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The Life of Prophet Mohammed (saw) CD 2

Yesterday we talked about the importance of studying Seerah. And now we will start with the first session on Seerah, itself.

BACKGROUND HISTORY

Now usually the authors or the scholars, who write about The Life of Muhammad (saw), they do not usually start talking about his birth. They would go a little bit before that. Actually about a few thousand years before that. And they would talk about his father, Ibrahim (as). That’s usually where they would start, talking about Rasool Allah (saw), they would talk about his ancestry, starting by Ibrahim (as). The emphasis is on the Hajar and Ismael side of the story rather than the Ishaq and Sara (ra), because that is the lineage of Rasool Allah (saw). So, they would start by talking about the story of Ibrahim (as), Hajar and Sara when they traveled to Hijaz. Ibrahim (as), his wife and his new born son travelled in to Arabia, into the land of Hijaz. And Ibrahim took them to present day Mecca. At that time, there was nothing there. Nobody was living there, there was no cultivation. It was a dead valley, but the place where The House of Allah (swt) is built, the place where Al Kaaba was built was sacred since the day this world was created. In fact, there is a difference of opinion on who was the first one to build Al Kaaba. The majority of opinion is that it was Ibrahim (as) but there are some scholars who say that Adam (as) was the first one to build it. Now regardless of whether Ibrahim (as) or Adam (as) built it, the place itself, whether there was a building on it or not, was holy and sacred from day one. Ibrahim (as) and his wife and son, arrived to the valley, and in the place where Zam Zam is currently. Obviously, there wasn’t Zam Zam at the time. Ibrahim (as) left his wife and son Ismael. He left with them some water and a leather bag of dates. And he walked away. He just turned away and left.(Note 1, 2, 3 & 4)

Now Hajar (as) knew that Ibrahim (as) was going to leave them, but she didn’t expect to be left in such a place, in the middle of the desert. So, she followed him and she said, “Ibrahim, are you going to leave us in a place where there is no cultivation and there is no one living?” Ibrahim (as) did not answer back. She asked him again, no response. She asked him a third time, he didn’t answer back, and then Hajar (as) said, “Did Allah tell you to do so?” So, Ibrahim (as) said, “Yes.” “Then Allah will take care of us.” “If this is a command from Allah (swt), then I have trust in Allah (swt) that He will take care of us.” Because of the faith of this woman. In the middle of nowhere, “but if this is the command of Allah (swt), I have trust in Allah (swt), Allah (swt) will take care of us. Allah will not waste us, Allah (swt) will not neglect us.”

Imagine being left here!

Ibrahim (as) left, and when he reached to a place where they could not see them anymore, Ibrahim (as) turned around and faced Al- Kaaba or the place of Al Kaaba, and he made dua to Allah. He said, (Ibrahim: 37)

Surah Ibrahim Ayat 37

Our Lord, I have settled some of my descendants in an uncultivated valley near Your sacred House, our Lord, that prayer may be established. So, make hearts among the people incline toward them and provide for them from the fruits that they might be grateful.

Ibrahim (as) said, “Oh Allah (swt) I am leaving my offspring in infertile land, a land where there's no cultivation, next to Your Sacred House. So, the place was known that it was sacred, even though Al Kaaba wasn’t built. And then Ibrahim (as) made a dua.

Now, you know the Maslow hierarchy of needs, the pyramids. What is the foundation of the pyramids? The bottom. What is the first need, human need that needs to be satisfied? What does it start with? The first thing is what? Physiological needs, right? That’s the bottom of the pyramid. So, that is the most important need for humans. That is the base of the pyramids. Then, what’s after that? What’s the next step? Psychological, and then the third? Social, Physiological on the bottom, social, Spiritual, and then the peak is Self-actualization. That’s the pyramids. First of all, as a human being you want to satisfy the Physiological necessary needs, which are food and shelter. After that, you want to have friends, have a Social life, have a belonging, an association. So, those are the Social needs. And then, you have these spiritual needs. So, after we have achieved the physiological needs and the Social needs, after that we start thinking about religion according to Maslow. Finally, you have the Self-actualization, which is on the top of the pyramid.

It all depends on how you look at it!

But According to Ibrahim (as), the pyramid is inverted. The first thing that he asked for was not food and drink, or shelter. The first thing he asked for was “that the prayer be established”. The first thing was asked for, even though it would make sense that he would ask for, I mean we would assume, that Ibrahim (as), since he left them in a valley where there is no cultivation, the first thing he would ask for is for is to provide his family with food for their survival. But Ibrahim (as) started in his dua by saying “Oh Allah, So, that they may establish prayer” So, the first need that he asked for, or the first thing that he mentioned was spiritual needs. Salat, Iqama as Salat, establishing the prayers. And then he said, “and then make their love, or put their love in hearts of people.” Make people love them. So, he is asking Allah (swt) to draw people to his family, and to make them love his family. So, he is asking for the Social needs. And then finally he said, “Then provide them with fruits”. So, Ibrahim (as) is starting by asking for Salat, spiritual needs, and then Social needs, and then, Physiological needs. But even when he asked Allah (swt) to provide them with fruits, he also connected it to Ibada “Laa’llhum yaskuroon”, so that they may be grateful. So, even when he was asking Allah (swt) to provide them with worldly things, he was still connecting it to religion. “Give them fruits, so that they will be grateful to You”. And that is the, that is true self-actualization, when Allah (swt) becomes everything for you. When you’re eating, when you’re drinking, when you’re sleeping, you’re doing everything for Allah (swt). That is the true tranquility. And that is the self-actualization that neither did Maslow or anybody else achieve, except the nabiyat of Allah (Azoja)

Peace & Serinity

And then, Ibrahim (as) left. Hajar made use of the small amount of food that he left with them, but obviously after a short while, they ran out of food. And, Hajar (as) was breast-feeding Ismael and her milk was drying up, because she was thirsty and hungry. And now, Ismael (as) is beginning to cry. He’s hungry. So, Hajar (as) couldn’t afford seeing her son agonizing in pain. So, she left him and she started climbing a hill. A hill, which was called later As-Safa. She climbed on top of that hill to see if she could see anybody in the horizon. She would look left and right, and would see no one. So, she would climb down the hill, and when she would reach the valley, she would tuck up her clothes and run. And then she would climb another hill, which was later called Al-Marwa, and she would reach the top and look and in the horizon if she could see anybody. (Note 5)

Before all of the re-construction.
The mounts were not enclosed at this time.
Climbing the Hills!
Safa & Marwa very distinct.

Same place, but take a look!

How it is these days.

And her son is twisting and turning in pain. And Hajar (as) is running up and down these hills, and she did that seven times. The seventh time when she reached the top of the hill, she heard a sound. And she was staring around to see where that sound is coming from, and to her amazement she saw that the sound was coming from beneath the feet of Ismael (as). Jibrael (as) descended and was digging the well of Zam Zam. And the water was coming out from beneath his feet. Hajar (as) was rushing in happiness to the source of the water, and because it’s a dry desert and it would soak up all of the water, she was making a pool around the water to contain it. Rusool Allah (saw), when he was narrating this story, he said… Rasool Allah said, “May Allah have mercy on the mother of Ismael. If she would have left the water alone, it would have been a flowing river.” But because of her interference, it was a well. She was trying to contain the water and she didn’t allow it to flow. If she would have left the miracle as it was, flowing without interfering, it would have been a flowing stream. So, Rasool Allah smiled (saw), and said, “May Allah (swt) have mercy on her.” (Note 6)

Click on the link above. Zam Zam well provides water for over 4,000 years, and refills in miraculous time!

After Hajr (ra)

Way After Hajr (as)!

Hajar (as), think for a moment, what were her feelings when she was running up and down those hills. Her heart must have been broken, she might have been crying because of the pain and suffering of seeing her son die in front of her eyes. Hajar (as) was a believing woman, she was a righteous woman. And Allah (swt) was testing her. And Allah (swt) was hiding for her something in the future, such she didn’t smell. So, at the time, naturally as a mother, she must have been in extreme pain. Seeing her son cry and she’s in the middle of nowhere, running up and down these mountains. Now just imagine if Hajar (as) was resurrected at the time of Hajj, and she would have a chance to see what Muslims from all over the world are doing. Rusool Allah (saw) said, when he was mentioning the story of Hajar going up and down As-Safa and Marwa. Rasool Allah (saw) said, “And that is why we go between As-Safa and Marwa.” So, we are following the footsteps of Hajar (as). We are going up and down Al Safa and Al Marwa to follow the footsteps of our mother Hajar (as). If Hajar knew that, If Hajar knew that a time will come when people will come from the four corners of the world to follow her footsteps, in millions to do what she did, she would have went through As-Safa and Marwa with a big smile on her face.

We can all take valuable lessons from her story!

So, dear brothers and sisters, as a Muslim, as a believer, when you are going through these trials, we might have a certain mind-set, we might have a certain feeling. But you don’t know what’s waiting for you on the other side. You don’t know what Allah (swt) is hiding for you in the future. This is the gift, this is a present that Allah (swt) has given Hajar in dunya. Just think about what Allah (swt) will give her in Akirah. So, when we go through some difficult situations, when Allah (swt) puts us through trials and tribulations, let’s always remember this. Let’s remember that Hajar went through this, and Allah (swt) provided her with something better, that Allah (swt) was hiding something for her. Musa (as) when he was with his family, when he was lost in the desert, it was a cold windy night. And Musa (as) lost his way, he didn’t know what direction was Egypt. And he saw a fire in the distance. So, he tells his wife, “I will go to that fire, so that I can bring you with light and guidance. He wants to bring light because it was a dark night, and he wanted to have some warmth in the cold weather. And he wanted guidance. He expected since there is a fire in the desert there must be some people there. It is a bonfire, and there are some people around it. So, I’ll go and ask for directions. That’s all that Musa wanted. He wanted some light for that dark night and he wanted guidance to Egypt. But Allah (swt) was hiding something better for him. Allah (swt) tells us the story in Qur’an. When Musa (as) went there he met Allah (swt) and Allah (swt) spoke to him. And rather than Musa (as) going back with light for that dark night and guidance to Egypt, he came back with light for humanity and he came back with guidance, not to Egypt, but to Jannah. He went there and that was the announcement of his Prophet hood. It was done right then and there. Musa (as) lost in the desert went to the fire, Allah (swt) told him. I am Allah, there is no God besides Me, worship Me, and establish prayer in My Name. Musa (as) wanted something, but he got something better. The sahaba (ra), they would go through difficulties, but Allah (swt) reserved for them the top levels of Jannah. So, let’s think about this when we ourselves go through moments of difficulty.

Where Prophet Musa (as) talked to Allah (swt)

Now, in the desert, whenever you have a source of water it would immediately attract forms of life. So, now birds were beginning to hover over the well, because nothing was living there. It was a death valley. There was a tribe called Jurhum, who were nomads in that particular area. And where did Jurhum come from? Jurhum was a tribe that moved out of Yemen. Yemen was the birthplace of the Arab people and the Arabic language. And that is where the Arab tribes immigrated from. And there were many mass immigrations that happened, or waves of immigration that happened from Yemen in different times. One of them when the dam was destroyed and there’s a whole chapter in Qur’an called Saba, which was the name of that kingdom. Allah (swt) tells us the story, that, these were people who built the first dam in the world. And because of that dam, they had a year-round source of water. So, even though you don’t have a lot of rain in Arabia, the precipitation level is low, but because of this dam, they had a year-round source of water. And they had a massive network of irrigation that went for hundreds of miles. So, suddenly you have this semi-Arab area holding a huge population because of the existence of water. And there are some stories, it might be an exaggeration, but it says a woman was a, or a person would travel from, or a woman would go out from her house and go for a walk with a basket on her head, and she would come back home with the basket filled with fruits, the fruits are just dropping from the trees. But it does say in Quran, that because of their wealth and the cultivation that they had, they didn’t feel any pain in travelling. Because this was a continuous series of colonies, wherever they would go there would be villages and towns, and there was so much wealth, so they did not feel the suffering and the difficulty of travelling like the rest of the people of the world would. So, these people, because of their arrogance and disbelief in Allah (swt), they said, we want to feel the pain of travelling like everybody else. So, they asked Allah (swt), Oh Allah (swt) make it difficult on us like everybody else, and Allah (swt) did make it difficult on them. And they rejected the message of Allah (swt), So, Allah (swt) destroyed the dam. The dam was destroyed and it flooded the area. And suddenly all of their agriculture collapsed. So, you had a huge wave of immigration which spread the Arab people out of Yemen, into An-Najd, Al- Hijaz, Iraq, Ash-shaam. So, you had some tribes settling in Oman, some of them settled in Majd, some of them settled in Hijad, Al Alkharaj settled in Al Medina. And then you have a few of the Arab tribes went to Syria, and some of them went into Iraq. So, that is how the Arab people spread out of their small locality in Yemen. I’m giving you this background history because Jurham was one of these tribes. However, Jurham might have immigrated from Yemen before the dam, Allahu Alim, but anyway, they are one of the tribes that ended up moving out of Yemen and they went into Hijaz. They were familiar with the area around Mecca, and they knew that there was no water in that area. So, when they saw birds hovering in the sky, they wondered what was going on in that particular area. So, they sent one or two people to go and investigate the matter. So, these two men went and they came back and reported to their clan that there is a well in that area. So, now Jurhum, they go to the place where Zam Zam is located, and they ask Hajar a strange question, and they get a stranger answer. They told Hajar, “Can we settle in this place?” Now the reason why this question is strange is because this is a tribe of warriors, and here they are getting permission from a lonely woman with her child. And if they want, they could’ve just pushed her away. But they were very kind to ask her permission to stay there. Even though it was an empty place, there was no one was living there, it’s subtle. And her answer was more amazing, because she started to bargain and negotiate with them. I mean here you have a woman who is alone with no power, and no strength, no weapons, no army to help her, and she’s negotiating and bargaining with them, and telling them “Well if you want to stay, I have a condition, and that is that the water belongs to us.” “You can stay here, but the water is mine”. “The well belongs to me.” They agreed.

Rusool Allah (as) says, “Deep in her heart, she wanted them to stay from the beginning because she wanted to have some company, but she was just negotiating with them to get a better deal. And she did. And they ended up settling in that area which later became known as Mecca. Ismael (as) grew up with them, and he adopted their language, he learned their language which was. What was their language? Arabic. Because Ibrahim’s (as) language was? What was the language of Ibrahim? Aramen from Iraq. Ibrahim (as) was from Iraq. And they used to speak a different language in Iraq at that time. So, Ismael (as) was brought up by this Arab tribe. And he adopted their language. And he married a woman from among them. So, this is the beginning of the lineage of Rusool Allah (saw), through Ismael (as) in Mecca. Now, Jurhum had the political leadership in Mecca. Later on, Ismael (as) grew up and his father came, and they built Al-Kaaba. The religious leadership in Mecca was with Ismael, and it continued down along the line of his descendants. So, Jurhum never had the religious authority over Al-Kaaba. It was always in the hands of the descendants of Ismael (as), but the political leadership was with Jurham.

Jurhum stayed in Mecca for a very long time, two thousand years. They became corrupt, tyrannical. So, Allah (swt) sent on them Khuza’a. Khuza’a kicked them out of Mecca. This is another tribe that came out from Yemen and they settled in Hijaz. They went in and evaded Mecca and they kicked Jurhum out. Jurhum before they left, they did two things; Number one, they dumped the well of Zam Zam. They filled it up, and they erased all of its marks. And, they stole the treasures which were inside Al-Kaaba. Khuza’a now became the new leaders of Mecca, while the descendants of Ismael by that time have already increased in numbers, branched out, and spread all over Arabia, but there was one branch that remained in Mecca, and that branch was Quraish. So, Quraish was one of the many different tribes, who descended from Ismael (as). They are called the descendants of Adnan. So, Quraish was still living in Mecca, but now Mecca was ruled by Khuza’a. (Note 8)

The leader of Khuza’a, one of the leaders, his name is Amr bil Laqi Al KHuzai, and we’re going to talk about his story later on when we touch upon the religious background of Arabia. But now, we want to stick to the lineage of Rasool Allah (saw). The head of Quraish, Qusayy bin Kalab, he was able to unify Quraish and to lead a revolt against Khuza’a. And he was able to drive them out completely from Mecca. So now, finally, a descendant of Ismael (as) combined the political and religious leadership of Mecca. Not only that, Qusayy bin Kulab, he consolidated all of the authorities, or all of the different aspects of power, in his hands. He controlled (Al Hijaba), which was the guardianship of al-Kaaba. It was a very noble thing. So, he was the guardian of Al-Kaaba. He controlled Siqaaya and Nifaada, which is the provision of water and food to the pilgrims. Now to you, this might not seem as a big deal. So, what, if he was providing food and water to the pilgrims, but to them, this was considered to be such a great honor. That you are the one providing for the guests of Allah (swt). So, they used to fight on this. So, what’s the responsibility entails is that, is that all of the Arabs who would come for pilgrimage, would be hosted by the people of Quraish. They would provide them with food throughout their stay in the season of Hajj. So, Qusayy ibn Kalab, also was responsible for that. He also had control over An-Nadwa, An-Nadwa was the assembly of Quraish, it was like their parliament. He held control over that. And he also held control over Al-Luwa, Al-Luwa is the banner of war. In other words, he was the one who had the power to declare war. So, these were the authorities that Qussay bin Kalab had. Basically, he had every authority that existed in Mecca. So, he was the absolute ruler of Mecca. (Note 7)

Qussay ibn Kalab, when he died, these different aspects of authority were split among his children. Some of them were with Abu Manaf, some of them were with his other brothers. The grandson of Qussay, his name is Amr, he ended up inheriting from his father the provisions of Al-Hajjaj, providing them with food and drink. Amr did something new in feeding Al Hajjaj, rather than providing them with soup. You know they would cook the meat in big containers, and then they would feed the people soup, because that way you could feed a larger number. What Amr did is, he started crushing bread into the soup. So, he would mix bread with the soup, which was an upgrade to their meal. Now then, rather than just having soup, they are having soup with bread. Now the process of crushing the bread, in Arabic, is hashim. When you crush something, it’s called “hashim.” So, he was nicknamed Hashim. So, they nicknamed this man Amr, Hashim. And this was the great-grandfather of Rusool Allah (saw). So, he was named Hashim because of crushing bread. That wasn't his real name. His real name was, Amr. Hashim married from Al-Madina. He got married from Al Madina. And then he went to Palestine to do business. And he passed away in Gaza. He died in Gaza, he died and was buried in Gaza. His wife became pregnant and she gave birth to a child who was named ‘Shayba’. Shayba means old man. Now why would anybody call a child Shayba? The reason is, he was born with some gray hair. So, they named him Shayba. And because his father passed away, the mother stayed with her parents in Medina. And he was brought up by his family in Medina. (Note 9)

According to Idris Imaduddin, an established historian, he died after falling ill on a journey returning from a business tour to Syria in Gaza, Palestine in 497. According to tradition, Hashim's tomb is located beneath the dome of Sayed al-Hashim Mosque in the al-Daraj neighborhood of Gaza which is named in his honor. The mosque itself was built around the 12th century

One day, a man comes into Medina, his name is Al-Muttallib. And, Al-Muttallib is Hashim’s brother. He went into Medina, and he went to claim his nephew. Because Hashim’s son Shayba, was living where? In Medina. So, his Uncle Al-Muttallib came to claim him. And he was around eight years old, or something like that. He said we want to take him back to his land in Mecca. The mother’s side of the family refused to give him up, but then there was a, Al Muttallib was able to convince them by saying that he belongs to the noblest family of Quraish, he has to go back and learn about his heritage, and learn about his family, and start assuming responsibilities in Mecca. Eventually they agreed to allow him to go. (Note 10)

So, Al-Muttallib took with him, this child, into Mecca. Now, nobody in Mecca has ever seen this child before. And, in those days, slavery was quite rampant. You go out to the market and buy a slave, and just walk with that slave into Mecca. Since this boy was never seen in Mecca before, they assumed he was a slave of Al-Muttallib. So, they called him Abdul Muttallib, and this is the grandfather of Rusool Allah (saw). So, his real name was Shayba, but he was nicknamed Abdul Muttallib, because they thought that he’s the slave of his uncle. And usually they would buy slaves at a young age so you’d raise them up and train them to do what you want them to do for yourself. They would usually purchase them when they’re young. So, they thought that he was a slave. And he was named Abdul Muttallib, the slave of Al- Muttallib. Abdul Muttalib means the slave of Al-Muttallib. So, this is the grandfather of Rasool Allah (saw). So, now we need, that’s far as, that’s far as the grandfather of Rasool Allah (saw). We talked about Ibrahim (as) and Ismael (as). We talked about Qusayy, and then we talked about Hashim, talked about Abdul Muttallib. Now, we’ll spend some time talking about Abdel Muttallib because a few important events happened to him. Actually, two, we’ll talk about two important events that have occurred with Abdel Muttallib.

You can see the lineage here.

A little confusing

And here.

Clearer

Remember that the well of Zam Zam was now unknown, right? Because Jurhum, they erased all of its marks. They filled it up and just erased all of its marks. So, Zam Zam, has not been known now for about for about three hundred years. Because Khuzza, they had rule over Mecca for about three hundred years. And then you add to that the time from Qusayy ibn Khulab all the way down to Abdul Muttallib, so were talking about three hundred years plus. So, the well of Zam Zam was lost for over three hundred years. Abdul Muttallib sees a dream. Someone comes to him and tells him, “Dig, tayyba”. Tayyba means ‘pure’. Abdul Muttallib in his dream is responding and saying, “What is Tayyba?” He doesn’t hear anything back. That was the end of the dream. The following night the same voice comes to him and tells him, “Dig the precious.” Abdul Muttallib says, “What is the precious?” He doesn’t hear an answer back. The third night, the voice comes to him and tells him, “Dig Zam Zam.” Abdul Muttallib asks, “And what is Zam Zam?” The voice tells him... The voice tells him, “It will never fail or dry up, it will water the grand pilgrim, it lies between the dung and the blood, near the nest of the crow with the white leg and the ant’s nest.” So, symbols.

And, Abdul Muttallib is unable to decode all of these symbols. Zam Zam, it never runs out of water. He heard a voice in his dream telling him that Zam Zam will never run out of water. And, it will provide for the grand pilgrims made in Hajj every year and it will be sufficient to provide water for them. But then it goes on to say between dung and blood, and then crow with the white leg, a nest of ants, so all of these are obscure things to Abdul Muttallib. Abdul Muttallib, the next day, he was going around the Al-Kaaba, and he sees dung and blood. There was a camel that was slaughtered in that place and they left its insides, and the blood was on the other side. And then he saw a crow with a white leg in the same area, and there was a colony of ants. Abdul Muttallib realized that this is where the well of my grandfather is. So, he called his son Harith, and they start digging.

Digging for Zam Zam, Gives new meaning to "Digging for Gold"

Now Zam Zam, for those of you that have been to Mecca, is not far away from Al-Kaaba. So, here we have Abdul Muttallib and his son digging right next to Al-Kaaba. Obviously, this would anger the people of Quraish. “What are you doing? You’re digging right next to Al-Kaaba?” So, they told him what are you doing? Abdel Muttallib continued working. And they kept on protesting and he was digging with his son, Al- Harith. At the time, Abdel Muttallib only had one son. So, they were digging and digging and digging, and the people are wondering, what’s going on? What is this man digging for? What is he looking for? So, they left him alone. And then suddenly they heard Abdul Muttallib shout, praising Allah (swt). And they came rushing. And to their amazement they found that Abdul Muttallib has uncovered the rim of the well of Zam Zam.

So, now all the leaders of Quraish they came in and said, “Yes, this is the well of our grand-father Ismael.” “This belongs to all of us.” “Let’s share.” Abdul Muttallib said, “Wait a minute. I was the one who saw the dream, I was the one who uncovered it, it belongs to me and me alone.” They said no way. We are all descendants of Ismael (as), so it belongs to all of us. Abdul Muttallib refused to give up, he refused. And they kept on insisting. So, when they were unable to solve the dispute, and they were about to go to war over it, someone suggested to them, “let’s solve the dispute by going to the witch of Banu Saad.”

Spirits, Potions, & Herbs, Oh No!

Banu Saad, they had a witch who claimed to have connection with the spirits, So, let’s go to her and seek her consultation. So, they travelled to this witch and they were told that she has relocated and went to Syria. They said then we’ll follow her, wherever she is. And they started their journey towards Ash-Shaam, and along the way, they ran out of water. They were in the middle of nowhere in the desert. And, Abdul Muttallib told them, “If we’re gonna die here, let’s at least dig our graves, and whenever one of us dies, the rest could put him in the grave and cover him. So, at least in the end we’ll be left with one person, whose uncovered rather than have all of us die exposed.” “At least, let’s honored our dead.” And just have one that is without burial. So, they all dug their graves and they were laying inside their graves, ready for death. And then Abdul Muttallib he said, “This is not right, for men like us to sit here and wait for death. Let’s do something, let’s go and search for water.” So, they agreed and they went in different directions searching for water.

After a short while, Abdul Muttallib found water. So, they came to them and said, “If Allah has saved you in this desert and provided you with water, and Allah has shown you a dream in which you uncovered the well of Zam Zam. This is surely an indication that it’s a blessing for you, and it belongs to you. We give up our claim, it’s all yours. Let’s go back.” So, they gave it up and they agreed to submit to Abdel Muttallib, and it was his.

So, this is one important story about Abdel Muttallib. Now, when the whole incident happened, when they pressured him, when they came to him and said this belongs to all of us, Abdul Muttallib felt that he was weak because he only had one son to defend him. You know, in tribal societies, your strength is based on how many men you have on your side. And, it can only count on your relatives. That is how life in the desert is. Your strength is based on how many sons, how many men you have with you. How many brothers, how many sons, how many uncles, that is your strength. So, Abdel Muttallib felt weak, he has only one son on his side, Al-Harith. So, he says, “Oh Allah, if You bestow me with ten sons, I will sacrifice one of them for Your Sake.” And, Allah (swt) did bless him with ten male sons. He had ten male sons and six daughters. So, when he had ten, now, it’s time for him to fulfill his promise to Allah, that he will sacrifice one of them. So, they had these arrows next to Hubul. Habul is one of their large idols, and they believed that these arrows were divine. So, they would cast lots. And they would leave their choices, they would leave their decision up to this random way of casting lots. So, Abdul Muttallib had the name of every one of his ten sons on these arrows. So, it came on who? On Abdullah. He did it the second time, it came on Abdullah, third time it came on Abdullah. (Note 11)

Not exactly the kind of arrows they used to cast lots, but oh well.

So, Abdul Muttallib took his son Abdullah with him, right next to Al-Kaaba and he was ready with a knife to slaughter him. Abu Talib, one of the elder sons of Abdul Muttalib, went to his father and said, “We cannot allow you to kill your son.” And then the maternal relatives of Abdullah came and said, “We are not going to allow you to kill our son.” People were coming in and they were telling Abdul Muttallib, “If you do it, then it will become sunnah for the Arabs after you.” Because Abdul Muttallib was their leader. So, if he did something, it would become a trend after that. And they said, “If you do it, then any one of us after that that has ten sons will follow your footsteps, and we’ll be killing each other. And they were already killing their daughters, and now they will start killing their sons. So, they insisted on Abdel Muttallib not to do it. Abdul Muttallib told them, “This was a pledge that I did to Allah, I cannot give it up.” “I cannot break my promise.” They told him, “No, you have to stop it. Anyway, they had a dispute. How can they decide to solve the dispute? Let’s go to the witch.

They decided to go and visit the witch again. They went to the witch and they told her this is the situation. She said, “Alright, come back to me tomorrow, So, that I can consult my spirits this evening.” Tonight, I’ll speak to the Jinn. They came back the next day and she had an answer for them. She told them, “What is the retribution that you pay to a person that was killed?” Diyaa, the blood money. How much is it? They said, “ten camels.” She said, “Then put ten camels on one side, and put Abdullah on the other side and cast a lot, if it points towards the camels, then slaughter the camels, if it points towards Abdullah then add another ten camels.” So, they agreed and they went back.

So, Abdel Muttallib, with all of the people of Quraish, they came together. Abdullah on one side, camels on the other side. They threw the dice, or the arrow. It pointed towards Abdullah. They added another ten camels, it pointed towards Abdullah. Added another ten, so now we’re up to thirty, forty, fifty, sixty, and it’s pointing towards Abdullah. All the way until a hundred. They had a hundred camels on one side, Abdullah on the other side, finally it pointed towards the camels. The people of Quraish said, “Finally we can release your son”. Abdul Muttallib said, “Not yet, we’ll have to do it another time.” Cast lots a second time, cast lots a third time, it was consistently pointing towards the camels. So, they slaughtered, he slaughtered the hundred camels, and he had to pay for it all. And, Abdul Muttallib was a very generous man, he refused to take any of that meat. He gave it out, and there was so much meat, that, there was so much and the people would take so much of it, but there was still enough to feed the birds and feed the beasts. So, later on they would say, it became famous among the Arabs that Abdul Muttallib is the one who fed the humans and the animals. He is the one who even fed the birds in the sky. And we’ll talk about an incident when this saying was brought up in a conversation with Abu Bakr and one leader of a clan.

100 Camels slaughtered for Blood Money!

Now the people of the Quraish were right when they told Abdul Muttallib, if you kill your son, it would become a tradition among the Arabs after you. Because when Abdel Muttallib sacrificed a hundred camels to save his son, the blood-money among them changed from ten camels to a hundred, because of what happened with Abdel Muttallib. So, the retribution now that was paid was a hundred, rather than ten. And, by the way, this tradition was kept and reserved by Islam, so the Diya is still today a hundred camels, however, it is now, they would calculate in terms of currency. But it is still based on that concept.

This is the story of Abdullah. Now, Abdullah and Amina are the parents of Rasool Allah (saw). Later on, they would tell Rasool Allah (saw) that, “You are the son of the two sacrificed ones.” And who are they? Who are the two sacrificed ones? Ismael and Abdullah. So, Rasool Allah (saw) is the son of the two sacrificed ones. His father, Abdullah was sacrificed, and his father Ismael (as) was sacrificed. Abdullah married Amina bint Waq. And we are done with the ancestry of Rasool Allah (saw).

Note 1 - The Region of Hejaz

Hejaz is a region in the west of present-day Saudi Arabia. Defined primarily by its western border on the Red Sea, it extends from Haql on the Gulf of Aqaba to the borders of Asir. Its main city is Jeddah, but it is probably better known for the Islamic holy cities of Mecca and Medina. As the site of Islam's holy places, the Hejaz has significance in the Arab and Islamic historical and political landscape. The region is so called as it separates the land of Najd in the east from the land of Tihamah in the west.

Note 2 - The Kaaba

The Kaaba is a cuboid building in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, located inside the Masjid al-Haram. Muslims are expected to face the Kaaba during prayers, no matter where they are. From any given point in the world, the direction facing the Kaaba is called the Qiblah.

Note 3 - Zam Zam

The Well of Zamzam is a well located within the Masjid al-Haram in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, 20 m (66 ft) east of the Kaaba. it is a miraculously-generated source of water from Allah, which began thousands of years ago when Abraham's (Ibrahim) infant son Ishmael was thirsty and kept crying for water. ZamZam water level is around 10.6 feet below the surface. It is the miracle of Allah that when ZamZam was pumped continuously for more than 24 hours with a pumping rate of 8,000 liters per second, water level dropped to almost 44 feet below the surface, BUT WHEN THE PUMPING WAS STOPPED, the level immediately elevated again to 13 feet after 11 minutes. 8,000 liters per second means that 8,000 x 60 = 480,000 liters per minute 480,000 liters per minutes means that 480,000 x 60 = 28.8 Million liters per hour And 28.8 Million liters per hour means that 28,800,000 x 24 = 691.2 Million liters per day So they pumped 690 Millions liters of ZamZam in 24 hours, but it was re-supplied in 11 minutes only. There are 2 miracles here, the first that ZamZam was re-filled immediately, & the second is that Allah Holds the extra-ordinarily powerful Aquifer for not throwing extra ZamZam out of the well, otherwise the world will SINK. It is the translation of the word ZamZam, which means Stop !!!!!!!!!!!! Stop !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! said by Hajirah Alaih As Salaam

Note 4 - Mecca

Pronounced Makkah, also transliterated as Makkah, is a city in the Hejaz and the capital of Makkah Province in Saudi Arabia. The city is located 70 km (43 mi) inland from Jeddah in a narrow valley at a height of 277 m (909 ft) above sea level. Its resident population in 2012 was roughly 2 million, although visitors more than triple this number every year during Hajj period held in the twelfth Muslim lunar month of Dhu al-Hijjah.

Note 5 - Al-Safa & Al-Marwa

Al-Safa and Al-Marwah (Safa and Marwah) are two small mountains, now located in the Masjid al-Haram in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. Muslims travel back and forth between these two mountains seven times during the ritual pilgrimages of Hajj and Umrah. Sa'i Sa'i is the devotional act of walking seven times back and forth between the two hills of As-Safa and Al-Marwah. This act retraces the footsteps of Hajar (ra), (wife of Prophet Ibrahim).

Note 6 - Angel Jibreel

Jibreel is the angel of revelation (also known as Gabriel) who recited the Quran to the prophet Muhammad(saw).

Note 7 - Qusai ibn Kilab ibn Murrah

Qusai ibn Kilab ibn Murrah (Qusayy or Kusayy) ca. 400 – 480) was the great-grandfather of Shaiba ibn Hashim (Abdul-Mutallib), thus the great-great-great-grandfather of Prophet Muhammad (saw).

Note 8 - The Khuza'a

The Khuza'a or Banu Khuza'a form a branch of the South Arabian (Yemenite) tribe of Azd. Most traditionalists trace the origins of the tribe to Amr ibn Lahi al-Khuza'i, and agree that with the other branches of the Azd they at some point left the Yemen and moved north. 'Amr ibn Luhay and his clan settled themselves around Mecca.

Note 9 - Hashim ibn 'Abd Manaf

Hashim ibn 'Abd Manaf (ca. 464 – 497) was the great-grandfather of the Prophet Muhammad (saw) and the progenitor of the Banu Hashim clan of the distinguished Quraish tribe in Mecca. His name was 'Amr al-Ul'a but he was given the nickname Hashim which translates as pulverizer in Arabic - because he initiated the practice of providing crumbled bread in broth for the pilgrims to the Ka'aba in Mecca

Note 10 - Abdullah ibn 'Abd al-Muttalib

Abdullah ibn 'Abd al-Muttalib (545–570) was the father of the Rasulullah(saw). He was the son of Shaybah ibn H?shim ('Abd al-Mu??alib), and was married to Aminah bint Wahb.

Note 11 - Hubal

Hubal was an Idol worshiped in Pre-Islamic Arabia. This Idol was worshiped at the Kaaba. According to Karen Armstrong, the sanctuary was dedicated to Hubal, who was worshiped as the greatest of the 360 idols the Kaaba contained, which probably represented the days of the year.

Created By
Huda Droll
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