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Seeratul Mustafaa (317)
Abu Lahab was his title. His name was ‘Abdul ‘Uzza bin ‘Abdil Muttalib. He was the uncle of Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) (the brother of Rasulullah’s (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) father).
In the very beginning, when Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) assembled the Quraish to preach the message of Islam to them, Abu Lahab was the first person to reject him saying:
تبا لك سائر اليوم ألهذا جمعتنا
May Allah destroy you! Did you assemble us here for this?
It was after this incident that Surah Lahab was revealed.
Since Abu Lahab was extremely wealthy, whenever he was warned about the punishment of Allah Ta‘ala, he would say, “If my nephew is true in his message, I will save myself from the punishment of the Day of Qiyaamah by paying money and giving my children in ransom.” The verse “Neither his wealth nor his earnings will avail him from the punishment” is referring to this statement of Abu Lahab.
(Extracted from Seeratul Mustafa 1/212)
Abu Jahal was the Fir‘aun of the ummah of Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam). He left no stone unturned in expressing his enmity and hostility for Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam).
Several incidents demonstrating his hatred for Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) have already been mentioned, and further such incidents will be mentioned in future as well. From the final words he uttered, as he was dying (the details of which will be discussed under the chapter dealing with the battle of Badr insha Allah), one will gain a clear gauge of the extent of his animosity for Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam).
It is the system of Allah Ta‘ala that when he creates something, he also creates its opposite. Allah Ta‘ala states:
وَ مِنۡ کُلِّ شَیۡءٍ خَلَقۡنَا زَوۡجَیۡنِ لَعَلَّکُمۡ تَذَکَّرُوۡنَ ﴿۴۹﴾
And from everything We have created pairs so that you may comprehend (the perfection of the Creator). (Surah Zaariyaat v. 49)
Hence, just as there is a Musa for every Fir‘aun, there must be a Fir‘aun for every Musa. Nevertheless, since things may be understood and recognized by viewing their opposites, we will next present a brief outline of each of the arch-enemies of Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam).
(Extracted from Seeratul Mustafa 1/210-211)
After Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) began to openly proclaim tauheed and invite to Islam, most of the people of Makkah Mukarramah became his enemies. However, there were some people who had reached the limits in their hostility and enmity for Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam).
Some of these people were:
Abu Jahal bin Hishaam, Abu Lahab bin ‘Abdil Muttalib, Aswad bin ‘Abd-e-Yaghooth, Haarith bin Qays, Waleed bin Mugheerah, Umayyah bin Khalaf and Ubayy bin Khalaf (the sons of Khalaf), Abu Qays bin Faakihah, ‘Aas bin Waa’il, Nadhr bin Haarith, Munabbih bin Hajjaaj, Zuhair bin Abi Umayyah, Saa’ib bin Saifi, Aswad bin ‘Abdil Asad, ‘Aas bin Sa‘eed, ‘Aas bin Haashim, ‘Uqbah bin Abi Mu‘ait, Ibnul Asdaa Hakam bin ‘Aas and ‘Adiyy bin Hamraa’.
Most of these people were the neighbours of Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) and men of high standing in society. They remained diligent and zealous in their hostility against Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) and night and day, they made this their main mission. Abu Jahal, Abu Lahab and ‘Uqbah bin Abi Mu‘ait were at the forefront from all these enemies.
(Extracted from Seeratul Mustafa 1/209-210)
The Islam of Hazrat Dimaad bin Tha’labah (radhiyallahu ‘anhu)
Written by user2Hazrat Dimaad bin Tha’labah Azdi (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) was a close friend of Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) from the pre-Islamic era of ignorance. He would recite different invocations and blow on people as a form of treatment.
When he came to Makkah Mukarramah after Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) was bestowed with prophethood, he saw a group of boys following Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam). Some were calling him a sorcerer and fortune teller while others called him insane and a madman. Hazrat Dimaad (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) appeared before Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) and said, “I know how to treat insanity. Give me permission to treat you, and perhaps Allah Ta‘ala will cure you at my hands.”
The Disbelievers Persecuting Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) – Part Seven
Written by user2Hazrat ‘Abdullah bin Mas‘ood (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) narrates:
On one occasion, Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) was performing salaah in the Haram while Abu Jahl and his friends were also present. Abu Jahl addressed his friends and asked, “Is there no one among you who will go and fetch the intestines of such-and-such camel and place it on Muhammed’s back as he goes into sajdah?”
The most wretched of them all, at that time, was ‘Uqbah bin Abi Mu‘ait. He rose, fetched the intestines and dumped it on the back of Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) while he was in sajdah.
The Disbelievers Persecuting Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) – Part Six
Written by user2Hazrat ‘Uthmaan bin ‘Affaan (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) reports:
I once saw Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) performing tawaaf of the Ka‘bah while ‘Uqbah bin Abu Mu‘ait, Abu Jahal and Umayyah bin Khalaf were sitting in the hateem area.
As Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) passed by, they uttered obscene words to him. The second time Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) passed by, they again uttered obscene words to him. When Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) passed by for the third time and they uttered these obscene words again, the blessed countenance of Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) changed. He stopped and said to them, “By Allah! You will continue in this manner until the punishment of Allah Ta‘ala swiftly befalls you.”
The Disbelievers Persecuting Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) – Part Five
Written by user2On one occasion, while Hazrat ‘Ali (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) was delivering a khutbah to the people, he asked them, “Tell me, who is the most brave and courageous person?” The people replied, “You are the most brave and courageous.”
Hazrat ‘Ali (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) responded, “My condition is such that anyone who challenged me, I was able to combat him. However, I feel that the most brave and courageous person was Hazrat Abu Bakr (radhiyallahu ‘anhu). The reason for this is that I once saw the Quraish beating Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) while saying:
أنت الذي جعلت الآلهة إلها واحدا
So you are the one who has united all the gods into a single deity!
“While they were beating him, none of us had the courage to go close and defend him from the enemy. Coincidentally, Hazrat Abu Bakr (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) arrived, plunged into the mob, punching one person and delivering a blow to another. Just as the man with imaan had addressed Fir‘aun and Haamaan saying, ‘Are you killing a man because he says, ‘My Lord is Allah’?’, Hazrat Abu Bakr (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) said to the disbelievers at that time, ‘Woe unto you! Do you wish to kill a man simply because he says, ‘Allah is my Lord’?’”
The Disbelievers Persecuting Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) – Part Four
Written by user2When Fir‘aun and Haamaan conspired and decided to kill Nabi Musa (‘alaihis salaam), one of Fir‘aun’s people who had secretly brought Imaan in Nabi Musa (‘alaihis salaam) exclaimed, “Are you killing a person merely because he declares, ‘My Lord is Allah’?”
Allah Ta‘ala recounts this incident in Surah Mu’min as follows:
وَ قَالَ رَجُلٌ مُّؤۡمِنٌ ٭ۖ مِّنۡ اٰلِ فِرۡعَوۡنَ یَکۡتُمُ اِیۡمَانَہٗۤ اَتَقۡتُلُوۡنَ رَجُلًا اَنۡ یَّقُوۡلَ رَبِّیَ اللّٰہُ
A believing man from the people of Fir‘aun who was concealing his Imaan said, “Do you wish to kill a man simply because he says, ‘My Lord is Allah’?” (Surah Mu’min v. 28)
(Extracted from Seeratul Mustafa pg. 204)
The Disbelievers Persecuting Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) – Part Three
Written by user2Hazrat ‘Urwah bin Zubair (rahimahullah) says, “On one occasion, I asked Hazrat ‘Abdullah bin ‘Amr bin ‘Aas (radhiyallahu ‘anhuma) to relate to me the manner in which the disbelievers would persecute Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam).
“Hazrat ‘Abdullah bin ‘Amr bin ‘Aas (radhiyallahu ‘anhuma) replied, ‘One day, Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) was engaged in salaah in the Hateem area when ‘Uqbah bin Abi Mu‘ait threw a cloth over the neck of Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) and pulled it so tightly that he almost strangled him.
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The Disbelievers Persecuting Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) – Part Two
Written by user2A man of the Banu Kinaanah tribe narrates, “I saw Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) in the market of Zul Majaaz proclaiming, ‘O people! Say Laa ilaaha illallaah, you will be successful.’
“At the same time, Abu Jahal was throwing sand at Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) saying, ‘O people! Do not be deceived by this man! He wishes to separate you from Laat and ‘Uzzaa!’
“However, Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) calmly continued with his efforts without even a glance at Abu Jahal.”
(Extracted from Seeratul Mustafa pg. 204)
The Disbelievers Persecuting Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) – Part One
Written by user2When the Quraish noticed that an open invitation was being given to Islam and idolatry was being openly condemned and criticized, they could not tolerate this. They thus prepared to show enmity and hostility to the one who invited to One Allah, and they prepared to oppose tauheed (proclaiming the oneness of Allah Ta‘ala). They resolved to cause such harm and pain to Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) that he would be dissuaded and refrain from inviting people towards Islam.
The Quraish of Makkah Consult the Jewish Scholars - Path Three
Written by user2In keeping with his human nature, when Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) forgot to say insha Allah, the following verses of the Qur’aan Majeed were revealed:
وَ لَا تَقُوۡلَنَّ لِشَایۡءٍ اِنِّیۡ فَاعِلٌ ذلِکَ غَدًا ﴿ۙ۲۳﴾ اِلَّاۤ انۡ یَّشَآءَ اللّٰہُ ۫
And never say about anything, “I will do it tomorrow,” except by adding insha Allah to it, and when you forget it, then remember your Lord (by saying insha Allah, as this will make amends for this forgetfulness). (Surah Kahf v. 23-24)
It is for this reason that Hazrat ‘Abdullah bin ‘Abbaas (radhiyallahu ‘anhuma) would say that even if a person remembers to say insha Allah after a whole year passes, he should still say it at that time, as this will compensate for his mistake and forgetfulness.
When one omits mentioning the will of Allah Ta‘ala, and relies on his own will by mentioning, “I will do this tomorrow,” then Allah Ta‘ala dislikes it. This is why, if a person forgets to say insha Allah presently, he may make amends for this act of forgetfulness by saying insha Allah whenever he remembers, as this will compensate for his forgetfulness.
(Extracted from Seeratul Mustafa 1/195)
The Quraish of Makkah Consult the Jewish Scholars – Part Two
Written by user2After speaking to the Jewish scholars and receiving the three questions that they should pose to Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam), Nadhr and ‘Uqbah returned to Makkah filled with joy and said to the Quraish, “We have returned with something that will decisively conclude this matter.” They then came to Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) and posed these questions to him.