Muhammad: Seal of the Prophets (Persecution I)

 By: Muhammad Zafrulla Khan

When the sufferings and tribulations of the Muslims at the hands of Quraish reached their limit, the Holy Prophet directed that those of them who could afford it should migrate to Abyssinia across the Red Sea. He observed that the ruler of Abyssinia was just and did not permit anyone being wronged in his dominions. The title of the ruler of Abyssinia was Najashi. The capital of the country was Axum, which was close to modern Adowa. The Najashi of the time, whose name was As-hama, was a just, intelligent and powerful ruler. He was a Christian by faith and ruled over a vast domain. Under the direction of the Holy Prophet, eleven men and four women from among the Muslims migrated to Abyssinia. The better-known ones of them were: Usman bin Affan and his wife Ruqayya, daughter of the Holy Prophet; Abdul Rahman bin Auf; Zubair bin Awam; Abu Huzaifah bin Utba; Uthman bin Maz’un; Musa’b bin Umair; Abu Salama bin Abdul Asad and his wife Um Salama. All these were connected with powerful tribes of Quraish, which is an indication that even such people were not secure against the persecution of Quraish; and also that the weaker ones among the Muslims were so helpless that they could not undertake the journey.

‘When these emigrants arrived at the nearest port, they were fortunate in finding a trading vessel ready to leave for Abyssinia. They were all taken on board and the vessel set sail. When Quraish came to know of their migration they were much upset and sent some men after them in pursuit, but by the time they arrived at the coast the vessel had sailed away and they returned to Mecca frustrated. The Muslims, having arrived in Abyssinia, settled down in peace and in gratitude to God for having delivered them from the tyranny of Quraish.

It is related that they had been settled in their new home for only a short while when a rumour reached them that Quraish had all embraced Islam and that there was peace and quiet in Mecca. Hearing this, it is said, a majority of them set out on the return journey to Mecca. When they approached Mecca they discovered that the rumour had been without foundation. They were so perplexed that they did not know what to do. Some of them retraced their steps and went back to Abyssinia, and others entered Mecca secretly or under the protection of some influential powerful person. The migration and the alleged return took place in the fifth year of the prophet hood of the Holy Prophet.

A careful appraisal of all the circumstances makes it very doubtful whether any such rumour had reached the migrants in Abyssinia and whether any of them had undertaken the return journey to Mecca. This incident has somehow been thought to be connected with another incident which is related in some ahadith, Bokhari’s version of which is: ‘On one occasion, the Holy Prophet, peace be on him, recited the verses of Sura Najm (Chapter 53) in the courtyard of the Ka’aba at a time when several of the chieftains of Quraish were also present and so were some Muslims. When he finished the recitation of the Sura, he fell down in prostration and all the Muslims and the disbelievers who were present also prostrated themselves.’ The hadith does not mention why the disbelievers fell into prostration, but it appears that when the Holy Prophet recited, in a moving voice, the verses of the Sura which stressed the Unity of God and His Power and Might and His bounties and concluded with the warning: ‘The Hour of Judgment is approaching, none but Allah can avert it. Do you then wonder at this announcement, and laugh at it, and do not weep, and continue preoccupied with vanities? Arise, and prostrate yourselves before Allah, and worship Him’, the Holy Prophet and the Muslims immediately fell into prostration and Quraish were so moved by the scene and the whole atmosphere that they too, involuntarily, fell into prostration. This was nothing to be wondered at. Quraish were not atheists and acknowledged the existence of God. Thus, when, on the recitation of these majestic and glorious words, the Holy Prophet and the Muslims all went into prostration, Quraish were so overcome that they too went into prostration. But this was only a momentary reaction. After the prostration, Quraish were the same idol worshippers as they had been before.

It is possible the Quraish, who were anxious to secure the return of the emigrants to Abyssinia, taking advantage of this involuntary action of theirs, may have started the rumour that Quraish had all embraced Islam and that Mecca had become a place of peace and security for the Muslims. It is also possible that when this rumour reached the Muslims in Abyssinia, they were greatly comforted and some of them immediately set out on the return journey to Mecca, but when they arrived near Mecca, they were undeceived and became perplexed.

Even if some of them had returned from Abyssinia, the greater number of these immediately went back. As the persecution of Muslims by Quraish was daily mounting, other Muslims, under the direction of the Holy Prophet, began to prepare secretly to follow them and joined them one by one. Thus the total number of emigrants to Abyssinia reached a hundred, of whom eighteen were women. Very few Muslims were left with the Holy Prophet in Mecca. This additional migration to Abyssinia is sometimes described as the second migration.

In this context, it is necessary to draw attention to an utterly unlikely and unfounded story that is related as the basis of the rumour, which resulted in the return of some of the original migrants to Abyssinia. It is alleged that as the Holy Prophet, peace be on him, was eager that he might be vouchsafed some revelation which should prove effective in attracting Quraish to Islam and in removing their hostility towards it, when, during the course of his recitation of Sura Najm, he arrived at the verses ‘Now, tell me about your goddesses, Lot and Uzza, and the third one, Manat, another of them’, Satan, taking advantage of his eagerness, caused the following words to issue from his mouth: ‘These are exalted personages and their intercession may be hoped for.’ It is said that Quraish were greatly pleased on hearing such exaltation of their goddesses by the Holy Prophet, so that when he and the Muslims prostrated them at the end of the recitation of the Sura, they also prostrated along with them and thus an accord was established between the two sides. But that soon thereafter the Holy Prophet was made aware of his lapse and the offending verses were abrogated, and Quraish were disgruntled. As news of the accord had, however, been widely published, it reached Abyssinia also, and, learning of it, some of the migrants returned to Mecca.

This preposterous story is utterly, without any foundation. According to the historians, the first migration to Abyssinia took place in the month of Rajjab of the fifth year of the prophet hood, and the incident of the prostration took place in Ramadhan of that year and the return of some of the emigrants happened in Shawal of that year. Thus, there was only an interval of two or three months between the beginning of the migration and the return of some of the migrants, and the interval between the incident of the prostration and the return of the migrants was only a month. In the conditions that prevailed at that time, it was utterly impossible that the three journeys involved, that of the migrants from Mecca to Axum, that of someone who carried the news of the incident from Mecca to Axum and that of the migrants who, on learning of the alleged accord between Quraish and the Muslims returned to Mecca, could have been accomplished within the brief period that elapsed between the start of the migration and the return of some of the migrants.

Further, the six authoritative compilations of hadith, namely, those of Bokhari, Muslim, Ibn Majah, Tirmidhi, Nasai, and Abu Daud, though they mention the recitation of Sura Najm and the prostration of Quraish, make no mention of the offending verses, nor do they make any reference to them in any other context. The great Imams of hadith like Allamah Aini, Qazi Ayadh and Allamah Novi, have rejected this story after discussing it in detail. Allamah Aini has concluded, ‘There is no basis for it in fact or in reason.’ Qazi Ayadh has observed, ‘The story finds no support in the reports of cautious and intelligent narrators and is open to every type of criticism. None of its narrators has carried it to the Holy Prophet, peace be on him, or to any of his Companions.’ Allamah Novi has written, ‘Not a word of it is true on the basis of fact or from the angle of reason.’

Outstanding commentators like Imam Razi have described the story as false and nonsense. The most perceptive of the Sufis, Mohyuddin ibn Arabi, has said: ‘There is not the least basis for it.’ Tabari, the most authoritative biographer of the Holy Prophet, makes no mention of the offending verses.

A study of the Sura Najm itself is enough to refute the whole story. The offending verses do not fit in anywhere with the rest of it.

Above all, it is utterly inconsistent with the whole concept of Prophethood, and indeed with the righteousness of the Holy Prophet, peace be on him, that he could have been influenced by any Satanic incitement at any time. Reason rebels against the suggestion that a person who had in the whole of his previous life never bowed to an idol, who was emphatically commanded by God Almighty to condemn idol-worship unsparingly and to call mankind to the worship of the One True God, the very foundation stone of whose faith was the Unity of God, in support of which he was in constant conflict with his people, should have leaned towards idol-worship in order to please Quraish. Does the minutest study of his life reveal that he was ever inclined to make a compromise on doctrine with the disbelievers? He was expressly commanded (68:8-10):

Surely, thy Lord knows best those who go astray from His way, and He knows best those who are rightly guided; so comply not with the wishes of those who reject the truth. They wish that thou should be a little accommodating so that they may also be accommodating.

The Holy Quran excludes emphatically any idea of Satan being capable of influencing any righteous person, let alone a prophet or a messenger. For instance, it is said (16:40-4): Satan boasted:

Lord, since Thou hast judged me as lost, I will make error appear attractive to them in this life and I will lead them all astray, excepting Thy chosen servants from among them. Allah said to him: This is the path which leads straight to Me. Surely, thou shalt have no power over My true servants, barring those erring ones who choose to follow thee; and, surely hell is the rendezvous for them all.

Again, it is said: ‘Shall I inform you on whom do Satans descend? They descend on every lying sinner’ (26:222, 223).

In view of all this, is it possible to imagine that the Holy Prophet was liable, in any circumstances, to be influenced by Satan? Indeed, if such incitement of a prophet were at all possible, all prophet hood and revelation would become doubtful and no reliance whatsoever could be placed on them, and the surest means of the guidance of mankind provided by God, of His grace and mercy, would be rendered futile.

Then, it may be asked, how did the story originate at all? Allamah Qastalani and Allamah Zarqani have offered an explanation that is supported by many research scholars. They have drawn attention to the fact that the disbelievers from among Quraish were in the habit of indulging in noisy interruptions of the recitation of the Holy Quran and tried to create confusion concerning its text, hoping thereby to frustrate and perplex the Muslims, as is said: ‘The disbelievers say: “Listen not to this Quran, and interrupt its recital with noise creating confusion, perchance you may thus have the upper hand”’ (41:27). On this occasion also they made a similar attempt, and when the Holy Prophet mentioned the names of their goddesses, someone of them called out, ‘These are exalted personages, whose intercession may be hoped for, so that some people may have been confused whether the Holy Prophet had himself uttered these words. This explanation is supported by the fact that Quraish, when performing a circuit of the Ka’aba, used to repeat the very formula ‘These are exalted personages’. This explanation is supported by Mohyuddin ibn Arabi, Qazi Ayadh, Ibn Jarir, Imam Razi, and Hafiz ibn Hajar.

When Quraish found that the Muslims had found safe asylum in Abyssinia, they were much perturbed and cast about for means to have them expelled from that country. In the end, they selected two of their prominent men, Amr bin Aas and Abdullah bin Rabiyyah, to go as a delegation to Abyssinia for the achievement of their purpose. They prepared valuable gifts for Najashi and all his courtiers, which comprised mainly of articles made from leather for which Arabia was then famous, and handed them over to their delegates. Arrived in Axum, Amr and Abdullah first established contact with the courtiers of Najashi and presented their gifts to them and by this means they gained access to Najashi, and, after presenting their gifts to him, submitted: ‘Mighty King, some of our foolish people have abandoned their ancestral religion and have adopted a new faith which is opposed to your religion also. These people have created great disorder in our country, and now some of them have fled from our country and have taken refuge here. We request that you may be pleased to direct that they should be sent back to us.’ Some of the courtiers supported their request, but Najashi, who was an intelligent ruler, refused to act unilaterally and said: ‘These people have sought my protection. I will not decide anything without hearing them.’ Thus the Muslim migrants were summoned and Najashi asked them what they had to say and what was the religion they had adopted. Jafar bin Abi Talib replied on behalf of the Muslims: ‘Gracious King, we were an ignorant people, given to idol-worship, the eating of carrion, and to all manner of vices. We had no regard for ties of kinship, we misbehaved towards our neighbours, and the strong among us suppressed the weak. In this situation, God raised among us His Messenger whose noble descent; truth and integrity were well known to all of us. He called us to the worship of the One True God, forbade idol-worship, inculcated truth, honesty and beneficence towards kindred. He urged us to behave well towards neighbours, forbade vice, falsehood, bloodshed, and devouring the substance of the orphan. We believed in him and followed him, on account of which our people turned against us, persecuted us, afflicted us and tormented us in diverse ways. They tried to wean us away from our faith by force. Thus, we were compelled to leave our home and to seek asylum in your country. We hope that under you we shall be safeguarded against tyranny.’

Najashi was impressed by what Jafar had said and asked him to recite to him somewhat of the revelation in which they had believed. Thereupon, Jafar recited the opening verses of Sura Maryam, hearing which Najashi was deeply moved and, with tears in his eyes, said: ‘I perceive that these words and the words of Jesus have proceeded from the same Source of Light.’ He told the delegation of Quraish to go back, and that he would not send the Muslims with them. He also returned their presents to them.

This set-back did not discourage the delegation of Quraish, who requested another audience of Najashi and on being granted it, submitted to him that the Muslims did not look upon Jesus with respect and were thus guilty of blasphemy. Najashi sent for them and asked them what was their belief concerning Jesus. Jafar replied that they believed that Jesus was a servant of Allah, and not God, but an exalted messenger of God, and was born of the Word of God, which He had sent down upon Mary. On hearing this, Najashi picked up a straw from the floor and said, ‘I do not regard Jesus greater than what you have told me even by the weight of this straw.’ His remark upset the Christian clerics, who were present, but Najashi did not pay any attention to them and the delegation of Quraish had to return disappointed.

While the migrants were still in Abyssinia, Najashi was involved in a battle with a rival. The migrants sent Zubair bin Awam across the Nile, to where the battle was being fought, to check up on the situation and to report back to them whether their help might be needed in any way; and in the meantime, they occupied themselves with prayers for the victory of Najashi. Zubair returned within a few days and told them that Najashi had been victorious.

The migrants continued to live in peace in Abyssinia for a long while. A majority of them returned to Mecca about the time of the Migration to Medina, and the rest returned to Medina at the time when the Holy Prophet returned after his campaign against Khaibar.

When the Muslims migrated to Abyssinia, Abu Bakr also left Mecca, intending to migrate, and headed towards the south. When he arrived at Barkal Ghamad he met by chance Ibn Daghna, chief of Qarah, who inquired from him whither he was bent. Abu Bakr replied that his people had expelled him from Mecca and he intended to settle at some place where he could worship God freely. Ibn Daghna said to him, ‘One like you should not be expelled, nor should he himself wish to migrate. Come back to Mecca with me and worship God freely in Mecca. I shall extend my protection to you.’ Thus Abu Bakr was persuaded to return to Mecca. Ibn Daghna reproved the leaders of Quraish on making it difficult for people like Abu Bakr to live in Mecca in freedom. Thereafter, Abu Bakr built a small mosque in the courtyard of his house in which he performed his worship and recited the Holy Quran. His recitation was made in a very moving tone and his devotions began to interest and attract women, children and simple-minded people. On this, Quraish complained to Ibn Daghna that as Abu Bakr recited the Quran aloud, their women and children and the weaker section of their people were attracted to his faith. He should, therefore, tell Abu Bakr to stop making his recitation in an audible voice. Ibn Daghna mentioned this to Abu Bakr, who told him that he would not change his method, but that if Ibn Daghna was being inconvenienced over it, he did not desire to continue under his protection. God was sufficient for him as Protector. Thereafter Abu Bakr was persecuted in diverse ways, but he remained steadfast as a rock.

About the same time Islam and the Muslims were supported and strengthened in Mecca by the adherence of two outstanding personalities, namely Hamzah bin Abdul Muttalib and Umar bin Khattab, to Islam. We have mentioned earlier the conversion of the latter. continue....