham to be able to take care of bills back home & then takes Muhammad back to Makkah

Majority of narrations says Abu Talib headed back home right then & there with Muhammad

According to authentic books of hadith/seerah, in this business trip, the Quraysh decided to let a young boy (Abu Bakr) to jump the business caravan since he’s talented so he can start learning about the art of business. He’s really good childhood friends with Muhammad. Another young slave boy (Bilal, from Abyssinia) was brought to do so menial tasks.

Abu Talib tells his caravan that he’s about to hit the ground home, but the caravan would like him to stay since he’s a respectable businessman. “We can’t lose you, we need you for our business needs/strategy. This business is supposed to get us through until next season.”

Abu Talib: “What am I gonna do? I need to get my nephew home to safety.”

Quraysh used to take this trip often, so they have fixed stops during these business trips where they stop every year, to rest & get supplies. They said they’ll leave the boys at those stops, and they’ll look out for each other.

The trio of Muhammad, Abu Bakr, & Bilaal bonded during this trip, a bond that lasted throughout their lifetime  

When Muhammad receives his divine revelation, one of the first people he told was Abu Bakr & Bilal was one of the first to accept Islam

Such a bond was between these 3, that Abu Bakr would go out & give dawah & that Bilal remained steadfast in his faith even though he was tortured for it

— Muhammad was known as Al Sadiq, Al Amin. This character was established early on

Other merchants would trust him to deliver their money

He was the go-to guy from his teenage years to take care of business matters

[hassanfreeman]

Episode - 15 seerah - with his loving grandfather and uncle

— The Prophet (saw) was 6 years old when his mother Aminah passed away. His father Abdullah died before he was born.

Ummu Aymen brought the 6-year-old Muhammad back to Makkah to his grandfather Abdul Mutallib

— Everyone who was an influence on Muhammad were always people of high character – his mother, his milkmother Halimah, his grandfather

Abdul Mutallib was a very remarkable man. He was very devout, moral, ethical, & noble

He was a leader of all of Quraysh tribe. He’s not just the head of Banu Hashem, but all the other families of the Quraysh

Many people referred to him as the most powerful man of Arabia

— Abdul Mutallib was a very busy man. He had many affairs of others to take care of, but he also had time to take care of his grandson Muhammad.

He didn’t just hire a maid to take care of Muhammad. He didn’t put a slave to take care of Muhammad or tell one of his children to take care of the orphan

After Aminah passed away, Abdul Mutallib took guardianship of Muhammad. He was more kind & affectionate with Muhammad than he was with his own children.

Abdul Mutallib would always draw Muhammad near him. He always checked on his grandson

— There was a cushion that was placed next to the Kab’ah, where the shade would fall. Abdul Mutallib would sit there & greet & meet visitors/residents of Makkah

That special seat was like his throne; it was reserved just for Abdul Mutallib. No one would dare sit there, not even his own children. His sons would sit around Abdul Mutallib

The child Muhammad, a chubby little kid, would run right up to his grandfather’s cushion & sit right in the middle of the seat

His uncles would grab him & move him out of the seat, “No, no, don’t sit there.”

When Abdul Mutallib would see this, he’d say, “No, no, leave my boy alone. Let Muhammad sit there. He looks like a king. I swear by Allah, there’s something special about this boy.”

Then Abdul Mutallib would sit the boy on his lap

Abdul Mutallib would rub the boy’s back & look at Muhammad with adoration. Abdul Mutallib would often just watch Muhammad do whatever he did like he was the most precious thing in the world

— One time a man from Banu Mudlej came to Makkah & visited Abdul Mutallib

While the man is meeting with Abdul Mutallib, he’s staring at Muhammad (who was on Abdul Mutallib’s lap)  the whole time

He says to Abdul Mutallib, “Take care of this child. The way he carries himself, the way he talks, you can tell he’s going to be someone great, someone special. He’s meant for greatness, so be careful with this child.”

When Abdul Mutallib hears this, he calls for his most trusted & responsible sons, Abu Talib

“Listen to what this man has to say about your nephew.”

Abdul Mutallib had the man to repeat what he said about Muhammad

Then Abdul Mutallib tells Abu Talib, “From now on, I want Muhammad under your care. I’m not going to be around for long.”

Some history books say that Abdul Mutallib lived to be 153 years old

— Abu Talib goes to Baraqah (Ummu Aymen), one of Muhammad’s milkmothers

“Ya Baraqah. This son of mine, don’t ever be neglectful of him. Make sure you always take care of him. I’ve been keeping an eye on him. My father specially put me in charge of him, so I’ve been watching him. I‘ve seen him play with other boys. They were playing on the outskirts of Makkah & I went out there to check on them. While they were playing, I saw some of the Ahlul Kitab (Christians & Jews) pass by. They were encamped there. They were also watching the boys very closely, especially Muhammad. And I heard them talking, & they think that this nephew of mine is the Nabi (Prophet) of this ummah. Regardless of this is true or not, a lot of people will have their attention on him.  Some might mean him good, & some might mean him harm. This is why we must be diligent of him at all times.”

— Whenever Abdul Mutallib would sit down to eat, he’d always say, “Where’s Muhammad?”

If Muhammad wasn’t there, Abdul Mutallib wouldn’t eat

“I need to know if Muhammad ate first.”        

Abdul Mutallib literally wouldn’t take a bite of food unless he knew for a fact that Muhammad had eaten

This is significant given that he had such an influential & respected leadership in Makkah – he was The Man

Even if others told Abdul Mutallib that Muhammad had eaten, Abdul Mutallib would say, “I still need to see him.”

So the others would have to bring the child to his grandfather. “Son, did you eat? Are you okay?”

Only then would Abdul Mutallib would eat.

— When Muhammad was 8, his grandfather passed away

Before passing away, Abdul Mutallib called all of his children for a gathering

Abdul Mutallib emphasized the importance of taking care of Muhammad. He singled out his son Abu Talib

“My last request to Abu Talib is to take care of Muhammad, my grandson.”

Abdul Mutallib was buried in graveyard of Hajun

— Because Abu Talib got such a huge & important responsibility of the care of Muhammad, Abdul Mutallib passed on the responsibility of the well of Zamzam & the custodianship of the Haram to one of his youngest sons, al Abbas

Muhammad shared a deeper connection with Abu Talib because Abu Talib’s mom was also the blood grandmother (Fatimah) of Muhammad.

Abdul Mutallib had more than one wife, so Muhammad had grandmothers (only related by marriage)

Abu Talib was the full brother of Abdullah, Muhammad’s father

— Abu Talib was a very simple man (a zahid)

Zohood – someone who has no connection or desire to worldly/materialistic things

He had no money, no wealth

— Abu Talib loved his nephew Muhammad immensely, more so than his own children. Muhammad was 8-years-old when he was taken in by his uncle

He wouldn’t go to sleep until he checked that Muhammad was safe

He would not eat until Muhammad had eaten

When he’d go out, he’d make sure that his nephew was with him

When he’d sit down to eat, he’d make sure that Muhammad had the first bite

There was very little food in Abu Talib’s household because he wasn’t very wealthy. However, when the family of Abu Talib would eat individually, or together, if Muhammad was sitting there with them, there would miraculously be enough food for everyone

The same amount of food would be made – the same small amount of food

But when Muhammad would sit and eat with them, the food was enough for all of them and there would even be leftovers, even though there should have been little food in the first place

Abu Talib would sometimes come home after managing his affairs. He’d come home for lunch. His family would be sitting waiting for the head of the household to come home.

If Muhammad wasn’t at the table, Abu Talib would say, “Stay as you are, until my son gets here. Nobody eats until Muhammad gets here.”

The family would give preference to Muhammad. If there was a nice cut of meat or something similar, Muhammad would be given that piece

— Abu Talib would often sit there looking at his nephew with adoration & say, “My son, there is something special about you.”

— When people wake up in the morning, they have a bit of gunk in their eyes. Their hair would be messy & may have drool in their faces. When kids wake up in the morning, they’d look like a mess.

But when Muhammad would wake up in the morning, his hair was perfect.

His eyes were bright, clean, & clear – no gunk or redness in his eyes

— Muhammad, from a young age, had always had a dignified manner of behaving

In the morning, the children would rush to the table & grab all of the food that their mother had put out. They’d be behaving like animals, fighting over the best pieces

Muhammad would stand aside, waiting for his turn

Abu Talib observed his nephew’s behavior. Abu Talib would get to the table early & take a portion of the food & keep it aside

When the kids woke up & rushed to breakfast, Abu Talib would give his nephew the food from earlier, which Muhammad would eat with adaab (manners)

— A Bedouin man (a soothsayer/fortune teller) came from an outside tribe/village to Makkah

Fortune telling was a big part of Arab culture

This soothsayer was very famous

His specialty was he’d look at people’s children & ask them a few questions. He’d do some mumbo jumbo & then tell the parents what lies in the future of their kids

It was like taking your kids to see Santa at the mall

Abu Talib took his kids to this soothsayer

The Bedouin fortuneteller looked at the young Muhammad for a while. After a while, Abu Talib figured their time was over, so he grabs Muhammad’s hand & start to leave

In the midst of the long line of other parents waiting to have their kids’ fortune determined, the soothsayer lost sight of Muhammad for a second

He got really nervous, & started yelling “Where’s the boy I was just looking at?! Where’s that boy?!”

Abu Talib hears that man, who was panicking. The soothsayer seems a little too interested in Muhammad.

Abu Talib is already very overprotective of Muhammad, so he’s nervous about how all of a sudden this stranger seems to take a keen & creepy interest in his nephew

Abu Talib takes his kids & nephew & gets out of their quickly

The soothsayer was very upset. He didn’t want to see any more of the other kids standing in line & tells them to get lost. He yells, “Bring me back that boy! There’s something special about him! That’s not an ordinary child. I need to see him!”

A lot of times, these soothsayers are influenced by shayatin. The shayatin bring bits & pieces of broken information from the malaika (angels)

There’s a Hadith about Saf Ibn Sayyad, a child whom the Sahaba feared was the Dajjal (AntiChrist). The Prophet quelled the Sahaba’s fears, that Ibn Sayyad is not the Dajjal, but that he’s influenced by Shayatin. The Prophet tested Ibn Sayyad, by telling him, “I’m thinking of something (an ayah of the Qur’an). What am I thinking of?” The child Ibn Sayyad sat there for a while & said, “Dukh, dukh.” The Prophet turned to his Sahaba & said that this child is influenced by shayatin

It’s possible that the soothsayer was influenced by shayatin at the time, when he met with Muhammad. That’s why he freaked out when he lost sight of Muhammad, but Muhammad was already long gone with his uncle

[hassanfreeman]

Episode 14 - Seera - Death of the prophets mother

— After Muhammad (saw) is returned to his mother Aminah’s care at the age of 4 ½ , he had a typical experience of a child his age – learning to dress & feed himself

His milkmother Halimah & her family return to Banu Sa’ad

— The main father-figure of Muhammad was his grandfather Abdul Mutallib

— After the chest-splitting incident at age 4, the next major event in Muhammad’s life at age 6 was the death of his mother Aminah

Aminah was well known for being very intelligent. She was a woman of high regard & well-respected.

— The Prophet’s grandfather, Abdul Mutallib, was a leader of his tribe (Quraysh)

Generally, a person of leadership tends to be wealthy, but Abdul Mutallib was broke at times. This was primarily due to the cautiousness of Abdul Mutallib; he never wanted to take advantage of his influence or his connections as a leader, because he used to say that these connections are only to lead the people & to manage the affairs of his people. He didn’t want to use his influence for financial gain.

His son, Abu Talib (Muhammad’s uncle), inherited the responsibilities of his father. Abu Talib was also a very poor man.

Abu Talib’s son, Ali, was raised in the house of the Prophet. Abu Talib was elderly & not well-off financially, so his son was sent to be raised by his nephew Muhammad.

— When Muhammad was about 6, Aminah decided to travel to Yathrib

Varying narrations as to why Aminah decided on this trip

Muhammad’s uncles lived in Quba, a suburb of Yathrib.

Quba is where the first masjid of the new religion was built (Masjid al-Quba)

Abdul Mutallib’s maternal relatives are from Quba. Aminah wanted Muhammad to meet his extended relatives.

Muhammad’s father Abdullah had died in Yathrib, where he was also buried. Aminah wanted to travel 300 km from Makkah to Yathrib to visit her late husband’s grave

Aminah traveled with two others in this journey – her son Muhammad & his milkmother Baraqah (aka Ummu Aymen)

— They stayed for some time in Quba with Abdul Mutallib’s family & in Yathrib, where they visited Abdullah’s grave. They stayed there for about a month

Much later on, during the Medinan period of Prophethood, the Prophet was passing by the houses of Banu Adi (family of tribe of al-Khazraj) while walking around in Medina. He stopped & remarked to the Sahaba around him; he pointed to a house & told his Sahaba, “This is the same house where my mother & I stayed when we visited Medina in my childhood.” Then Muhammad spotted a pond & pointed to it, saying, “This is the same pond in which I learned to swim.” Then he pointed to an open field, & said, “This is the same field where I ran around & played with other kids during my visit.”

— Ummu Aymen recalls an incident during this visit to Yathrib. She was sitting with Muhammad when two Jewish men approached them.

The men asked, ‘Where is the child, Ahmad?”

Aminah liked calling her son Ahmad

Then they looked at the child, turned him on his back – to look for the seal/mark of prophethood

One of them says to the other, “This is the Prophet of our times. This city, Yathrib, this is the place he will migrate to. Dar-ul-Hijra.”

They also said, “There will be great battles and many prisoners will be taken that will revolve around this child.”

When Aminah was informed of this entire conversation, she became frightened for Muhammad’s safety & immediately packed her bags

— Once they left Yathrib, they reached a small town named Abua, which is about 23 miles from Johfa

It’s possible that during her stay in Yathrib, Aminah wasn’t feeling very well. During the journey back to Makkah, Aminah’s health worsened so they were forced to stop at Abua

It was a short time before she passed away

Ummu Aymen buried Aminah & took Muhammad in

— Some narrations say that Ummu Aymen returned to Yathrib for a few days until Abdul Mutallib received a letter about his daughter-in-law’s passing & then came to retrieve Muhammad himself

Other narrations say that Ummu Aymen herself brought Muhammad back to Makkah

— In his later years, Muhammad faintly remembered his mother

One time, the Prophet & the Sahaba went to a place called Waddan, which wasn’t too far from the place Abua. He told his Sahaba to stay where they were, while he went off on his own for a bit. He came back to them. The Sahaba recalled that the Prophet looked sick & heavy-hearted.

The Prophet explained to them, “I went to the grave of my mother. I asked Allah to give me intercession (make dua) on her behalf, but Allah refused.”

— One of the common practices in legislation during the lifetime of the Prophet was that if people had a hard time abandoning one of their bad habits, then that practice would be made completely forbidden

In the old days, the Arabs would take vegetables such as squash or fruits like melon & hollow out the vegetable/fruit.

Then they’d rub animal grease inside the hollow area & leave it out in the sun for days until it completely hardened.

After the container hardened, the Arabs would put their alcohol in there & plug it; it would keep the alcohol cool & fresh.

They also used the containers for water & milk

But it was identified primarily with alcohol

When alcohol first was made haraam, the Prophet made the use of those containers haraam, so that it would remain completely distant from the alcohol practice, to not let there be any association with alcohol

Find some other container for milk or water.

When people got the need to drink alcohol out of their system, Prophet made it okay to use those containers for water & milk

— To create distance for grave worshipping, Prophet made visiting graves haram

When people had become secure in their Tawhid & their imaan, the Prophet allowed graves to be visited

— This story carries a valuable lesson for us – when we become carriers of the deen, it’s important to keep in touch with your emotions

The Prophet, even though he’s a prophet, a Messenger of Allah, he was not above being emotional. He cried openly sitting at his mother’s grave.

— After his mother’s death, the Prophet went into the care of his grandfather Abdul Mutallib

Previous episode: Splitting of His Chest

Next episode: With His Loving Grandfather & Uncle