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‘Abdul Muttalib informed the Quraish of his dream and informed them of his decision to dig up a certain point of the Haram. The Quraish opposed him but their resistance and opposition did not concern him. Carrying his pick and shovel, he set out with his son, Haarith, and commenced digging at the designated spot. ‘Abdul Muttalib would go on digging while Haarith would collect and dispose of the sand. On the third day, he came across a deep hole. Out of extreme delight, he burst out chanting “Allahu Akbar! Allahu Akbar!” He then happily remarked:
هذا طوى اسمٰعيل
“This is evidently the well of Ismaa‘eel (‘alaihis salaam).”
When the rule of Makkah Mukarramah fell onto the shoulders of ‘Abdul Muttalib and the divine will of Allah Ta’ala decreed that the well which had been totally forgotten should now be rediscovered, He directed ‘Abdul Muttalib, by means of pious dreams, to dig up the area of the well. Distinct markings and clues indicating to the whereabouts of the well were also revealed to him in the dream.
Hazrat Abu Zar Ghifaari (radhiyallahu 'anhu) - Part Five
Written by user2Hazrat Abu Zar (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) Advises the Commander of the Army to Uphold Justice
Imaam Bayhaqi (rahimahullah) narrates:
When Hazrat Yazid bin Abi Sufyaan (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) was governor over Shaam, the people engaged in Jihaad and acquired booty and were victorious. Among the spoils of war was a beautiful slave girl who fell into the share of one of the Muslims. Shortly after, Hazrat Yazid bin Abi Sufyaan (radhiyallahu ‘anhu), the commander of the army, had taken this slave girl for himself from the soldier in whose share she had fallen. Hazrat Abu Zar Ghifaari (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) was in Shaam at that time and this soldier went to him and sought his assistance in recovering his slave girl from Hazrat Yazid bin Abi Sufyaan (radhiyallahu ‘anhu). Hazrat Abu Zar (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) thus went to Hazrat Yazid bin Abi Sufyaan (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) with the man and thrice instructed Hazrat Yazid bin Abi Sufyaan (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) to return the slave girl to him. Hazrat Abu Zar (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) thereafter said, “Alas! By Allah! If you take the slave girl from this soldier unjustly then know that I have heard Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) saying, ‘The first person to change my blessed Sunnah will be a man from Banu Umayyah.’” Saying this, Hazrat Abu Zar (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) turned and began to walk away. Hazrat Yazid bin Abi Sufyaan (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) quickly followed him and asked, “I beg you in the name of Allah! Tell me, do you think that I will be the person who is referred to in this hadith?” Hazrat Abu Zar (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) replied, “No.” after which Hazrat Yazid bin Abi Sufyaan (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) returned the slave girl to the man.
After the demise of Hazrat Ismaa‘eel (‘alaihis salaam), his son, Qaydaar, assumed the role of trustee of the Ka'bah. This was in accordance with his parting advice. In this manner, the Banu Ismaa‘eel (the progeny of Hazrat Ismaa‘eel (‘alaihis salaam)) remained the trustees of the Ka'bah.
As time passed, however, hostilities and aggression erupted between the Banu Ismaa‘eel and the Banu Jurhum. In due course, the Banu Jurhum prevailed and subsequently established their rule over Makkah Mukarramah. Before long, the Jurhum rulers had unleashed their aggression, tyranny and cruelty over the people of Makkah Mukarramah. This ruthless brutality drove the Banu Ismaa‘eel out of Makkah Mukarramah and forced them to settle on its outskirts.
Hazrat Abu Zar Ghifaari (radhiyallahu 'anhu) - Part Four
Written by user2The Second Narration (continued):
Hazrat Abu Zar (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) said (continuing the incident of his embracing Islam):
One bright, moonlit night, I was by the Ka‘bah when the people of Makkah Mukarramah were sound asleep. Myself aside, there were only two women present and they were making tawaaf. Whenever these women would pass by the two idols, Isaaf and Naa’ilah, they would call out to them in supplication. As they drew close to me, I called out to them in mockery of their idols, “Marry one to the other!” My statement drew no response, however, as they continued calling out to their idols in supplication. The next time they came close to me, I called out, “Your idol has a private part of wood!” except that I did not use an ambiguous word indicating towards it but rather used an explicit word to refer to the private part. This statement finally excited a response as the two women now began to go about calling out in supplication to their idols for me to be destroyed and were proclaiming, “If only some of our people were here to punish you!”
Hazrat Ismaa'eel ('alaihis salaam) and the Jurhum Tribe
Written by user2The birthplace of the Jurhum tribe was actually Yemen. A severe drought had struck Yemen and this had forced the Banu Jurhum to leave Yemen in search of more promising livelihood.
During the course of their travels, they coincidentally met Hazrat Ismaa‘eel (‘alaihis salaam) and his honourable mother, Hazrat Haajar (‘alaihas salaam), in the vicinity of the Zam Zam well. Banu Jurhum took a liking for this area and decided to settle down here. Hazrat Ismaa‘eel (‘alaihis salaam) also later on married a lady from the same tribe. After blessing him with the position of prophethood, Allah Ta‘ala commissioned him to the ‘Amaaliqah, Jurhum and the people of Yemen.
He passed away at the age of one hundred and thirty and was buried in the area of the Hateem, close to the grave of his honourable mother.
(Extracted from Seeratul Mustafa 1/34)
Hazrat Abu Zar Ghifaari (radhiyallahu 'anhu) - Part Three
Written by user2The Second Narration:
The second narration regarding Hazrat Abu Zar (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) embracing Islam is that which is narrated by Hazrat ‘Abdullah bin As-Saamit (rahimahullah). He reports that Hazrat Abu Zar (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) said:
We departed from our tribe, the Ghifaar, who were a people who would revere and honor the sacred months. Our group consisted of my brother, Unais, my mother and I. After leaving our people, we came to my mother’s brother and began to stay with him. This uncle of ours honored us and treated us kindly. However, his tribe was jealous of us and thus said to him one day, “When you leave your family at home, Unais goes to them” (insinuating that Unais was interfering with his family). Our uncle came to us and told us what his tribe had said about us to which I replied, “You have spoilt all the good which you have shown us to date (by believing and entertaining this lie). There is nothing that will reunite us after this.” Saying this, we fetched our camels and began to load them in preparation to leave. Our uncle was watching us with his cloak wrapped around him and soon began to cry. We departed and travelled until we eventually encamped at a place near Makkah Mukarramah.
The Forefathers of Rasulullah (sallallahu 'alaihi wasallam) - Part Seven
Written by user2‘Abdul Muttalib
His name was Shaybatul Hamd and he was incredibly handsome. A poet describes his beauty thus:
على شيبة الحمد الذي كان وجهه يضيئ ظلام الليل كالقمر البدري
“Like the luminance of the fourteenth moon, Shaybatul Hamd’s face brightens the darkness of the night.”
‘Abdul Muttalib literally means “the slave of ‘Muttalib”. On the death of Haashim, ‘Abdul Muttalib’s mother lived in Madinah Munawwarah with her people, the Banu Khazraj, for some time. As he grew older, his uncle from Makkah Mukarramah, Muttalib, came to Madinah Munawwarah to fetch him.
Hazrat Abu Zar Ghifaari (radhiyallahu 'anhu) - Part Two
Written by user2Accepting Islam: There are different narrations recorded regarding Hazrat Abu Zar (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) accepting Islam.
The First Narration: The first narration is reported by Hazrat ibn ‘Abbaas (radhiyallahu ‘anhuma). He says:
When the news reached Hazrat Abu Zar (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) that Nabi (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) had claimed Nubuwwah, he said to his brother, “Travel to the valley of Makkah Mukarramah and enquire regarding the person who claims that he is a Nabi who receives revelation from the sky. Listen to his message and thereafter return to me.”
Hazrat Abu Zar Ghifaari (radhiyallahu 'anhu) - Part One
Written by user2Name: Jundub bin Junaadah (Isaabah 7/105, Usdul Ghaabah 1/343)
Appellation: Abu Zar
Mother’s Name: Ramlah bint Al-Waqee‘ah (Usdul Ghaabah 4/436, Istee‘aab 1/321)
Physical Description: He was a tall, thin Sahaabi who was wheat colored in complexion and had a thick beard. (Isaabah 7/107, Siyar A‘laam min Nubalaa 3/379)
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The Forefathers of Rasulullah (sallallahu 'alaihi wasallam) - Part Six
Written by user2Haashim (continued)
During the days of Haj, Haashim would feed all the hujjaaj (pilgrims) with meat, bread, saweeq and dates and would also provide them with Zam Zam water. He would make similar provisions for them at Mina, Muzdalifah and ‘Arafaat.
Umayyah bin ‘Abdu Shams was very upset over Haashim’s generosity and influence over the Arabs. Umayyah thus also attempted to feed the pilgrims just as Haashim was feeding them. However, despite his excessive wealth, he was unable to compete with Haashim. This was the initial catalyst that sparked off the hostility which the Banu Umayyah expressed for the Banu Haashim.
The Forefathers of Rasulullah (sallallahu 'alaihi wasallam) - Part Five
Written by user2Haashim (continued)
Haashim was the first to initiate the custom of sending off two trade caravans a year; one to Syria in summer and another to Yemen in winter. According to this unvarying custom, a caravan would set out in every season of the year. These caravans would travel in winter across desolate swathes of land, at times at times through the desert and at times crossing the sea, until they would arrive at Yemen and even further, at Ethiopia.
Najaashi, the emperor of Ethiopia, was exceedingly hospitable towards Haashim and would present many gifts to him. In summer, the caravans would travel to Syria (including Jordan and Lebanon), Gaza and Ankara (which was then the capital of Rome). Heraclius, the Byzantine emperor, would also approach Haashim with utmost respect and would often present gifts to him.
Calling out the Azaan in Shaam
Hazrat ‘Umar (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) once visited Jaabiyah (a place in Shaam) during the period of his Khilaafat. On his arrival, the people approached him and asked him if he would request Hazrat Bilaal (radhiyallahu ‘anhu), who was residing in Shaam, to one day call out the azaan for them. Hazrat ‘Umar (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) put their request to Hazrat Bilaal (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) who agreed to one day call out the azaan. The momentous day finally dawned and as the people heard the azaan of Hazrat Bilaal (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) they were reminded of the blessed era of Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) and immediately began to weep. Such was their weeping out of the sadness and grief of being separated from their beloved Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) that Hazrat Aslam (rahimahullah), the freed slave of Hazrat ‘Umar (radhiyallahu ‘anhu), said, “I never saw people crying more than they did on that day.”
(Siyar A‘laam min Nubalaa 3/222, Zarqaani 5/71)
The Forefathers of Rasulullah (sallallahu 'alaihi wasallam) - Part Four
Written by user2Haashim
Imaam Maalik (rahimahullah) and Imaam Shaafi‘ee (rahimahullah) say that Haashim’s actual name was ‘Amr.
There was once a severe drought in Makkah during which Haashim fed the people bread crushed into gravy. This is why he was given the title “Haashim” (The one who crushes). As a poet says:
عمرو العلا هشم الثريد لقومه ورجال مكة مسنتون عجاف
“The exalted ‘Amr prepared Thareed (a dish of meat and gravy into which bread is crushed) for his people (and fed it to them) when the people of Makkah were left weak and thin by the drought.”