Showing posts with label seerah. Show all posts
Showing posts with label seerah. Show all posts

Sunday, May 14, 2023

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1. EP 001 - 010 [PDF] [DOCX] — Updated August 2024

2. EP 011 - 020 [PDF] [DOCX] — Updated August 2024

3. EP 021 - 030 [PDF] [DOCX] — Updated August 2024

4. EP 031 - 040 [PDF] [DOCX] — Updated August 2024

5. EP 041 - 050 [PDF] [DOCX] — Updated August 2024

6. EP 051 - 060 [PDF] [DOCX] — Updated August 2024

7. EP 061 - 070 [PDF] [DOCX] — Updated August 2024

8. EP 071 - 080 [PDF] [DOCX] — Updated August 2024

9. EP 081 - 090 [PDF] [DOCX] — Updated August 2024

10. EP 091 - 101 [PDF] [DOCX]

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11. ALL IN ONE [PDF]

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12. COVER [PDF] [DOCX]

13. CONTENTS [PDF] [DOCX]

14. GLOSSARY OF ARABIC TERMS [PDF] [DOCX]

15. INDEX [PDF] [DOCX]


Sunday, November 29, 2015

001 - Specialties of Prophet Muhammad SAW

Insha'Allah (إن شاء الله - God willing), before we embark on the journey of seerah, we will study the Prophet's PBUH (ﷺ - May Allah Sends Blessings and Peace Upon Him/Peace Be Upon Him) shama'il (شمائل - characteristics) to build up even greater eagerness and motivation to learn about the life and times, the lessons and morals, the incidents that occurred, in the life of our Prophet Muhammad PBUH.

Where do we begin when it comes to describing the one whom Allah (الله) has chosen above the entire creation. How can we do justice to him when Allah AWJ (Azza wa Jal/عز وجل - Mighty and the Majestic) Himself says, "We have raised up your remembrance and mention" [see Quran, 94:4]. And indeed, Ibn Abbas (ابن عباس) and other scholars of the sahaba (صحابة - Companions of the Prophet) said, "Allah has raised up his remembrance such that whenever Allah is mentioned, the Prophet PBUH is mentioned right after." Allah SWT (Subhanahu wa Ta'ala/سبحانه وتعالى - Glorified and Exalted be He) Himself called our Prophet PBUH a "Rahma li al-Alamin (رحمة للعالمين - Mercy to the World)" — He is the embodiment of rahma (رحمة - mercy); he is the channel of Allah's mercy. Indeed the Prophet PBUH is mercy, his sending is mercy, his Message is mercy, his teachings are mercy, and believing and acting upon what he has come with is mercy. He is everything associated with mercy. So how then can we begin to do justice to the Prophet PBUH when Allah has praised him so highly.

However, even if we cannot mention all of his blessings and characteristics, let us at least mention some.

The Names of Prophet Muhammad PBUH

We begin by mentioning some of the names that Allah AWJ gave our Prophet Muhammad PBUH. He had many names. Many of his names were given by later people (i.e., the sahaba, tabi'un, and the early scholars), and one of the famous scholars of the seerah has derived over 250 names for the Prophet PBUH; but we will only mention some of the names that Allah has given him, because those are the primary names that have the deepest meaning.

From Jubayr ibn Mut'im (جبير بن مطعم), in Sahih Muslim, he said the Prophet PBUH said: "I have a number of names. I am Muhammad, and I am Ahmad, and I am al-Mahi —the one through whom Allah erases kufr (كفر - disbelief)—, and I am al-Hashir —people will be resurrected after me—, and I am al-Aqib —the one who has no prophet after—."

And in another narration: "And I am Nabi al-Rahma, and Nabi al-Tawba, and al-Muqaffa, and Nabi al-Malahim."

The two nouns that the Quran (قرآن) explicitly mentions are Muhammad (محمد) and Ahmad (أحمد).

The name Muhammad is mentioned 4 times in the Quran (see [3:144], [33:40], [47:2], [48:29]), and the name Ahmad is mentioned 1 time from the tongue of Isa (عيسى - Jesus) AS (Alayhi al-Salam/عليه السلام - Peace Be Upon Him) in the Quran, "A messenger after me whose name will be Ahmad" [Quran 61:6]. Both names come from the root ح م د (h-m-d); and "hamd" means "to praise," but not any type of praise, it means to praise not in return for some favor given to you; a praise that is given simply because of the inherent characteristics in the one that you are praising; that is, he deserves to be praised for who he is. An object of perfection. He is worthy of being praised regardless of what he has done or has not done. And both of the Prophet's PBUH names —Muhammad and Ahmad— come from "hamd." Why? Because Allah has praised him, the angels have praised him, all the prophets have praised him, and every single one of mankind praises him directly or indirectly. As for praising him directly, these are the Muslims — we praise him directly; and as for praising him indirectly, these are the non-Muslims — even those who reject the Prophet PBUH by the tongue, they must praise his character and qualities. So he is praised in the heavens and the earth, in the previous umam (أمم - nations) and the present umam, in this dunya (دنيا - world) and the akhira (آخرة - Hereafter). This is the ultimate praise. There is no human before, now, or after, who is praised more than the Prophet PBUH.

002 - Specialties of Prophet Muhammad SAW (Part 2)




In our last halaqa (حلقة), we mentioned only around 15 khasa'is; but realize there are close to 50 special qualities that only the Prophet PBUH was given.

Today, insha'Allah, we will begin by talking about his physical appearance PBUH.

The Physical Appearance of Prophet Muhammad PBUH

It is the sunnah of Allah (سنة الله - the custom of Allah) that He sends prophets with the most perfect characteristics, inner and outer, so that mankind has no reason to reject the messenger. As we know, Prophet Yusuf (يوسف - Joseph) was given half of all beauty. Some scholars say this means half of all beauty of mankind (this is the majority opinion); but some scholars say it means half of the beauty of Prophet Muhammad PBUH because —according to this opinion— the Prophet Muhammad PBUH is the most handsome and beautiful of the entire creation.

We have many narrations that describe the physical features of our Prophet PBUH. It is reported in al-Tabarani's (الطبراني) al-Mu'jam al-Kabir (المعجم الكبير) and Bukhari's Kitab al-Manaqib (كتاب المناقب) that once, a son of an old sahabiyya (صحابية - female Companion) asked his mother al-Rubayyi' bint Muawwidh (الربيع بنت معوذ) after the Prophet PBUH had passed away, "What was the Prophet PBUH like?" She said, "O my dear son, if you were to have seen him, you would have thought that the sun had risen up." It is amazing that she described him as a sun, and another sahabi Ka'b ibn Malik (كعب بن مالك) described him as a moon. Ka'b said, "Whenever the Prophet PBUH was happy, his face would light up as if it was the full moon." It is beautiful that the sahaba are describing the Prophet PBUH with what they know to be the most beautiful.

There is a tradition that almost makes you want to cry: The tradition of Amr ibn al-As (عمرو بن العاص). He used to be of the leaders of the Quraysh (قريش) who were against Islam, and he only had the opportunity to be a sahabi for a few years. Later on in his life, he would say, "There was nothing sweeter or more beloved to me than to stare at the face of the Prophet PBUH." The beauty and nur (نور - light) of the Prophet PBUH was so great that Amr is saying there is nothing sweeter than to simply look at his face PBUH. "I could never get enough of looking at him. And yet were you to ask me how he looked, I couldn't describe him. Because along with this desire to stare at him, there was also this awe I had that couldn't allow me to stare directly at him, and I had to look down." So there were two types of powers emanating from the Prophet PBUH: the first of them was attracting Amr's vision to him, and the second was making him look away. "Even though I loved to stare, I couldn't." This is coming from a nobleman of the Quraysh, and this is how humbled he was just by the appearance of the Prophet PBUH.

003 - Why Study the Seerah and Pre-Islamic Arabia




Before we discuss the life of the Prophet PBUH, we must discuss pre-Islamic Arabia. In order to understand the seerah, we need to understand the world at his time. This is why every single book of seerah has a number of introductory sections.

What does the word seerah (سيرة) mean? It means to traverse or to journey. It is derived from the root س ي ر (s-y-r) which means to travel — and the reason why seerah (the biography of a person) is called seerah is because you are traveling his journey, following his footsteps. Even though its use can be for the biography of anybody, Muslim scholars have now kept it only for the biography of the Prophet PBUH.

Benefits of Studying the Seerah

Why should we study the seerah?

1. Allah has commanded us to know this man. This is an obligation that Allah has put upon us. And there are over 50 verses in the Quran that command us to take the Prophet PBUH as an example. Of them:

لَّقَدْ كَانَ لَكُمْ فِي رَسُولِ اللَّهِ أُسْوَةٌ حَسَنَةٌ
"Indeed there is for you, in the messenger of Allah, an exemplary manner, a perfect conduct" [see Quran, 33:21]. We have the perfect example to follow. And therefore, the study of the life & times of our Prophet PBUH is the study of someone we must follow. And amazingly, no matter which angle we look at the seerah, we will benefit from it:

(i) In terms of religion: how the Prophet PBUH worship Allah
(ii) In terms of manners and morals: his mercy and tenderness
(iii) In terms of leadership: how he led the Muslims to success
(iv) In terms of how he was as a father and a husband

004 - Religious Status of the World Before Islam


Today, we will shed some light upon the religious status of the Arabs and the world before the coming of the Prophet PBUH. We talk about this to appreciate the blessings the Prophet PBUH came with. When we understand pre-Islam, we will appreciate Islam. When we understand Jahiliyyah (جاهلية - the Age of [Pre-Islamic] Ignorance) and their idolatry, we will appreciate the blessing of the sending of the Prophet PBUH.

Pre-Islamic Arabia: The Monotheism of Ibrahim & Ismail

We know every nation had a prophet. And one of the prophets of the Arabs was Ibrahim AS. And Ibrahim AS sanctioned many practices which remained for thousands of years until the coming of the Prophet PBUH. These include:

1. To consider Makkah sacred — And as we know, we Muslims call Makkah "al-Haram (الحرام - the Sacred)," which comes from the same word as "haram (حرام - forbidden)." Makkah is called al-Haram because many things that are halal (حلال - permissible) outside the Haram are haram (حرام - forbidden) inside the Haram. For example, you are not allowed to hunt animals and you are not allowed to pull a leaf of a tree inside the Haram — you cannot 'touch' natural things. Allah says in the Quran:

وَمَنْ دَخَلَهُ كانَ آمِناً
"Whoever enters the Haram is safe" [3:97]. And this is a ruling we still apply in our shariah (شريعة - Islamic law). Ibn Abbas said, "A person would see the murderer of his father doing tawaf (طواف), and he would not touch a hair on his head"—because Makkah is sacred.

2. Showing respect to the Ka'bah (كعبة).

3. Instituting the four Sacred Months (Dhu al-Qa'dah [ذو القعدة], Dhu al-Hijjah [ذو الحجة], Muharram [محرم], and Rajab [رجب]) — In these months, all hostility has to cease, and you are not allowed to engage in any warfare. Everybody must be at peace.

4. Hajj (حج) with all of its rites and rituals — doing tawaf, doing sa'i (سعي), the aspect of sacrificing animals around the Haram, the aspect of decorating animals that are assigned to be sacrificed, etc.

(Side note: Many non-Muslim researchers say these practices of Islam are taken from pagan culture. But this is all a matter of perspective. For the non-Muslims, they are not looking at the fact that these practices are coming from Ibrahim AS. So according to their perspective, they say the Prophet PBUH adopted certain practices from paganism and then added his own two cents. But we say no, he PBUH adhered to the original monotheism of Ibrahim AS, and he cleansed away the paganism.)

005 - Genealogy & Year of the Elephant


Insha'Allah ta'ala, today will be, as we said, a rehash of one of the first episodes of the seerah. And that is the genealogy of the Prophet PBUH.

And we begin by talking about, really, the entire Arab race. Because this is how the books of seerah begin. Who exactly are the Arabs.

And there are many theories. And the fact of the matter is that there is nothing that is, quote-unquote, scientific. These are all legends that the Arabs have basically transferred down, generation to generation. And this is the standard narrative.


Genealogy of the Arabs

The standard narrative goes that: the Arabs can be divided into two broad categories.

1. The first of them are the Extinct Arabs (al-Arab al-Ba'ida/العرب البائدة). They are gone. The Extinct Arabs. And these are also called the Ancient Arabs. And these are the earliest civilizations known in the land of Arabia. The earliest human civilizations known. And the Quran mentioned some of them, such as Thamud (ثمود) and Ad (عاد). And there were other tribes as well.

And so these civilizations, they no longer exist, obviously. And their progeny, according to the majority and dominant opinion (and we will come to another opinion), has been completely exterminated; that Allah SWT basically exterminated all of them. And these civilizations flourished five to six thousand years ago, i.e., from the earliest dawn of the recorded civilization. And some of them were destroyed by Allah SWT, such as Ad and Thamud. And others were forced to evacuate or wiped out by war. So the point is these are called the Ancient Arabs, and they are simply in the textbooks of history.

2. The second group of Arabs are called the Remaining Arabs (al-Arab al-Baqiya/العرب الباقية); Those who remained. So we have the Extinct Arabs (the Ancient), then we have the Remaining Arabs (al-Arab al-Baqiya). And these Arabs are divided into two categories, okay? So these Arabs are divided into two categories:

2a) The first of these are: al-Arab al-Ariba (العرب العاربة), or if you want to be in English: the Pure Arabs. The Arabs who were pure Arabs.

2b) And the second: al-Arab al-Musta'riba (العرب المستعربة). The Arabs Who Became Arab; the Arabs who learned the Arabic language.

So far so clear?

006 - The Birth of Prophet Muhammad SAW & Why Arabia


Pre-Islamic Arabia: Jahili Arabs' Unique Idolatry/Polytheism

The interesting thing about the jahili Arabs was that they believed in the same God that we Muslims believe in, by the same name and attributes, and that is Allah. They never depicted Allah as an idol. They made idols of al-Lat (اللات), Hubal (هبل), al-Uzza (العزى), Manat (مناة), etc., but they never made an idol of Allah because they knew Allah could not be represented by an idol. They knew Allah was their Creator, Originator, and Sustainer. Allah says in the Quran:

وَلَئِن سَأَلْتَهُم مَّنْ خَلَقَهُمْ لَيَقُولُنَّ الله
"If you were to ask them who created them, they would say, 'Allah.'" [Quran, 43:87]

وَلَئِن سَأَلْتَهُم مَّنْ خَلَقَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ لَيَقُولُنَّ الله
"If you were to ask them who created the heavens and the earth, they would say, 'Allah.'" [Quran, 39:38]

وَلَئِن سَأَلْتَهُم مَّن نَّزَّلَ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ مَاءً فَأَحْيَا بِهِ الْأَرْضَ مِن بَعْدِ مَوْتِهَا لَيَقُولُنَّ الله
"If you were to ask them who sends the water (rain) from the heaven and gives life therewith to the earth after its death, they would say, 'Allah.'" [Quran, 29:63]

 قُلْ مَن يَرْزُقُكُم مِّنَ السَّمَاءِ وَالْأَرْضِ أَمَّن يَمْلِكُ السَّمْعَ وَالْأَبْصَارَ وَمَن يُخْرِجُ الْحَيَّ مِنَ الْمَيِّتِ وَيُخْرِجُ الْمَيِّتَ مِنَ الْحَيِّ وَمَن يُدَبِّرُ الْأَمْرَ ۚ فَسَيَقُولُونَ الله
"Say, 'Who provides you with sustenance out of the heaven and the earth? Who holds mastery over your hearing and sight? Who brings forth the living from the dead and the dead from the living? Who governs all affairs of the universe?' They will surely say, 'Allah.'" [Quran, 10:31]

So when the Prophet PBUH comes to them, it is not with a new god. Their paganism is not the paganism of the modern day. They know Allah is their Lord. But they are not Muslims, and we don't consider them to be Muslims. Why? Because they worship idols. Why do they worship idols when they know Allah created them? The Quran tells us — they say:

مَا نَعْبُدُهُمْ إِلَّا لِيُقَرِّبُونَا إِلَى اللَّهِ زُلْفَىٰ
"'We are only worshiping these beings so that they can bring us closer to Allah.'" [Quran, 39:3]

So their ultimate goal is Allah — the idols were only intermediaries.

Allah says:

وَيَعْبُدُونَ مِن دُونِ اللَّهِ مَا لَا يَضُرُّهُمْ وَلَا يَنفَعُهُمْ وَيَقُولُونَ هَٰؤُلَاءِ شُفَعَاؤُنَا عِندَ اللَّهِ
"They worship besides Allah things that do not harm them nor benefit them, and they say: 'These are our intercessors between us and Allah.'" [Quran, 10:18]

"We are too sinful to worship Allah directly, and these idols are holy beings, so we 'go through' them to get to the Holiest of holy that is Allah"—this is their mentality. So notice their shirk (شرك - idolatry/polytheism) was not in rejecting Allah; they firmly believed Allah is their Creator and Sustainer, but they were worshiping other than Allah — so we don't consider them to be Muslims.

This is important to note because in our times, some Muslims fall prey to this *exact* same mentality. They claim Allah is their Lord, but they feel they are too sinful to worship Allah directly, so they invent intercessors/intermediaries. Change al-Lat to pir, Manat to sheikh, al-Uzza to wali, and you get the exact same concept, word for word. They think they have to 'go through' the saint or the Prophet PBUH. "We worship this being, sacrifice to this being, invoke the blessings of this being, because this being has a higher status with Allah, and they will plead our case to Allah"—this is exactly the mentality of the jahili Arabs. They might say, "How dare you compare a pir to al-Lat! How dare you compare my sheikh to al-Lat!" Our response is: "What is al-Lat except a saint?"

Do you know the origin of al-Lat? Al-Lat was a generous man who used to feed the pilgrims a type of soup. "Al-Lat" means "the one who grinds." (Note: Al-Lat is his title, not his name.) He would stand on the road towards Makkah and feed the people on the road. So they called him "al-Lat," the one who grinds the barley for the soup. When he died, they said, "Let us commemorate him. He was a good man"—so they built a monument. And then people came, rubbed their bodies on it, put their hands on it to get blessings, and slowly but surely, it became an idol that they worshiped besides Allah. So what is al-Lat except a saint? (Note: In our religion, we are not supposed to build a monument on a grave *exactly* because of this reason.)

And the most common being who is invoked and worshiped on earth besides Allah is Jesus Christ. Is Jesus a good or evil being? He is a good being. He is one of the greatest of all prophets. You see, the slippery slope doesn't occur with evil people — look at how few people worship shaytan (the Satanists), and yet billions of people worship Jesus Christ, because it is easy to slip with a good man — you put him above his place, you take him to a status above what he deserves. And this is what our religion came to prohibit. You don't worship anybody besides Allah, including the Prophet PBUH. You don't 'go through' anybody to get to Allah. Take the Prophet PBUH as a role model, not as another god or demigod.

So the shirk of the jahili Arabs was a very unique type of shirk, unlike the Hindus or the Zoroastrians — because these groups believe in another god besides Allah; but the god of the Arabs was the God of Ibrahim and Ismail and Ishaq, and that is Allah, the God that we Muslims believe in. Their shirk was not in rejecting Him, but ironically, in affirming Him as being too Holy.

007 - The Early Childhood of Prophet Muhammad SAW


We now move on to the period of the Prophet's PBUH life that is his early childhood — him growing up as a young child.

From Aminah to Halimah

The first thing we know of his life after his birth is that his mother gave him to be raised away from the house in the desert. This seems strange to us, but it was a custom of the nobility of the Quraysh. It was a status symbol that was done for a number of reasons:

1. They wanted the child to be raised in a pure and healthy environment. Infant mortality during this phase of humanity (in fact even up until 100 years ago) was very high. So to protect the child from plagues and disease, they remove them from congregations and civilization such that there are only a few people (i.e., one family) interacting with them. This increases the chances of their survival.

2. They wanted to build stamina in the child and make them adjust to a rough life. Even though life in Makkah was very tough, they wanted to raise their child in a harder environment so that they could then adapt easily to the hardships of Makkah. Indeed, children adapt to their circumstances much easier than adults, and that's why a child who was born in a very impoverished household is just as content and as happy as a child born in a rich and luxurious family. Allah has made us in a beautiful way. Children know how to have fun regardless of the circumstances, unlike us adults — if we were to, la qaddar'Allah (لا قدر الله - God forbid), be diminished in the standard that we are used to, life would become almost impossible to bear, even though many other people in the world would love that standard we have been diminished to. It is human nature that children adapt to their circumstances. And this shows the Quraysh had clever long-term planning. They wanted their children to live under difficulty at a young age so that the hardships of Makkah then appear like a luxury.

Saturday, November 28, 2015

008 - The Early Manhood of Prophet Muhammad SAW


The next phase in the Prophet's PBUH life is when he was a young man, around 14-15. As we mentioned many times, we have very little about the Prophet's PBUH life at this age. The early life of the Prophet PBUH is the most undocumented. We have nothing from the time he was 9-15 except for one story here, one story there. And we explained why:

(i) Nobody was witnessing and recording the incidents.
(ii) Nobody knew that he was going to become a prophet of Allah.
(iii) There was no writing in Makkah.
(iv) Those who lived long enough to narrate the story were few.

Prophet Muhammad PBUH as a Shepherd

We do however know the first job of the Prophet PBUH — and this hadith is in Bukhari so it is authentic: the Prophet PBUH said, "Allah never sent a prophet except that he was a shepherd." The sahaba asked, "Not even you, O Messenger of Allah?" (Side note: this shows that most sahaba didn't even know he had a job as a shepherd — let alone the other details.) They thought the Prophet PBUH would be an exception — but the Prophet PBUH replied, "I was. And I used to tend to the flock of the people of Makkah in return for some qararit (قراريط - pennies/insignificant amount of money)." In another hadith, it's said the Prophet PBUH saw some of the shepherds taking care of the sheep they had and said, "I advise you to find the tree of arak (أراك - Salvadora persica/toothbrush tree) and find the darker branches as this will be better for your flock." So they were shocked and asked, "How do you know this, O Messenger of Allah?" He said, "I used to be a shepherd, and every prophet of Allah used to be a shepherd." In another narration, in Musnad Imam Ahmad, the Prophet PBUH is recorded to have said, "Musa was sent (to become a prophet) when he was a shepherd. Dawud was sent when he was a shepherd. And I too was a shepherd in [the valley of] Ajyad (أجياد)."

If Allah had willed, the Prophet PBUH could have been born rich, and money would have been poured upon him as a child, teenager, and adult. Why would Allah let the Prophet PBUH start his life with the most menial, lowest-paid, most difficult job in all of Makkah? There are a lot of wisdoms:

009 - Marriage to Khadija & Re-building Ka'aba


As previously mentioned, there is very limited information available on the first 40 years of the life of the Prophet PBUH. Only two more incidents have been recorded from the pre-prophethood period, and the first of these is his marriage to Khadija RA:

How the Prophet PBUH Met Khadija RA

Now, how did the Prophet PBUH meet Khadija bint Khuwaylid (خديجة بنت خويلد) RA? As we said before, the Prophet PBUH was a shepherd. He would find people who owned a flock, tended them, and would get some wages. And it so happened Khadija's older sister had a flock —a herd of camels— and she was looking for someone to graze and take care of them outside of Makkah. So she hired two people — the Prophet PBUH and another young man.

After the Prophet PBUH had finished the grazing, they had to go back into town to collect the wages. The young man with the Prophet PBUH said, "Now that we are done, let's go and ask for our wages." But the Prophet PBUH said, "Why don't you go on my behalf — because I am too shy to go." So the person came to Khadija's sister —and it so happened Khadija was in the house at the time— Khadija asked, "Where is Muhammad?" The young man said, "He was too shy to come and ask it from you." So at this, Khadija's older sister remarked, "I have not seen any man who is more shy, honorable, noble, and chaste in his interactions, than Muhammad." And it's narrated that this is the first time Khadija heard of the Prophet PBUH — and it was in such a manner — so something entered her heart.

010 - Zayd b. Harithah & Beginning of Revelation


Last week, right at the end, we discussed the story of the rebuilding of the Ka'bah. And there are some profound symbolisms in it that we were not able to finish. So we do need to start from where we left off. And that is, we have just mentioned the tangent (off camera) about the story of the Black Stone, that it had become fragmented, and the Abbasids had to put it back in molten metal, and the actual Black Stone is in pieces now — it's not the original stone.

Symbolisms We Learn From the Rebuilding of the Ka'bah

1. There is clearly the metaphor being given that the Ka'bah has been destroyed before the coming (i.e., before the prophethood) of the Prophet PBUH and is being rebuilt right at his time: the symbolism is that the religion of Ibrahim AS had been destroyed and now the Prophet PBUH is going to rebuild it. So the Ka'bah represents the religion of Ibrahim AS and the first House ever built for the worship of Allah. Allah says:

أَوَّلَ بَيْتٍ وُضِعَ لِلنَّاسِ لَلَّذِي بِبَكَّةَ
"The first House [of worship] established for mankind was that at Makkah" [Quran, 3:96]. Thus, this House represents the worship of Allah. And the symbolism of it being destroyed shows that the religion of Ibrahim has not been preserved by humanity, and the fact that it's being renewed at the time of the Prophet PBUH is a sign that the religion of Ibrahim is going to be rebuilt.

2. The fact that the Ka'bah was rebuilt upon the foundations of Ibrahim but the building was renewed, shows that the foundation of the theology that the Prophet PBUH comes with is the same "La ilaha illaLlah," but the shariah will be renewed.

3. Just like the Prophet PBUH saved his people from civil war and bloodshed and exalted their honor, so too he will save them as the Last and Final Messenger and once again exalt their honor.

4. The fact that the Prophet PBUH united all of the tribes by holding the cloth, is a symbol that he will unite them all under the banner of Islam.

5. Also, when the Prophet PBUH entered the Ka'bah, all of the tribes were happy — the Prophet PBUH was such an immense character, his nobility was so recognized that it didn't matter which subtribe he belonged to — everybody loved him as one of their own. This shows the status of the Prophet PBUH.

Friday, November 27, 2015

011 - The Second Revelation


(Cont.) The Second Revelation

We return to the long hadith of revelation in Bukhari: Jabir ibn Abdillah (جابر بن عبد الله) continues the story and mentions that the Prophet PBUH stopped getting revelation. Ibn Abbas says the Prophet PBUH would wander Makkah —its valleys and mountains— wanting to see Jibril AS again. But Jibril would not appear. Some scholars say this period lasted for 2 or 3 years — but in our view, this is far too long. A riwaya (رواية - narration) from Ibn Abbas says 40 days. Ibn Shihab al-Zuhri said, "This period lasted for many days, for around a month"—40 days. Therefore, for an entire month and 10 days, the Prophet PBUH was confused. And this is when he says, "I was worried for myself"—meaning he thought he was hallucinating. And he would go to Jabal al-Nour every day, hoping to see Jibril again, but there was nothing there. Until finally one day, as he was coming down the mountain, he heard his name being called —and he looked in front and behind and couldn't see anyone— and then —as he PBUH said—: "I looked up and there was the angel I had seen at Hira, (sitting) on a throne between the heavens and the earth." And at this sight, the Prophet PBUH began to tremble out of fear. Subhan'Allah, he wanted to see Jibril; but when he saw him, he trembled immensely — one report even says the Prophet PBUH fell down on his knees out of shock and fear. And he then rushes home again, saying, "Wrap me up." And this was when the second revelation was revealed — the first 7 verses of Surah al-Muddaththir (سورة المدثر):

يَا أَيُّهَا الْمُدَّثِّرُ
قُمْ فَأَنذِرْ
وَرَبَّكَ فَكَبِّرْ
وَثِيَابَكَ فَطَهِّرْ
وَالرُّجْزَ فَاهْجُرْ
وَلَا تَمْنُن تَسْتَكْثِرُ
وَلِرَبِّكَ فَاصْبِرْ

What is the wisdom of the 30-40 days that the Prophet PBUH was not Inspired? The scholars say one wisdom is to prepare him for the second meeting. To make him recover and recollect energies and make him feel enthused. And indeed, the Prophet PBUH was coming to the mountain every day to try to meet Jibril. But despite this preparation, he still became terrified when he saw him. All of this shows us the humanity of the Prophet PBUH. And this surely isn't something a fraud, a charlatan, a two-faced liar would do — when someone makes a false claim to be a prophet, the stories they invent are all grandiose — they always put themselves to be the hero. But look at the story of the Prophet PBUH — we find a human reaction. This shows that our Prophet PBUH was telling the truth, and he was a true prophet.

(Notice as well, by the way —a lot of people think the second revelation occurred as soon as the Prophet PBUH saw Jibril AS; but this is wrong— from the context, it is clear that it occurred in the house of Khadija RA. Jibril AS must have followed the Prophet PBUH back to the house, and when he is covered up, *then* Jibril said, "O you who is wrapped up [in a garment].")

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Brief Tafsir of the First Seven Verses of Surah al-Muddaththir

What is the relevance of the verses in the second revelation?

1 & 2. "O you who is wrapped up [in a garment], stand up and warn the people"—the symbolism here is, "O you who are living in comfort and ease, stop this life of ease, stand up, be active, leave this sheltered life, and go out and warn the people."

3. "Revere your Lord [alone]"—meaning while you are doing the warning, praise and glorify your Lord.

4. "Purify your garments"—meaning make sure your garments are clean — (1) in a literal sense: make sure your clothes don't have any najasa (نجاسة - unclean substances) on them and have a presentable appearance; and (2) in a symbolic sense: make sure you have no sins to pollute you, make sure you have a pure soul and a good heart.

5. "[Continue to] shun idols"—meaning as for idols, get rid of them and leave them.

Then Allah SWT says:

6. "Do not do a favor expecting more [in return]"—meaning don't remind people of the favors that you have done — when you do good, don't do it to get the favor paid back from people. Again, this goes back to the concept of sincerity — when somebody does something purely for the sake of Allah, nobody can challenge that person's intention; and when somebody has other intentions, then it tarnishes that person's reputation. Therefore —as we learn from other ahadith— the Prophet PBUH was not even allowed to take charity or zakat — such is the standard of the prophets, so that they can say to their people —as Allah says in the Quran—: "Tell the people: I am not getting your payment" [42:23] nor "your wealth" [11:29] (in return for conveying the Message of Islam).

And the last ayah (آية - verse) in the second revelation was:

7. "And persevere (be patient) for [the sake of] your Lord"—this shows that there *will* be calamities and troubles — but be patient. And the only way you are going to be patient is by doing it for the sake of your Lord.

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7 Means of Revelation

What exactly is revelation? How does it occur? What happens when a person is inspired?

Wahy (وحي) or inspiration is a direct communication from Allah to mankind. And Ibn al-Qayyim mentioned that the Prophet PBUH was inspired by 7 different means/methods/ways:

012 - Declaration of Prophethood


The Private Dawah

A lot of us call the dawah in early Islam a 'secret' dawah, but this is not a good word to use. The better word to use is it was a private dawah. What is the difference? Secret means nobody knew about it. Private means you kept it to yourself, but it was an open secret. When the Prophet PBUH started preaching Islam, it was a private dawah — rumors spread and the people heard about it. And this is proven by the fact that Amr ibn Abasah came all the way from Yemen [see episode 11]. But because in this early stage the Prophet PBUH was only preaching privately to his friends and those whom he trusted, he said to Amr, "It's too early; don't accept Islam now. When you hear I am victorious, then come back to me."

The Prophet's PBUH dawah went in stages. For the first three years, he PBUH did not preach to the masses. He didn't preach to the pilgrims or the visitors of Makkah or even his own relatives whom he thought would not accept Islam, e.g., Abu Lahab and Abu Jahal — they were not approached. Of course they heard about this new theology being preached — but they didn't do anything to the Prophet PBUH because he PBUH wasn't interfering with the trade of Makkah, nor standing and preaching aloud.

So why was the dawah private?

First and foremost, so that it doesn't result in any confrontation between the Muslims and the Quraysh. No torture, no ridicule. If someone converts to Islam, he's not making a public announcement —he's simply minding his own business and not getting involved with society at a religious level— so there's no reason for the Quraysh to torture or persecute them. The Muslims were being taught their religion —aqidah (عقيدة - Islamic creed), Quran, akhlaq, etc.,— without having to worry about politics and torture. In fact, this is what prepared them with the spiritual boost they needed to face the torture that happened later on.

And of the things we learn from the Prophet's PBUH private dawah is: it shows that in some circumstances, it's permissible to give dawah in private. If the political climate is one of fear/tension, you don't have to go public about your dawah — e.g., in the 1920s and 1930s when communism took over, they would literally kill people for claiming to be Muslim. And our religion does not demand us to be public about our religion if there is a fear of persecution; so we are allowed to stay private, keep a low-key, and mind our own business. But we are never secretive about our religion, so if somebody comes to learn our religion, give him dawah.

013 - Opposition from the Quraysh


(Cont.) Opposition From the Quraysh

What else did the Quraysh do to prevent the Message from being spread?

3. Banning of the Recitation of the Quran in Public

The third thing we will mention is that they tried to ban the recitation of the Quran in public. When the Quran was recited, they would try to drown it out with their voices or stop it from being recited. Ibn Abbas mentions whenever the Prophet PBUH recited the Quran in front of the Ka'bah, the Quraysh would begin shouting and making noise, and they would curse the One who revealed it, and the one upon whom it was revealed. Thus if someone wanted to listen to the Quran, he would have to pretend as if he isn't listening and hear it over the noise. Because of the shouting, the Prophet PBUH often tried to raise his own voice above theirs. But this is when Allah revealed:

وَلَا تَجْهَرْ بِصَلَاتِكَ وَلَا تُخَافِتْ بِهَا وَابْتَغِ بَيْنَ ذَٰلِكَ سَبِيلًا 
"Do not say it loudly, nor in a whisper, but say it in a moderate voice" [Quran, 17:110].

Once, the Companions came together in Dar al-Arqam (دار الأرقم - House of al-Arqam), and they said, "No one has recited the Quran in public except the Prophet PBUH. Who among us shall step forward and take up this task?" Abdullah ibn Mas'ud said, "I will do it." But they said, "O Ibn Mas'ud, we want somebody else because you don't have family members/tribe to help and protect you." Recall during those times, tribal affiliation held paramount importance, providing individuals with protection and assistance. And being of Yemeni origin rather than belonging to the Qureshi or Makkan tribes, Ibn Mas'ud did not enjoy the safeguard of a tribe. However, undeterred, he remained resolute and unwavering in his desire, and said, "I put my trust in Allah — Allah will protect me," and went to the Ka'bah the next day when the people had gathered. (Side note: Ibn Mas'ud is the one whom the Prophet PBUH said, "If you want to read the Quran as it was revealed, go to Ibn Mas'ud.")

Of course, the Ka'bah was the place where the Makkans socialized. When they finished their chores, when they finished their buying and selling, they would gather in the shade and spend leisure time together. So Ibn Mas'ud went at that time, stood at the Maqam of Ibrahim, and began reciting in a loud and beautiful voice Surah al-Rahman (سورة الرحمن). And it was so beautiful that people began gathering around him to listen. One of them asked, "What is this that he is reciting?" Realize the whole science of tilawah (تلاوة) and tajwid (تجويد) is specific to the Quran — the Arabs didn't use to speak in ghunnahs (غنة) and mudud (مدود). The whole art of tilawah and the words of the Quran — all of it is at a different level. And it is mesmerizing. So they all began talking, until one of them said, "Oh, this is what Muhammad has claimed has been revealed to him." Now the cat is let out of the bag. So immediately, people pounced on Ibn Mas'ud and began beating him — because, again, he was not from the Quraysh and had no protection. And they continued to beat him until he could not continue reciting. He wasn't able to finish two pages of Surah al-Rahman. And he came back bloodied and battered and bruised and the sahaba said, "This is exactly why we didn't want you to go." But Ibn Mas'ud said, "Wallahi, after today, nothing has increased other than my contempt for the Quraysh — I am willing to do this again tomorrow." But to this, the sahaba said, "Enough. You have done enough to distress them. They have heard the Quran; and you have caused them to be distressed."

014 - Torture and Persecution of the Weak

(Cont.) Opposition From the Quraysh

8. Quizzing the Prophet PBUH

The eighth tactic was to try to 'expose' the Prophet PBUH by quizzing him with questions that only a true prophet would know the answer to.

Now, the Arabs didn't really know of the notion of a prophet (as Allah says about the Quraysh in the Quran [32:3], "A people to whom no warner [prophet] has come before"), but they knew the Jews did, since they would get prophet after prophet. (Side note: Of course Prophet Ibrahim AS was there, but his legacy was almost forgotten.) So to attempt to 'expose' the Prophet PBUH that 'he is a false prophet,' they sent emissaries to Madinah (which at the time was called Yathrib) to the Jews/the People of the Book, and said, "This phenomenon (of prophethood) that is from your religion is now happening in our culture [i.e., a man named Muhammad from our tribe is now claiming to be a prophet]. And we know he is lying. So why don't you tell us something that we can quiz Muhammad with, so that his lies will be exposed." The People of the Book said, "Ask him about Ishaq (Isaac), Ya'qub (Jacob), and Yusuf (Joseph) — ask him about what happened to the family of Ya'qub." So the Quraysh went to the Prophet PBUH and asked him about the family of Ya'qub. And then Allah revealed the whole of Surah Yusuf (سورة يوسف) as a response. And in one of the verses, He SWT said, "That is from the stories of the unseen which We reveal to you [O Muhammad]. You were not present when they [all] made up their minds, and when they plotted [against Joseph]" [Quran, 12:102]. Meaning the Arabs had no clue about the family of Ya'qub, what happened to them, and the inner struggle between Ya'qub's children. Yet the Prophet PBUH answered miraculously in one of the most beautiful surahs in the Quran. So the Quraysh's plot did not succeed.

Another famous incident also occurred during this time frame, in which the Arabs, again, sent a delegation to Madinah and asked the Jews, "What questions can we quiz Muhammad with?" And the Jews said to ask him about 3 things that no one would know the details about except a true prophet:

1. Story of the young men who entered a cave and slept a long time.
2. Ask him about a man who traveled the world from the east to the west, and had experiences that are legends.
3. Ask him about the ruh (روح - spirit/soul), what is it, and what is it made of. (Note: This is a trick question.)

[This is reported in Tirmidhi, slightly weak.]

Thursday, November 26, 2015

015 - Torture to the Prophet & Abyssinia


Last week, we mentioned the tortures of the sahaba, especially those who were not of the Quraysh. They were not protected by the society of Makkah.

Torture to the Prophet PBUH

What happened with the Prophet PBUH himself? Did he undergo any physical torture, pain, and suffering? There is no question he had plenty of emotional torture from the opposition, but how about physically?

Even though the Qureshi Muslims had protection, they were not completely unharmed. We have a number of reports in which the Prophet PBUH was physically harmed. The Prophet PBUH sometimes was protected by Allah SWT, but sometimes —in Allah's Divine wisdom— he was not protected.

Instances where the Prophet PBUH underwent persecution include:

1. Abu Jahal was boasting to his peers and swore by al-Lat and al-Uzza that the next time he sees the Prophet PBUH, he will put his foot on his neck when he's in sajdah and throw sand onto him. The Prophet PBUH was one of the few Muslims who would pray publicly in front of the Ka'bah. Abu Hurairah narrated: The Prophet PBUH came that day and he started praying. And when he went into sajdah, Abu Jahal came forward to try to put his foot on his neck. But before he got to the Prophet PBUH, he (Abu Jahal) started walking backward and started pushing with his hands away. The people asked him (Abu Jahal) when he returned, "What happened?" Abu Jahal said he saw between him and the Prophet PBUH a pit of fire, and there were wings hovering above it. The Prophet PBUH told his Companions later: The fire (seen by Abu Jahal) was brought by the angels; had Abu Jahal taken one step closer, the angels would have shredded him to bits.

And because of this incident, Allah SWT revealed the conclusion of Surah al-Alaq:

كَلَّآ إِنَّ ٱلْإِنسَـٰنَ لَيَطْغَىٰٓ
أَن رَّءَاهُ ٱسْتَغْنَىٰٓ
إِنَّ إِلَىٰ رَبِّكَ ٱلرُّجْعَىٰٓ
أَرَأَيْتَ الَّذِي يَنْهَىٰ
عَبْدًا إِذَا صَلَّىٰ
أَرَأَيْتَ إِن كَانَ عَلَى الْهُدَىٰ
أَوْ أَمَرَ بِالتَّقْوَىٰ
أَرَأَيْتَ إِن كَذَّبَ وَتَوَلَّىٰ
أَلَمْ يَعْلَم بِأَنَّ اللَّهَ يَرَىٰ
كَلَّا لَئِن لَّمْ يَنتَهِ لَنَسْفَعًا بِالنَّاصِيَةِ
نَاصِيَةٍ كَاذِبَةٍ خَاطِئَةٍ
فَلْيَدْعُ نَادِيَهُ
سَنَدْعُ الزَّبَانِيَةَ
كَلَّا لَا تُطِعْهُ وَاسْجُدْ وَاقْتَرِب
"Most certainly, one exceeds all bounds once they think they are self-sufficient. [But] surely to your Lord is the return [of all]. Have you seen the man who prevents a servant [of Ours] from praying? What if this [servant] is [rightly] guided, or encourages righteousness? What if that [man] persists in denial and turns away? Does he not know that Allah sees [all]? But no! If he does not desist, We will certainly drag him by the forelock — a lying, sinful forelock. So let him call his associates. We will call the wardens of Hell. Again, no! Never obey him [O Prophet]! Rather, [continue to] prostrate and draw near [to Allah]" [Quran, 96:6-19].

In this instance, Abu Jahal was unsuccessful.

016 - The Incident of the Satanic Verses


Shortly after the emigration to Abyssinia, the Muslims came back to Makkah. So much so it's narrated that they came back in the month of Shawwal (شوال). They emigrated in Rajab but came back just 3 months later. There were about 15 people who emigrated, and they all came back. What happened to cause them to change their mind and come back to the very land of torture?

Introduction

This incident is the famous incident some have called 'the incident of the satanic verses'. We need to discuss what exactly was this incident, and why did the sahaba return.

The sahaba's decision to return was prompted by a single rumor, namely, the alleged acceptance of Islam by the Quraysh.

Now, anybody who has moved —even in modern times— understands that relocating to an unfamiliar land can be a challenging experience. Despite the fact that the sahaba didn't face persecution during their stay in Abyssinia, the process of acclimatization to a distinct language and culture posed its own difficulties. Thus, when the rumor circulated that the Quraysh had embraced Islam, the sahaba, yearning to return to Makkah, readily embraced the news. Driven by a deep longing to return, they hastily packed their belongings and embarked on the journey back to Makkah, unable to confirm the accuracy of the rumor. However, their hopes were shattered when they discovered the rumor to be unfounded during their journey back.

And this prompts us to inquire into the origins of the rumor. What was its basis? How did it come about? And analyzing this compels us to delve deeper into the incident known as 'the incident of the satanic verses.'

Before we delve into the details, it is essential to acknowledge that this incident is subject to various interpretations. So let us talk about the different versions of the story that exist. And to keep our discussion concise, we will focus on three versions:

017 - The Second Migration to Abyssinia


As we said, the Muslims returned from Abyssinia due to the rumor that the Quraysh had embraced Islam, which was proven to be false.

Did the 4 Main Sahaba Emigrate?

From the immediate sahaba, (1) Umar was still not a Muslim, (2) Uthman RA emigrated, and (3) Ali ibn Abi Talib was too young to emigrate. How about (4) Abu Bakr RA? He initially decided to emigrate and accompany Uthman. But on the way to the ship in Juddah (Jeddah), they passed by the leader of the neighboring tribe, Ibn al-Daghina (ابن الدغنة), who saw them all leaving and asked, "Where are you going?" To which Abu Bakr told him of the torture that the Muslims were going through, and their desire to go to a land where they could worship in peace. Full story below:

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The Reason Abu Bakr RA Didn't Emigrate

Narrated by Aisha bint Abi Bakr (the wife of the Prophet PBUH)[1]: "I never remembered my parents believing in any religion other than the True Religion (Islam), and (I don't remember) a single day passing without our (house) being visited by Allah's Messenger in the morning and in the evening. When the Muslims were put to test (troubled by the pagans), Abu Bakr set out migrating to the land of Abyssinia (Ethiopia), and when he reached Bark al-Ghimad (برك الغماد), Ibn al-Daghina, the chief of the tribe of Qara (القارة), met him and said, 'O Abu Bakr! Where are you going?' Abu Bakr replied: 'My people have turned me out (of my land), so I want to wander on the earth and worship my Lord.' Ibn al-Daghina said: 'O Abu Bakr! A man like you should not leave his homeland, nor should he be driven out, because you help the destitute, earn their living, and you keep good relations with your kith and kin, help the weak and the poor, entertain guests generously, and help the calamity-stricken persons. Therefore, I am your protector. Go back and worship your Lord in your town.'"

018 - Conversion of Omar & Hamza and Boycott


We covered the story of the Muslims in Abyssinia and that the Prophet PBUH prayed Salat al-Janazah for the Najashi when he died. [But do note that his passing chronologically occurred much later, in 9 AH.]

Why Did the Muslims Remain in Abyssinia Even After 1 AH?

The Muslims remained in Abyssinia for another 10-11 years. This is significant because the Prophet PBUH Emigrated to Madinah just 2-3 years later. Yet they stayed in Abyssinia even after the Battle of Badr, Uhud, Khandaq, etc. It was only when the Prophet PBUH sent a letter to Ja'far after the Battle of Khaybar that they finally came to the Prophet PBUH in Madinah. This is interesting because we wonder why the Prophet PBUH wanted the Muslims to remain in Abyssinia when he was in power in Madinah, winning battles, and he needed manpower? Allah knows best, but most likely, the Prophet PBUH wanted a backup plan in case [the mission of establishing the Muslim community in] Madinah didn't work. And this shows us the long-term planning of the Prophet PBUH, that he is 'tying his camel.' Only when he was firmly established in Madinah, when he expelled all of the immediate threats, when it was fully secure, that he call the Muslims back.

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Did the Locals of Abyssinia Convert to Islam?

There remains a controversy which we may never resolve unless we discover some new books: Did the locals of Abyssinia convert to Islam when the Muslims were there? Did they give dawah to the locals? Allahu a'lam. There might be some indications that a few Abyssinians embraced Islam through interactions with the Muslims, but for sure Islam didn't pass down in Abyssinia until Islam conquered its land after 50-60 years. Islam didn't make a strong presence just by dawah in the land. The Muslims did convert the Najashi of course; but there was no large presence of Islam until half a century later.

Wednesday, November 25, 2015

019 - Death of Khadija & Abu Talib


The end of the Boycott occurred in the 10th year of the dawah, around 2½ years before the Hijrah. Barely had they returned to Makkah, Allah willed that 3 great calamities happened back to back. And because of these three calamities, this whole year is called Am al-Huzn (عام الحزن - the Year of Sorrow).

The Death of Abu Talib

The first of these 3 calamities was that barely 5-6 weeks after the Banu Hashim came back to Makkah, Abu Talib fell sick and eventually passed away in the month of Shawwal in the 10th year of the dawah. In Bukhari, it's narrated, "When Abu Talib reached the nearness of death, the Prophet PBUH entered upon him while Abu Jahal was there; and he PBUH said, 'O my uncle, say 'la ilaha illaLlah'—one kalimah that I will be able to present as an argument on your behalf before Allah SWT.'" Meaning, "If you just say this kalimah, I have an excuse; if you don't say it, I don't have an excuse." And Abu Talib was about to say it, but there with him were Abu Jahal and Abdullah ibn Abi Umayya (عبد الله بن أبي أمية); and they said, "O Abu Talib, are you going to leave the religion of Abdul Muttalib?!" And they persistently interjected whenever they sensed Abu Talib's inclination to recite the kalimah. And eventually, Abu Talib died without ever uttering the kalimah. When the Prophet PBUH saw this, he said, "I shall continue to ask Allah to forgive you [O my uncle] until Allah stops me from doing so." Now, pause here for a while. The Prophet's PBUH role is to obey the commandments of Allah; and the general rule is that all of the prophets don't just make up their minds about what they want to do — they have to wait for Allah's commandments; and generally, the prophets followed this; but in this case, despite not receiving a direct command from Allah, the Prophet PBUH, profoundly emotionally attached to his uncle, decided to beseech Allah for the forgiveness of Abu Talib unless Allah explicitly prohibited him from doing so. And eventually, Allah revealed in the Quran, very gently telling him PBUH in Surah al-Tawba (سورة التوبة):

"It is not [proper] for the Prophet and those who believe to ask Allah's forgiveness for the mushrikun (polytheists, idolaters, pagans, disbelievers in the Oneness of Allah) even though they be of kin, after it has become clear to them that they are the dwellers of the Fire (because they died in a state of disbelief)" [see Quran, 9:113].

So the Prophet PBUH desisted from seeking forgiveness for Abu Talib. And Allah SWT also revealed in Surah al-Qasas (سورة القصص):

"Verily, You [O Muhammad PBUH], will not be able to guide those whom you love; rather, Allah guides those whom He wishes. And He knows best those who are the guided" [see Quran, 28:56].

And in another hadith in Sunan Abi Dawud, we find that it was in fact Ali ibn Abi Talib who eventually came to inform the Prophet PBUH about the demise of Abu Talib. This indicates that although the Prophet PBUH had visited Abu Talib during his illness, he was not physically present at the moment of his passing; then Ali came and said to him, "Your uncle has passed away," or in another narration, "Your misguided uncle has passed away." This reflects Ali's inner disappointment, knowing that his own father died upon paganism. The Prophet PBUH told Ali, "Go and bury him." Ali said, "But he died a mushrik." The Prophet PBUH said, "Go and bury him, and come back as soon as you have finished — don't do anything on the way." So Ali went and buried him. Then he came back; and while the dust was still on his body, the Prophet PBUH made a long du'a for him to calm him down and bring him solace and comfort. Ali later said, "I would never give up all of those du'as for this world and all that is in it."