The Post:

“Jack Straw, leader of the House of Commons, provoked a mixture of anger and derision on Thursday when he said the wearing of veils made community relations ‘more difficult’ because they acted as ‘a visible statement of separation and difference’. While British newspapers and commentators applauded Straw’s stance, which he said was designed to provoke a ‘mature debate’, many Muslims reacted with anger.”

Fear of extremists has moved the Moroccan Government to eliminate references to head scarves from school text books.

If there are liberals in the Islamic world, their voices remain unheard. They are afraid to speak out. The consequences could be frightful…..think of what Salmon Rushdie went through. The BBC report (see below) states: “Other Arab countries have made similar changes, worrying that the veil could be used as a symbol of extremism.” How else can it be described when an individual is forced, directly or indrectly, to adopt a practice by state or religious bodies ?

Fundamentalist Christian groups in America would love to have the power and influence that Islamic mullahs have. When it comes to control over women’s bodies they are not that far apart. They are trying but things have not gotten that bad here…..yet.

Source: http://pacetua.blogspot.com/2006/10/835-days-countdown-gw-bush-presidency.html

Tags: Islam

The 49-year-old, from Toxteth, was at the junction of Kensington and Holt Road when her veil was snatched by a tall white man in his 60s.

Insp Saied Mostaghel, of Merseyside Police, said: “This was a despicable attack, which has left the victim feeling extremely shocked and upset.”

Tags: Islam

He added that police would not tolerate hate crimes.

“This kind of behaviour will not be tolerated in our communities and I would reassure local people that we are treating the matter very seriously,” he said.

“We will be meeting with community leaders tomorrow to discuss any concerns they may have and I would ask anyone who may know who is responsible for this to come forward.”

The attacker is described as slim with silver-grey hair and was wearing a light khaki jacket and grey trousers.

Source: BBC Online

Tags: Islam

Mus’ab continued to go around Madinah calling people to Islam and teaching them the deen. One day As’ad ibn Zurarah went out with Mus’ab ibn ‘Umayr to the areas of Banu al-Ashhal and of Banu Zafar (Sa’d ibn Mu’adh was incidentally As’ad ibn Zurarah’s maternal cousin.) They entered one of the gardens of Banu Zafar by a well called Maraq and sat in it, where some of the men who had accepted Islam had gathered together. Sa’d ibn Mu’adh and Usayd ibn Hudayr were at the time leaders of their clan, the Banu ‘Abd al-Ashhal, and both followed the polytheism of their tribe. When they had heard about him, Sa’d said to Usayd, “Go to these fellows who have entered our quarters to make fools of our comrades, drive them out and forbid them to enter our quarters. If it were not that As’ad ibn Zurarah is related to me as you know I would save you the trouble. He is my aunt’s son and I can do nothing to him.” So Usayd took his lance and went to them; and when As’ad saw him he said to Mus’ab, “This is the chief of his tribe who is coming to you, so be true to Allah with him.” Mus’ab said, “If he will sit down, I will talk to him.” He stood over them looking furious and asking what they meant by coming to deceive their weaker comrades. “Leave us if you value your lives.” Mus’ab said, “Won’t you sit down and listen. If you like what you hear you can accept it, and if you don’t like it you can leave it alone.” He agreed that was fair, stuck his lance in the ground, and sat down. He explained Islam to him and read the Qur’an. Afterwards they said, according to what has been reported by them, “By Allah, before he spoke we recognised Islam in his face by its peaceful glow.” He said, “What a wonderful and beautiful discourse this is! What does one do if he wants to enter this deen?” They told him that he must wash and purify himself and his garments, then bear witness to the Truth and pray two rak’ahs. He immediately did so and said, “There is a man behind me who if he follows you every one of his people will follow suit. I will send him to you at once. It is Sa’d ibn Mu’adh.”

Taking his lance he went off to Sa’d and his people sitting in a meeting place. When Sa’d saw him coming he said, “By Allah, Usayd is coming with a different expression from that which he had when he left you.” And when he came up he asked what had happened, he said, “I have spoken to the two men and I find no harm in them. I forbade them to go on and they said to me: We will do what you like; and I was told that Banu Harithah had gone out against As’ad to kill him because they knew that he was the son of your aunt so as to make you appear a treacherous protector of your guests.”

Sa’d was enraged and got up at once, alarmed at what had been said about the Banu Harithah. He took the lance from his hand saying, “By Allah I see that you have been utterly ineffective.” He went out to them and when he saw them sitting comfortably he knew that Usayd had intended that he should listen to them. He stood over them, looking furious. He said to As’ad, “O Abu Umamah, were it not for the relationship between us you would not have treated me thus. Would you behave in our homelands in a way we detest?” As’ad already had said to Mus’ab, “O Mus’ab, by Allah the leader who is followed by his people has come to you. If he follows you, no two of them will remain behind.” So Mus’ab said to him, “Won’t you sit down and listen. If you like what you hear you can accept it, and if you don’t like it you can leave it alone.” He agreed that was fair, stuck his lance in the ground, and sat down. He explained Islam to him and read him the Qur’an. Afterwards they said, according to what has been reported of them, “By Allah, before he spoke we recognised Islam in his face by its peaceful glow.” He said, “What a wonderful and beautiful discourse this is! What does one do if he wants to enter this deen?” They told him that he must wash and purify himself and his garments, then bear witness to the truth and pray. He immediately did so. Then he took his lance and went back to his people’s meeting place accompanied by Usayd ibn Hudayr. When they saw him coming they said, “We swear by Allah, Sa’d has returned with a different expression from that which he had when he left you.” And when he stopped by them he said, “O Banu ‘Abd al-Ashhal, how do you rate my authority amongst you?” They replied, “You are our chief, the most active in our interests, the best in judgment and the most fortunate in leadership.” He said, “I will not speak to a man or woman among you until you believe in Allah and his Messenger.” As a result, every man and woman among the Banu ‘Abd al-Ashhal embraced Islam. Mus’ab then returned to the house of As’ad ibn Zurarah and he stayed with him as a guest, and he continued to call the people to Islam until every household of the Ansar had Muslim men and women among them. Mus’ab ibn ‘Umayr remained in Madinah for one year among the Aus and the Khazraj teaching them their deen and witnessing, with great delight, the growing number of the helpers of Allah’s authority and of the word of truth. He, may Allah be pleased with him, used to knock on people’s doors hoping to contact them and convey the Message of Allah; he used to walk to the fields and contact the farmers to call them to Islam; he also used to confront the leaders and call them to the deen of Allah; he would also perform some deliberate tactics like the one he used with As’ad ibn Zurarah in order to gain access to people and get them to receive the voice of Truth until he managed in one single year to turn the thoughts in Madinah from corrupted idolatry and incorrect emotions to Tawheed and Iman and Islamic emotions that abhorred shirk and turned away from cheating and fraud. As a result of Mus’ab’s activities and the activities of those who embraced Islam, Madinah had been transformed in one single year from a state of shirk to a state of Islam.

The Second Pledge Of Al-‘Aqabah

The first pledge of al-’Aqabah was a good thing and a blessing. This was so because despite the small number of those who had embraced Islam, the efforts of one companion of the Messenger of Allah (saw) i.e. Mus’ab ibn ‘Umayr were enough to lead them to change Madinah and transform the existing thoughts and emotions within its society, and despite the relatively large number of those who embraced Islam in Makkah, the people at large remained alienated from them, for the groups did not respond to Islam, and society was not affected by the Islamic thoughts and emotions; whereas by contrast, the majority of people in Madinah embraced Islam and Islam made an impact in the heart of the Madinan society, and the thoughts and emotions were affected. This clearly demonstrates that when individuals who embrace Islam remain alienated from society and the people at large, an impact within society is not generated, nor within the majority of people no matter how strong the belief of these individuals is. It also demonstrates that if the existing relationships between people were affected by thoughts and emotions they would lead to the desired transformation and change no matter how small the number of the conveyors of the message are. This also proves that when the society persists in disbelief, as was the case with the Makkan society, it becomes more difficult to transform, than the society where such erroneous notions are not dominant, as was the case with the Madinan society, even if such notions were present. Therefore, the Madinan society was affected by Islam more than the Makkan society, people in Madinah had sensed the falsehood of the thoughts they were carrying and they had been searching for other thoughts and another way of life. By contrast, the Makkan society was satisfied with its state of affairs and anxious to maintain it, especially the heads of disbelief such as Abu Lahab, Abu Jahl and Abu Sufyan. That is why it took Mus’ab ibn ‘Umayr only a short spell to witness the response to the da‘wah, he went on calling people to Islam and culturing them with its thoughts and rules, he would feel the quick response and witness people’s willingness to accept Islam and their enthusiasm to learn and acquire the knowledge of Islam’s rules, and this would make him rejoice; he would witness the number of Muslims grow and Islam spread and this would encourage him to multiply his efforts in the da‘wah. When the season of hajj came, he returned to Makkah and reported back to the Messenger of Allah (saw), giving him an account about the Muslims in Madinah and their growing might, and about Islam and its rapid spread, describing the state of the Madinan society and how people there talked only about Allah’s Messenger (saw), and how Islam occupied centre stage. Mus’ab informed the Messenger of Allah (saw) about the strength of the Muslims and their deterrent might, which made Islam the dominant force in Madinah, he also informed him that some Muslims, whose belief had grown stronger and whose determination to carry the Message and defend the deen of Allah had become greater than ever, would be coming to Makkah that year. The Messenger of Allah (saw) was very pleased with the news brought by Mus’ab and began thinking long and hard in the matter and comparing the Makkan society with that of Madinah. He (saw) spent twelve consecutive years in Makkah calling for the deen of Allah, exhausting all his efforts, devoting all his time and seizing every single opportunity, enduring in the process all types of hardship, suffering and oppression, and despite all that, society in Makkah remained as stubborn as ever and the da‘wah never managed to break through, due to the remorseless hearts and the ruthless feelings of the Makkan people whose idle minds would not break away from the past. The Makkan society was harsh and its aptitude for the da‘wah was negligible due to the deeply rooted idolatrous polytheism within the hearts of its people, for Makkah was the main centre of shirk. In Madinah things were different, hardly one year had elapsed since a group of the Khazraj embraced Islam, and the first pledge of al-’Aqabah took place, then came the efforts of Mus’ab ibn ‘Umayr the year after, and this was enough to generate an Islamic atmosphere in Madinah and to pave the way for people to embrace Islam at an astonishing rate. The Message of Allah in Makkah had stopped with those who had embraced Islam, with the persecution and oppression inflicted upon them by Quraysh, but in Madinah, on the other hand, had spread rapidly, with the Muslims there not having to suffer the persecution by the Jews and the disbelievers, this could only help Islam to become deeply rooted in people’s hearts and to pave the way for the Muslims. Therefore, it became clear to the Messenger of Allah that Madinah had more aptitude than Makkah to become the source of the light of Islam. He (saw) therefore thought about emigrating to Madinah and to let his companions join their brothers there, to find sanctuary and safety and rid themselves from the persecution and torture which Quraysh had been inflicting upon them, this would allow them to concentrate on the da‘wah and move towards its practical phase, which is the implementation of Islam and the carrying of its Message with the might and authority of an Islamic state; this was the only reason for the emigration.

It is worth mentioning that the Messenger of Allah (saw) had never thought about emigrating from Makkah simply because of the obstacles the da‘wah was facing, without remaining steadfast and persevering, and without attempting to overcome those obstacles. He (saw) persevered for ten years in Makkah, always focusing his thoughts on the da‘wah. He and his followers endured all types of horror and persecution in the way of the da‘wah. The illtreatment and the resistance by Quraysh never weakened his resolve and determination, on the contrary, his belief in the Message which he brought from his Lord took him to new heights, and the certainty of Allah’s help made him even more steadfast and resolute. Nevertheless, he (saw) realised after those attempts how hard and stubborn the Makkan society was, how shallow minded people were and how ruthless and misguided they were. This meant that the chances of success were slim, and that pursuing the da‘wah there could be a wasted effort, thus it became necessary to move away from such a society and look for another one. He therefore thought about emigrating from Makkah, and that was the only reason for thinking about moving to Madinah, not the hardship nor the persecution. Indeed the Messenger of Allah (saw) had ordered his companions to emigrate to Abyssinia to escape persecution as it is allowed for the believers to move away from places of affliction if they were persecuted because of their deen, although enduring the torture enhances Iman, and the oppression inflames faithfulness and the resistance sharpens the determination. Iman pushes believers to belittle all hardships and sacrifice wealth, honour, peace of mind and even their lives. And although belief in Allah (swt) makes the believer ready to give his life willingly in His way, unabated aggression and the continuity of sacrifice would cause the believer to become exhausted. This is so because his efforts would be diverted towards persevering against and resisting the harm inflicted upon him, rather than towards mobilising his efforts in the da‘wah and broadening his horizons by being allowed to think deeply about the truthfulness of his belief. It was for this reason that the Muslims had no other alternative but to emigrate away from the places where affliction reigned. This was the case when they emigrated to Abyssinia. However, their later emigration to Madinah was prompted by different reasons. They wanted to move with their Message and bring it to life by implementing it in a society, their new society, and then spread it world-wide. It is only in this context that the Messenger of Allah (saw) contemplated ordering his companions to emigrate to Madinah. But before deciding to join them there, he had to first meet the pilgrims coming from that location and confer with the Muslims among them, in order to assess their readiness to protect the da‘wah and to see how far they were prepared to sacrifice themselves in the way of Islam. He (saw) had to make sure that they were prepared to give him the pledge of war, a pledge of fighting that would form the cornerstone of the Islamic State. Thus the Messenger of Allah (saw) waited for the pilgrims; this was the twelfth year of the Message, in 622 CE. The pilgrims were many, among whom were 75 Muslims (73 men and 2 women). One of the women was Nusaybah bint Ka’ab Umm ‘Amarah from Banu Mazin ibn al-Najjar and the other was Asma’ bint ‘Amr ibn ‘Adi from Banu Salamah, known also as Umm Mani’.

The Messenger of Allah (saw) met the Muslim pilgrims secretly and talked to them about a second pledge, which would not be concerned with simply carrying the da‘wah and persevering against aggression. It would be a pledge which would go well beyond that, a pledge with far reaching consequences. It was to be a pledge that would entail forming a force capable of defending Muslims and forming the nucleus that would produce the cornerstone on which to build the foundations of a state with the power to protect it, a power that would remove all material obstacles which stood in the way of the Message and its implementation. The Messenger of Allah (saw) talked to them about the pledge and felt their readiness, and they in turn agreed to meet him at al-’Aqabah during the middle of the days of Tashriq. He (saw) said to them, “Do not wake anyone, nor wait for anyone absent.” When a third of the night had passed they went stealing softly to their appointment with the Messenger of Allah (saw) at al-’Aqabah, the two women were also with them. They waited for Allah’s Messenger (saw) until he came with his uncle al-’Abbas, who was at that time an disbeliever, albeit he wanted to give his nephew a firm guarantee. He was the first to speak and said, “O people of Khazraj! You know what position Muhammad holds among us. We have protected him from our own people who think as we do about him. He lives in honour and safety among his people, but he decided to turn to you and join you; so if you think you can be faithful to what you have promised him and protect him from his opponents, then assume the burden you have undertaken. But if you think that you will betray and abandon him after he has gone out with you, then leave him now.” They replied, “We have heard what you say. Now you speak, O Messenger of Allah, and choose for yourself and your Lord what you wish.” The Messenger of Allah (saw) spoke after reciting the Qur’an and commended Islam and said, “I invite your allegiance on the basis that you protect me as you would your women and children.” Al-Bara’ took his hand to give the pledge and said, “We give our allegiance O Messenger of Allah, by Allah we are men of war possessing arms which have been passed on from father to son”. While al-Bara’ was speaking Abu al-Haytham ibn al-Tayhan interrupted him and said, “O Messenger of Allah, we have ties with other men (meaning the Jews) and if we sever them perhaps when we have done that and Allah will have given you victory, you will return to your people and leave us.” The Messenger of Allah (saw) smiled and said, “No, your blood is my blood, and what is sacred to you is sacred to me; I am of you and you are of me; I will fight against those who fight against you, and be at peace with those at peace with you.” Al-’Abbas ibn ‘Ubadah interrupted and said, “O people of Khazraj! Do you realise to what you are committing yourselves in pledging your support to this man? It means fighting all and sundry; if you think that if you lose your property, and your nobles are killed you will give him up, then do so now, for by Allah it would bring you shame in this world and the next if you did so later; but if you think that you will be loyal to your undertaking even if you lose your possessions and your nobles are killed, then take him, for by Allah it will profit you in this world and the Hereafter.” They said that they would accept the Messenger of Allah (saw) on these conditions and then inquired, “What is in it for us, O Messenger of Allah, in return for our loyalty?” Allah’s Messenger (saw) replied confidently, “Jannah.” They stretched their hands forth, and he (saw) stretched his hand and they pledged their word by saying, “We pledge ourselves to fight, in complete obedience to the Messenger of Allah, in well and woe, in ease and hardship and evil circumstances; that we would not wrong anyone, that we would speak the truth at all times, and that in Allah’s service we would fear the censure of none.” After they gave the pledge Allah’s Messenger (saw) said, “Bring me twelve leaders who have charge of their people’s affairs.” They produced nine from al-Khazraj and three from al-Aus. So the Messenger of Allah (saw) said to these naqibs (leaders), “You are the guardians of your people just as the disciples of ‘Isa, son of Maryam, were responsible to him while I am responsible for my people.” They went back to their beds and then back to their caravan and returned to Madinah.

Afterwards, the Messenger of Allah (saw) ordered the Muslims in Makkah to emigrate to Madinah in small parties, and so they began to migrate either individually or sometimes in small groups. Quraysh by then had heard of the pledge and they attempted to prevent the Muslims from emigrating. They came between husband and wife in order to stop the migration, but the Muslims continued to leave Makkah for Madinah whilst Allah’s Messenger (saw) stayed behind without indicating to anyone whether he would leave or not. There were signs, however, that he (saw) too would leave. Abu Bakr kept asking Allah’s Messenger (saw) for permission to emigrate until he answered, “Don’t be in a hurry, it may be that Allah will give you a companion.” Abu Bakr knew then that Allah’s Messenger (saw) wanted to emigrate. Quraysh were very concerned about the implications of the emigration of Allah’s Messenger (saw), especially now that the Muslims in Madinah were many and enjoyed the upper hand. Evidently, their position there would be strengthened by the emigration of the Muslims from Makkah. Quraysh realised that another even more serious potential threat to them was Allah’s Messenger (saw). Should he (saw) join them there, and with the power that they possessed, it could mean the end of them. They therefore thought long and hard about the issue of preventing Allah’s Messenger (saw) from migrating to Madinah. Quraysh began to fear that once the Muslims had become a force to be reckoned with they would come after them and defend Allah’s Messenger (saw), should he decide to stay in Makkah. With such a dilemma confronting them, they finally decided to resort to killing him (saw) so as to prevent him from joining the Muslims in Madinah and in order to avoid all future clashes with the people of Madinah, Islam and Muhammad (saw).

It has been reported in the books of seerah that in the narration of ‘A’isha and Abu Umamah ibn Sahm, it was said that when the seventy-three men present at al-’Aqabah left the Messenger of Allah (saw), having given him the protection, pledging their support; the trials and tribulations of the Muslims in Makkah increased for wanting to leave, Quraysh harassed them and harmed them, they complained to Allah’s Messenger (saw) so he said, “I have been shown the homeland to which you will emigrate, ready.”

After a few days he (saw) emerged very pleased and said, “I have been told that you can emigrate to Yathrib, whoever wants to go there can do so.” So they began their preparations to vacate the city. When these were complete they left secretly in small groups whilst the Messenger of Allah (saw) stayed on in Makkah to wait for Allah’s permission to emigrate. Abu Bakr kept asking Allah’s Messenger (saw) for permission to emigrate, he (saw) would say to him, “Don’t be in a hurry, it may be that Allah will give you a companion.” Abu Bakr hoped that his companion would be Allah’s Messenger (saw) himself.

When Quraysh learnt of the companions’ emigration, and since they knew that Allah’s Messenger (saw) had decided to fight them, they assembled in their council chamber and after a little debate agreed to kill him. Then they dispersed. Jibreel came to the Messenger of Allah (saw) and ordered him not to sleep on the bed on which he usually slept. He (saw) did not sleep in his bed that night and it was then that Allah (swt) permitted him to emigrate.

The presence of the forces of Islam in Madinah and the readiness of the people to receive the Messenger of Allah (saw) and establish the Islamic State were the only reasons which prompted him to emigrate. It would be completely erroneous for anyone to conclude or even to entertain the slightest thought that Muhammad (saw) emigrated from Makkah out of fear that Quraysh would kill him. He (saw) never gave the slightest consideration to the repression and harm that befell him and was more than happy to sacrifice his life in the way of Islam. This is a fact. His (saw) emigration to Madinah was simply the selfless pursuit of the Islamic da‘wah and the necessary establishment of the Islamic State to further that objective. It is clear that Quraysh had come to the decision to kill him for fear of his emigration to Madinah where he (saw) would enjoy its protection and power, but Quraysh, despite their efforts, failed in their bid to dispose of him. The emigration, as Quraysh feared, proved to be the turning point in the history of the da‘wah. It moved from the phase of inviting people to Islam, to the phase of establishing an Islamic society, a state ruling by Islam’s authority, inviting for it by means of evidence, proof and persuasion and by the force that would protect it from evil and oppressive forces.

Source: The Islamic State Book – Hizb ut-Tahrir

Tags: Islam

So the first stage was to ensure the correct understanding of the new concepts and to incorporate them into personalities and to structure them around these concepts. While the second stage was to transfer these concepts into a mobilising force in the society that drives it to implement them in the different walks of life; for concepts remain only as information unless they are implemented in society. In order for these concepts to be implemented, they first have to go through the process of being transformed from mere thoughts to becoming a driving force within society, then people would adopt them, realise them, carry them and struggle to see them implemented. From there onwards their implementation would become a certainty and merely the natural outcome of events. This is how the Messenger of Allah (saw) went about his call in Makkah. In the first stage, he called people to Islam, cultured them with its concepts and taught them its rules. He gathered whoever he could on the basis of the Islamic belief; this was the stage of the secret grouping in the da‘wah. Allah’s Messenger (saw) pursued the call unabated, eager to culture all those who embraced Islam. He gathered them in the house of al-Arqam, or sent someone to culture them in circles in their own homes or in the mountain valleys. They did so in secret and gathered in a group. Their belief became stronger, and relations between them closer, and their awareness of the task that they faced increased by the day until they were ready to sacrifice anything in the way of the da‘wah. The Message took deep root in their hearts and in their minds, Islam became like the blood in their veins – they became walking examples of Islam. Therefore, the Message could never remain a prisoner within their minds, despite the secrecy of their grouping and the care they took to keep their party a guarded secret.

They began talking to people they trusted, and to those in whom they felt a readiness to accept Islam. People, therefore, found out about their Message and felt their presence. At this stage, it became impossible for the Islamic call to be held back, so it had to be launched by calling all the people to Islam. That marked the end of the first stage, i.e. the culturing and grouping together in secret, and the call inevitably moved into the second stage, the stage of interaction and struggle caused by expounding Islam and its concepts to the people. Some people responded and accepted, and others rejected it, fought it and collided with its concepts. However, before disbelief and falsehood could be defeated and before Iman and righteousness could gain the upper hand, such a clash was inevitable. Yet, no matter how stubborn peoples’ minds are, they can never permanently block the path of the right concept and reject it, although they try to avoid it in case it affects them.

Therefore the stage of interaction started, incorporating as it did the struggle between the two thoughts, between the Muslims and the disbelievers. It proceeded from the time that the Messenger of Allah (saw) emerged with his group of companions, in a manner never before witnessed by the Arabs, and together they circumumbulated the Ka’bah declaring the Message. From that time on, the Messenger of Allah (saw) invited for Islam in Makkah publicly, conspicuously and challengingly.

Qur’anic verses, calling to the Oneness of Allah (swt), were revealed to the Messenger of Allah (saw), as were the verses deploring disbelief and idol-worship, and the verses attacking the way people blindly followed their forefathers. These verses were revealed to abhor the corrupt dealings within society, they attacked riba, corruption and cheating in measuring and weighing. In order to address the people, the Messenger of Allah (saw) talked to them about Islam in groups. He started by gathering together his family and nearest relations, inviting them for meals. Then he invited them to Islam and asked them to support him, but they rejected him. He gathered the Makkans at al-Safa and talked to them, but this enraged the leaders of Quraysh, especially Abu Lahab, thus the rift deepened between Allah’s Messenger (saw) and Quraysh and between him and the other Arabs. Thus, the call added public culturing to the concentrated culturing in circles held in the houses, in the valleys and in the house of al-Arqam.

The call moved from the covert stage of inviting to Islam only those who had the willingness to accept it, to inviting all people. The collective call and culturing had a notable effect on Quraysh, for it unleashed from their quarters a great deal of hatred which mounted, as the threat of the call grew steadily. Quraysh began taking serious measures to counter and resist the da‘wah after realising that it could no longer ignore Muhammad (saw) and his Message. Thus the hostilities intensified against Allah’s Messenger (saw) and his companions.

The collective efforts of the group, however, had a massive effect. It created public opinion for the da‘wah and this helped it to spread rapidly through the whole of Makkah. Everyday that passed saw a growth in the number of Muslims, the poor, the deprived and the oppressed embraced Islam so did the nobles and leaders, and the rich traders whose trading did not distract them from reflecting on what the Messenger of Allah (saw) was calling for. Those who embraced Islam were the ones whose minds and hearts understood purity, wisdom and truth, and those who raised themselves above stubbornness and the unyielding nature of humans, who dislike radical changes in their lives; they embraced Islam the moment they realised its righteousness and the truthfulness of the one who conveyed the Message. Islam spread in Makkah therein, and men and women embraced it. The collective da‘wah played a major role in taking the Message to a wider audience despite the trials and suffering that the Muslims had to endure in the process. The success of the da‘wah enraged the leaders of Quraysh still further, it was like a fire burning through their hearts. The Messenger of Allah (saw) waged an unrelenting and fierce ideological war against injustice, harshness and the slavery that dominated Makkah, and he mocked, attacked and exposed their ill-fated concepts and practices.

This marked the start of one of the severest stages, and one of the most violent phases between the Messenger of Allah (saw) and his companions on one side and the disbelievers of Quraysh on the other. Although the intermediate phase between the stage of culturing and the stage of interaction is considered to be the most delicate and sensitive, because it requires a great deal of wisdom, patience and precision, but the phase of interaction is actually the hardest because it requires frankness and defiance without giving any account to the results or the conditions. This is so because the disbelievers would be forced to come between the Muslims, their deen and their Iman, and their endurance would be severely tested.

The Messenger of Allah (saw) and his companions passed through that phase enduring the kind of oppression, torture, persecution and aggression that would weigh down the highest mountain.

Some of them emigrated to Abyssinia, some of them perished under torture and some of them survived the most atrocious types of aggression; they pursued their struggle for a long enough spell to affect the Makkan society with the light of Islam and to dissipate the darkness, under disbelief, that it had been plunged into. Despite the fact that the Messenger of Allah (saw) spent three years in the House of al-Arqam, having completed the first stage of the da‘wah (that of secret gathering and culturing), he had to struggle against disbelief, even though he had clearly demonstrated his Prophethood through many miracles, for another eight years, without Quraysh once giving any respite from torturing the Muslims, nor showing any signs of appeasing their fight against Islam. As a result of the interaction between the Muslims and Quraysh, the fame of the da‘wah spread throughout the Peninsula and became a subject on everyone’s lips; this the pilgrims did by spreading the news of the call amongst the Arab tribes. However, those Arabs remained mainly spectators and never moved one step towards Iman, their main concern was not to upset Quraysh. They avoided the Messenger of Allah (saw) in order not to clash with Quraysh. This inspired the Messenger of Allah (saw) to move on to the third phase of the da‘wah. Thus, having realised that Quraysh were as stubborn as ever and knowing that Islam had to prevail, Allah’s Messenger (saw) and his companions were no longer able to tolerate the status quo in Makkah and they moved to change the balance of power.

However, the signs in Makkah were not encouraging. Makkan society was still as hard and as rigid as ever and this ensured that the implementation of Islam there remained a remote possibility. Additionally, the increasing hostilities against the Muslims prevented them from fully devoting themselves to the call and the people’s rejection compounded the situation by rubbing salt into their wounds, only adding to their trials and tribulations.

The Expansion Of The Call

The hostilities of Quraysh towards the Messenger of Allah (saw) and his companions reached saturation point after Thaqif of Ta’if unceremoniously chased him away, and when the tribes of Kinda, Kalb, Banu ‘Aamir and Banu Hanifah rejected his call to them during the hajj season. Quraysh managed to increase his (saw) isolation further, after these set-backs,separating him and his party from any outside support. He (saw) and his companions,however, remained steadfast in their belief in Allah (swt) and never doubted His (swt) promise of victory to them and to Islam. The Messenger of Allah (saw) continued inviting people to Islam whenever possible and he approached the tribes and offered himself to them, not worrying in the slightest about the consequences. Some of the louts from Quraysh attempted to provoke him and hurt him, but he (saw) never let this affect him or his hope of a brighter future. Allah (swt) sent him with the Message of Islam and he never doubted that Allah (swt) would help and protect him and secure the deen. He (saw) waited for Allah’s relief, while being very pained about the state of the da‘wah. Fortunately, the Messenger of Allah (saw) did not have long to wait, for the signs of victory soon came from Yathrib (Madinah) in the shape of a group from al-Khazraj who had come to Makkah during the hajj season where the Messenger of Allah (saw) met them for the first time and invited them to Islam. They looked to each other and said, “By Allah this is the very Prophet of whom the Jews warned us. Do not let them get to him before us.” Thereupon they accepted his teaching and embraced Islam. They said to him, “We have left our people (al-Aus and al-Khazraj), for no tribes are so divided by hatred and rancour as they. Perhaps Allah will unite them through you, if so, then no man will be mightier then you.” When they returned to Madinah “

The First Pledge Of Al-’Aqabah

In the following year, twelve people from Madinah attended the hajj and met with the Messenger of Allah (saw) at al-‘Aqabah where they gave him the first pledge of al-’Aqabah. They pledged to associate none with Allah, that they should not steal, neither commit fornication, nor kill their offspring, and that they should not slander their neighbour, nor disobey the Messenger of Allah (saw) in what was right. If they fulfilled this, jannah would be theirs, but if they committed any of those sins, it was for Allah (swt) to punish or forgive as He pleased. Once they had delivered their pledge and the hajj season was over they returned to Madinah.

Source: The Islamic State Book – Hizb ut-Tahrir

Before becoming head of the church, the then cardinal Joseph Ratzinger enforced church doctrinal orthodoxy, including a “secret Vatican decree which seemed to shelter the perpetrators and silence the victims of abuse”, the Panorama programme said.

This was the 1962 document Crimen Sollicitationis, which told top churchmen how to deal with priests who “solicit or provoke the penitent toward impure and obscene matters”, according to a translation from Latin on the BBC website.

It imposed an oath of secrecy on victims, witnesses and those probing abuse claims and said that anyone breaking this would be excommunicated, the BBC said.

Father Tom Doyle, a canon solicitor reportedly sacked by the Vatican after criticising its handling of child abuse claims, told the BBC that Crimen was “an explicit written policy to cover up cases of child sexual abuse by the clergy, to punish those who would call attention to these crimes by the churchmen.”

But the programme’s claims have provoked a furious response from the Catholic Church in Britain.

The Archbishop of Birmingham, in central England, the Most Reverend Vincent Nichols, told Britain’s Press Association news agency that it used Vatican documents “quite misleadingly in order to connect the horrors of child abuse to the person of the pope.”

Speaking on behalf of bishops in England and Wales, he accused the BBC of “a deeply prejudiced attack on a revered world religious leader”.

And he added that the Catholic Church in England and Wales was working to protect children with transparency and care.

Ratzinger clarified church law on the issue in 2001 and Panorama reported that he had ordered that the Vatican must have “exclusive competence” for child abuse cases.

“It’s all controlled by the Vatican and at the top of the Vatican is the pope so Joseph Ratzinger was in the middle of this for most of the years that Crimen was enforced,” Doyle added.

The pope could “tomorrow” order that the church take strong action against those accused of child sex scandals and co-operate with legal proceedings.

The Catholic Church told the Press Association that the second, 2001 document does not hinder investigations of child abuse allegations and that Crimen is not directly linked to child abuse but deals with the misuse of the confessional.

Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor, the Archbishop of Westminster, central London, and spiritual leader of Catholics in England and Wales, has written to Mark Thompson, the BBC’s director-general, to protest about the programme.

The BBC said it was standing by it and would respond to the letter when they received it.

The programme was presented by Colm O’Gorman, who was abused by a priest as a boy and is now director of One In Four, an Irish charity which supports people who have been sexually abused.

“What gets me is it’s the same story every time and every place.

“Bishops appoint priests that they know have abused children in the past to new parishes and new communities and more abuse happens,” he said on the programme.

The show also claimed to have found seven priests facing child abuse investigations living in and around Vatican City.

Panorama told its viewers that the Vatican had failed to respond to requests for interview.

Source: AFP

Dr Nazreen Nawaz, the women’s media representative of Hizb ut-Tahrir Britain, said, “The Muslim community does not need lessons in dress from Jack Straw, any more than it needs lessons in parenting from John Reid. Many Muslim women wear the veil and take an active part in the affairs of their community – whether through their contribution to working life or their involvement in exposing the interventionist policies of the government in the Muslim world.”

Tags: Islam

“In commenting on ‘separation’ and ‘community relations’ Jack Straw once again fails to mention the huge issue of the government’s illegal war and continuing occupation in Iraq for which he was a cheerleader. He talks of the impact of the veil on community relations, yet fails to mention the strain that foreign policy places upon community relations. He has once again shown that for Cabinet ministers it is open season on Muslims and Islam.”

“Given the cultural sensitivity shown by Ministers such as Straw there can be little surprise at what has become of the campaign to win ‘hearts and minds’ in Iraq – Abu Ghraib, Haditha and Fallujah speak for themselves.”

CONTACT:

Hizb ut-Tahrir Britain
Email: press@hizb.org.uk
Web: www.hizb.org.uk/pressnew
Phone: 07074-192400

DI kala bulan Ramadan, ada satu pertanyaan penting, apa yang sesungguhnya Anda dapatkan dari melakukan puasa sekian kali? Jawabnya tentu berpulang kepada bagaimana kita memaknai puasa Ramadan itu sendiri. Bila puasa dimaknai sekadar tidak makan dan minum serta tidak melakukan hal yang membatalkan puasa, maka tentu hanya itu pula yang bakal didapat.

Tags: Indonesia, Islam, Ramadhan

Bahwa puasa pada kenyataannya secara fiqih memang merupakan ibadah yang sepenuhnya fisikal, artinya dilakukan dalam bentuk tidak mengonsumsi makanan dan minuman serta tidak melakukan hal yang membatalkan puasa di siang hari Ramadhan, itu benar.

Akan tetapi, Nabi Muhammad saw sendiri bersabda, “Bukanlah puasa dari sekadar menahan makan dan minum, tapi puasa yang sesungguhnya adalah menahan dari laghwu dan rafats” (H.R. Ibn Khuzaimah).

Hadis tersebut menunjukkan ada makna yang lebih dalam dari sekadar menahan lapar dan dahaga. Puasa sesungguhnya melatih kita untuk menumbuhkan kemauan untuk berbuat yang terbaik.

Dalam konteks ini, berdasarkan pengamatan menunjukkan bahwa kemampuan dan kreativitas, serta karakter merupakan penyumbang unsur terbesar dalam sukses seseorang. Di antara karakter terpenting dari pribadi sukses itu adalah adanya kemauan keras untuk berbuat sesuatu.

Misalnya, Tirto Utomo, bos perusahaan minuman air mineral, berjuang tak kenal menyerah selama 5 tahun untuk mengenalkan produk air dalam kemasan. Ketika ia membuat produk itu, banyak pengusaha menertawakan, bagaimana mungkin jualan air bisa laku dan menjadi bisnis besar.

Akan tetapi, dengan kemauan yang kuat, terbukti setelah lima tahun angka penjualannya melesat dan sekarang tak seorang pun di negeri ini yang tak mengenalnya. Dan yang luar biasa, orang mau saja membeli air mineral meski harga seliternya lebih mahal dari bensin.

Begitu juga dengan Thomas Alpha Edison sang penemu lampu pijar. Andai ia tidak gigih untuk terus melakukan percobaan, mungkin dunia tidak akan seterang sekarang ini di malam hari. Setelah lebih dari 1000 macam bahan, akhirnya ia mendapatkan material yang cocok untuk lampu pijarnya.

Ini jelas, banyak sekali peristiwa besar dunia di sepanjang lintasan sejarah, dan itu hanya mungkin lahir dari kemauan yang besar. Bila Edison, Tirto Utomo dan lain-lain dengan kemauan kuat yang didorong oleh semangat material saja bisa mencetak kemajuan dan sukses besar, apalagi seorang Muslim yang dorongannya bukan hanya bersifat material melainkan juga nonmaterial (ibadah dan rida Allah). Mestinya lebih besar lagi.

Fakta di masa lalu menunjukkan hal itu. Islam juga tidak akan pernah meraih kejayaan selama lebih dari 700 tahun yang oleh para sejarawan disebut sebagai the golden age bila Rasulullah Muhammad saw dan para sahabat serta pejuang sesudahnya tidak memiliki tekad dan kemauan membaja untuk berjuang menyebarkan risalah Islam.

Bahkan banyak peristiwa besar memang terjadi dalam bulan Ramadan. Perang Badar terjadi dalam bulan Ramadan, penaklukan Mekah atau Fathu Makkah juga terjadi pada bulan Ramadan. Dan yang sangat monumental, yaitu penaklukkan Andalusia juga terjadi di bulan Ramadan. Sementara, Konstantinopel–ibukota Romawi Timur– akhirnya berhasil ditaklukkan pada tahun 1453, setelah upaya tak kenal lelah yang didorong oleh kemauan untuk menyebarkan risalah Islam ke seluruh penjuru dunia selama lebih dari 700 tahun.

Karenanya, jelas sekali bila dihayati dengan sungguh-sungguh, puasa Ramadan semestinya akan memberikan efek luar biasa kepada seorang Muslim dan umat Islam secara keseluruhan, yaitu berupa kemauan untuk maju yang didorong oleh semangat material dan nonmaterial. Tapi bila tidak, ya memang cuma bersisa lapar dan dahaga saja.

Wallahu’allam bi al-shawab
Penulis, juru bicara Hizbut Tahrir Indonesia.

[Pikiran rakyat, 1 Oktober 2006]

Tags: Islam

People in Makkah were aware of this new call and of those who believed in it, but they never knew where they met nor who they were. That is why when the Messenger of Allah (saw) proclaimed his new belief, it did not come as a surprise. What surprised Makkah was the emergence of the new group of Muslims. The Muslims had gained a great deal of strength when Hamzah ibn ‘Abd al-Muttalib embraced Islam, followed by ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab three days later. Then came the revelation of Allah (swt),

“Therefore expound openly what you are commanded and turn away from those who join false gods with Allah. For sufficient are We unto you against those who scoff. Those who adopt, with Allah another god: but soon will they come to know.” [TMQ 15:94-96]

Allah’s Messenger (saw) duly obeyed Allah’s command and revealed his group to the whole of Makkah; he went out with his Companions in two lines, one led by ‘Umar the other and Hamzah. The Sahabah walked in an order that Quraysh had never witnessed before. He (saw) then circumambulated the Ka’bah with them.

This is the stage when Allah’s Messenger (saw) moved with his companions from the secret phase to the open one, from calling and addressing and inviting those whom he felt were ready to answer his call, to addressing all people. The da‘wah then took a new turn, the clash between Iman and Kufr in society began, the interaction between the right concepts and the rotten ones began, setting off therefore the second phase of the da‘wah, i.e. the phase of interaction and struggle.

The disbelievers began resisting and fighting the da‘wah, inflicting in the process all kinds of harm and injury on the Messenger of Allah (saw) and his companions. This phase was one of the most severe of all; the house of Allah’s Messenger (saw) was stoned and Umm Jamil, wife of Abu Lahab, used to throw impurities outside his home. He (saw) just ignored or removed them in turn. Abu Jahl once threw a ewe’s uterus, slaughtered as a sacrifice to the idols, at Allah’s Messenger (saw). He (saw) bore it all, he would go to his daughter Fatima to clean him and to restore his purity. This only strengthened Allah’s Messenger’s (saw) resolve and made him invite to Islam even harder. Muslims were threatened and hurt, every tribe took it upon itself to torture and persecute its Muslim tribesmen. One of those tribes left their slave Bilal to die on the burning sand with a heavy rock upon his chest simply because he insisted on Islam. Bilal defiantly uttered the words ‘Ahad! Ahad!’ (the One the One) and endured all the suffering for the sake of his Lord. One woman died after being subjected to torture, simply because she would not renounce her new belief and return to the faith of her forefathers.

The Muslims endured the suffering, the torture, the humiliation and deprivation with only one aim in mind, seeking to please Allah (swt).

Hostility Against The Call

When Allah’s Messenger (saw) was sent with Islam, people talked about him and his Message. Quraysh, however, talked the least, because they ignored him at first thinking that his call would be no more than the talk of priests and wise men and that people would eventually return to the faith of their fathers and ancestors.

This is why they did not bother nor interfere with him. Whenever he passed by them they would say, “Here is the son of ‘Abd al-Muttalib who is spoken to from the heavens.” After a short spell however, they realised the threat of his campaign and decided to fight him. At first they simply resorted to degrading and ridiculing his claims to prophecy. Then they began to challenge him by asking him to perform miracles to prove his Message. They would say:

Why does Muhammad not transform al-Safa and al-Marwa into gold? Why does the book revealed to him not descend from the sky written? Why does Jibreel, whom Muhammad keeps talking about, not appear to them? Why does he not bring life to the dead? Why does he not remove the mountains which surround Makkah? Why does he not dig a source of fresh water from Zamzam, knowing that his people badly need water? Why does his Allah not forecast the future prices of goods so that they can bid for them?

The smear campaign against Allah’s Messenger (saw) went on for some time. Quraysh lashed out insults, abuse and sarcasm, but he (saw) never waned nor deviated from his path and went on inviting people to Islam, ridiculing their idols and demonstrating the idiocy and shallow mindedness of people who worshipped them and built their hopes on them.

This became far too much for Quraysh to bear, thus they resorted to any means necessary to induce him (saw) to renounce his Message, all this was to no avail. Three of the major methods which Quraysh used to fight the da‘wah were:

1. Torture
2. Internal and external propaganda
3. Boycott

Torture befell the Messenger of Allah (saw), despite his family’s protection, and his followers. Quraysh resorted to all types of torture and they became experts at it. The family of Aal-Yasir were all subjected to horrific torture in order to make them abandon their deen, but this only made them more determined and steadfast. Allah’s Messenger (saw) passed by them while they were being tortured and said to them, “Hold on Aal-Yasir! Your reward is jannah. Your destiny is with Allah.” Upon this Sumayyah, wife of Yasir said, “I can see it, O Messenger of Allah.”

The torture of Allah’s Messenger (saw) and his companions went on unabated for a spell until Quraysh realised that it was all in vain, so they resorted to another method in order to fight the da‘wah, which consisted of libel and propaganda against Islam and the Muslims in Makkah as well as outside in Abyssinia. This method was used in all its types and forms, ranging from arguments, debates, mockery and a smear campaign. Libel was used against the Islamic ‘aqeedah itself, and directly against the Messenger of Allah (saw). Quraysh lied about him and accused him falsely. They planned and schemed many ways to discredit him. Quraysh carefully prepared how best they could discredit Islam especially in the hajj season;going so far as to liaise with al-Walid ibn al-Mughirah in order to discuss with him ways to libel the Messenger of Allah (saw). They were concerned about what they should tell the Arabs coming to Makkah for hajj. Some suggested that they should announce that he was a kahin (soothsayer). Al-Walid rejected this by pointing out that Muhammad (saw) was devoid of the unintelligent murmuring and rhymed speech of the kahin. Some claimed that he was a poet, yet they knew poetry in all its forms and metres and so rejected this claim too. Others suggested that he was possessed. Al-Walid also rejected this for Muhammad’s behavior was not that of a possessed man. Still others started accusing him of sorcery, al-Walid rejected this idea saying that Muhammad (saw) did not practice the secret arts performed by sorcerers, such as the well known ritual of blowing on knots.

After lengthy debate, Quraysh agreed to accuse him of being a sorcerer possessing the sihr albayan (magic of words). Afterwards, they dispersed among the congregations of pilgrims warning the Arabs against listening to Muhammad (saw) and depicting him to be a magician of speech. They said that his message separated a man from his brother, or from his father, or from his wife, or from his family. However, this propaganda did not work, and the Message of Islam continued to reach people. Quraysh then approached al-Nadr ibn al-Harith and assigned to him the task of campaigning against the Messenger of Allah (saw). Whenever he (saw) held a meeting to which people were invited, reminding them of Allah and His admonishment of bygone generations, al-Nadr ibn al-Harith arose and narrated stories about the kings of Persia and their religion. He proclaimed, “In what respect is Muhammad a better story-teller than I? Does he not expound tales of the past the same as I do?” Quraysh spread such stories and gossip widely. They told people that what Muhammad (saw) was saying was not from Allah but was instead taught to him by a Christian youth called Jabr. This rumour took deep root among the people until Allah (swt) replied by revealing the following verse,

“We know indeed that they say: It is a man that teaches him. The tongue of him they wickedly point to is notably foreign, while this is Arabic, pure and clear.” [TMQ 16:103]

The libel against Islam and the persecution of the Muslims continued in the Arabian Peninsula. When Quraysh heard that some Muslims, being afraid of forced apostasy, had emigrated to Abyssinia they sent two determined envoys after them to discredit the Muslims in the hope that the Negus would expel them from his kingdom and have them sent back. The two envoys were ‘Amr ibn al-’As ibn Wa’il and ‘Abdullah ibn Rabi’ah. They reached Abyssinia and offered presents to the generals of the Negus to help them convince the Negus to extradite the Muslim refugees. They said to them, “Some foolish fellows from our people have taken refuge in the King’s country, they have forsaken our deen and not accepted yours, but have brought into being an invented deen which neither we nor you know anything about. Our nobles have sent us to you to return them. So surrender them to us, for their own people have the keenest insight and know most about their faults.” They also stipulated that the King should not speak to the Muslims, fearing what they might say to him. The generals met with the Negus and recommended that he surrender the Muslims to their own people. The Negus summoned the Muslims and demanded to hear what they had to say for themselves. When they came he asked them, “What is this deen for which you have forsaken your people without entering into my deen or any other?” Ja’far ibn Abi Talib answered him by explaining their ignorance before Islam and comparing it to their new position under its guidance. He said, “Thereupon our people attacked us. So when they got the better of us, they treated us unjustly and came between us and our deen, we came to your country, having chosen you above all others, but we hope that we shall not be treated unjustly while we are with you.” The Negus said to Ja’far, “Do you have with you anything from what your Messenger brought from Allah to read to me?” Ja’far said, “Yes,” and recited surah Maryam from the beginning until where Allah (swt) says,

“But she pointed to the baby. They said, How can we talk to one who is a child in the cradle? He said, I am indeed a servant of Allah, He has given me revelation and made me a Prophet. And He has made me blessed where ever I be, and has commanded on me prayer and almsgiving as long as I live. (He) has made me kind to my mother and not overbearing or miserable. Peace on me on the day I was born, and the day I die, and the day I shall be raised alive.” [TMQ 19:29-33]

When the patriarchs heard this they said, “This and what our Lord ‘Isa (Jesus) the Messiah brought are from the same source.” The Negus said, “Of a truth, this and what Musa brought have come from the same niche. You two may go, for by Allah, I will never give them up and they shall not be betrayed.” The two envoys left the royal Palace and began to think of another way to fulfill their task. The next day ‘Amr ibn al-’As went back to the Negus and said to him, “The Muslims say dreadful things about ‘Isa, son of Maryam, send for them and ask them about it.” He did so and Ja’far replied, “We say about him that which our Prophet brought, saying, he is the slave of Allah and His Messenger, and His spirit, and His word, which He cast into Maryam the blessed virgin.” The Negus took a stick from the ground, drew a line in the soil with it and said to Ja’far, “There is nothing more than this line between your deen and ours”, and he discharged the two envoys empty-handed.

Ultimately, all the ways and means of propaganda pronounced against the Islamic da‘wah failed. The sheer force of truth reflected in what the Messenger of Allah (saw) was calling for, defeated all rumours, lies and propaganda, and the light of Islam dissipated all attempts at discrediting it. Therefore, Quraysh resorted to a third method, which was the boycott. They agreed to completely isolate the Messenger of Allah (saw) and his family and they drew up a document in which they decided not to deal with Banu Hashim and Banu ‘Abd al-Muttalib, neither to marry their women nor give their own women to them in marriage, neither buy anything from them nor sell anything to them. When they had agreed on these conditions they wrote them in a deed and hung it inside the Ka’bah to remind them of their obligations. They anticipated that this policy of sanctions would bring the desired effect and that it would be more efficient than either propaganda or torture.

The boycott continued for two to three years, all the while Quraysh were hoping that Banu Hashim and Banu ‘Abd al-Muttalib would abandon Muhammad (saw), that the Muslims would renounce their faith, and that eventually Muhammad (saw) would be left all alone at their mercy. They hoped the sanctions would either lead to Muhammad (saw) abandoning his call for Islam, or to the threat that his call posed to Quraysh and their deen disappearing. However, this technique only strengthened the Messenger of Allah’s resolve and made his companions more determined and steadfast in pursuing the da‘wah. The boycott failed to put a halt to the spread of the Message of Islam within Makkah and outside. News of the boycott reached the Arabs outside Makkah and the fame of the call spread among the tribes; Islam was a subject of discussion all over the Arabian Peninsula. However, the boycott and starvation went on relentlessly and the document which Quraysh drew up remained enforced. The Messenger’s family and companions suffered hunger and deprivation and subsisted on meagre provisions which they obtained from sympathisers. Their only respite was during the sacred months, when the Messenger of Allah (saw) used to go to the Ka’bah and invite people to the deen of Allah, telling them of His rewards and warning them about His punishment, then afterwards he had to return to the mountain valley. This earned Allah’s Messenger (saw), his family and his companions the sympathy of the Arabs, some of whom responded to the call and embraced Islam, while others sent food and drink to them secretly. Hisham ibn ‘Amr was known to have brought camels laden with food at night and on reaching the mouth of the valley he would release the animal, give it a slap on its side, and send it into the valley to where the Muslims were. They would take the food, slaughter the camel and eat it.

The Muslims were to endure the boycott for about three years, during which time life became extremely harsh, until Allah (swt) sent His relief and finally broke the siege. Five young men from Quraysh, Zuhayr ibn Abi Umayyah, Hisham ibn ‘Amr, al-Mut’im ibn ‘Adi, Abu al- Bakhtari ibn Hisham and Zama’ah ibn al-Aswad gathered together. They talked about the document and its sanctions and they, like many of the Quraysh at that time, expressed their resentment of it. At length they agreed to resolve the whole issue of the unjust boycott by securing its annulment. The next day, they went to the Ka’bah and Zuhayr went around it seven times. Addressing the crowd who were present, he said, “O people of Makkah, are we to eat and clothe ourselves whilst Banu Hashim perish, unable to buy or sell? By Allah I will not rest until this evil boycotting document is torn up.” Abu Jahl, who was nearby, exclaimed, “You lie, by Allah it shall not be torn up.” At this point the other four Zama’ah, Abu al- Bakhtari, al-Mut’im and Hisham, who had dispersed among the crowd, shouted back in support of Zuhayr. Abu Jahl realised that it was a matter which had been decided beforehand, so he feared the worst and backed off. When al-Mut’im went to tear up the document he discovered that white ants had already eaten it except for the words ‘In your name, O Allah’.

The Messenger of Allah (saw) and his companions then proceeded to return to Makkah and the embargo was finally lifted. Thereafter, Allah’s Messenger (saw) continued to pursue his call and the number of Muslims continued to grow steadily, marking therefore the failure of all the methods Quraysh employed in their attempt to oppress the message of Islam, to come between the Muslims and their deen and to make Allah’s Messenger (saw) renounce his da‘wah which, with Allah’s help, became widespread despite all the obstacles and hardships.

The Interaction Of The Call

The impact that the Islamic call had on Quraysh was only natural, for the Messenger of Allah (saw) took up the struggle and revealed his group to Quraysh in a conspicuous and challenging manner. It left them with no room to doubt its implications for them. In addition, the call itself included the struggle against Quraysh and the Makkan society; for it was calling to the Oneness of Allah, to worship Him alone, to abandon the worship of idols and to renounce the rotten system they were living by. Therefore the call collided head on with Quraysh, and this was inevitable since the Messenger of Allah (saw) was ridiculing their aspirations, cursing their gods, mocking their way of life and deploring their tyrannical practices.

Whenever a verse was revealed to him (saw), he would attack Quraysh with it openly. He would recite Allah’s words, “Verily you (disbelievers) and the (false) gods that you worship besides Allah, are (but) fuel for Hell!” [TMQ 21:98]

He (saw) strongly attacked riba when Allah (swt) revealed the following,

“That which you lay out for increase through the property of (other) people, will have no increase with Allah.” [TMQ 30:39]

Allah’s Messenger threatened and warned all by consistently reciting Allah’s verses,

“Woe to those that deal in fraud. Those who, when they have to receive by measure, from men, exact full measure. But when they have to measure or weigh to men, give less than due.” [TMQ 83:1-3]

Quraysh, therefore, confronted him and began fighting him and his companions. This they endeavoured to do by means of torture, sanctions and propaganda against him personally and against his deen. In return he (saw) carried the offensive to them, pursuing his struggle against their erroneous notions and demolishing their corrupt beliefs in order to spread the Message of Islam according to the way decreed by Allah (swt). He (saw) invited people to Islam openly, without any secrecy, prevaricating, pliancy, abating or adulation, despite all the various types of grievances that Quraysh inflicted upon him, and despite being a defenceless figure with no real help, no ally, no material means and no weapons. He (saw) came conspicuously and challengingly, inviting to the deen of Allah with great resolve and faith, ignoring all the hardships, not allowing weakness to get the better of him, ready to endure the colossal burdens for the sake of the Message. This enabled him to surmount all the obstacles that Quraysh put in his way, which were designed to come between him and the people. The Messenger of Allah (saw) succeeded in reaching the people and in conveying the Message to them; in turn they embraced Islam because the truth and the force of reason defeated the falsehood. The light of Islam began shining between the Arabs, many idol-worshippers embraced Islam, so did many Christians, even the leaders of Quraysh began listening to the Qur’an with yearning hearts.

Al-Tufayl ibn ‘Amr al-Dausi came to Makkah when Allah’s Messenger (saw) was there. He was an important nobleman, very intelligent and a poet of some understanding. Quraysh approached him immediately and warned him that this fellow Muhammad (saw) had done them much harm, that he was a sorcerer and that his talk separated men from their families. They exclaimed that they feared he might have the same effect on him and advised him not to speak to Muhammad (saw) or listen to a word he said. Al-Tufayl went one day to the Ka’bah and it happened that Allah’s Messenger (saw) was there, he listened to some of his speech and found it beautiful, so he said to himself, “By Allah! Here am I, an intelligent man, a poet, knowing perfectly well the difference between good and evil, so what is to prevent me from listening to what this man is saying? If it is good I shall accept it and if it is bad I shall reject it.” He followed the Messenger of Allah (saw) to his house and told him about himself and what was on his mind. So Allah’s Messenger (saw) invited him to Islam and recited to him the Qur’an, in reply he became a Muslim and declared it was the truth. Then he went back to his people and proceeded to call them to Islam.

While the Messenger of Allah (saw) was in Makkah, some twenty Christians journeyed to meet him after receiving news about him from afar. They sat and listened to him and accepted and believed in him and declared his truth. This enraged Quraysh and they later intercepted them as they were leaving Makkah and hurled insults at them saying, “May Allah fail you! What a wretched band you are. Your people at home sent you to bring them information about this man, and as soon as you sat with him, you renounced your religion and believed in what he said.” This, however, did not affect them, nor did it affect their belief in Islam, rather it strengthened all the more their belief in Allah (swt). The fame of the Messenger of Allah (saw) increased, as did people’s yearning to listen to the Qur’an. It reached a point whereby his harshest opponents from Quraysh began wondering whether what he (saw) was calling for was really true. This led them to listen to the Qur’an in secret.

Abu Sufyan ibn Harb, Abu Jahl ‘Amr ibn Hisham and al-Akhnas ibn Shurayq, unknown to one another, went out one night to listen to the Messenger of Allah (saw) as he was praying in his house. Each of them were disguised and each chose a place to sit where he could listen; none knew where the other was. Allah’s Messenger (saw) regularly stayed up most of the night reciting the Qur’an. They passed this particular night listening attentively to him, their imagination was captured and their hearts affected, until dawn arose when they all quickly dispersed. On the way home they met accidentally, reproaching one another, each one said to the other, “Don’t do it again, for if one of the light-minded fools sees you, it would compromise and weaken your standing, and it would tip the scales in Muhammad’s favour.” On the second night, each of them felt his legs taking him to the same spot where he had spent the previous night. The three listened once again to Allah’s Messenger (saw) reciting the Book of Allah and, as before, they met at dawn and reproached each other, yet this did not prevent them from attending for a third night. When they realised their weakness towards Muhammad’s Message, they took a solemn oath never to return. Nevertheless this incident resulted in an exchange of views concerning what they had heard over the three nights; they were agitated because their actions manifested signs of weakness which none of them, as leader of his tribe, could afford. This, they acknowledged, could be construed as playing into the hands of Muhammad (saw) and it might encourage the people to accept his Message.

Despite all the obstacles that Quraysh laid down, the call succeeded in reaching the whole of Makkah, and Quraysh became panic stricken fearing the worst, i.e. the spreading of Islam among the Arab tribes. Quraysh therefore intensified the hostilities against Allah’s Messenger (saw) and his companions. The situation eventually became almost unbearable and Allah’s Messenger (saw) went to the city of Ta’if seeking the nussrah (support) and protection of Thaqif in the hope that they might embrace Islam. He approached them on his own, but they spoke to him harshly and treated him very badly. They stirred up their louts and slaves who hurled insults and stones at him until the whole of his body including his feet bled. He (saw) managed to take refuge in an orchard belonging to Shabeeb and Shayba, sons of Rabi’ah. There he sat thinking about his situation and about the call. He knew that he could not enter Makkah without one of the leaders’ protection, neither could he go back to Ta’if after the way he had been treated there, and he could not stay in the orchard for it belonged to two disbelievers. He (saw) felt very distressed and lifted his arms to the sky lamenting to Allah.

Painfully and with immense confidence in Allah (swt), he said, “O Allah! To You I complain of my weakness, little resource, and lowliness before man. O Most Merciful! You are the Lord of the weak, and You are my Lord. To whom would You confide me? To one afar who will misuse me or to an enemy to whom You have given dominance over me? If You are not angry with me I do not care. Your favour of well-being on me is sufficient for me. I take refuge in the light of Your countenance by which the darkness is illuminated, and the things of this world and the next are rightly ordered, lest Your anger descend upon me or Your wrath not light upon me but come down on me. It is for You to be satisfied until You are well pleased. There is no power and no might except in You.” Whereupon he returned to Makkah under the protection of al-Mut’im ibn ‘Adiy. Quraysh soon learnt what had happened to the Messenger of Allah (saw) in Ta’if, and this only made them intensify their hostilities and ill treatment of the Messenger (saw) and they prohibited people from listening to him. The Makkans deserted him and refrained from listening to his preaching. However, he (saw) was never disheartened, he went on calling to the deen of Allah by offering himself to the tribes during the festive seasons, inviting them to Islam, telling them that he was a Prophet sent by Allah and asking them to believe in him. But Abu Lahab, his hateful uncle, never left his sight. He followed him everywhere telling people not to listen to him, so the people ignored him and paid him no attention.

The Messenger of Allah (saw) then resorted to visiting the tribes in their encampments, offering himself to them. He visited the tribes of Kinda, Kalb, Banu Hanifah and Banu ‘Aamir ibn Sa’sa’ah. None of them actually responded to his call and they all bitterly opposed him, especially Banu Hanifah. As for Banu ‘Aamir, they wanted authority after him in return for giving him allegiance. He (saw) replied, “Authority is a matter which Allah places where He pleases.” Upon hearing this Banu ‘Aamir also declined to help.

Therefore Makkah rejected Islam, as did the people of Ta’if, and the tribes too rejected the Messenger of Allah’s call. Those tribes who came to Makkah to conduct business learnt of the situation of the Messenger of Allah (saw) and his isolation, and this only drove them further away from him, thus worsening his isolation. The call for Islam became much more difficult whilst the Makkan society showed signs of total rejection, disbelief and stubbornness. Expectations for the da‘wah in Makkah became very low.

Source: The Islamic State Book – Hizb ut-Tahrir

Tags: Islam

People in Makkah were aware of this new call and of those who believed in it, but they never knew where they met nor who they were. That is why when the Messenger of Allah (saw) proclaimed his new belief, it did not come as a surprise. What surprised Makkah was the emergence of the new group of Muslims. The Muslims had gained a great deal of strength when Hamzah ibn ‘Abd al-Muttalib embraced Islam, followed by ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab three days later. Then came the revelation of Allah (swt),

“Therefore expound openly what you are commanded and turn away from those who join false gods with Allah. For sufficient are We unto you against those who scoff. Those who adopt, with Allah another god: but soon will they come to know.” [TMQ 15:94-96]

Allah’s Messenger (saw) duly obeyed Allah’s command and revealed his group to the whole of Makkah; he went out with his Companions in two lines, one led by ‘Umar the other and Hamzah. The Sahabah walked in an order that Quraysh had never witnessed before. He (saw) then circumambulated the Ka’bah with them.

This is the stage when Allah’s Messenger (saw) moved with his companions from the secret phase to the open one, from calling and addressing and inviting those whom he felt were ready to answer his call, to addressing all people. The da‘wah then took a new turn, the clash between Iman and Kufr in society began, the interaction between the right concepts and the rotten ones began, setting off therefore the second phase of the da‘wah, i.e. the phase of interaction and struggle.

The disbelievers began resisting and fighting the da‘wah, inflicting in the process all kinds of harm and injury on the Messenger of Allah (saw) and his companions. This phase was one of the most severe of all; the house of Allah’s Messenger (saw) was stoned and Umm Jamil, wife of Abu Lahab, used to throw impurities outside his home. He (saw) just ignored or removed them in turn. Abu Jahl once threw a ewe’s uterus, slaughtered as a sacrifice to the idols, at Allah’s Messenger (saw). He (saw) bore it all, he would go to his daughter Fatima to clean him and to restore his purity. This only strengthened Allah’s Messenger’s (saw) resolve and made him invite to Islam even harder. Muslims were threatened and hurt, every tribe took it upon itself to torture and persecute its Muslim tribesmen. One of those tribes left their slave Bilal to die on the burning sand with a heavy rock upon his chest simply because he insisted on Islam. Bilal defiantly uttered the words ‘Ahad! Ahad!’ (the One the One) and endured all the suffering for the sake of his Lord. One woman died after being subjected to torture, simply because she would not renounce her new belief and return to the faith of her forefathers.

The Muslims endured the suffering, the torture, the humiliation and deprivation with only one aim in mind, seeking to please Allah (swt).

Source: The Islamic State Book – Hizb ut-Tahrir

Tags: Islam

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Estimates suggest around 50,000 people have died since the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003, mostly civilians but also 2,700 American soldiers.

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Soros argued that Bush’s with-us-or-against-us stance in the fight to combat terrorism has hampyā

When Abu Bakr embraced Islam, he in turn revealed his belief to the people he trusted and called towards Allah (swt) and His Messenger (saw). Abu Bakr was held in high esteem among his people, they enjoyed his company and always consulted him in many issues. He used his influence to persuade ‘Uthman ibn ‘Affan, together with Zubayr ibn al-’Awwam, ‘Abd al-Rahman ibn ‘Auf, Sa’d ibn Abi Waqqas and Talhah ibn ‘Ubaydullah to embrace Islam. He brought them to the Messenger of Allah (saw) where they all confirmed their belief and offered prayer.

Then, ‘Amir ibn al-Jarrah (known as Abu Ubaydah) embraced Islam, and so did ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Abd al-Asad (known as Abu Salamah) as well as al-Arqam ibn Abi al-Arqam, ‘Uthman ibn Maz’un and others. Scores of people then embraced Islam, until it became the talking point among the people of Quraysh.

The Messenger of Allah (saw) at the start of his call would visit people in their homes, telling them that they had been commanded by Allah (swt) to worship Him and to associate none with Him. He (saw) openly invited people to Islam in Makkah, thus abiding by Allah’s command,

“O you wrapped up (in a mantle) arise and deliver the warning.” [TMQ 74:1]

After this, the Messenger of Allah (saw) would contact people secretly to teach them Islam and gather them on the basis of the deen.

The Sahabah (companions) used to offer prayers in the hills on the outskirts of Makkah away from Quraysh. Every time someone embraced Islam, Allah’s Messenger (saw) would send him or her someone from those who had embraced Islam earlier to teach them the Qur’an. He (saw) sent Khabbab ibn al-Arrat to teach the Qur’an to Fatima bint al-Khattab and her husband Sa’id. ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab once surprised them whilst they held their circle, and he embraced Islam there and then. The Messenger of Allah (saw) realised that this was not enough though, so he set up the house of al-Arqam ibn Abi al-Arqam as the centre of his call, a place from which he taught Muslims the Qur’an and perfected their knowledge of Islam, encouraging them to recite the Qur’an and understand it. Every time someone embraced Islam, Allah’s Messenger (saw) would join him in the house of al-Arqam. He (saw) pursued this task for three years, teaching this group of Muslims, leading them in prayers, and performing tahajjud at night, motivating their souls, strengthening therefore their belief through prayer and recitation, helping them to improve their way of thinking and to reflect on the verses of the Qur’an and the creation of Allah (swt). He (saw) taught them how to endure all hardships by submitting to Allah (swt).

The Messenger of Allah (saw) remained together with his party of Muslims in the house of al-Arqam until Allah (swt) revealed his saying,

“Therefore, expound openly what you are commanded and turn away from those who join false gods with Allah.” [TMQ 15: 94]

The Structuring Of The Sahabah

At the beginning of his call, the Messenger of Allah (saw) invited to Islam people whom he felt had the readiness to accept it, regardless of their age, position, race, or origin. He (saw) never selected people, he invited people indiscriminately and then sensed their readiness to accept Islam. Scores of people believed and embraced Islam. He (saw) was anxious to educate all those who embraced Islam and perfect their knowledge of the deen, as well as teach them the Qur’an. These companions formed a group and they carried the message themselves. Their number grew to over forty men and women, they came from all walks of life, though they were mostly young men. There were among them the poor and the rich, the weak and the strong. This group of Muslims who believed in Allah’s Messenger (saw) and pursued the da‘wah were:

1. ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib (8 years old)
2. Zubayr ibn al-’Awwam (8 years old)
3. Talhah ibn ‘Ubaydullah (11 years old)
4. Al-Arqam ibn Abi al-Arqam (12 years old)
5. ‘Abdullah ibn Mas’ud (14 years old)
6. Sa’id ibn Zayd (under twenty)
7. Sa’d ibn Abi Waqqas (17 years old)
8. Sa’ud ibn Rabi’ah (17 years old)
9. Ja’far ibn Abi Talib (18 years old)
10. Suhayb al-Rumi (under twenty)
11. Zayd ibn Harithah (about twenty)
12. ‘Uthman ibn ‘Affan (about twenty)
13. Tulayb ibn ‘Umayr (about twenty)
14. Khabbab ibn al-Arrat (about twenty)
15. ‘Amir ibn Fuhayrah (23 years old)
16. Mus’ab ibn ‘Umayr (24 years old)
17. Al-Miqdad ibn al-Aswad (24 years old)
18. ‘Abdullah ibn Jahsh (25 years old)
19. ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab (26 years old)
20. Abu Ubaydah ibn al-Jarrah (27 years old)
21. ‘Utbah ibn Ghazwan (27 years old)
22. Abu Hudhayfah ibn ‘Utbah (30 years old)
23. Bilal ibn Rabah (about 30 years old)
24. ‘Ayyash ibn Rabi’ah (about 30 years old)
25. ‘Amir ibn Rabi’ah (about 30)
26. Na’im ibn ‘Abdullah (about 30)
27. ‘Uthman (30 years old)
28. ‘Abdullah (17 years old)
29. Qudamah (19 years old)
30. Al-Saib (about 20, all four being sons of Maz’un ibn Habib)
31. Abu Salamah ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Abd al-Asad al-Makhzumi (about 30)
32. ‘Abd al-Rahman ibn ‘Auf (about 30)
33. ‘Ammar ibn Yasir (between 30 and 40)
34. Abu Bakr al-Siddiq (37 years old)
35. Hamzah ibn ‘Abd al-Muttalib (42 years old)
36. ‘Ubaydah ibn al-Harith (50 years old)

A number of women also embraced Islam.

After three years, the Messenger of Allah (saw) was relieved and reassured when these Sahabah matured and developed an Islamic culture and when their hearts and minds became filled with nothing but Islamic concepts. He (saw) then became certain that they had acquired a deep understanding of Islam and that their personalities had reached great heights in terms of belief in Allah (swt); only then did his worries ease, for this group of Muslims became strong and capable enough to face society, so he (saw) came out leading his group to confront Quraysh when Allah (swt) ordered him to do so.

Source: The Islamic State Book – Hizb ut-Tahrir