Darul Ishaat UK Blog

What type of world would it have been without Makkah and Madinah?

By Shaykh Syed Abul Hasan Ali Nadwi (RA)
Posted: 18 Zul-Hijjah 1422, 3 March 2002

Friends have invited me to give a talk on Madinah, describing what I saw there, and I have readily agreed. As a Persian poet has said: “To talk of the beloved is no less pleasant than to meet him.”

I do not know when I first heard of Makkah and Madinah. Like all Muslim children, I was brought up in an environment in which Hijaz (Arabia) and Makkah and Madinah were household words. I, distinctly, remember people saying Makkah, Madinah together as if these were the same. When they took the name of one of them, they, generally, mentioned that of the other as well. I, thus, came to imagine that Makkah and Madinah were not two different places, but one, and learnt to appreciate the difference only as I grew up. It, then, became clear that these were two different towns separated from each other by over 300 kilometers.

In my childhood, I had heard people talking about Arabia and the two towns with the same fervor and enthusiasm as they did about Paradise and its joys and comforts, and it was from that time that I was seized with the desire to attain Paradise and visit Arabia.

Soon I realized that it was not possible for anyone to see Paradise during his lifetime, but he could, of course, go to Arabia. Parties of Hajjis (pilgrims) were visiting it regularly. So, why could I, also, not make a visit to that ‘Paradise of Faith?’

Days rolled by and I grew in age. My old eagerness was revived when I read books on the life of the Holy Prophet Sall-Allahu alayhi wa sallam and studied the history of Islam, and the urge to perform the Hajj and make the pilgrimage to Makkah and Madinah became so strong that I was never without it.

Then, it so happened that I did reach the place where neither the grass grew nor rivers flowed. Only barren mountains stood on all sides of it like sentinels. Yet, as famous Pakistani poet Hafeez Jullundri has said:

Neither grass grows here nor flowers bloom,
Yet even heavens bend themselves low to meet it.

As I saw the apparently unattractive stretch of land, I felt how devoid of scenery that town was. At the same time, however, I thought what a great favor it had bestowed upon mankind. Without it, the wide world would have been nothing more than a golden cage, and man, a prisoner. This was the town that took man out of the narrow confines of the earth and made him acquainted with limitless possibilities of development, and restored to mankind its glory and freedom. It relieved humanity of the heavy load under which it was groaning and broke the fetters unjust rulers and ignorant lawgivers had put around its feet.

As I reflected over what the world would have been without this town, I thought of comparing it with the bigger towns of the world and seeing what would have been the loss of human race and civilization had the latter not come into existence. One by one, all those towns came to my mind, and I felt that they were flourishing merely for the sake of a handful of men and had made no notable contribution to human progress and happiness. On the contrary, they had been guilty of various sins against man, at various stages of history. For selfish gain, one town had razed the other to the ground, and one country had ravaged the other countries.

Civilization would have been none the poorer without those cities. But without Makkah, humanity would have, certainly, remained unblessed with truths, beliefs, ideals and sciences that were its pride today. It was owing to it that the world regained the imperishable wealth of Faith and rediscovered the true knowledge that lay buried under a thick crust of conjecture and speculation. It got back the dignity and nobility that had been trampled under the feet of cruel oppressors. In fact, humanity was reborn at Makkah, and history turned a new leaf.

But what am I saying? What do I mean when I ask: What would the world have been like had there been no Makkah? It had remained asleep, until the 6th Century, with its dry mountains and huge sand dunes, even with the House of Ka’aba and the Well of Zam-Zam, while humanity was caught in the clutches of death. Surrounded by its mountains and sand dunes, it went on leading a secluded life as if it had nothing to do with the larger human family, and was not a part of, but apart from the world that lay around it.

I should, therefore, not be enquiring what would have been the state of the world without Makkah, but without its illustrious son who turned the scales of history and showed a new path to mankind.

As I reflected on it, a few scenes emerged on the landscape of my mind. It appeared as if the leader of the Quraish was circumambulating around the House of Ka’aba, alone and by himself, and people were jeering at him and passing sarcastic remarks, but he was carrying out the circumambulation with supreme indifference to all hostility and opposition.

On finishing the circumambulation, he wants to go into the House of Ka’aba, but the key-bearer, Osman bin Talha checks him with a firm hand. The leader of the Quraish bears it, too, with exemplary fortitude, and says: “Oh Osman! What will it be like on the day when the key will be in my hand and I will give it to who I please?” “Will all the Quraish be dead on that day?” asks Osman in anger. “No”, he replies. “On that day, they will attain real respect and honor.”

I, then, see the same leader circumambulating around the House of Ka’aba, on the occasion of the Victory of Makkah, and his Companions who had sacrificed their all for his sake gathering around him like moths. He sends for the keeper of the key, and says to him: “Osman! This is your key. Take it. Today is the day of showing kindness and keeping the promise.”

As history tells, the celebrated son of Makkah did not only become the owner of the key with which he could open the door of the House of Ka’aba, but, with him, also, was the key with which he could open the locks of humanity no seer or philosopher had been able to do till then. It was the Qur’an that had been revealed to and the Apostleship that had been bestowed on him.

After performing the Hajj, I flew towards Madinah on the wings of eagerness. The hardships of the way seemed to be a blessing to me, and before my eyes was drawn the soul-stirring image of the earlier traveler whose camel had passed through the same route.

The first thing I did on reaching Madinah was to offer two Rak’ats of salat and express my sincerest gratitude to the Almighty for granting me the good fortune to be there. After it, I betook myself into the ‘presence’ of the Holy Prophet Sall-Allahu alayhi wa sallam. How boundless was his favor upon me, really! I could never give thanks to him as was his due. I offered Durood and Salaam, and affirmed that he had conveyed the Message of the Lord to the world, proved true to the trust He had placed with him, showed the Straight Path to the Ummah, and strove till the last breath of his life in the way of God.

I, then, made the salutation to both the trusted friends of his whose selfless devotion was without a parallel in history. No one had discharged the duties of companionship or fulfilled the obligations of succession as they did.

From the Prophet’s Mosque, I went to Jannat ul-Baq’ee. What a priceless treasure of truth and purity, of love and dedication is buried in this small plot of land! Asleep here are those who had sacrificed the life of this world for the life of futurity. These are the men who willingly abandoned their hearths and homes in the way of faith, and preferred to spend their lives at the feet of the sacred Prophet Sall-Allahu alayhi wa sallamthan with friends and relatives. “Among the Believers are men who have been true to their covenant with Allah.” [Al-Ahzab 33:23].

Thereafter, I visited Uhud where the most spectacular drama of love and fealty was staged. It was here that the world saw living models of faith and steadfastness; it was here that it learnt the true significance of courage and constancy. On reaching there, it seemed that I heard Hazrat Anas bin Nazr, Radi-Allahu anhu, say: “I feel the sweet smell of Paradise coming from the side of Uhud.” Or that on hearing the news of the martyrdom of the Holy Prophet Sall-Allahu alayhi wa sallam, Sa’ad bin Mu’ad, Radi-Allahu anhu, was saying: “What is the joy of fighting and Jihad when the Apostle of God is no more?” And Anas, Radi-Allahu anhu, interjecting: “What is the joy of living after him?”

It was here, again, that Abu Dujana, Radi-Allahu anhu, had made his back serve as a shield for the Prophet Sall-Allahu alayhi wa sallam arrows pierced his flesh, but he flinched not. Syedna Talha, Radi-Allahu anhu, in the same way, had taken the arrows aimed at the Holy Prophet Sall-Allahu alayhi wa sallam on his hands until the arms were paralyzed. Hazrat Hamza, Radi-Allahu anhu, was killed on this very battlefield and his body was cut to pieces, and Hazrat Mas’ab bin Omair, Radi-Allahu anhu, was martyred in such a state that even a shroud could not be provided for him, and he was buried in a blanket which was so short that if the head was covered, the feet became bare, and if the feet were covered, the head became bare.

Would that Uhud gave something of its treasure to mankind! Would that the world got a small particle of the faith and steadfastness of those glorious times!

Friends say: “You took us to Cairo and acquainted us with its important personalities; you have told us about Damascus and its people, and introduced us with its scholars; you have taken us round the Middle East. Now, tell me something about Hijaz and its distinguished sons.” But what am I to do? To me Hijaz stands only for one man about whom I can go on talking forever. It is because of him that Hijaz is Hijaz, and the World of Islam is the World of Islam.

Our honor, indeed, is by Mustafa’s name!

source: albalagh.net

By Khalid Baig
Posted: 18 Safar 1424, 20 April 2003

Hajj is obligatory once in a lifetime on those who can afford it, but it benefits the entire Ummah. Islam’s acts of worship have multiple dimensions and they are organized at multiple layers. Daily Salat, for example, provides occasion for gathering in the neighborhood Masjid five times a day. The Friday Salat provides a larger weekly gathering and also includes a Khutbah to give this gathering a direction and purpose. The twice-a-year Eid Salats provide a gathering for the entire city. Hajj is the last in this sequence; an annual world wide gathering of the entire Ummah at the most sacred of all places.

Its role is that of the heart and liver in the human body. The heart sucks in the tired blood, which is then filtered and rejuvenated by the liver, and sent again to all parts of the body by the heart. Similarly, Hajj brings in members of this Ummah, rejuvenates their faith, spiritual energy, and commitment, and sends them back to their communities to spread the blessings far and wide.

Its most powerful message is about Tauheed (monotheism) and Akhirat (the hereafter), two of the pillars of faith. If Hajj is a form of Jihad, as some ahadith mention, its battle cry is “Labbaik Allahumma Labaik” “I am here Oh Allah, I am here. There is no partner unto You. All praise and blessings and sovereignty belong to you. There is no partner unto You.” From the moment the pilgrim dons his Ihram, he profusely makes this pronouncement during all waking hours until he has stoned the Shaytan on the 10th of Zul-Hijjah.

As for the Hereafter, Hajj is itself a replay of our death and resurrection. The Ihram, the two unstitched pieces of white cloth that replace dress for men, reminds us of the burial shroud. The gathering on the plain of Arafat reminds us of the time when everyone will be resurrected in the Hereafter to stand before Allah and give account of their deeds.

Built on these twin foundations of faith is the example of Sayyidna Ibrahim, alayhis-salam, that is reflected in many of the rites of Hajj. That example can be summarized in two words: love and obedience. Unwavering love for Allah; unfailing obedience to Him. This also is the message of Hajj.

Hajj is at once an intensely personal and a superbly collective act of worship. Today its role in our collective life has been severely watered down by the rulers over the land of Hajj and by an Ummah that has lost touch with its mission. Today, upon arrival the pilgrims are sorted out on the basis of their passports and are reminded at every turn that they are members of a nation-state and not the one Ummah. Today, every expression that aims at mobilizing this Ummah to stand up collectively to the challenges it faces is brutally suppressed during Hajj. Today the landscape of Makkah and Madinah has also been changed beyond recognition, through obscene attempts at emulating Europe, thereby producing a historic disconnect for the holy land. Today pilgrims have been separated from each other as well as from their glorious history.

So it may be helpful to remind ourselves that Hajj is associated with major turning points and milestones in Islamic History. In fact the history of the Islamic state begins with Hajj. It was here in the 11th year of Prophethood (July 620 C.E) that the first pledge of Aqaba took place, followed two years later by the second pledge that was the basis for Hijrah and the establishment of the Islamic state in Madinah. Just a decade later, it was here that the mission of the Prophet Sall-Allahu alayhi wa sallam reached its peak when 124,000 companions performed Hajj with the Prophet Sall-Allahu alayhi wa sallam in 10 AH.

The Khutbah of the Prophet Sall-Allahu alayhi wa sallam delivered during the Last Hajj is the most important historical document for the entire humanity. It proclaimed: “There is no superiority for an Arab over a non-Arab, nor for the white over the black nor for the black over the white except through Taqwa (Allah Consciousness).”

It declared the sanctity of life, honor, and property: “Oh people! Verily your blood, your property and your honor are sacred and inviolable until you appear before your Lord, just as the sacred inviolability of this day of yours, this month of yours and this town of yours.”

It set down a fundamental principle of justice: “Beware! No one is responsible for a crime but the person who committed it. Neither the child is responsible for the crime of the father, nor is the father responsible for the crime of his child.”

Other celebrated declarations like the Magna-Carta and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights pale in comparison to this proclamation made fourteen centuries ago. For a world submerged in total darkness, this new proclamation would have to be spread through the Ummah that was produced out of the Jahilya society through twenty three years of hard work, sacrifice, and perseverance by the Prophet, Salla-Allahu alayhi wa sallam. To them it reminded: “Every Muslim is the brother of another Muslim and all the Muslims form one brotherhood… Take heed not to go astray after me and strike one another’s necks.” And for the generations to come it also pointed out the way to safeguard this greatest of all revolutions: “I am leaving two things with you such that if you hold on fast to them you will not go astray: the Book of Allah and my Sunnah.”

Those standing that day at the plain of Arafat were the best of humanity. They took the torch and spread the light in four corners of the world, ushering in a new era of peace and justice. They liberated mankind from servitude to false gods and turned it to only the service to the Creator.

With the passage of time, their followers gradually became weak in their faith and corrupt in their practices. Darkness returned to the world. Today the world is such a dark place where Zionism and racism flourish and the strong devour the weak because “Might is right”.

The road from Makkah is full of returning pilgrims who bring back Zamzam, dates, and many souvenirs. These are all great. But what we need the most is the message that was proclaimed there by the Prophet Muhammad Sall-Allahu alayhi wa sallam 1414 years ago.

source:  albalagh.net

Introduction
This surat is titled Surat Al-Qadr meaning ‘The night of power’. It is the 97th surat from the 114 contained in the Holy Quraan. Said to be revealed in Makkah, some hold the opinion that it was revealed in Madinah. The subject-matter is the Night of Power (or Honour), in which Revelation came down to the Prophet Peace and Blessings be upon him for the first through the Angel Jibrail (Gabriel)

“We have indeed revealed this in the ‘Night of Power’”

One of the most meritous aspects of Islam fall in one of the last 5 odd nights of the Holy month of Ramadhan. It is the most blessed night of the year. Reference here is made to the fact that on this special night the Holy Quraan was revealed. One reason this night is referred to as the Night of Power is due to the increase in the amount of reward gained by worship performed on this particular night in comparison to any other throughout the whole year.

“And what will explain to you what the night of power is?”

The question being asked here is: “Have you any knowledge as to how great and important this night is, and to the favours and bounties which are placed within the Night of Power”?

“The Night of Power is better than a thousand months”

This verse means that the worship performed in this night brings more reward than the worship performed in a thousand months, but how much more better? Allah is such a great being that anything is possible from his behalf. “A thousand” must be taken in an indefinite sense; meaning a very long period of time. This does not refer to our ideas of time, but to “timeless Time”.

“Therein come down The Angels and the Spirit By Allah’s permission, on every errand”

The Angels descend by Allah’s permission and the Spirit mentioned here is usually understood to be the angel Gabriel

“Peace!…This until the rise of Morn!”

When the Night of spiritual darkness is dissipated by the glory of Allah, a wonderful peace and sense of security arise in the soul, and this lasts on until this life closes, and the glorious day of the new world dawns, when everything will be on a different plane, and the chequered nights and days of this world will be even less than a dream.

Conclusion

Traditions of the Final Prophet Peace and Blessings be upon him mention that, in this night Allah the Al-Mighty directs His mercy towards His slaves, supplications made by His servants are granted and the Al-Mighty forgives large number of people who repent. This night is meant for developing a special connection with one’s Creator, for making contact with the Lord of the universe.

So please your Lord so that He is pleased with you, and there is surely nothing better than the pleasure of your Lord. This is amongst the many bounties that Allah the Most Glorious has blessed us with, we should grasp this opportunity and ask for guidance from the All Forgiving and All Merciful, from which we will achieve a good life in earth and more importantly a better life in the hereafter.

“Which of your Lord’s favours will you deny?”

By: Khalid Baig
Posted: 6 Jumad al-Thani 1431, 20 May 2010

With the latest in-your-face act of the Facebook, the issue is once again attracting headlines. Should Muslims react? How should they react? Where do they stand on the philosophical issue underlying all this?

In the media the issue has been framed as a clash between two camps. One camp stands for freedom of expression. The other wants to curtail it.  Needless to say the first camp is enlightened and virtuous. The other is a relic of the dark ages. The clash in other words is between a civilized and civilizing West and Islam that just refuses to be civilized.

Once you accept this framing of the whole issue, the outcome is already decided. Are you for freedom of expression or not? It is a loaded question, and just like the yes/no question, “Have you stopped beating your wife?” no matter how you answer it, you remain guilty.

Look at the typical Muslim response which begins, “We also believe in freedom of expression but…” It matters little what you say after that. It is obvious that you are trying to add exclusions and limitations to a basic moral value while the other side is asking for no such limits. It is not difficult to see which side will come out ahead.

But this predicament is a result of uncritically accepting a false statement about the nature of the clash. For the real clash is not between those who are for and those who are against a freedom. Rather it is between two different freedoms. On the one hand is the freedom to insult. On the other is freedom from insult. Whether it was the Satanic Verses of the 1980s or the Cartoons of 2005 and their endless reproduction since then, if they stand for any freedom, it is freedom to insult. Pure and simple. Muslims, on the other hand, have stood for and demanded freedom from insult. Nothing more. Nothing less.

These are certainly opposing values. You can be for one or the other. And the question does arise, which one is a better value.

To see that let us imagine a society that truly believes in the first as a cherished moral value. It celebrates freedom to insult and guards it at all costs. Every member of it enjoys this freedom and practices it regularly. In a business everyone insults everyone else. The boss is insulting the employees, the employees are insulting the bosses. The salesmen are insulting the customers. The accountants are insulting the creditors. Everyone is enjoying the great freedom to insult. The same is true of the home. The parents are always insulting the children. The children are constantly insulting the parents. The spouses are incessantly insulting each other. And in doing so they all stand on the high moral ground because freedom to insult is such a fundamental freedom on which the society is built.

Actually contrary to the claims of the pundits if the Western society was truly built on this “cherished moral value,” it would have perished a long time ago — consumed by the fires of hatred and negativity generated by this freedom. No home, no neighborhood, no village, no business, no organization and no society can survive for long if it makes freedom to insult as a cornerstone of its freedoms. Clearly most who advocate this freedom do not practice it in their daily lives. But they are making an exception in the case of Islam and Muslims. The driving force behind this is not any great moral principle but a deep rooted hatred born of ignorance.

Software professionals sometimes use a term called beature. It stands for a bug turned into a feature. A bug is a defect in the software. A feature, on the other hand, is a desirable attribute. A beature is a defect that is presented (thanks to slick marketing) as a feature. Freedom to insult is also a beature. It is the growing sickness of Islamophobia in the West which is being presented as a high moral value, packaged by the slick marketing departments as freedom of expression.

Well, whether or not freedom to insult is a Western value, Islam has nothing to do with it. It lays emphasis on its exact opposite: the freedom from insult. It values human dignity, decency, and harmony in the society. The freedom of religion it ensures includes freedom from insults. While it does not shy away from academic discussion of its beliefs and showing the falsehood of non-Islamic beliefs, it makes sure that the discussion remains civil. In those discussions it wants to engage the intellect of its opponents; in contrast those who itch to insult their opponents are interested in satisfying their vulgar emotions. Thus while its most important battle is against false gods it asks its followers to refrain from reviling them. (Qur’an, Al-anam, 6:108). It also reminds them to stay away from harsh speech. “Allah loves not the utterance of harsh speech save by one who has been wronged.” (Qur’an, Al-Nisa, 4:148). Prophet Muhammad, Sall-Allahu alayhi wa sallam, who is being reviled by the scum of the world, taught Muslims to never let the low moral standards of their adversaries dictate theirs.

As a result of these teachings Muslims can never even imagine insulting any Prophet — from Adam to Moses to Jesus to Muhammad, peace be upon them all. Even when they ruled the world, Muslims treated the religious leaders of non-Muslim also with respect – even during battles. In the Baghdad court Jewish and Christian scholars engaged in open discussions with the Muslim savants. Needless to say they had not been attracted by the freedom to insult but its exact opposite. Freedom from insult is a fundamental value that assures peace and harmony. It leads to healthy societies. And Muslims are very proud of their impeccable record here.

What is true of a home or a village is also true of the world as it has become a global village. Now, more than ever before, the world needs the harmony and tolerance that can only be assured by the freedom from insults.