Source: This article is derived from the book Islam-e-Mustafa ﷺ authored by respected Abu Hamzah Abdul Khaliq Siddiqi.
Sayyiduna ‘Adi رضي الله عنه said:
I once came into the noble presence of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ while wearing a cross around my neck. The Prophet ﷺ said:
“O ‘Adi! Remove this idol from your neck.”
As I approached him, he was reciting from Surah At-Tawbah. Upon reaching the verse:
﴿اتَّخَذُوا أَحْبَارَهُمْ وَرُهْبَانَهُمْ أَرْبَابًا مِّن دُونِ اللَّهِ﴾
I said: “O Messenger of Allah! We did not worship them.”
He ﷺ responded: “Did they not declare unlawful things as lawful and you accepted it, and lawful things as unlawful and you accepted that too?”
I replied, “Yes, that is true.”
He ﷺ said: “That was their worship.”
References:
Sunan al-Tirmidhi: 3095, al-Sunan al-Kubra lil-Bayhaqi: 1/116, al-Faqih wal-Mutafaqqih: 2/66
Authenticated as Hasan by Shaykh al-Albani
It is recorded that:
The moral decline reached such a state that:
Reference: Tarikh al-Tabari: 3/138, Humanity Under Muslim Rule, p. 48
Abu Raja’ al-‘Atardi رضي الله عنه narrates:
“We used to worship stones. If we found a better one, we would discard the former and take the latter. If we could not find a stone, we would gather some earth into a heap, bring a goat and milk it over the heap, and then circumambulate it.”
Reference: Sahih al-Bukhari, Book of Maghazi, Hadith: 4376
﴿قَد تَّبَيَّنَ الرُّشْدُ مِنَ الْغَيِّ ۚ فَمَن يَكْفُرْ بِالطَّاغُوتِ وَيُؤْمِن بِاللَّهِ فَقَدِ اسْتَمْسَكَ بِالْعُرْوَةِ الْوُثْقَىٰ لَا انفِصَامَ لَهَا﴾
[Al-Baqarah: 256]
“Guidance has become distinct from error. Whoever rejects Taghut and believes in Allah has surely grasped the firmest handhold—one that will never break.”
❖ Islam Eradicated the Darkness of Ignorance
At the time of the blessed Prophethood of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, the entire world had fallen into misguidance. People were immersed in idol worship, and even those who considered themselves as People of the Book had given their scholars and priests the authority to declare things lawful and unlawful.Sayyiduna ‘Adi رضي الله عنه said:
I once came into the noble presence of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ while wearing a cross around my neck. The Prophet ﷺ said:
“O ‘Adi! Remove this idol from your neck.”
As I approached him, he was reciting from Surah At-Tawbah. Upon reaching the verse:
﴿اتَّخَذُوا أَحْبَارَهُمْ وَرُهْبَانَهُمْ أَرْبَابًا مِّن دُونِ اللَّهِ﴾
I said: “O Messenger of Allah! We did not worship them.”
He ﷺ responded: “Did they not declare unlawful things as lawful and you accepted it, and lawful things as unlawful and you accepted that too?”
I replied, “Yes, that is true.”
He ﷺ said: “That was their worship.”
References:
Sunan al-Tirmidhi: 3095, al-Sunan al-Kubra lil-Bayhaqi: 1/116, al-Faqih wal-Mutafaqqih: 2/66
Authenticated as Hasan by Shaykh al-Albani
❖ The Pre-Islamic Sixth Century: An Era of Utter Darkness
The sixth century, just before the advent of Prophethood, is counted among the darkest and lowest periods in human history. Historians refer to it as the Age of Ignorance (Jahiliyyah).It is recorded that:
- The majority of Jews and Christians had abandoned the true essence of Judaism and Christianity.
- Those few who remained steadfast upon the original religion withdrew from the world and took refuge in monasteries and deserts, isolating themselves from worldly life.
The moral decline reached such a state that:
- Yazdegerd, a mid-fifth century Persian king, married his own daughter and later killed her.
- Bahram, a sixth-century ruler, maintained a marital relationship with his sister.
Reference: Tarikh al-Tabari: 3/138, Humanity Under Muslim Rule, p. 48
❖ The State of the Arabs Before Islam
Each Arab tribe had its own idol. They even worshipped ordinary stones. When they found a better stone, they would abandon the previous one and start worshipping the new.Abu Raja’ al-‘Atardi رضي الله عنه narrates:
“We used to worship stones. If we found a better one, we would discard the former and take the latter. If we could not find a stone, we would gather some earth into a heap, bring a goat and milk it over the heap, and then circumambulate it.”
Reference: Sahih al-Bukhari, Book of Maghazi, Hadith: 4376
❖ Islam Restored the Dignity of Humanity
In such dire circumstances, Islam elevated humanity and restored its dignity. It turned people away from the idols of Azar towards the path of the Tawheed of the Lord of the Worlds.﴿قَد تَّبَيَّنَ الرُّشْدُ مِنَ الْغَيِّ ۚ فَمَن يَكْفُرْ بِالطَّاغُوتِ وَيُؤْمِن بِاللَّهِ فَقَدِ اسْتَمْسَكَ بِالْعُرْوَةِ الْوُثْقَىٰ لَا انفِصَامَ لَهَا﴾
[Al-Baqarah: 256]
“Guidance has become distinct from error. Whoever rejects Taghut and believes in Allah has surely grasped the firmest handhold—one that will never break.”
