Sunday, November 29, 2015

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 worshipped 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?