Today, we will move on from the Battle of Khaybar. In the next 6 months, a number of minor expeditions happened with not much significance. The Prophet PBUH sent Umar RA, Abu Bakr RA, and other sahaba on expeditions where perhaps small tribes converted to Islam, but nothing as important as Khaybar or Ahzab happened, so we will skip over them since laypeople don't know these tribes anyway (e.g., Banu Awal [عوال], Banu Tha'laba [ثعلبة], Banu al-Mulawwih [الملوح]), so there is no point to go over them.
Umrah al-Qada
We move to Umrah al-Qada (عمرة القضاء), that is, the Muslims are making up (قضى/qada) the Umrah that they did not technically do the previous year. (Side note: Even though the Prophet PBUH did not physically do Umrah the year before, Allah still gave him the reward. So the Umrah of Hudaybiyyah is an interesting Umrah, in that, we assume the Prophet PBUH did it in reward even though he didn't do it in actuality. So when somebody asks you how many Umrahs the Prophet PBUH did, we begin with Umrah al-Hudaybiyyah. Because Allah gave him the reward for it, and he shaved his hair off, so it's as if he did it. But the first Umrah he physically did was Umrah al-Qada.) The Prophet PBUH left Madinah in Dhu al-Qa'dah 7 AH with around 2,000 Muslims. This is a massive amount. And this time, they took all of their weapons with them. When the Quraysh heard that 2,000 were coming and they were armed, they sent out a delegation led by Mikraz ibn Hafs [who was also in the delegation of Hudaybiyyah — see episode 65], and they said to the Prophet PBUH, "O Muhammad, we have never seen you be treacherous in anything small or big. So why have you brought weapons when we have agreed that you would come with no weapons other than swords inside their scabbards? We see that you have horses, armor, arrows, etc." The Prophet PBUH responded, "And we shall not enter Makkah except as we agreed," i.e., "We are still outside Makkah." Once again, the Prophet PBUH is being faithful to the letter of the law. He brought the weapons all the way to Makkah, and then left them outside, and he entered Makkah with the swords inside the scabbards. So he is fulfilling the letter of the law. And he had a supply of weapons outside the Haram where 200 people guarded the weapons, and 1,800 did tawaf, and then those 200 swapped and did tawaf and so on. The Prophet PBUH did not trust the Quraysh, and therefore, he brought the weapons — but he still fulfilled his agreement by not marching in with all of the weapons.
It appears the Quraysh of Makkah divided into three groups: (i) One group stayed in their houses for 3 whole days, (ii) another group congregated in their parliament, Dar al-Nadwa, which was their largest house as well (it had a large area so lots of people could stay), and (iii) one group even left Makkah and just camped outside in the valleys and hills for three days. None of them wanted to interact with the Muslims out of fear and for political reasons.
______________
"They Have Come Back Weaklings"?:
Legitimate PR in Islam
One of the Quraysh spreads a rumor, "The plagues of Madinah have harmed them (the Muslims) and they have come back weaklings!" Remember, Makkah had a harsh climate with very little greenery, and this harshness meant there weren't many diseases. Madinah on the other hand had water, agriculture, and cultivation, so they had a whole different type of diseases [see episode 32: Loving Madinah]. So a rumor was spread, "The people are now returning weaklings!" And remember, some of the Quraysh who had not gone to war have not seen their Muslim kith and kin, their own relatives, for 6½ years now —and this is a long time, especially back then when a family lived together— so this rumor was believable for them. When the Prophet PBUH heard the rumor, he commanded the Muslims to do many things:
1. Raise their voices out loud with talbiyah
2. Show and expose their right shoulders. This is the first time this Sunnah was introduced, that when we do the first tawaf, we expose the right shoulder
3. They should walk around tawaf the first three with "raml (رمل)" which is a brisk walk. (We can never do this in our times because of the sheer rush around the Ka'bah now. But with no rush, the Prophet PBUH and the sahaba were almost running. That is, walking as fast as possible — almost running. And they did this for the first three rounds.)
When the Quraysh saw this, they said, "Wallahi, there is nothing wrong with them. We have never seen them to be more energetic than this." And imagine, for the first time in history, 2,000 Muslims are around the Ka'bah — it must have been an amazing sight for the Quraysh to see. And indeed, it did leave an impact on them, and that is why three very prominent conversions took place right after this Umrah. When they are seeing 2,000 Muslims dressed in ihram, doing tawaf with raml, reciting the correct talbiyah out loud, imagine the psychological impact on them — who is the superior now? Who has more quantity? Who has the more energy? The tide has changed. (And less than 2 years from now, Makkah will be under Islamic control.)
1. Raise their voices out loud with talbiyah
2. Show and expose their right shoulders. This is the first time this Sunnah was introduced, that when we do the first tawaf, we expose the right shoulder
3. They should walk around tawaf the first three with "raml (رمل)" which is a brisk walk. (We can never do this in our times because of the sheer rush around the Ka'bah now. But with no rush, the Prophet PBUH and the sahaba were almost running. That is, walking as fast as possible — almost running. And they did this for the first three rounds.)
When the Quraysh saw this, they said, "Wallahi, there is nothing wrong with them. We have never seen them to be more energetic than this." And imagine, for the first time in history, 2,000 Muslims are around the Ka'bah — it must have been an amazing sight for the Quraysh to see. And indeed, it did leave an impact on them, and that is why three very prominent conversions took place right after this Umrah. When they are seeing 2,000 Muslims dressed in ihram, doing tawaf with raml, reciting the correct talbiyah out loud, imagine the psychological impact on them — who is the superior now? Who has more quantity? Who has the more energy? The tide has changed. (And less than 2 years from now, Makkah will be under Islamic control.)
This type of demonstration of power is common in the seerah. We saw it in Abu Dujana during the Battle of Uhud when he wore his red turban and walked around arrogantly — and the Prophet PBUH said, "This is a walking that Allah despises except at such a time and place" [see episode 47]. We also saw in the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah that when the Makkans sent al-Hulays ibn Alqama, the Prophet PBUH said to the sahaba, "Show him the camels," because al-Hulays was a person from a tribe that exalted consecrated animals [see episode 64]. This shows us legitimate PR is allowed in our religion. We need to look at the image we give of Islam to others; it's a part of our dawah to give an image of strength and positivity/maturity. And that image changes from time to time, place to place. In Hudaybiyyah was a man who respects the consecrated animals, so the Prophet PBUH showed him the camels; and in this Umrah, the Quraysh said the Muslims are weak, so the Prophet PBUH said to the sahaba to show their strength. Therefore, in our time, when people accuse our religion of something false, we need to show them that no, that is not the case. If they say Islam is a violent religion, we show them no, we are not, we are a peaceful religion. If they say Islam teaches you to hate Christians and Jews, we say no, and we show them what Islam really teaches. If they say Islam is this, we show them no, Islam is that. No doubt, we don't do this type of 'PR' at the expense of the deen. We don't change our religion for the sake of 'PR.' So let's say, if they say, "You guys are mean to women because you tell them to cover up," we are not going to say, "O women, stop wearing hijab." We are not going to change our deen for the PR. But if anything that is an illegitimate criticism, and our deen is free of that charge, to emphasize the point merely for the sake of demonstrating that our religion is contrary to what they are saying, then this is not as some of our hot-tempered brothers say, 'catering to the kuffar.' No. Our Prophet PBUH is not 'catering to the kuffar' in Uhud, Hudaybiyyah, or Umrah al-Qada.
And living in the world that we live in, there are different accusations that are given to our religion. So it is our job to clean our image as long as we don't change our theology and ethics.
______________
Performing Umrah Without Interference
The Prophet PBUH stayed in Makkah for 3 days. And the books of seerah really don't give any details of those 3 days, which means it was peaceful, and nothing strange happened. [No news is good news.] We assume the Quraysh lived up to their treaty and did not interfere. The Prophet PBUH also ordered regular swaps of the 200 guarding the weapons so everyone was able to perform the Umrah. And wallahi, we wish there were details, but we can only imagine the feelings of the Prophet PBUH and the sahaba entering Makkah after 6½ years. He sees the house of Khadija, all the valleys he grew up in, etc. — how emotional he must have felt. All of his memories, every single one of them. The city of his mother, father, grandfather, Abu Talib, Khadija — the city where all of the good and bad happened. We wish we had all of this documented, but we can only imagine the feelings that our Prophet PBUH had.
______________
Marriage to Maymunah bint al-Harith RA, the Last Wife of the Prophet PBUH
One or two things happened on the way out after the Umrah. Of those things, al-Abbas suggested to the Prophet PBUH to marry Maymunah bint al-Harith (ميمونة بنت الحارث), and she was to be the last of his wives. And Maymunah was not only the last wife he married, but the last to die of all the wives as well. She is a Muslim now, and she is the sister-in-law of al-Abbas. Al-Abbas's wife is Umm al-Fadl, and her sister is Maymunah. And Maymunah was married to Abu Rahm ibn Abd al-Uzza (أبو رهم بن عبد العزى), but she became a widow, so she was without any husband in Makkah — she didn't want to remain with the Quraysh, so she said to Umm al-Fadl, "Find me a husband." So Umm al-Fadl tells al-Abbas and he goes immediately to the Prophet PBUH and says, "I am the wali of Maymunah and what do you think of her?" and he praises her immensely —and of course, the Prophet PBUH knew of her from the days of Makkah— so he PBUH agreed to marry her. Al-Abbas was the wali and the one who took charge of the marriage ceremony.
Here there is a huge controversy in the books of fiqh. Ibn Abbas says the Prophet PBUH married Maymunah in the state of ihram. It's an authentic hadith, but it raises a huge controversy, because technically, you are not supposed to get married while in the state of ihram. (Side note: By unanimous consensus, the marriage was not consummated in Makkah; we are talking about the nikah contract, i.e., the aqd [عقد].) The question is, was the Prophet PBUH in ihram when he did the nikah? Ibn Abbas says he was. But we have authentic narrations not the least of which is narrated by Maymunah herself, that, "When the Prophet PBUH married me, he was outside of ihram." So this is clear-cut that he was outside of ihram. Ibn Abbas must have made an honest mistake. Some people try to say by "ihram" Ibn Abbas didn't mean the Prophet PBUH was in ihram, but rather, he was "in Makkah inside of the Haram," but this reconciliation attempt seems a bit far-fetched. The majority position is the Prophet PBUH did not marry Maymunah except after the ihram finished, and he was in the state of hil (حل).
The Prophet PBUH married Maymunah; and it was the third day. So the Quraysh came and said, "Three days are up." The Prophet PBUH tried to renegotiate, that, "Is it really a big deal if I stay a little bit longer? Let me be a married man. Let me be a groom amongst you. And tomorrow, we can have a big feast. Come and enjoy food." Literally, he called them to come and celebrate with him. Subhan'Allah. And he is using this to basically see if they can stay longer — Makkah is his birthplace, the city he is raised in, and the city he feels emotional about. But the Quraysh did not budge, they said, "We don't need your food." So the Prophet PBUH honored the treaty and left without incident. Therefore, he was not able to consummate the marriage except at a place outside of Makkah called Sarif (سرف) where they camped for the night. And Allah willed Maymunah actually passed away many years later at Sarif in 51 AH, the final wife of the Prophet PBUH to pass away, and she is buried there to this day.
______________
What We Learn From the Event of Umrah al-Qada
We see many things from Umrah al-Qada:
1. The Umrah al-Qada shows without a doubt that the tide has fully changed. The Muslims are in the superior hand. They have the more quantity, they are the better organized. The Quraysh are dwindling. And this is why a number of them converted, as we will talk about in a while.
2. The fact that the Prophet PBUH is trying to renegotiate while in Makkah shows that you always have the option to go back to the drawing board IF both sides agree. If they don't, you stick by the treaty.
3. Look at the tactic being tried, and that is to soften the hearts of the Quraysh, "Tomorrow we can have a big feast. Come and enjoy food." Clearly, the Prophet PBUH is trying to win them over through another means. These are the same people that were at Badr, Uhud, and Khandaq, that have done what they have done — but now that the Muslims are in the upper hand, the Prophet PBUH wants to bring them in. This shows us his goal wasn't to be harsh or to kill them or to enslave them, but rather, it was to win their hearts and minds. He used even his marriage as a dawah. And if the Quraysh had agreed, no doubt, he would have given them a massive feast. And this also shows us that breaking bread with people of other faiths is allowed: Here is the Prophet PBUH saying to the pagans, "Come and enjoy food." Why? Because when you eat together and intermingle in this manner, your hatred and anger soften down. And now that the Prophet PBUH has the upper hand and he doesn't need to be on the defensive as much, he can show them Islam through interactions. (But alas, the Quraysh were stubborn and hard-hearted. And most likely, their leaders themselves realized joining the feast would soften the hearts of their people, so they refused, "We don't need your food.")
______________
Umara the Daughter of Hamzah ibn Abdul Muttalib RA
One more small incident took place on their way out of Makkah. A young 6 or 7-year-old girl came running after the Muslims and called out to the Prophet PBUH, "O my uncle! O my uncle! Take me! Don't leave me in Makkah!" And who is this? She is Umara (عمارة) the daughter of Hamzah ibn Abdul Muttalib. Hamzah had been married to Salma bint Umays (سلمى بنت عميس) in Makkah, but eventually, he divorced her. (Side note: Salma is the sister of the famous sahabiyya Asma bint Umays. Salma and Asma, their mother was also the mother of Maymunah bint al-Harith whom the Prophet PBUH just married. Subhan'Allah, it was a small tribal society — everyone in Makkah was related to everyone else. Here, the Prophet PBUH is married to Maymunah, so he is an uncle of Umara through Maymunah.) The books of seerah don't mention why Umara did this, but it's clear it was because she would rather be with the Muslims than with the pagans. It's amazing that she wants to leave the family in Makkah and live with the Muslims.
When the sahaba found out who this was, Ali RA took her by the hand and gave her to Fatima, "We will take care of her"—Umara is his first cousin. When Zayd ibn Harithah found out this was Umara bint Hamzah, he came and said, "The Prophet PBUH made me brothers with Hamzah, so I am the brother of Hamzah, thus this is my niece, so I will take care of her." Then Ja'far the older brother of Ali RA came in and said, "I have the same rank as Ali [I am Umara's first cousin], but [not only that,] my wife is her khala (خالة - maternal blood aunt). [So I have more right to take care of her.]" So the three of them began disputing.
And wallahi, it's amazing what 10 years of Islam have done to the status of women. 10-15 years ago, *nobody* would have wanted to take care of her. She would be lucky if she remained alive in the first place. Now, she is coming as an orphan and three great sahaba are fighting over her, saying, "I have the most right." And the Prophet PBUH had to get involved and he began by praising all three of them: He said to Ali, "You are from me and I am from you"—this is great praise for Ali RA, which means, "You have a maqam, you were raised in the household that I took you in, and now you are married to my daughter, etc."; then he said to Zayd, "You are our brother and protector"; and then he said to Ja'far, "You resemble me the most physically and in manners"—and indeed, Ja'far is much closer in age to the Prophet PBUH, and they were both raised in the same house of Abu Talib, so it is only natural he would resemble the akhlaq of the Prophet PBUH.
Then who does he PBUH decide to give her to? He says, "Ja'far, she is yours, because the khala (mother's sister) is the same as the mother." And from this, we derive fiqh that when a person is an orphan, who has the privilege to take care of them? Khala (خالة - mother's sister) or amma (عمة - father's sister)? Three of the madhahib say mother's sister, and one says father's sister. Both sides have their evidence; and this is a crucial hadith.
The point is how Islam changed the mentality of the people: Instead of a girl being despised, people are now fighting over to take care of her. Islam has put into the heads of every one of us that we should take care of orphans, and that a girl is someone to be honored in the family.
And of course, Umara isn't just any girl. Her father is Hamzah. So they all felt a strong obligation to Hamzah as well. And in the end, the Prophet PBUH gave her to Ja'far.
______________
Three Major Conversions
Between Umrah al-Qada and the Conquest of Makkah, there was really nothing else major that happened in a political sense. And really, Umrah al-Qada is the final psychological blow to the Quraysh. The Conquest is just around the corner. The Quraysh are clearly on the lower and defensive side, and this is proven in the conversion of the final three people before the Conquest. And all three converted right after the Umrah al-Qada, which shows us the impact this Umrah had on the Quraysh.
His conversion story is one of the strangest conversion stories in the entire seerah. Amr ibn al-As (عمرو بن العاص) felt insecure seeing the power shift in favor of the Prophet PBUH and began wondering, "What would happen if Makkah is conquered? Where would I go?" This was especially true after the Battle of Khandaq. Amr ibn al-As narrates his own story and says, "It became clear to me after Khandaq that it was only a matter of time before Makkah was next. So I told a group of my friends that would look up to me..."—and recall Amr ibn al-As is the politician, the diplomat, the nobleman; he was the one who was sent to the Najashi to secure the release of the emigrants to Abyssinia [see episode 17]; so he had a group that looked up to him, and he said to them—"...I have been telling you that the affair of this man Muhammad shall be supreme very quickly. And I have an idea." They said, "What is the idea?" He said, "Let us emigrate to the Najashi and live under him, so if Muhammad is successful over his people, then we shall live under the Najashi, because living under him is preferred to us than living under Muhammad. But if Quraysh wins over Muhammad, then we are who we are, and we can always return." So Amr did not want to engage in any more battles. The fact that they left Makkah at this stage clearly shows it's just a matter of time before the Muslims would take over. So they left for Abyssinia, and they took fine camel leather and other gifts for the Najashi.
And while they were in Abyssinia, they saw a sahabi by the name of Amr ibn Umayyah al-Damri (عمرو بن أمية الضمري) delivering a message from the Prophet PBUH to the Najashi to inform Ja'far to come to Madinah. Al-Damri is a messenger, and he does not have the protection of the Najashi unlike the other Muslims of Abyssinia, so Amr ibn al-As, who doesn't know that the Najashi is a Muslim, says, "Let me ask permission from the Najashi if we can kill this envoy in order that I have a privilege over the Quraysh." So he entered in upon the Najashi, gave him all the leather and gifts, and he asked permission to kill the messenger al-Damri, "This man represents someone whom we despise, and he has killed many of our noblemen. Will you allow me to kill him in revenge?" At this, the Najashi took his hand and smacked it on his own nose, which we assume at the time was a sign of extreme disgust and anger. Amr ibn al-As said when he was narrating this story, "I became so terrified of his anger that I wished the earth would just open up and swallow me up." As soon as he saw Najashi's anger, he fell down and said, "I did not know you would get so angry, and if I knew you would get so angry, I would never have asked this of you." The Najashi replied, "Do you wish me to deliver into your hands the envoy of the one whom the Great Spirit (Jibril) descends upon?" And he continued, "O Amr, woe to you! Obey me in this regard, and follow this man (the Prophet PBUH). For this man is upon the Truth, and for sure he will be victorious over his enemies just like Moses was victorious over the Pharaoh." It's amazing here that Amr had run away from Makkah to run away from the Prophet's PBUH Message, yet lo and behold, the Emperor of Abyssinia is a Muslim as well and he is giving him dawah. (Trivia: And this is the only time a tabi' is giving dawah to [someone who is going to become] a sahabi. The Najashi never saw the Prophet PBUH so he is not a sahabi. He is a type of tabi' called "the mukhadram [المخضرم]" which means a Muslim who lived during the time of the Prophet PBUH but never saw him. And Amr becomes a Muslim at his hands, and later becomes a sahabi when he sees the Prophet PBUH. So you can ask someone a trivia question: "What tabi' was there that gave dawah to the convert who converted to become a sahabi?" And the response is Najashi As'huma ibn Abjar.) Amr was so overwhelmed by all that he had seen. Imagine the one person whom he thought would give him refuge from the Prophet PBUH turns out to be a follower of the Prophet PBUH. So Amr realizes this is the Truth and says, "Will you accept my Islam on behalf of the Prophet PBUH?" And the Najashi said yes, so he gave the bay'ah to the Najashi for Islam. He accepted Islam in front of the Najashi right then and there.
When Amr comes out and meets his companions, he doesn't tell them anything. Then he makes an excuse and makes his way to Madinah, and on the way, he meets two people, Khalid ibn al-Walid and Uthman ibn Talha, and he says to them, "Where are you going?" They say, "We are going to Muhammad and will accept Islam." Khalid says, "The matter is crystal clear that this man is a prophet. I am going to accept Islam. For how long are we going to deny this?" Amr ibn al-As says, "Wallahi, that is exactly why I have come back." And so the three of them Emigrated together and they became the very last batch to enter Madinah and to accept Islam before the Conquest of Makkah. When the three of them came, Khalid was the first to accept Islam in front of the Prophet PBUH, then it was Amr's turn. The Prophet PBUH stretched his hand forward, and according to one report, Amr pulled the hand back, or according to another report, he held onto his hand rather than the palm — so the Prophet PBUH said, "O Amr, what is the matter?" Amr said, "Before I embrace Islam, I have a condition." The Prophet PBUH said, "What is that condition?" Amr said, "That all of my past sins be forgiven." So the Prophet PBUH said, "O Amr, don't you know that three things wipe away all sins before them? (i) Embracing Islam, (ii) Migration, and (iii) Hajj." So the Prophet PBUH is saying, "Don't you know this is already accomplished by you embracing Islam and doing Hijrah?"
Official narration on the conversion of Amr ibn al-As:
"After the Battle of Ahzab/Khandaq, we all returned to Makkah and were close to despair. For although we were in every material aspect superior to Muhammad PBUH and his band of followers, they had begun to gain over us in many ways. Whereas before, the Muslims had only claimed the eternal life as their own, they were now able to say that this world also was at their feet. I then thought, 'It is best that I go to the Najashi of Abyssinia. For in any case, one day Muhammad PBUH and his friends will return to their native place, Makkah. If my people gain the upper hand over Muhammad PBUH, I can come back and resume residence there in peace. If Muhammad PBUH is victorious over my people, at least I will not have had to witness that defeat with my own eyes.' Some of my friends agreed and accompanied me, taking with us many precious gifts, and we presented ourselves before the Najashi."
"Then one day, Muhammad PBUH sent Amr ibn Umayyah al-Damri to the Najashi as his envoy. Intending to take advantage of this situation, I went to the Najashi, since I assumed that he would be displeased by Muhammad's PBUH agent. I thought he would hand him over to me for me to deal with, in which case he would incur no blame, as the man would have been murdered by one of his own people. When I put these ideas to the Najashi, he flew into a rage and drove me from his presence. I then said, 'Had I known that I would occasion such anger, I would not have been so bold.'"
"The Najashi grew even angrier at that and said, 'You wish me to deliver into your hands the envoy of such a luminary who is visited by the messenger angel himself when he comes to deliver Divine Message?!' I then asked the Najashi, 'Is that truly what you believe?' He replied in a stern manner, 'Don't wast your words! Muhammad PBUH is a true prophet. If you are a real man, confess Islam and know that one day he will vanquish all his opponents. Just as Moses was Kalimullah and beat Pharaoh with the staff in his hand, so Muhammad PBUH is the Proof of Allah and will persuade those who argue against him.'"
"I left the presence of the Najashi feeling utterly dejected. I now was sure that there was no other way to get ahead in the world than by becoming Muslim. I made up my mind to it and secretly set out for Madinah. Then I grew aware that Khalid ibn al-Walid was following me. 'Where are you going?' I asked him. Khalid was an open-minded, outspoken person. He did not yet know of my decision. He replied, 'No need remains for stubborn persistence on the way of disbelief that our fathers and forefathers have shown us. There is not a grain of doubt that Muhammad PBUH whom we used to know as al-Amin (the Truthful One) is a true Prophet. I am on my way to Madinah into his presence to surrender all that I am and own that he may teach me the worship of the God that he preaches. I will entreat him to forgive me for all the outrage and insolence I have worked against him before this day. If I can achieve his pardon, there is no man happier than I.'"
"In this way, we proceeded to Madinah together and met with a gracious reception by Muhammad PBUH. Thus we entered Islam."
Recall Khalid ibn al-Walid's (خالد بن الوليد) father, al-Walid ibn al-Mughira, was the chieftain of Abu Jahal's tribe, the Banu Makhzum. And they are the statesmen, the ones who had the most rivalry and jealousy of the Prophet's PBUH tribe, the Banu Hashim. Recall the Quraysh were composed of several tribes, and three of them were considered to be major tribes; and others, such as Umar ibn al-Khattab's tribe, the Banu Adi, were considered to be small tribes. Being a Qureshi, you are already honored, but within the Quraysh, they had their own hierarchy, and the three at the top were the Banu Hashim, the Banu Umayyah, and the Banu Makhzum. Post-Islam, the Banu Makhzum basically died out, but in the days of Jahiliyyah, these three were at the top. And al-Walid ibn al-Mughira was the chieftain of the Banu Makhzum, just like Abu Talib was the chieftain of the Banu Hashim. So al-Walid ibn al-Mughira was one of the most famous Qureshi, and he was also the official poet of the Quraysh. And this is why when the Quran was revealed, the Quraysh came to him, and he plotted and planned to say bad things about the Quran, and Allah revealed Surah al-Muddaththir in response [see episode 13]. And Khalid is referenced in the Surah, in verse [74:13], as one of the children of al-Walid.
1. Amr ibn al-As
His conversion story is one of the strangest conversion stories in the entire seerah. Amr ibn al-As (عمرو بن العاص) felt insecure seeing the power shift in favor of the Prophet PBUH and began wondering, "What would happen if Makkah is conquered? Where would I go?" This was especially true after the Battle of Khandaq. Amr ibn al-As narrates his own story and says, "It became clear to me after Khandaq that it was only a matter of time before Makkah was next. So I told a group of my friends that would look up to me..."—and recall Amr ibn al-As is the politician, the diplomat, the nobleman; he was the one who was sent to the Najashi to secure the release of the emigrants to Abyssinia [see episode 17]; so he had a group that looked up to him, and he said to them—"...I have been telling you that the affair of this man Muhammad shall be supreme very quickly. And I have an idea." They said, "What is the idea?" He said, "Let us emigrate to the Najashi and live under him, so if Muhammad is successful over his people, then we shall live under the Najashi, because living under him is preferred to us than living under Muhammad. But if Quraysh wins over Muhammad, then we are who we are, and we can always return." So Amr did not want to engage in any more battles. The fact that they left Makkah at this stage clearly shows it's just a matter of time before the Muslims would take over. So they left for Abyssinia, and they took fine camel leather and other gifts for the Najashi.
And while they were in Abyssinia, they saw a sahabi by the name of Amr ibn Umayyah al-Damri (عمرو بن أمية الضمري) delivering a message from the Prophet PBUH to the Najashi to inform Ja'far to come to Madinah. Al-Damri is a messenger, and he does not have the protection of the Najashi unlike the other Muslims of Abyssinia, so Amr ibn al-As, who doesn't know that the Najashi is a Muslim, says, "Let me ask permission from the Najashi if we can kill this envoy in order that I have a privilege over the Quraysh." So he entered in upon the Najashi, gave him all the leather and gifts, and he asked permission to kill the messenger al-Damri, "This man represents someone whom we despise, and he has killed many of our noblemen. Will you allow me to kill him in revenge?" At this, the Najashi took his hand and smacked it on his own nose, which we assume at the time was a sign of extreme disgust and anger. Amr ibn al-As said when he was narrating this story, "I became so terrified of his anger that I wished the earth would just open up and swallow me up." As soon as he saw Najashi's anger, he fell down and said, "I did not know you would get so angry, and if I knew you would get so angry, I would never have asked this of you." The Najashi replied, "Do you wish me to deliver into your hands the envoy of the one whom the Great Spirit (Jibril) descends upon?" And he continued, "O Amr, woe to you! Obey me in this regard, and follow this man (the Prophet PBUH). For this man is upon the Truth, and for sure he will be victorious over his enemies just like Moses was victorious over the Pharaoh." It's amazing here that Amr had run away from Makkah to run away from the Prophet's PBUH Message, yet lo and behold, the Emperor of Abyssinia is a Muslim as well and he is giving him dawah. (Trivia: And this is the only time a tabi' is giving dawah to [someone who is going to become] a sahabi. The Najashi never saw the Prophet PBUH so he is not a sahabi. He is a type of tabi' called "the mukhadram [المخضرم]" which means a Muslim who lived during the time of the Prophet PBUH but never saw him. And Amr becomes a Muslim at his hands, and later becomes a sahabi when he sees the Prophet PBUH. So you can ask someone a trivia question: "What tabi' was there that gave dawah to the convert who converted to become a sahabi?" And the response is Najashi As'huma ibn Abjar.) Amr was so overwhelmed by all that he had seen. Imagine the one person whom he thought would give him refuge from the Prophet PBUH turns out to be a follower of the Prophet PBUH. So Amr realizes this is the Truth and says, "Will you accept my Islam on behalf of the Prophet PBUH?" And the Najashi said yes, so he gave the bay'ah to the Najashi for Islam. He accepted Islam in front of the Najashi right then and there.
When Amr comes out and meets his companions, he doesn't tell them anything. Then he makes an excuse and makes his way to Madinah, and on the way, he meets two people, Khalid ibn al-Walid and Uthman ibn Talha, and he says to them, "Where are you going?" They say, "We are going to Muhammad and will accept Islam." Khalid says, "The matter is crystal clear that this man is a prophet. I am going to accept Islam. For how long are we going to deny this?" Amr ibn al-As says, "Wallahi, that is exactly why I have come back." And so the three of them Emigrated together and they became the very last batch to enter Madinah and to accept Islam before the Conquest of Makkah. When the three of them came, Khalid was the first to accept Islam in front of the Prophet PBUH, then it was Amr's turn. The Prophet PBUH stretched his hand forward, and according to one report, Amr pulled the hand back, or according to another report, he held onto his hand rather than the palm — so the Prophet PBUH said, "O Amr, what is the matter?" Amr said, "Before I embrace Islam, I have a condition." The Prophet PBUH said, "What is that condition?" Amr said, "That all of my past sins be forgiven." So the Prophet PBUH said, "O Amr, don't you know that three things wipe away all sins before them? (i) Embracing Islam, (ii) Migration, and (iii) Hajj." So the Prophet PBUH is saying, "Don't you know this is already accomplished by you embracing Islam and doing Hijrah?"
Official narration on the conversion of Amr ibn al-As:
"After the Battle of Ahzab/Khandaq, we all returned to Makkah and were close to despair. For although we were in every material aspect superior to Muhammad PBUH and his band of followers, they had begun to gain over us in many ways. Whereas before, the Muslims had only claimed the eternal life as their own, they were now able to say that this world also was at their feet. I then thought, 'It is best that I go to the Najashi of Abyssinia. For in any case, one day Muhammad PBUH and his friends will return to their native place, Makkah. If my people gain the upper hand over Muhammad PBUH, I can come back and resume residence there in peace. If Muhammad PBUH is victorious over my people, at least I will not have had to witness that defeat with my own eyes.' Some of my friends agreed and accompanied me, taking with us many precious gifts, and we presented ourselves before the Najashi."
"Then one day, Muhammad PBUH sent Amr ibn Umayyah al-Damri to the Najashi as his envoy. Intending to take advantage of this situation, I went to the Najashi, since I assumed that he would be displeased by Muhammad's PBUH agent. I thought he would hand him over to me for me to deal with, in which case he would incur no blame, as the man would have been murdered by one of his own people. When I put these ideas to the Najashi, he flew into a rage and drove me from his presence. I then said, 'Had I known that I would occasion such anger, I would not have been so bold.'"
"The Najashi grew even angrier at that and said, 'You wish me to deliver into your hands the envoy of such a luminary who is visited by the messenger angel himself when he comes to deliver Divine Message?!' I then asked the Najashi, 'Is that truly what you believe?' He replied in a stern manner, 'Don't wast your words! Muhammad PBUH is a true prophet. If you are a real man, confess Islam and know that one day he will vanquish all his opponents. Just as Moses was Kalimullah and beat Pharaoh with the staff in his hand, so Muhammad PBUH is the Proof of Allah and will persuade those who argue against him.'"
"I left the presence of the Najashi feeling utterly dejected. I now was sure that there was no other way to get ahead in the world than by becoming Muslim. I made up my mind to it and secretly set out for Madinah. Then I grew aware that Khalid ibn al-Walid was following me. 'Where are you going?' I asked him. Khalid was an open-minded, outspoken person. He did not yet know of my decision. He replied, 'No need remains for stubborn persistence on the way of disbelief that our fathers and forefathers have shown us. There is not a grain of doubt that Muhammad PBUH whom we used to know as al-Amin (the Truthful One) is a true Prophet. I am on my way to Madinah into his presence to surrender all that I am and own that he may teach me the worship of the God that he preaches. I will entreat him to forgive me for all the outrage and insolence I have worked against him before this day. If I can achieve his pardon, there is no man happier than I.'"
"In this way, we proceeded to Madinah together and met with a gracious reception by Muhammad PBUH. Thus we entered Islam."
2. Khalid ibn al-Walid ibn al-Mughira
Recall Khalid ibn al-Walid's (خالد بن الوليد) father, al-Walid ibn al-Mughira, was the chieftain of Abu Jahal's tribe, the Banu Makhzum. And they are the statesmen, the ones who had the most rivalry and jealousy of the Prophet's PBUH tribe, the Banu Hashim. Recall the Quraysh were composed of several tribes, and three of them were considered to be major tribes; and others, such as Umar ibn al-Khattab's tribe, the Banu Adi, were considered to be small tribes. Being a Qureshi, you are already honored, but within the Quraysh, they had their own hierarchy, and the three at the top were the Banu Hashim, the Banu Umayyah, and the Banu Makhzum. Post-Islam, the Banu Makhzum basically died out, but in the days of Jahiliyyah, these three were at the top. And al-Walid ibn al-Mughira was the chieftain of the Banu Makhzum, just like Abu Talib was the chieftain of the Banu Hashim. So al-Walid ibn al-Mughira was one of the most famous Qureshi, and he was also the official poet of the Quraysh. And this is why when the Quran was revealed, the Quraysh came to him, and he plotted and planned to say bad things about the Quran, and Allah revealed Surah al-Muddaththir in response [see episode 13]. And Khalid is referenced in the Surah, in verse [74:13], as one of the children of al-Walid.
And al-Walid is the same one whom the Prophet PBUH was talking to when he PBUH turned away from Ibn Ummi Maktum. And Allah revealed Surah Abasa because of it, and describes al-Walid in it, "As for the one who thinks he has everything" [see Quran, 80:5]. Note al-Walid was a noble man who didn't stoop to low levels like Abu Jahal. He was a noble enemy and that's why he listened to the Prophet PBUH, e.g., in the incident of Surah Abasa. And that's why when the Prophet PBUH was giving him dawah, he PBUH was so hopeful that he might convert. But as we know, Ibn Ummi Maktum comes along, and when al-Walid sees him, he says to the Prophet PBUH, "You want me to follow your religion when these are your followers?" And thus Surah Abasa was revealed.
So al-Walid's son was Khalid ibn al-Walid, and he was raised in the lap of luxury. He was trained in the arts of war and horsemanship. He did not fight in Badr, but after this, he participated in every single battle. And in every single battle, he was the one who caused the most damage. At Uhud, he caused the destruction of the Muslims. At Khandaq, he was one of the few who broke through the defenses and made it into Madinah (but then he realized he was outnumbered, so he wisely retreated). And he was also the one who was sent during the Incident of Hudaybiyyah to block the Prophet PBUH (but the Prophet PBUH outmaneuvered him — this clearly shows the Prophet PBUH was the better military commander). And the story of Khalid's conversion is mentioned by him in the first person as recorded in Ibn Kathir's book:
"When Allah wanted good of me, He threw the love of Islam into my heart. And I said to myself, 'I have witnessed all of these battles against Muhammad, and every time I have participated, I have sensed that I am being turned away, and that Muhammad shall be victorious.' Then the final straw was at Hudaybiyyah; when I met him at Asfan, I was prepared to charge, but it was as if he sensed us even in the salah, it was as if he knew what I was thinking (recall Khalid's plan was to charge while the Muslims were praying [see episodes 62 & 63]). Even at Hudaybiyyah, he (the Prophet PBUH) managed to outflank me and pass us by. And so I realized that this man is protected and I cannot get to him. And I realized after the Hudaybiyyah Treaty that he will be victorious. So I thought to myself, 'Where should I go? Abyssinia? What will I do there and his own followers are also over there? Rome? If I go to Rome, I will have to become a Christian, and I will have to change my culture and live as a stranger.' So I continued remaining confused until Umrah al-Qada when the Prophet PBUH entered Makkah and he did not find me, so he asked about me, and my brother left me a message..." (Side note: Khalid's older brother is al-Walid ibn al-Walid, and he embraced Islam as a prisoner of war after Badr. He became a prisoner, Khalid brought 4,000 dirhams for his ransom, and al-Walid had already become a Muslim, but he waited for Khalid to pay the ransom —because he wanted the Prophet PBUH to have the money from the Quraysh— then on the way back to Makkah with Khalid, the first night they camped, when Khalid woke up, al-Walid had disappeared and taken his horse and gone back to Madinah.) [Continuation:], "...And my brother left me a message: 'Bismillah al-Rahman al-Rahim. As to what follows: I have not seen anything stranger than you running away from Islam. [As you are as smart as you are.] For how long will you oppose Islam? And the Prophet PBUH asked about you when he came to Makkah. He said, 'Where is Khalid?' And I responded, 'Allah will bring him.' The Prophet PBUH said, 'It is not befitting that someone like him neglects Islam. If he were to put his talents and energy with us against the mushrikun, it would be better for him, and we would give him honor.' So my dear brother, make up for what you have already passed, because many opportunities have passed you by. Wassalam'"—meaning change over before it's too late.
So when he read this letter, he decided to convert. And he thought to himself, "Who should I go to to bring me company and we go to the Prophet PBUH together?" And he went to Safwan ibn Umayyah and told him, "What do you think about embracing Islam?" But Safwan said, "If I'm the last person alive in the whole world I will not embrace Islam." So Khalid left him. He narrates, "Then I went to my childhood friend, Ikrimah ibn Abi Jahal." (They grew up together and are of the same age and are from the same tribe, so they are very close friends.) And Khalid says to him, "I feel that I should embrace Islam." Ikrimah panics, and he starts raising his voice and yelling, shouting, and says, "You are going to leave us, the son of al-Walid?! Wallahi, this is not going to happen!" And in his panic, he calls Abu Sufyan and other of the seniors of the Quraysh, and they all gather in Ikrimah's house and he spills the beans. Now Khalid is surrounded by all of the seniors of the Quraysh. And according to one version, it actually came to unsheathed swords in front of Khalid, and one of them said, "If you embrace Islam, you will have to face this." At this point, Ikrimah himself was shocked, "Will you kill him merely because he changed his religion?!" Then he defused the situation and told them to go home. So Khalid realized he could no longer stay in Makkah; thus that very night when this incident happened, he and the third of the three, Uthman ibn Talha decided to leave Makkah. And according to one report, Khalid was the one who gave dawah to Uthman ibn Talha.
So al-Walid's son was Khalid ibn al-Walid, and he was raised in the lap of luxury. He was trained in the arts of war and horsemanship. He did not fight in Badr, but after this, he participated in every single battle. And in every single battle, he was the one who caused the most damage. At Uhud, he caused the destruction of the Muslims. At Khandaq, he was one of the few who broke through the defenses and made it into Madinah (but then he realized he was outnumbered, so he wisely retreated). And he was also the one who was sent during the Incident of Hudaybiyyah to block the Prophet PBUH (but the Prophet PBUH outmaneuvered him — this clearly shows the Prophet PBUH was the better military commander). And the story of Khalid's conversion is mentioned by him in the first person as recorded in Ibn Kathir's book:
"When Allah wanted good of me, He threw the love of Islam into my heart. And I said to myself, 'I have witnessed all of these battles against Muhammad, and every time I have participated, I have sensed that I am being turned away, and that Muhammad shall be victorious.' Then the final straw was at Hudaybiyyah; when I met him at Asfan, I was prepared to charge, but it was as if he sensed us even in the salah, it was as if he knew what I was thinking (recall Khalid's plan was to charge while the Muslims were praying [see episodes 62 & 63]). Even at Hudaybiyyah, he (the Prophet PBUH) managed to outflank me and pass us by. And so I realized that this man is protected and I cannot get to him. And I realized after the Hudaybiyyah Treaty that he will be victorious. So I thought to myself, 'Where should I go? Abyssinia? What will I do there and his own followers are also over there? Rome? If I go to Rome, I will have to become a Christian, and I will have to change my culture and live as a stranger.' So I continued remaining confused until Umrah al-Qada when the Prophet PBUH entered Makkah and he did not find me, so he asked about me, and my brother left me a message..." (Side note: Khalid's older brother is al-Walid ibn al-Walid, and he embraced Islam as a prisoner of war after Badr. He became a prisoner, Khalid brought 4,000 dirhams for his ransom, and al-Walid had already become a Muslim, but he waited for Khalid to pay the ransom —because he wanted the Prophet PBUH to have the money from the Quraysh— then on the way back to Makkah with Khalid, the first night they camped, when Khalid woke up, al-Walid had disappeared and taken his horse and gone back to Madinah.) [Continuation:], "...And my brother left me a message: 'Bismillah al-Rahman al-Rahim. As to what follows: I have not seen anything stranger than you running away from Islam. [As you are as smart as you are.] For how long will you oppose Islam? And the Prophet PBUH asked about you when he came to Makkah. He said, 'Where is Khalid?' And I responded, 'Allah will bring him.' The Prophet PBUH said, 'It is not befitting that someone like him neglects Islam. If he were to put his talents and energy with us against the mushrikun, it would be better for him, and we would give him honor.' So my dear brother, make up for what you have already passed, because many opportunities have passed you by. Wassalam'"—meaning change over before it's too late.
So when he read this letter, he decided to convert. And he thought to himself, "Who should I go to to bring me company and we go to the Prophet PBUH together?" And he went to Safwan ibn Umayyah and told him, "What do you think about embracing Islam?" But Safwan said, "If I'm the last person alive in the whole world I will not embrace Islam." So Khalid left him. He narrates, "Then I went to my childhood friend, Ikrimah ibn Abi Jahal." (They grew up together and are of the same age and are from the same tribe, so they are very close friends.) And Khalid says to him, "I feel that I should embrace Islam." Ikrimah panics, and he starts raising his voice and yelling, shouting, and says, "You are going to leave us, the son of al-Walid?! Wallahi, this is not going to happen!" And in his panic, he calls Abu Sufyan and other of the seniors of the Quraysh, and they all gather in Ikrimah's house and he spills the beans. Now Khalid is surrounded by all of the seniors of the Quraysh. And according to one version, it actually came to unsheathed swords in front of Khalid, and one of them said, "If you embrace Islam, you will have to face this." At this point, Ikrimah himself was shocked, "Will you kill him merely because he changed his religion?!" Then he defused the situation and told them to go home. So Khalid realized he could no longer stay in Makkah; thus that very night when this incident happened, he and the third of the three, Uthman ibn Talha decided to leave Makkah. And according to one report, Khalid was the one who gave dawah to Uthman ibn Talha.
3. Uthman ibn Talha
According to one report, Khalid was the one who gave dawah to Uthman ibn Talha (عثمان بن طلحة). And that very night, they left Makkah without telling anybody. And within the next day or so, they bumped into Amr ibn al-As who was also making his way to Madinah.
Uthman ibn Talha is the sahabi who is going to be the key-holder of the Ka'bah after the Conquest of Makkah later on. And it is a great honor [see episode 26: Tangent: Blessings of Uthman ibn Talha].
______________
Therefore, Amr ibn al-As the symbolic statesman and politician of the Quraysh, Uthman ibn Talha the symbolic person in charge of the Ka'bah, and Khalid ibn al-Walid the real military leader of the Quraysh, the three of them marched into Madinah simultaneously. And notice the three things put together here: The Ka'bah, the military genius, and the statesman. This is not a coincidence. Obviously, Allah's qadr. This is clearly a sign to the Muslims and against the Quraysh that, "Your time is up."
And the three of them embraced Islam and became the last batch who converted before the Conquest whom Allah says in the Quran, "Those of you who donated and fought before the Victory [over Makkah] [i.e., before the Conquest of Makkah] are unparalleled. They are far greater in rank than those who donated and fought afterward" [Quran, 57:10].
______________
Key Takeaways From the Three Major Conversions
From these stories, we notice many things:
1. The Najashi's love for the Prophet PBUH. He gets angry when Amr wants to kill the envoy of the Prophet PBUH. And this is a true sign of Iman. And we should not be embarrassed that our emotions are riled up when Allah and His Messenger are mocked. No doubt, we don't get violent. Look at the Najashi, he was boiling, "You want me to kill the envoy of the man whom Jibril comes down to?!" so much so that Amr said, "I wish the earth would swallow me up" — but he didn't get violent. This is part of our Iman that when Allah and His Messenger are mocked and ridiculed, when something is done to harm the prestige of our religion, we should feel this sense of anger.
2. Amr already knew everything the Najashi told him, but when it came from the mouth of the Najashi, it finally clicked. And this is human nature that all of us have experienced. Sometimes [we judge] the truth depends on who it comes from. If it comes from somebody, it might not make sense to you, but if it comes from somebody else, suddenly it makes sense. This is human nature. We saw the same thing with Abu Sufyan when Heraclius basically said to him, "He (the Prophet PBUH) doesn't lie about gold and silver. [So how can] you [then] expect him to lie about God?" — and suddenly it clicked.
3. Notice the psychological dawah to Khalid. The Prophet PBUH mentioned his name and praised him in his absence, in front of his brother.
4. Notice the concern of Amr ibn al-As about his past sins. He wants a clean slate. And this shows us his genuine Iman. It wasn't a political Iman. (Side note: The fact of the matter is, there are a lot of Muslims, astaghfirullah, they talk about Amr in a manner that is not appropriate because of what happened afterward —yes, he did become a politician, yes, he was on the side of Muawiyah, and yes, he did what he did— but there is no doubt he is a sahabi and a great Companion. And a fundamental principle of our aqidah is we never speak ill of any sahabi. We don't doubt their intention. Sure we can disagree with their fiqh or political positions, but we never criticize the intention and Islam of any Companion. Even if they commit a sin (and yes, they are not ma'sum), we never doubt their intention and Islam. And as we know, on his deathbed, Amr ibn al-As expressed remorse, "I don't know what I did. I hope Allah forgives me"—and this clearly shows his Iman.)
5. With the conversion of the three people that symbolize the religious, political, and military conversion, it's a done deal now. The Quraysh will be completely wiped out from the political power.
1. The Najashi's love for the Prophet PBUH. He gets angry when Amr wants to kill the envoy of the Prophet PBUH. And this is a true sign of Iman. And we should not be embarrassed that our emotions are riled up when Allah and His Messenger are mocked. No doubt, we don't get violent. Look at the Najashi, he was boiling, "You want me to kill the envoy of the man whom Jibril comes down to?!" so much so that Amr said, "I wish the earth would swallow me up" — but he didn't get violent. This is part of our Iman that when Allah and His Messenger are mocked and ridiculed, when something is done to harm the prestige of our religion, we should feel this sense of anger.
2. Amr already knew everything the Najashi told him, but when it came from the mouth of the Najashi, it finally clicked. And this is human nature that all of us have experienced. Sometimes [we judge] the truth depends on who it comes from. If it comes from somebody, it might not make sense to you, but if it comes from somebody else, suddenly it makes sense. This is human nature. We saw the same thing with Abu Sufyan when Heraclius basically said to him, "He (the Prophet PBUH) doesn't lie about gold and silver. [So how can] you [then] expect him to lie about God?" — and suddenly it clicked.
3. Notice the psychological dawah to Khalid. The Prophet PBUH mentioned his name and praised him in his absence, in front of his brother.
4. Notice the concern of Amr ibn al-As about his past sins. He wants a clean slate. And this shows us his genuine Iman. It wasn't a political Iman. (Side note: The fact of the matter is, there are a lot of Muslims, astaghfirullah, they talk about Amr in a manner that is not appropriate because of what happened afterward —yes, he did become a politician, yes, he was on the side of Muawiyah, and yes, he did what he did— but there is no doubt he is a sahabi and a great Companion. And a fundamental principle of our aqidah is we never speak ill of any sahabi. We don't doubt their intention. Sure we can disagree with their fiqh or political positions, but we never criticize the intention and Islam of any Companion. Even if they commit a sin (and yes, they are not ma'sum), we never doubt their intention and Islam. And as we know, on his deathbed, Amr ibn al-As expressed remorse, "I don't know what I did. I hope Allah forgives me"—and this clearly shows his Iman.)
5. With the conversion of the three people that symbolize the religious, political, and military conversion, it's a done deal now. The Quraysh will be completely wiped out from the political power.
______________
There were many other expeditions as well that took place after this incident. But again, for the purposes of this seerah, these minor expeditions that the Prophet PBUH did not participate in, we will simply skip over.
[Transcribed by Br. Safwan Khan & Faizan]
safwan-khan@hotmail.com
[Revised by Br. Syed Haq & MAR, October 2021]
safwan-khan@hotmail.com
[Revised by Br. Syed Haq & MAR, October 2021]
