Early Muslims

Ali Ibn Abi Taleb:

Makah suffered a dry year before Islam, during which there was little water and food.  Mohamed Ibn Abd Allah went to his uncle Al-Abas Ibn Abd El-Motaleb to Abu Taleb Mohamed’s uncle and Abases brother.  He said to him that Abu Taleb has many children, so if each on of us takes a child to look after and bring up, they will ease his load a little.  They went to Abu Taleb and Mohamed took his son Ali, and Al-Abas took Jafar.  Ali was about 8 years old at the time.

Ali Ibn Abi Taleb was brought up in the house of his cousin Mohamed Ibn Abd Allah.  Then when Mohamed prayer and peace upon him received the message and started prophet hood, Ali saw him praying with Khadija, and he asked them what they were doing?  Allah’s messenger prayer and peace upon him told his that this is Allah’s religion and invited him to become a Muslim.  Ali wanted to consult with his father Abu Taleb first, but Allah’s messenger prayer and peace upon him asked him not to tell anyone.  But then, Ali believed and Abu Taleb knew about Islam and Ali becoming a Muslim, and he commanded his son to stay a Muslim and to follow Mohamed prayer and peace upon him, and at the time Ali was under the age of puberty.

Zyd Ibn El-Haretha:

Zyd was a boy of the prophet’s household before Islam since before Islam.  He was snatched as a child and sold as a slave.  He ended with Khadija’s sister, who gave him as a gift to Khadija.  When she found that her husband, Allah’s messenger prayer and peace upon him liked him and his intelligence, she gave him the boy.  This was before Allah’s messenger’s prophecy.

Zyd lived in Allah’s messenger household treated as a son, meanwhile his father was looking everywhere for him.  His father, Al-Hareth was still looking for him and he had information that Zyd was in Makah, and he went there and found him to be with Mohamed Ibn Abd Allah.  Zyd’s father, Al-Hareth went to the Kabba and called out to the people there that his son is a slave with Mohamed Ibn Abd Allah, and to help him to buy his to set him free (he was afraid that the price will be put up high for him)

Mohamed Ibn Abd Allah (before the prophecy) came with Zyd and he told Al-Hareth that he will give Zyd the choice of going with his father or with him.   Zyd in front of every one choose to stay with Mohamed Ibn Abd Allah because of what he felt towards him and what he felt in his house hold.  Then and before the crowd, Mohamed Ibn Abd Allah set Zyd free and said that he was taking him for a son, inheriting each other (this was before the prohibition).  Then Zyd continued living in Mohamed Ibn Abd Allah and Khadija Bent Khowayled as a son.

When Allah the Highest started the prophecy of Mohamed prayer and peace upon him and he was with them, he believed and embraced Islam.

Abu Bakr: 

Abu Bakr was a merchant and a well liked man, known for good manners, helping people and being a good company.  He was also very knowledgeable of the families of Qurish, their origins and descent.  He also knew Allah’s messenger prayer and peace upon him very well.  Abu Bakr was his nick name but his real name was Ateeq and his father Abu Quhafa.

After receiving revelations, Allah’s messenger prayer and peace upon him told him about what happened and invited him to Islam.  Abu Bakr believed, without any hesitation, or thinking twice.  Allah’s messenger prayer and peace upon him said: “I never called anyone to Islam who would not hesitate or pause to thing, except Abu Bakr Ibn Abi Quhafa, he did not turn away or hesitate”. 

Abu Bakr was the one of the best telling others about Islam, and he was the first adult man to believe, many people embraced Islam through him, of them:

Othman Ibn Afan

Al-Zobir Ibn Al-Awam.

Abd El-Rahman Ibn Aouf

Saad Ibn Abi Waqas

Talha Ibn Obid Allah

Abu Salama – Abd Allah Ibn Abd El-Asad.

Al-Arqam Ibn Abi Al-Arqam

Othman Ibn Mazoon

Saed Ibn Zyd

Khabab Ibn Al-Aret

Omir Ibn Abi Waqas, Saad’s brother.

Abd Allah Ibn Masoud

Masoud Ibn El-Qari

Then Allah the Highest commanded his prophet and messenger to speak to and warn his close kin saying: “AND WARN YOUR CLOSE KIN * AND BE KIND TO THE BELIEVERS WHO FOLLOW YOU * BUT IF THEY DISOBEY YOU, SAY I HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH WHAT YOU ARE DOING”.  (S: 42 A: 214-216)

This was a direct command from Allah the Highest to His messenger prayer and peace upon him, and it had to be obeyed.  He started to with his close kin beyond his immediate family.

Allah’s messenger prayer and peace upon him commanded Ali Ibn Abi Taleb to slaughter a sheep and make food and drink for people, and then he invited his uncles and cousins. He did the same next day, and then next day again.  On the third day he spoke to them about Islam and what it is about, and that it is good for the good of our life and Hereafter. 

It was narrated that Allah’s messenger prayer and peace upon him said: “O Fatema the daughter of Mohamed, O Safia the daughter of Abd El-Motaleb, I can not help you with Allah, but you can ask me for what you want of my money”.  (Muslim)

Allah’s messenger prayer and peace upon him was worried that he might be killed if he speaks to people openly about Islam, and the message will not be delivered then.  Allah the Highest sent down a Quran reassuring his messenger prayer and peace upon him saying: “O MESSENGER, DELIVER WHAT WAS SENT DOWN TO YOU FROM YOUR LORD, AND IF YOU DO NOT, THEN YOU DID NOT DELIVER HIS MESSAGE, AND ALLAH WILL PROTECT YOU FROM PEOPLE, VERILY ALLAH DOES NOT GUIDE THE DISBELIEVING PEOPLE”.  (S: 5 A: 67)

He was reassured then prayer and peace upon him and went one delivering Allah’s message to people.

Abu Jahl tries to kill Allah’s messenger prayer and peace upon him:

One day, Abu Jahl – his name was Al-Hakam Ibn Hesham- told his idle worshipping companions in Makah that he intends to strike Allah’s messenger’s head with a big stone while he is prostrating in his Salah at the sacred mosque, and they gave him their word that they will not stop him.

Next day, Abu Jahl took a large stone and sate waiting for Allah’s messenger prayer and peace upon him to come to pray at the sacred Mosque.  He came and prayed, and when he prostrated, Abu Jahl carried the stone and went towards him until he was near, then he turned back looking pale and frightened, with his hands frozen on the stone which he then dropped.  Some men from Qurish went to him and said: “What happened to you Aba Al-Hakam?

He said: “I went to do what I told you about yesterday, but when I approached, large male camel stood in my way, I have never seen another of that size and teeth, and he was about to eat me”.  Allah’s messenger prayer and peace upon him said about this: “This was Gabriel, and if he came nearer, he would have taken him”. 

This was an example of Allah’s protection to his messenger prayer and peace upon him.

Abu Jahl and the man from Irash:

A man from Irash in Babylon went to Makah with camels to sell.  Abu Jahl bought them of him, but he did not pay the man his money.  The Man from Irash went to the sacred mosque and called out to every one that Abu Jahl bought his camels and would not pay him and to help him to get his money from Abu Jahl.

Some men looking for a laugh told him that the best man to get him his money is a man called Mohamed Ibn Abd Allah and they pointed him prayer and peace upon him to the man, knowing about the animosity between Abu Jahl and Mohamed prayer and peace upon him.

The man from Irash went to Allah’s messenger prayer and peace upon him and told of about his problem with Abu Jahl, he got up with him going to Abu Jahl’s house, and a man from Qurish followed them.

Allah’s messenger prayer and peace upon him knocked the Abu Jahl’s door, and Abu Jahl came over looking pale.  Allah’s messenger prayer and peace upon him told Abu Jahl: “Give this man his money”, Abu Jahl said: “Do not leave I will get him his money”.  He went in, brought the money and gave it to the man from Irash.

The man from Irash went back to the sacred mosque and thanked those who advised him to speak to Mohamed prayer and peace upon him, which surprised them.  When they saw Abu Jahl later, they asked him what happened, and he told them that when he heard the knock on the door he felt frightened, then when he opened the door found a large male camel with large teeth, and had he refused, the camel would have devoured him.

This does not mean that Allah’s messenger prayer and peace upon him did not suffer any hurt physical and morale from the disbelievers.  He was attacked, insulted and threatened, even while praying, on a number of occasions. I will mention some of them.

One day, Allah’s messenger prayer and peace upon him was praying in the Sacred Mosque and there were the remains of a slaughtered animal lying not very far.  A man called Oqba Ibn Abi Maeet carried the remains and throws it on his back while he was prostrating.  He remained in this position until his daughter Fatema took it of his back.  This time he was angry and turned to that group of men saying: “Allah I ask you to take those people of Qurish, Allah I ask you to take Otba Ibn Rabae, Shayba Ibn Rabae, Abu Jahl Ibn Hesham, Oqba Ibn Abi Maet, and Omiya Ibn Khalaf”.  They were killed inn the battle of Badr, and buried in a mass grave there.  (Bukhari & Muslim)

Bukhari reported that Allah’s messenger prayer and peace upon him was praying by the Kabba, when Oqba Ibn Abi Maet came the put some cloth around Allah’s messenger neck to strangle him, and he did not let go until Abu Bakr rushed to Allah’s messenger’s aid and let him loose, and said a verse in the Quran : “DO YOU KILL A MAN JUST BECAUSE HE SAID: MY LORD IS ALLAH, AND HE CAME TO YOU WITH THE CLEAR SIGNS, AND IF HE IS A LIAR, THEN HE WILL TAKE THE RESPONSIBILITY OF HIS LYING, BUT IF HE IS TRUTHFUL, SOME OF WHAT HE PROMISES YOU WILL AFFECT YOU, AND ALLAH DOES NOT GUIDE THOSE WHO ARE EXCESSIVE AND LIARS”.  (S: 40 A: 28)

On another occasion, while the noble men of Qurish, Allah’s messenger prayer and peace upon him came to do the Tawaf.  Every time he walks past them, they say insults and unpleasant words.  On the third time he said to them: “Listen people of Qurish, by He who has my soul in his hand, I come to you with the slaughter”.

Next day when they met by the Kabba, they were angry from what Allah’s messenger prayer and peace upon him said the day before and they went to him and said: “Did you say: such and such, and he says: Yes I said that.  One of them took him by the collar, when Abu Bakr went to help him saying: Are you killing a man just because he says:  Allah is my Lord.  Then they left him and went.

Dr Ahmed Saafan