Muhammad (S.A.) the Foretold Prophet
Time of Expectation
and Hope
The prophets of
ancient times, especially Hazrat Musa and Hazrat `Isa (A.S.), had given
their followers news of the advent of Islam, even to the extent that
indications of the special attributes of the Prophet of Islam appeared
in their revealed books. For this reason, the Jews and the Christians
and the followers of other religions were watching out for the advent of
Islam, like people who see their ship with torn sails and broken anchor
in danger of sinking in the sea and therefore direct their gaze at the
shore of future safety.(See Ibn Hisham's Life of Muhammad, translated by
a. Guillaume (London,1955) pp.90-95.)
Some of the Jews had
even found, through much searching, a place between the hills `Ayr and
Uhud which were named in their own books as the `centre of Islamic
rule', and migrated there,waiting for the advent of Islam. (Rawdah al-Kafi
p. 308.)
The Qor'an is a
testimony to the truths of these facts, that the Torah and the Evangel
(see lessons 17 & 18) had given news of the advent of the prophet of
Islam:
" Those who follow
the Messenger, the unlettered Prophet, whom they find written down with
them in the Torah and the Evangel, bidding them to good and forbidding
them evil, making lawful for them the good things and making unlawful
for them the corrupt things, and relieving them of their loads and the
fetters that were on them, those who believe in him and succour him and
follow the light that has been sent down with him - they are the
prosperers ". (VII, 157)
" Muhammad is the
Messenger of Allah, and those who are with him are hard against the
unbelievers, merciful to one another. Thou seest them bowing and
prostrating, seeking bounty from Allah and good pleasure. Their mark is
on their faces, the trace of prostration. That is their likeness in the
Torah and their likeness in the Evangel: as a seed that puts forth its
shoot, and strengthens it, and it grows stout and rises straight, upon
its stem, pleasing the sowers, that through them He may enrage the
unbelieveres. Allah has promised those of them who believe and do deeds
of righteousness forgiveness and a mighty wage. " (XLVIII;29)
This example
indicates that the Prophet and his devoted companions started from
nothing, and reached to the summit by self-sacrifice, dedication and
faith, so that they surprised the world.
" And when `Isa, son
of Maryam said: "Children of Isra'il, I am indeed the Messenger of Allah
to you, confirming the Torah that is before me, and giving good tidings
of a Messenger who shall come after me, whose name shall be Ahmad. "And
when he brought them clear signs, they said: " This is a manifest
sorcery. " (LXI; 6)
" Those unto whom We
have given the Book recognise him as they recognise their sons, even
though there is a party of them who conceal the truth and that
wittingly." (11;146)
" Those to whom We
have given the Book recognise him as they recognise their own sons.
Those who have lost their own souls, they do not believe. " (V1;20)
It comes out clearly
from these uyuhs that the previous prophets informed the people of the
coming of Muhammad (S.A.)and of his characteristics, and the clear glad
tidings existed in their religious books, so that when Muhammad (S.A.)
appeared together with Islam, no room remained for any kind of doubt.
Because, if there
had been no such news in the Christian and Jewish scriptures at the time
of Muhammad (S.A.), it would not have been expected from the radiant
thought of someone like Muhammad (S.A.) that he would stand up and say,
so as to prove his messengership before all the people of the Book: "My
name and my characteristics have appeared in the Torah and the Evangel
which are in your possession at this very moment." Because in that case
the enemies of Muhammad (S.A.) would not give up, and, in order to
annihilate his message, they would collect together the copies of the
Torah and Evangel so that they could prove that such characteristics
were not in these books.
History is a witness
that they tried every way that there was in their opposition to Muhammad
(S.A.), and even rose up to fight him, but they never managed with this
facile and simple ruse to prove that these characteristics did not
exist. So it is clear that abundant information concerning the Prophet
of Islam existed in their sacred books.
Some More Historical
Evidence.
Before the rise of
Islam, two circles or groups of people had grown up in Medina. The first
were Jews who had left their original lands desiring to witness the
advent of the Prophet of Islam (S.A.).
The second were the
tribes of Aws and Khazraj, who were the descendants of Tubba`, the king
of Yemen. When Tubba` came to Medina and learnt that that place would be
the place of migration of the Prophet and the place where Islamic govern
ment would take shape, he said to these two tribes to remain in that
place until such time as the Prophet of Islam appeared and then to
support him.(Bihar al-Anwar, vol 15.)
So they stayed there
and gradually increased in numbers and became powerful to the point that
they seized,the houses and peoperty of the unconcerned Jews, and
committed aggression; and gradually they forgot the cause of their
ancestors' staying in that town and became ignorant of why their
ancestors had come there and made their settlement there.
However, the Jews,
who were unequal with them in power, continued to tell each other of the
advent of the Prophet of Islam (S.A.) and of safety from the aggression.
The Qur'an says about the Jews:
"... And from before
they had been praying for victory over the unbelievers, (but) when there
came to them that they recogised, they disbelieved in it..." (11;89)
Ibn Hawash (or
Ibn'l-Hayyaban), a Jewish scholar, left Syria seeking to meet the
Prophet of Islam (S.A.) and came to Medina, but while he was alive,
Muhammad (S.A.) was not yet called to his prophethood. For this reason,
when he was dying, Ibn Hawash said to the Jews: "I left my extensive,
comfortable life in Syria out of love to see the Prophet Muhammad (S.A.),
came here, and bread and date were enough for me. Alas! I did not
achieve my wish. But know that he will rise up in Mecca and will migrate
here. In eating he will be content with morsels of bread and dates; he
will be so humble that he will ride on
unsaddled mount. His
rule will spread to an amazing extent, he will be afraid of none, and
those who are an obstacle to the straight path and truth will be cast
aside..." (Ibn Hisham (ibid) pp. 94-95.)
Zayd ibn `Amr of the
Hijaz came in search of the true religion of Ibrahim. On his way he had
crossed from Mecca to Syria and to Mosul, but the more he searched, the
less he found. In the end a Christian scholar said to him that there
remained no trace of the original religion of Ibrahim, but that in those
very days a prophet was to blossom forth in his own homeland from whose
message and sayings he could obtain that original religion.
Zayd returned
towards Mecca, but on the way he was killed. The Prophet instructed to
goodness through his example, saying: "Zayd was someone who left this
world in seeking the way to Allah."(Bihar al-Anwar, vol 15, p. 204.)
Bahira, a Christian
scholar, saw Muhammad (S.A.) in the latter's childhood. He recognised
him from the signs he had read in the revealed Book. He said to Abu
Talib who was accompanying Muhammad (S.A.): "He will be a prophet. Look
after him, and take him to his country quickly."(Ibn Hisham (ibid.) pp.
79-81.)
Another Christian
scholar, Nistur, also when he saw Muhammad (S.A.) in the latter's youth,
gave the news that he would become a prophet in a clear way: "He is the
prophet of the last days."
On the basis of
these predictions of the holy Books, a number of people became Muslims
at the very beginning of the rise and appearance of Islam without any
coercion.
The Predisposition
of the People of Medina towards Islam.
When the Prophet
received the order from God to invite people to Islam, and at the time
of Hajj ( which existed in a form before Islam ) he addressed the people
and presented Islam to them. During this time he held a meeting with
some of the tribe of Khazraj.
"What tribe are you
from?" he asked.
"From Khazraj."
"Are you ready to
sit together for a few moments and talk?"
"Yes, we are."
"I am calling you to
the Unique God."
Then the Prophet
read for them some verses from the sweet words of God, and they were so
enraptured by the Qur'an, that they said to each other: "We swear that
this is what the Jews were telling us of. Let not the Jews reach it
before us." Then they all became Muslims, and when they returned to
Medina they commenced the propagation of Islam. The Prophet also sent
Mus'ab ibn `Umayr after them to teach them the Qur'an and also to call
others to Islam.
Mus'ab brought many
people in Medina to Islam; among them the Usayd, one of the heads of the
Aws tribe, became Muslim and said to his tribe, "Muhammad (S.A.) is the
very one whose coming the Jews were always announcing." And his tribe
became Muslims, and in this way Islam spread in Medina and became
strong. Groups of Muslims from Mecca also moved there, and, in the end,
the Prophet himself went to Medina and there he set up the Islamic
government.
The Attraction of
Salman to Islam.
Salman was an
Iranian from a peasant family; his mother and father were Zoroastrians,
fire-worshippers. Salman, whose name was then Ruzbeh, they loved very
much. They taught him the beliefs of their religion, and entirely
prevented him from mixing with others.
One day, Salman went
on his father's orders to inspect their fields. On his way he fell upon
a church in which a group of God's servants were engaged in prayer.
Ruzbeh started to think deeply, and he stayed with them till dusk
approached, meditating.
At last he
understood that their way was superior to his father's and ancestors'
way.
"Where is the centre
of this religion?" he asked.
"In Syria," they
answered.
His father became
anxious because of his late return and sent someone to look for him.
When he returned home, his father asked him where he had been. He
described what had happened, but his father said, "The religion of your
ancestors is much better."
"With my own
thinking," he replied, "I have seen that their way is purer."
His father became
even more disturbed and rebuked him. He then locked him up in the house.
Ruzbah secretly sent
someone to the Christians and informed them that when merchants came
from Syria and had done their work, and when the time came for their
return, they should tell him and he would secretly leave his house and
accompany them to Syria.
And thus it was that
he went to Syria, and into the presence of one of the great Christian
scholars, and begged him to take him as his servant and to instruct him
on the acquistion of knowledge and servitude to God. The scholar
accepted him.
When the scholar
died, Ruzbeh went to some of the other great Christians of the day, in
accordance with his master's instructions. From the last of these
scholars, who lived in the `Ammuriyah district of Damascus, he asked
guidance to another, but he replied:
"I have no idea of
anyone else, but in the very near future, a prophet will arise in the
lands of the Arabs who will migrate from his birthplace to a place
covered in date-palms. This land is situated between two lava belts.
Some of the signs of his magnanimity and special habits are these: He
will accept what is given to him out of respect, but he will not take
food and alms given out of compassion and aid. Among the signs is the
mark and seal of prophethood on his skin. If you can go there, then you
should go!"
After the death of
that scholar, Ruzbeh asked the caravan leaders who were setting out for
business in Arabia to take him with them to that place. They accepted,
but on their way they betrayed him and sold him in slavery to a Jew from
the Bani Qurayzah, who put him to labour in the vicinity of Medina. It
happened that Ruzbeh recognized the very place he had reached as one of
the signs told him by the old scholar. So he was happy to start work in
the date-groves of his master, but he was always looking out for the
advent of Muhammad (&A.), and searched for him, but, because he was in
difficult circumstances, he could not make many enquiries.
At last the day of
meeting arrived. The Prophet had gone, together with some of his
companions, to a place near Medina and Ruzbeh got to hear of this.
He said to himself
that this was the best time to look for the signs from this person
himself, and to compare them with what he had heard from the Christian
scholar. So he took some morsels of food which he had with him and gave
them to that honoured person and said: "This food is for the special
benefit of the needy, and since your companions are needy, please accept
it from me."
The Prophet gave it
to his companions. Ruzbeh looked carefully, but he saw that the Prophet
did not touch the food, and he could not contain himself with joy, for
one of the signs had been found true in him.
With excitement he
brought another morsel of food which he had with him to the Prophet,
.presented it to him and said: "This is my present to you, please accept
it from me." The Prophet gladly accepted it and ate from it.
Ruzbeh was looking
at him and was enthralled. He then walked around the Prophet of Islam to
see the mark on the Prophet's shoulder. The Prophet understood what he
wanted and took off the clothes that were on his back so that he see the
mark. Ruzbeh saw it and accepted Islam.
He was renamed `Salman'
and the means to free him were collected. He became close to the group
of the companions around the Prephet, and with his insight and deep
faith he became, in the shortest space of time, one of the greatest of
the Prophet's disciples.(Sirah of Ibn Hisham, vol. 1, p. 212-214;
Tabaqat Ibn sa'd, vol 4, p. 54.)
All seekers after
truth, who were suffering from the dryness and burning heat of that time
like an unquenchable thirst, were looking for the source of being and
the water of life. Since the signs which they had read or heard of in
the holy books were present in the Prophet, they gave their hearts to
the ocean and washed their souls in that spring of the water of life and
wisdom. Group after group gave their hearts to the pure religion of
Islam and became followers of Muhammad (S.A.).
People, group after
group, turned to Islam. But together with these seekers after truth,
there were groups of Jews and Christians and other enemies who did not
embrace Islam, through bigotry or because their businesses or positions
were endangered, although they were aware of the truth of that great,
divine person.
They knew where the
source of salvation was, but through obstinacy they clung to their
illusions and did not desist from their stubornness, but became caught
in everlasting perdition and failed to reach contentment.
Now two examples.
Safiyyah, the
daughter of Huyayy ibn Akhtab said:
"When the Prophet (S.A.)
migrated to Medina and alighted at Quba, my father and my uncle, Abu
Yasir, went to call on him in the half-light of dawn. The sunset came
and they returned, and I went to them with childish joy. But they were
very tired, and, contrary to their custom, they paid no attention to me.
My uncle said to my father:
"Is he the one?"
"By God, I swear he
is!"
"Did you recognise
him?"
"Yes."
"Now what do you
think of him?"
"By God, I swear
that as long as I live I will be his enemy! "
(Sirah Ibn Hisham,
vol 2, p. 518.)
We will finish this
lesson with another example of this blackheartedness.
One day the Peophet
said to Ka'b ibn Asad:
"Do you not remember
the example of Ibn Hawash (the Jewish scholar who went from Syria to
Medina - see above)? Has it had not effect on you?"
"Yes I do," replied
Ka'b, "and if the censure of the Jews did not torment me when they say `Ka'b
is frightened to be killed,' I would believe in you. But now I am in the
faith of the Jews and I am safe from their censure, and I shall stay in
that religion till I die!"(Ithbat al-Hudat, vol. 1, p. 350.)
The Qur'an tells of
the injury caused by this black-heartedness which is the origin of the
destruction of life and contentment, and speaks of these people thus:
" Vile is the thing
they have sold themselves for, disbelieving in that which Allah sent
down, grudging that Allah should send down of His bounty on whomsoever
He will of His servants, and they were laden with anger upon anger; and
for unbelievers awaits a humbling
chastisement." (11;
90)
- The Roots of
Religion
- Dar Rah-e Haq. |