Story Number 1:
The behavior of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) at the time of the revelation of Wahy (Divine Inspiration)
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Hazrat Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both), while explaining the verse لا تحرك به لسانك, said that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) used to feel some difficulty during the revelation of the Quran. Often, (to memorize the Quran at the time of the revelation of Wahy) he would move his lips. (That is, he would quickly memorize so as not to forget.) While narrating this hadith, Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) demonstrated to his student Saeed, and Saeed showed his student how the Prophet (peace be upon him) used to move his lips like this. Well! Allah Almighty revealed this verse: “Do not move your tongue hastily to recite the Quran, for We will arrange it in your heart and make it easy for you to recite.” When We recite it, then you listen to it silently with attention. After that, it is Our responsibility that you will be able to recite it.” Accordingly, (to emphasize this command) when Jibreel (Gabriel) came, the Prophet (peace be upon him) would listen to his words, and after he left, he would recite exactly as Jibreel had recited. (The essence of Ibn Abbas’s explanation is that “fataba’ qur’anahu” means to listen silently, “qur’anahu” means reading, and “bayanahu” refers to the recitation of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).)
Benefit:
From this hadith, a proper etiquette of reciting the Holy Quran is understood: when the Quran is being recited, it should be listened to silently, attentively, and with reflection. Generally, when listening to the recitation of the Holy Quran on cassette or radio, this consideration is not observed, and people do not stop their conversations. This behavior is subject to correction.
Story Number 2:
Islam’s Supremacy in Heraclius’s Court
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Hazrat Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) narrates that Hazrat Abu Sufyan (may Allah be pleased with him) told me this story: When the treaty of Hudaybiyyah was made between us and the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), during that time we went to Syria for trade. At that time, Heraclius, the King of Rome, was at the place called Aelia. He summoned me and some other riders from Quraysh. As requested, we arrived there. Heraclius called us into his court; we entered, and the Roman chiefs were sitting around him. Then an interpreter was called, and through the interpreter, Heraclius asked us who among us was a close relative of this Prophet. I replied that I am a close relative! Heraclius ordered that he be brought before me and his companions be seated behind him. Then Heraclius said to my companions that he would ask me some questions, and if I lied, they should expose my lies. Abu Sufyan says that if I were not afraid of being known as a liar, by Allah, I would have added some falsehoods while describing the condition of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him). Anyway, Heraclius first asked me about the lineage of this Prophet. I said that he is from a very noble and pure family among us! Heraclius asked if any king had passed among his ancestors. I said no! Heraclius asked whether rich and powerful people or poor people followed him. I said poor people followed him! Heraclius asked if his followers were increasing or decreasing. I said they were increasing. Heraclius asked if any of his companions, displeased with his religion, left him. I said no! Heraclius asked if he ever killed or betrayed anyone. I said no! But now there is a treaty between us and him; I do not know what he will do in the future. Abu Sufyan says that by Allah, I could not find anything more than this. Heraclius asked if there had been fighting between us and him. I said yes! Heraclius asked about the outcome of the fighting. I said it was equal; sometimes he would overpower us, sometimes we would overpower him. Heraclius asked what commands he gave you. I said he says to worship the One God, do not associate anyone with Him, abandon the sayings of your forefathers, he commands us to pray, speak the truth, avoid forbidden things, and be brotherly! Hearing this, Heraclius told the interpreter to say to me: I asked you about his lineage, and you said he is noble. (The rule is that) Prophets are noble and from exalted families. I asked if anyone in your people before him claimed prophethood. You said no; if someone else had claimed prophethood, I would think he imitated him and that idea had entered his mind too. I asked if any of his ancestors were kings. You said no; if there had been a king, I would say this person desires his ancestors’ kingdom under the guise of prophethood. I asked if he was ever involved in lying before claiming prophethood. You said no; so a person who never lies about people cannot lie about God. I asked if rich or poor people followed him. You said poor people; this is the case with all prophets, initially poor people obey them. I asked if his followers increased or decreased. You said they kept increasing; the state of faith is that it progresses until it reaches perfection. I asked if anyone left his religion out of dissatisfaction. You said no; the nature of the light of faith is that once it settles in the heart, it does not vanish. I asked if he ever betrayed by saying something and then acting otherwise. You said no; indeed, this is the habit of prophets that they do not betray. I asked what commands he gives you. You said he teaches us to pray, speak the truth, be brotherly, and be pious. He commands worship of the One God, not to associate partners with Him, and not to worship idols. Indeed, these things are true; undoubtedly, he is a prophet, and soon his kingdom will reach beneath my feet. I already knew that a prophet would appear in this era, but I did not think he would be born among you people. If I had known I could reach him, I would have endured hardship to reach him, and if I were with him, I would wash his feet.
After that, Heraclius requested the letter of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) that Dihyah Kalbi had sent to the King of Rome. Dihyah gave the letter; Heraclius opened it, and inside was written: In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful, this is the letter of Allah’s servant and His Messenger, Muhammad (peace be upon him), to Heraclius, the chief of Rome. Whoever follows the right path will be safe. Know that I invite you to Islam; if you accept Islam, you will attain safety in religion and the world. Become Muslim. May Allah grant you double reward (i.e., one for following Christianity and another for following Muhammad’s religion). And if you do not accept Islam, the burden of all your subjects and followers will be upon you. O People of the Book! Come to a word that is common between us and you: that we worship none but Allah, associate no partners with Him, and none of us takes anyone as Lord besides Allah. So if the People of the Book turn away from monotheism, tell them (whether they believe or not), we are only conveying the command of Allah.
Abu Sufyan says that Heraclius said all he had to say and read the letter. Then there was great noise and discussion among the Romans, and soon we were ordered out of the court. While leaving, I said to my companions: The work of Ibn Abi Kabsha (Messenger of Allah) has been well done; even the King of Rome fears him. From that time until the time of my entering Islam, I was certain that the religion of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) would soon prevail over all religions. Eventually, Allah brought me into Islam.
Zahri narrated more after this story that Heraclius gathered the Roman chiefs in a house and said: O group of Rome! Do you desire eternal prosperity and guidance, and do you want our rule to continue? Hearing this, all the chiefs ran towards the doors like rabbits, but the doors were locked. Heraclius said, bring them to me. When all had come, Heraclius said: I wanted to test your religious steadfastness, and I have seen from you what I wanted to see. Hearing this, all people prostrated before him and rejoiced.
Benefit:
The main narrator of this incident is Hazrat Abu Sufyan (may Allah be pleased with him), who was not a Muslim at that time but was granted the light of faith by Allah at the conquest of Mecca. In this long incident, besides many other instructive points, one lesson is that Allah is fully capable of making His religion shine by any means; He is not dependent on Muslims for this, rather Muslims are dependent on Him.
Story Number 3 :
The Method of Taking Pledge from the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ
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Hazrat Ubada bin Samit رضي الله عنه says (Ubada رضي الله عنه was among the participants of the Battle of Badr and was also one of those who guarded the mountain pass during the Battle of Uhud) that (once) a group of the Companions رضي الله عنهم gathered around the Prophet ﷺ. He ﷺ said to them: Pledge to me on these matters that you will not associate anyone with Allah Almighty, you will not steal or commit adultery, you will not kill your children, you will not falsely accuse anyone from your heart, and you will not disobey me in matters of goodness. Whoever among you fulfills these will be rewarded by Allah Almighty, and if anyone commits any of these but receives worldly punishment, it will be an expiation for him (from the Hereafter’s punishment). And if anyone commits any of these sins and Allah conceals it (no one in this world knows about his sin and he does not receive worldly punishment), then it is up to Allah whether He forgives or punishes. (The narrator says) We pledged on these matters to the Prophet ﷺ.
Benefit:
This incident mentions the Prophet ﷺ taking a pledge from the Companions رضي الله عنهم on six matters. The history of the world can never forget the fact that the Companions رضي الله عنهم, by placing their hands in the hand of the Messenger of Islam ﷺ, pledged and fulfilled it. It is necessary that every Muslim today obligates himself to adhere to these six matters so that he may attain honor in both worlds.
Story Number 4:
Rights of Servants and Workers
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Hazrat Ma‘roor (may Allah be pleased with him) says that I met Hazrat Abu Dharr (may Allah be pleased with him) at Maqam Rabdha (a place three stages away from Medina). At that time, he was wearing a complete garment (i.e., a sheet and waist wrap), and his servant was also fully dressed. I inquired about the reason for this equality, and Hazrat Abu Dharr (may Allah be pleased with him) said: (Once) I insulted a person and cursed his mother. The Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) heard this and said, “Abu Dharr! You cursed his mother; you have the nature of ignorance in you. Your servants are your brothers whom Allah has placed under your control. Therefore, if a brother is under one’s authority, it is appropriate that whatever one eats, he should also feed him; whatever clothes one wears, he should also clothe him; and do not burden them with such a load that they become overwhelmed. If you do impose a hard task on them, then help them yourself (do not leave them alone).”
Benefit:
From this incident, those people should take a lesson who constantly scold their servants and workers, do not refrain from abusing them over trivial matters, and forget that we too are servants of someone and do not try to free ourselves from this pre-Islamic ignorance. It is necessary to mention here that readers should not even for a moment think that, God forbid, Hazrat Abu Ghufari (may Allah be pleased with him) was ignorant. Rather, the Holy Prophet’s (peace be upon him) purpose was to condemn this behavior; otherwise, the companions (may Allah be pleased with them) were declared the stars of guidance by the tongue of prophethood through the training of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him).
Story Number 5:
Both the Killer and the Killed are in Hell
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Ahnaf bin Qais says that (on the day of the Battle of Jamal) I was going to assist this man (Hazrat Ali, may Allah be pleased with him). On the way, I met Hazrat Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him), who asked me where I intended to go. I said I was going to help that person. Hazrat Abu Bakr said, “Return, because I heard the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, say that when two Muslims fight each other with swords, both the killer and the killed are in Hell.” I asked, “The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, the killer is one, so why is the killed also at fault?” He replied, “He also desired to kill his opponent.”
Benefit:
The Battle of Jamal actually occurred due to the mischief and malice of the Kharijites and others between Hazrat Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) and Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her). The traitors of Islam made every effort to make these two fight each other, in which they succeeded. Since both of them were victims of misunderstandings, when the truth became clear, they did not let any decrease come in their mutual respect.
In today’s turbulent environment, the rapid occurrence of murder cases is extremely alarming and clearly visible. The person who has been targeted by someone’s anger and rage, if given even a moment’s opportunity, would extinguish the killer’s light. In such a case, why shouldn’t both go to Hell? It is a separate matter that after serving the punishment, they may be taken out of Hell.
Story Number 6: The Incident of the Change of Qibla
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Hazrat Bara رضي الله عنه says that when the Messenger of Allah صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم first arrived in Madinah Munawwarah, he stayed in his maternal home and for sixteen to seventeen months, he prayed facing Bayt al-Maqdis (Jerusalem). However, he deeply desired that his prayer direction (Qibla) be the Kaaba Mukarramah. Accordingly, the first prayer he offered facing the direction of Makkah was the Asr prayer. At that time, a congregation was praying with him. (When these people finished the prayer) one of the worshippers left and passed by another mosque where people were praying. (Seeing them praying facing Bayt al-Maqdis) this person said, “I swear by Allah that I have just prayed with the Messenger of Allah صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم facing the Kaaba.” Upon hearing this, those people immediately turned to face the Kaaba.
The Jews and Christians were very pleased with the Prophet’s صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم praying towards Bayt al-Maqdis, but when he turned to face the Kaaba (i.e., started praying towards Makkah), this displeased them.
Abu Ishaq narrates from Hazrat Bara رضي الله عنه that before the change of Qibla, some people had died and some companions رضي الله عنهم had been martyred in various battles, and we were uncertain about what ruling to apply regarding them (whether their prayers were valid or not). At that time, Allah Almighty revealed this verse: “Allah will not cause your prayers to be lost or wasted.” (It became clear that the prayers offered facing Bayt al-Maqdis were not wasted.)
Benefit
“Change of Qibla” is a technical term meaning the change of the direction of prayer. Originally, when the Prophet Muhammad صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم prayed in Makkah Mukarramah, he would stand in such a way that he was also facing Bayt al-Maqdis. However, due to the length and breadth of Madinah Munawwarah, this was not possible. Therefore, according to the divine command, the Prophet صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم led prayers facing Bayt al-Maqdis. After approximately one and a half years, considering the heartfelt desire and wish of the Prophet صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم, the “Bayt Allah” Sharif was permanently established as the Qibla for Muslims.
Story Number 7:
Which deed is most beloved?
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Hazrat Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) narrates that (one day) the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) came to me while a woman was sitting with me. He asked, “Who is this woman?” I replied, “This woman is known among everyone for her frequent prayers.” Upon hearing this, the Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “Refrain from excess and take upon yourself what you can bear, for you will become tired and Allah will become tired of you.” (Meaning, due to excessive worship, you will eventually become exhausted, but no matter how much you worship, Allah will never be unable to reward you.) The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) considered the most beloved and preferred religious act to be that which a person consistently adheres to.
Benefit:
It is generally observed that a person who has an “initial” interest in religion and religious matters participates in them excessively, but over time, this enthusiasm, passion, and zeal begin to noticeably diminish, and they eventually abandon the practice altogether. Therefore, it has been said that the most beloved deed to Allah is that which is continuous, even if it is little. In other words, it can also be described as “steadfastness in religion.”
