part 2 (krishna)

8/22/2019 Part 2 (Krishna)

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Bo ok - I I

I s l am


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The Posi t i on o f Ah leb ay t s

In every age, among all human societies, in differentparts of the earth, the representatives of Allah weresent to put in order the affairs of the people throughlaws applicable to the time and environment in whichthey lived. Ability of man to apply reason and understandthings and events progressed and advanced with thepassage of time, therefore, certain laws and

commandments (pertaining to theoretical, practical,intellectual, religious and legal matters concerning dayto day life) which bring harmony and peace in everyaspect of existence upon the earth, as well as makeman ready to explore the higher regions of spiritualsatisfaction, in certain cases and circumstances had tobe changed or substituted to pave way for furtherprogress.

We have reasons to conclude, from our study ofUpanishads, that it were the Ahlebayts, created asManifested forms prior to the creation of the cosmos,who had taken upon the responsibility of guiding andleading mankind towards worship of the Absolute God.

We are not in position to say exactly what their role wasprior to taking birth as Mohammad and his progeny inthis world. However, some relationship with the precedingMessengers cannot be denied. At last, when they thoughtthe time was right, they themselves took birth in thisworld, at a place they found most suitable. Mohammadtook birth as the last messenger of Allah, the greatestand the most manifest sign of Allah (the term Ayat orsign taken in a broader and higher sense means thebest human soul created). He was endowed with divinewisdom, power and authority, and came to give effectto the concluding part of the plan of educating and trainingfor the final unification of mankind through the true


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knowledge of the immediate as well as the ultimate. Inthe chain of the prophets of Allah, among whom some

had been made to excel others (Baqarah: 253), the

last prophet, Muhammad al Mustafa, truly the superior-most, the seal of prophethood, came with the finaldiscipline and guidance. Once the development hadreached its maximum height, there remained no needfor any further change of any kind.

Prophet Mohammad completed the teachings inhis lifetime, and said that no prophet would come afterhis departure. However, the need to interpret the teachingsand guide mankind on the right path in differing situationsremained for all times. Therefore, he introduced hisprogeny, whose knowledge, truthfulness and purity from

sin was of the same level as Prophet Mohammad, sothat they give authentic, true, and proper explanation

of the word of Allah, the Quran, and also serve as anideal to guide and keep mankind on the right path. Aliwas introduced as the Prophets successor, or first ofthe twelve Imams, who were to serve as leaders of

mankind. Prophet left no stone unturned in introducingtheir true position and called each one of them as equalin knowledge, virtue and status.

The first of us is Mohammad,

the middle of us is Mohammad ,

the last of us is Mohammad ,

everyone of us is Mohammad .

Writes a commentator of Quran: Only men of

understanding know that the same quality of divine energywhich activated the prophethood was also manifestedin imamat with equal force.

Innumerable words and deeds of Prophet and hisProgeny can be cited to prove that they presentedthemselves as the highest creations of God. We will


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mention a lot many of them in this book. However, itseems that the Muslims never took them seriously. This

can be understood by the fact that Caliphate was denied

to Ali after the death of Prophet and till today majorityof Muslims continue to accept Ali as an ordinary man,like themselves.

Even Quranic injunctions were taken in theirsuperficial context. For instance, see the following verse

from Quran.

We have revealed unto thee (Mohammad ) thatthereby thou mayst br ing forth mankind f rom

da rkness unto ligh t.

Muslims believe that Mohammad was bestowedwith Prophethood when he was 40 years of age andconsequent to that this verse was revealed which talkedof Mohammad leading mankind from darkness unto light.Muslims are of the opinion that this role of Mohammadcommenced when he was given that position at a certaintime in his life. This is in spite of the fact that at no pointit is said that this honour was bestowed on Mohammadat a certain place and time. On the contrary, Mohammadis reported to have said that he was the Prophet even

when Adam was created. But such comments regardingMohammad himself and his progeny are ignored. Theaforementioned verse too is believed to be applicableonly to the time of Prophets life on earth.

Clearly, the aforementioned verse holds applicableright from the time when the first man took birth onearth and till the end of this cosmos. This confirms theUpanishadic view as per which Mohammad, as head ofthe devas, took upon himself the task of leading mankindto the worship of One God. This is just a stray exampleto prove that the present study of Upanishads and Vedasis sure to change the entire perspective of Muslimsregarding Mohammad and the rest of Ahlebayts.


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Qura n i c Ver ses an d Tr ad i t i ons Rega r d i ng

Ah leba y t and The i r Posi t i on

We have already proved that the glory of the five

lights (noors) was endowed in the seed of each of theMessenger of God. Mohammad took birth as the last ofthe Messengers and Vicegerent while Ali and his progeny

became his successors. Also, it is the accepted view ofall Shias that obedience entails that the Imams must beinfallible. It is only natural and definite, considering thefact that Imam is to be obeyed blindly, that he be thebest of all persons on earth after Prophet Mohammadand should be adorned with the beauty of pureness and

knowledge. Only this would ensure that he performsno error of thought and speech. Further, he must beaware of the Divine Will.

All these views of Shias are certified by various

traditions. We will be mentioning the entire Hadees-e-Kisa elsewhere which confirms their purity. Mostinterestingly, the Paingala Upanishad too confirms thatthe devas were formed from the sattvik (pure) essenceof God.

As regards to the fact that there would be 12 Imams

after Prophet Mohammad, we present some of thetraditions. The first one is a general and widespreadtradition, which says:

There are twelve of them, They are the off spring

of the Prophet, Ali and Fatima, They come one

af ter another and generation after generation and

they are the offspring o f Imam Husain.

Another well-known tradition that is not only quotedby the Imams but also by all the Sunni Sehahs goes likethis:

The Imams, a fter me, will b e twelve peop le.

Shias are of the opinion that when Ali and Fatima,


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the daughter of the Holy Prophet, were joined in theholy matrimony, the line of Ibrahim (Abraham) continued

in their progeny. Eleven of Alis descendants are Imams,

thereby making it a total of 12 Imams or Adityas. TheseImams, together with Mohammad and Fatima, constitutethe fourteen Masooms or Manus. We present the entirelist of 14 Masooms again for your perusal. Note thatbin in Arabic stands for son of and binte for daughter

of.

Mohammad al M ustafa

Ali b in Abu Tal ib

Fatima b inte Mohammad

Imam Hasan b in Ali

Imam Husain bin Ali

Imam Ali b in Husain

Imam Mohammad bin Ali

Imam Jafa r bin M ohammad

Imam Musa b in Jafar

Imam Ali bin Musa

Imam Mohammad bin Ali

Imam Ali bin MohammadImam Hasan b in Ali

Imam Mohammad bin Hasan - The Mahdi

The disappearance and the promised re-appearance of the living Imam Mahdi - the last of thefourteen Masooms - resembles the disappearance and

the promised re-appearance of Isa; both are examplesfor the house of Ishmael and the house of Israelrespectively (Zukhruf: 59). When both of them will re-appear at the end of the world, before the day ofresurrection, prophet Isa will follow Imam Muhammadal Mahdi, and the whole mankind will follow them.


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These are the beliefs of the Shia sect of Muslims.We present here a brief study of Islam to give you an

idea about the subjects of discord between two major

sects of the Muslims and further elongating the subjectto highlight those facets of the personality of Ahlebaytswhich reveal they are the only ones who are beingdiscussed in the Vedas and the Upanishads. Most of theinferences that we have drawn are from the existing

narrations. We have refrained from relying on knowledgegained from study of Upanishads and Vedas so as to

give you an open field to assess the information yourselfand put it to the test of your reasoning.


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A N ew Er a f o r t h e Paga n A r ab s

In the foreword to the book Imam Ali-A Beaconof Courage (by Sulayman Kattani, an Arab Christianand translated in English by IKA Howard) Ustad Jafaral-Khalili says: Life for the inhabitants of the ArabianPeninsula, who were mainly nomadic, was primitive in

accord with its meagre economy, insofar as such aprimitive life was reflected in the style of living and alltheir intellectual activities. The products of the vast desertarea, that Arabian peninsula is, consisted of cattle whichlived on pastures which were more like sand dunes orbeaches than fertile plains. There were also dates and

some small plantations. Trading in spices took place whichbrought the area in closer contact with the neighbouring

countries in the North and the East (including India).It is believed that the economic situation is the basis

for intellectual life and the basis of every higherdevelopment. They lived as separate tribes, raiding oneanother in order to provide what they needed to sustainlife. Such a nomadic life, such a weak economy, suchexposure to burning sun in this vast area could notprovide the conditions of life, which develop amongricher, more populous societies.

Yet Arabia saw a cultural and intellectual revolutionamong the people with an extremely backward economyand made out of them pioneering leaders for peopleswho are economically richer and more powerful as the

history of Islam proves.The birth of Mohammad was a beginning and an

end, the beginning of a new era, the end of an old era.

Out of the self-same land, the great Apostle broughthis great Message to be, even beyond the ArabianPeninsula, a religion and a constitution, which would


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link it to the ideals of thinking man, which would createfor it a civilization comparable with the civilization around

it to the East and to the West. And which would then

raise its society from nomadic tribal decadence to thelevel of sophisticated unity insofar as it was to beestablished on the basis of a productive and well-developedeconomy.

Just as an arrow that glided from his bow no longer

belongs to the quiver, no sooner did the message beginto circle in the minds of the people than they seizedhold of it as one of their rights. For them it was appropriatefor every circumstance. They grasped it to the extent oftheir need for it. Yesterday, they were in need of everything,which would equally free their souls, and their bodies

from slavery whose dominion had been long and whosedarkness had been intense.

Mo h a m ma d , t h e Pr o p h e t

Allama Ali Naqi Naqvi, in the book Martyr ofHumanity has mentioned the genealogy of ProphetMohammad, in the following words: Abraham occupiesa largely international position, being held in reverenceby the Jews, the Christians as well as the Muslims. Indeed

the Quran explicitly mentions that the Prophet of Islamclaimed to be a leader belonging to the faith of Abrahamwho, incidentally, was the first to name those who followedhis faith as Muslims. The Quran records his prayer toGod, Make both of us (Abraham and his son, Ishmael)Muslims (persons obedient to Thee), and call into beingfrom our descendents a group of Muslims (persons

obedient to Thee). The coming into existence of theMuslims as a nation and the advent of their prophetwould, therefore, appear to be the fruit of Abrahamsprayer. Traditions concerning Abrahams life, therefore,constitute the heritage of the Muslims in common withthe Jews and the Christians, and contribute significantly


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to the fashioning of the elements of the Muslim conductand ethics. Abraham had two sons, Isaac and Ishmael.

From Isaac sprang the Israelites and from Ishmael, the

prophet of Islam, both long, long after their ancestors.Abraham and Ishmael, between themselves, built theKaaba which religion ordained to be the meeting placeof all the peoples of the world. This pre-eminence, whichwas given to the Kaaba, induced the growth, among

the people, of the realization of the pivotal positionoccupied by the descendants of Abraham.

Ishmael had twelve sons. The descendants of twoof them, Nabit and Qidar, settled down in Hijaz (Arabia)and greatly multiplied. Among Qidars descendants,Adnan rose to great fame. The prophet of Islam was

among his descendants.

The genealogy of the prophet from Adnan

downwards, as unanimously preserved in histories andthe traditions, is as follows: - Adnan, Maad, Nizar, Muzar,Ilyas, Mudrika, Khazuma, Kinana, Nazr, Malik, Fihr,Ghalib, Laway, Kab, Murra, Kilab, Qossai, Abd-e-Manaf,Hashim, Abdul Muttalib and Abdullah, father of (Prophet)Mohammad. It would appear that twenty-one generationsintervened between Adnan, and the prophet and,assuming the time separating one generation from itssuccessor to be of an average duration of thirty years,all these generations were spread over about 630 years.It is not clear who, from among the older of these 21progenitors, came first to be distinguished with theappellation of Quraish.

The trusteeship of the Kaaba passed among a fewtribes, till Qossai brought it back in this family. Qossaisson, Abd-e-Manaf was the true representative of hisancestors in various qualities. Hashim, whose real namewas Amr, was the most influential and distinguishedamong the sons of Abd-e-Manaf. Hashim was succeededby his brother, Muttalib, who was succeeded by his


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nephew, Sheba, who came to be called Abdul Muttalib.He surpassed his predecessors in greatness and renown

and won the appellation of Saiyyid-ul-Batha, which is

still retained by his descendants who are called Saiyidseven to this day. Abdul Muttalibs implicit faith and completetrust in God revealed themselves when Abraha advancedupon Makkah from Yemen in order to raze the Kaabato the ground. The people of Makkah were not strong

enough to oppose the invader with the force of arms,but Abdul Muttalib reposed his trust in divine help, and

ultimately divine help it was which destroyed the menof the Elephant. It so happened that Abraha marchedtowards Kaaba with a huge army and several elephants.Subsequent to Abdul Muttalib telling Abraha that since

it is the House of God, He Himself would save it, smallbirds with tiny pebbles in their beaks flew high in thesky and dropped them from their beaks. They fell onthe elephants with such force that the elephants trampledtheir own forces and Abraha was killed.

This family occupied the focal point in Arabia as

the custodians of the Kaaba, having been invested withthe privilege of catering to the needs of the pilgrims inthe hajj season. The family led and represented the

Arab nation in all matters of consequence, external andinternal. It was also marked out as devoted to the helpof the needy, and in times of distress like scarcity, it

was known as principally concerned with the care ofthe weak and the impoverished. It was acknowledgedas a family of Saiyids, (chiefs) not only by virtue of theirtitle, but also due to their deeds, which agreed with thetitle. To the battlefield it sent dauntless warriors and forthe discernment of spiritual secrets it contributed sages

like Abdul Muttalib as shown by the manner in whichhe opposed the men of the elephant. The family playeda leading role in providing redress to the persecuted,and led all tribes of the Quraish to this end. And f rom


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this family was to arise one whose radiant splendourwould, for all time to come, illuminate the world of

mankind.

Two of Abdul Muttalibs sons were Abdullah andAbu Talib. Muhammad was the son of Abdullah, Ali wasborn to Abu Talib, and it was Abu Talib who was entrustedwith the care of Mohammad, when still a child, afterthe death of Abdullah and Abdul Muttalib. Ali was 30

years younger to Mohammad. The two, Mohammadand Ali were cousin brothers, but while Mohammad hadthe privilege of being brought up under the guardianshipof his uncle, Alis father, Ali as a child was taken up byMohammad and grew up in his house.

Ali was ten years of age, when Prophet Mohammadannounced his Prophethood. For some years, the messageof Islam was only privately propagated. Thereafter the

message was communicated to the Prophets nearrelatives. Accordingly, the prophet arranged a feastinviting to it all of the stock of Abdul Muttalib. Beforethe assembled guests, he declared himself to be Godsprophet and preached the unity of God. He then asked,Who among you would support me in spreading themessage of Islam, on the clear understanding that healone would be my brother, and my successor? Thequestion elicited no response from the audience. Ali,though still very young, stood up, and promised to giveall assistance in the mission. The prophet put his handon Alis shoulder and said, This is sufficient. He is mybrother, and my successor. It is incumbent upon you all

to obey him.Idol worship now came to be openly reprobated.

This excited the hostility of the Quraish towards theprophet and fixed them in their resolve to harm him.The forceful personality of his uncle, Abu Talib, however,kept him out of harms reach, and his enemies couldnot put their mischievous designs through. At last a


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deputation of the Quraish notables, consisting of Otba,Sheba, Abu Sufiyan, Aas b. Hisham, Abu Jahl, Waleed

b. Mughira, Aas b. Wael, and others met Abu Talib to

complain about his nephew who denounced their gods,disparaged their faith, held them up to ridicule anddeemed their ancestors to have been led astray. (note:b. stands for bin or ibne meaning son of. ThereforeAli b. Abu Talib would be Ali s/o Abu Talib). They requested

him, therefore, to bid his nephew desist from theseactivities, or else hand him over to them. Abu Talib turned

them away mildly. The deputation, however, repeatedits visit to Abu Talib shortly afterwards, telling him brusquelythat the state of things brought about by his nephewcould no longer be tolerated. They, therefore, demanded

that Abu Talib should put curbs on his nephews offensiveconduct, failing which they defied him to an armed trialof strength, so that one of the two parties should bedecisively crushed. Abu Talib, therefore, thought it fitto acquaint the prophet with the shape things hadassumed. On hearing the whole story, the prophet said,

By God, even if these people put the sun into one ofmy hands, and the moon into the other, I would not bedeterred from discharging my duty. God will bring my

mission to a successful conclusion, or I will sacrifice mylife to it. Tears welled up in his eyes when he said so,and this touched Abu Talib to the quick, and he told hisnephew to persevere in the discharge of his duty, assuringhim of his own assistance to his last breath. AccordinglyAbu Talib left nothing undone to protect the prophetand shielded him from all violence.

After the deaths of Abu Talib and Khadija (Prophetswife), however, the persecutions and hardships that

Mohammad and the small group that had accepted hismessage had to encounter at the hands of the peopleof Makkah rose both in frequency and severity. Theprophet therefore, resolved to leave his home. He began


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to direct his followers to shift to Medina where peoplehad accepted his teachings. When the people of Makkah

got wind of the intention of the prophet to leave for

Medina, they resolved to do away with him. Men fromeach tribe were chosen, who were to enter his house atnight and kill him. When leaving for Medina the prophetasked his cousin, Ali, to sleep in his bed wrapped in hissheet in order to foil the scheme of his enemies. Ali did

as bidden, and thus saved the life of the prophet, sleepingsoundly under the shadow of unsheathed swords.

After the prophet had settled down at Medina, hisenemies persisted in their aggressions against the Muslimsand battles like those of Badr, Ohad and Khandaq hadto be fought. In all these engagements it was Alis sword

that won victories for the followers of Islam.

The prophet had a daughter, Fatima, whom he

held in such high esteem on account of her great qualitiesthat he used to stand up, as a token of his respect forher, whenever she visited him. When she was marriedto Ali, the Prophet would go to her doorstep every morningto convey his greetings. While going out of Medina,Fatimas house was the last that he visited and this wasthe first house where he went upon return from his trip.Many were the tributes of praise that he paid her, onebeing his remark that she was the leader of the womenin paradise and of the wives of the believers. That wastoo big a claim that any mortal human being could havemade. Yet, the Muslims could not recognize her trueworth. The Prophet also called her part of himself, not

once but on several occasions. From being the father,she was surely the part of Mohammad. Why thenMohammad stressed on this time and again? This partof Mohammad was married to Ali after migration fromMakkah to Medina.

No Muslim, till this date, knows the real reasonfor Prophets unusual behaviour towards his daughter.


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Only the Vedas and Upanishads can shed light onProphets conduct. Brhad-aranyaka Upanishad states that

the one Self (Brahma) got divided into two similar selfs,

similar to the Original One Self. They were the Selfs ofIndra (Muhammad, also called Prajapati, Vaishvadevaand various other names) and Brhaspati (Ali, also calledRudra, Vayu, Marut, Aditya, Yagyapati, Neshtra, etc.).From the Self of Indra was born the Self of Fatima

(Saraswati, Ira, Parvati, Aditi, earth, Dakshina Lakshmi,etc.), procreated with the Self of Brhaspati to give birth

to two Ashwins (Hasan and Husain the sons of Ali andFatima). Upanishads never say that the two Selfs, producedout of division of the One Self, created the Aswins. Infact, they always end on the number five, saying that

part of the first Self procreated with the second Self, togive birth to the two Aswins, thus making it five.

The devi took birth at various points of time toshow the true path to women. She sometimes lived as apativrata(devoted to husband) and at other times hadto even fight against evil. Thus she was the leader of

women in paradise and of the wives of the believers. Itwas this knowledge that commanded respect andMohammad used to stand up in respect for her, showered

many tributes of praise on her. The mere audacity ofthe claim suggests that it is true, for no mortal mancould have dared to make claims of this nature.

Cond i t i on o f Soci e t y

The pre-Islamic period in Arabia is called the ageof ignorance or the era of darkness. It would, however,

be incorrect to infer that in that period the Arabs wereliving in savagery and barbarism, and were unacquaintedwith the ways of leading a social existence, and the artsof civilized life. On the contrary, according to Dr. WahidMirza, Centuries before the advent of Islam, SouthernArabia had been the cradle of a flourishing civilization


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and the centre of a prosperous trade. The accounts ofthe archaeological memorials of the Himyar Kings, of

the lake embankment (Saddi-i-Marib), of Shaddads

garden, and of the throne of Bilqis, Queen of Sheba,testify to the advanced stage to which civilization hadattained in this part of the peninsula. Again, the poetryof the times, comprising some of the best specimens ofliterary expression, shows the Arabs as possessed of

some of the noblest human attributes, like bravery,generosity, hospitality, faithfulness, fraternal affection

and conjugal love. It also shows that notwithstandingthe fact that they did not subscribe to contemporaryrevealed religions, being polytheists and idolaters, theywere not wholly unaware of some of the cardinal tenets

of religion. They tried to put a gloss on their idol-worshipby claiming for the idols no greater merit than that ofbringing them into closer proximity to the one God(something that the Hindus of today too believe, yet whenthose idols are worshipped, normally the One God doesnot come into contention). A large proportion of the

Arabs claimed descent from Ishmael, and we may notbe drawing too heavily on unsophistication to credit themwith at least a nodding acquaintance with the teachings

of their remote ancestors. Yet, it may even be held thatspeaking in relation to the levels of civilization alone,the pre-Islamic Arab community was treading the pathof retrogression. The vestiges of their pristine virtues,still retained by the Arabs, were being swamped by aplethora of vices. They did annually assemble at Makkahfor the performance of hajj, but they had no inkling of

the significance of this sacred duty or the importanceof Kaaba. To be sure, their caravans still journeyed tothe Hijaz, Iraq and Syria, with loads of merchandise,but they had lost their erstwhile ardour for industry, tradeand commerce. Excessive poverty had whetted theirrapacity. They still held some vague and nebulous notions


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about God, but their images commanded greateradoration. They realized the advantages of a life of

peace and contentment, and shunned war, but self-seeking

indigence abetted them in misappropriating what belongedto their neighbours. They grieved sorely over the dead,but were unequal to resisting the temptation of wreakingvengeance, often leading to bloody warfare lasting forgenerations. They loved their children, but not endure

the prospect of their daughters working as drudges frosome callous uncle or indifferent brother like unbidden

guests. They, therefore, considered the slaughter of theirdaughters as the best way of maintaining their self-respect. Social attitudes like these are generally intractablyresistant to reform. A nation still in the stage of primitive

savagery and primeval barbarism consists usually ofsimple-minded individuals. In the absence of any earlierimpressions, their hearts, like clean slates, easily anddistinctly receive the imprint of whatever may be urgedupon their attention. The weaknesses of Arab societyarose from the acceptance of a purely material

dispensation of life, and indulgence in the lust for power.These failings, in association with the natural dispositionof the Arabs, tended to be thrown into bolder relief.

When individuals get obsessed with notions of theirsuperiority, personal rivalries, group jealousies and tribalanimosities are the product, and these vices sprang up

among the Arabs in great profusion and with markedintensity. Another development was the annulment ofthe sense of human equality and brotherhood.Dominance, power and authority were all that counted.The murder of an important person was not deemed tohave been fully avenged with the perpetrator of the

crime alone suffering death; hundreds of his tribesmenhad also to be slain in retaliation. In the murder of anordinary person by one who counted, the formers bloodwas not supposed to be entitled to be paid for by blood


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in requital. This invidious distinction made between theimportant and the not so important men was productive

of countless social iniquities destructive of human dignity.

This had come to pass as materialism, was allowed thegreatest say in human affairs and all other considerationshad been bereft of weight. All privileges and exemptionswere determined by the possession of material resource,and this was not so in Arabia alone.

Religiously the Arabs were in an advanced stageof decadence. They had no common religion. Peopleof many faiths lived in the peninsula. A large segmentof the population was idolatrous or worshipped stars. Nless than 360 idols had been installed in the Kaabaitself, one day in the Arabic year of 360 days being

sacred to the worship of one of the idols. The religionsin vogue, Judaism, fire-worship and Christianity all

were degenerate, their practices unworthy, mutual respectand tolerance amongst their followers non-existent, andgeneral blood-shed and like evils notoriously rampantamongst the people. Human nature seemed to be waiting

for the emergence of a chosen being to deliver theArab world from its afflictions.

Har d Ti mes For Wom enAli Shariati in Fatima is Fatima says: The social

order of the Arabs had passed beyond the Age of theMatriarch centuries before Islam. During the Age ofIgnorance, prior to the mission of the Prophet, the Arabshad established the Age of the Patriarch. Their godshad become masculine whereas their idols and their

angels were feminine (that is, daughters of the greatgod, al-lah). The tribes were governed by white beardsand the grandfathers ruled the family. Essentially, theirreligion was a kind of ancestor worship. They adheredto whatever beliefs and practices their fathers had had.

The Prophets had brought a revolutionary message.


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He was trying to awaken a thought based on the principleof worshipping One Absolute God. All the great prophets

of God had time and again led revolution against the

ancestral religion of the fathers. Several such incidentsare mentioned in the Quran.

Mohammad opposed this kind of inherited, imitativeworship based upon the principle of father worship. Whenconfronted with the revolt against ancestor worship and

myths, which sought out their forefathers, the tribesopposed his teachings, in their attempt to preserve theirmasculine traditions.

This situation was further affected by the difficultlife of the tribes of the dry desert, which was filled withhostility between one tribe and another, for the basicprinciples of life are defend and attack and keep yourpromises. In this society, the son played a special role

which was based upon the uses and needs of the societyssocial and military principles.

According to a universal principle of sociology, whereprofit was substituted for value, being a son was by andof itself of the highest essence. It meant embodying virtues,meaningful social and ethical values and human nobility.

For this very reason, being a girl or having a daughterwas humbling. Her frailness was substituted by beingweak. Her being weak pushed her towards slaveryand slavery caused her human values to lessen.

She became a creature who was the slave of aman, the disgrace of her father, the toy of a manssexual urges and the goal or slave of the home of her

husband. She was the highest form of shame anddisgrace. For the betterment of society and the reliefof ones mind, it was much better to kill her while still ababy so that the honour of her fathers, brothers andancestors, all men for that matter, was not stained.

As Firdowsi tells us in the Shahnamah:


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I t i s be t ter to bury wom en and dr agons in the ear th .

The wor l d wi l l be better of f i f clean sed of th eir existence.

An Arab poet tells us:I f a fa t her ha s a dau ghter h e wants to rem ain , whenever he

th in ks o f her fu tu re , he shou ld th ink about th ree d i f feren t

son- in- laws: one, the house which wi l l h ide her ; two, the

husband who w i l l keep her and th ree , the grave wh ich w i l l

cover her ! And t he la st on e, the gr ave, is th e best.

This is that very same poem that says women and

dragons are both better to be covered by the earthbecause is a means of exchange. Covering the girlswith earth is a way of preserving honour. Not only inArabia, but also among all the great civilizations of thetime, including Europe, Africa and India, woman was

bearing the same ignominy and hardship. In India, perhapsshe was not being killed in infancy during those times,but this kind of treatment is common nowadays, whenshe is killed even in her fetal stage. During those times,she was made to live in the temples for the service ofall, and also forced to enter fire (sati), when her husbanddied all in the name of honour. This is why the Quran,

in the strongest terms, warned of the dangers of thisfrightening highest honour when it said:

He hides himself f rom the people of the evil for

the tid ings given him. Should he keep her with

d isgrace or bury her a live in the dust? Behold,

evil is what they decide.

QURAN, 16:59

Ancient historians and modern scholars, who writethe history of religion, have given different explanationsfor the burying alive of female children in the Age ofIgnorance. Beginning with the fear of shame, disgrace,scorn, prejudice and fear of marriage with an unsuitable


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person, or, scorn, as some of the scholars say, in primitivereligions, girls were sacrificed for the gods. But the Quran

most strictly and clearly says that the fear was the fear

of poverty. In other words, it was an economic factor.The other explanations are just words.

The Quran emphasized:

Do not kil l them from fear of poverty for We wil l

provide fo r you and your children.

QURAN, 6:151

D el i ve r a n ce Ar r i ve d f r o m God

Not only the Arab, the entire world was waitingfor this last Prophet. Quran says that the last Prophetbefore Mohammad was Isa (Jesus) and during the 500-odd years after Isa, the world was without a prophet.Just prior to the time of Isa, various prophets were sent

in various civilizations all over the world, each givingsigns of the last prophet before departing. With no prophetin the world for such a long period, the entire worldhad digressed from the original teachings of theirrespective prophets and there were only few who stillheld to the path shown by these prophets.

It was at this crucial moment that Gods chosen,Mohammad, son of Abdullah, appeared with the messageof Islam, which shook the world to its foundations. Hebrought the glad tidings of a renaissance to moribundhumanity. As Dr. Wahid Mirza puts it, The task beforethe prophet was, indeed, arduous since it was not hismission to convert savages living in a state of nature to

civilized life, but to reform a diseased social order. Hisjob was to make a clean sweep from the hearts of theArabs of all those beliefs, superstitious, traditions andusages, which had become integral parts of their lives.He had to instruct, in the ways of tolerance, forbearance,humility and forgiveness, those who deemed forgiveness


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as evidence of weakness, and forbearance a symbol ofmean spiritedness and cowardice. He had to give lessons

in equality and fraternity to those who prided themselves

upon their high births and took pains to commit to theirmemories their genealogical tables up to remote ancestors.Islam had also to struggle against many other evil customsand practices. It prohibited the use of liquor to whichthe Arabs had got used and upon which they looked as

symbolic of generosity. It placed gambling under aninterdict although the Arabs esteemed it as an

unmistakable concomitant of open-handed liberality. Italso forbade many other practices corrosive of morals.The Arabs could not even dream of the purest manachieving the highest merit in the eyes of God, or that,

after subscribing to Islam, the lowest of men could claimequality with any member of the noblest families inArabia.

Khwaja Ghulam-us-Saiyidain has put the messageof Islam very aptly in another form. Islam brought to aworld groaning under the power and authority of priests

a message of freedom, - freedom from the shackles ofa priestly order which claimed to be an intermediarybetween the worshippers and the worshipped, - freedom

from the tyranny of an oligarchy of the affluent who,caring nothing for any divine law, and less than nothingfor any human regulation, brazenly enjoyed the fruits

of the toil and labour of others, - freedom for the slavesand the suppressed classes from the oppression,inhumanity and torture of their masters and socialsuperiors, - freedom from women from what was, toall intents and purposes, slavery which divested themof even their elementary human rights, - freedom for

the ordinary man from the constraints imposed uponhim by narrow inhibitions of castes, colour and racewhich blighted collective human life, and divided peopleinto rival, warring camps. Mankind was fettered by


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trammels designed by itself. Iqbal has described theplight in which men found themselves in the following

telling couplets:

1 . M a n w or sh i p ped m a n i n th e w or l d . H e w a s b er ef t of d ig n i tyreduced al m ost to n on- existence, and relegated to the positi on

o f an underdog.

2 . The power o f Chosroes and Caesars had robbed h im , and

fet ters were put on h is han ds and feet an d r oun d h is neck.

3 . Soothsayers, k ings, popes and prominent leaders a hundredhu nter s for one pr ey.

4 . H is na tu re was debased by slavery, and swee t l ays tu rned

in to b l ood in h is f lu te .

Islam imparted to humanity the message of freedom,

taught liberty, equality and human fraternity, and, forthe first time in human history, conferred plenary civicand human rights upon all men. The enjoyment of theserights by them had been withheld on considerations ofrace, colour, sex, resourcelessness and destitution. Theglad tidings kindled new hopes and awakened a newawareness of their being useful members of society among

the impoverished and the persecuted that had been sofar only heartlessly downtrodden by the powers that be.

At this time, Mohammads message of equalitybetween all humans, irrespective of disunity on groundsof wealth, caste or creed, and worship of One UniversalGod worked wonders far and near. This was the message

that all earlier Apostles and Prophets had given, butthat had been forgotten with time. The message wasreinforced with such strength that it shook the citadelsof all those who worshipped forces other than God orhad compromised with the unity of God, in some wayor the other. There was no way in which an outwardequality could be created, because of differences in


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regions, sex, colour, wealth, positions, physical strength,etc. It, therefore decided to create a revolution in mens

ways of thought, so that they might be enabled to shake

off their mental lethargy and realize that they were allequal.

Whenever plurality gets related to a unity, feelingsof equality and fraternity spring up among the componentunits of the plurality. It must, however, be noted that all

unifications of pluralities, ordinarily contrived, serve onlyas preludes to large divisions and fragmentations. Whensons of the same parents get united in equality, theyget separated form the sons of other parents. Whenmembers of one family get united in fraternity andequality, they are parted from the members of other

families. When residents of one country conjoin, adisjunction between them and the residents of other

countries follows. Wars between one country and othercountries, between one nation and other nations breakout, followed by an unending series of successes ordefeats. When people of one quarter of the earth band

together in fraternity and equality, they, as a corollary,break away from the peoples of other quarters of theearth. Europeans form a separate race, and Asians follow

suit in form a different race. Where colour united people,the peoples of skins of different pigments got so exclusiveof one another that the white races barred the black

ones from resorting to the same hotels as they did, andclosed the doors of their churches upon their own co-religionists among the latter. These separatist tendenciesresulted from the fact that attempts at coalescingindividuals, groups, races, countries and colours, hadof necessity to be based upon the raising of corresponding

barriers between human beings. A dividing wall, thusraised, united those on one side of it and separatedthem from those on the other side. Islam struck at theroot of the impasse and holding that equality among


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individuals could flow only form the unity of the pointof their convergence, decided upon the demolition of

all partitions separating humanity and the inauguration

of a common meeting ground for all races, colours,countries, races and nations, so vastly extensive, of suchillimitable dimensions as to accommodate within it theentire mankind. Since there would be nothing withoutthe compass of that resort, no question of division of

humanity and parting of their ways could possibly arise.The focal point toward which all men were to converge

had, therefore, of necessity to be other than material.For everything material would perforce be subject tolimitations e.g. of nearness and distance of space, ofmeagerness and abundance in measure. It was, therefore,

of the highest import that human vision be averted fromall that was materialistic and be fixed at that immaterial,transcendental power which, unhampered by theconfining attributes of space, measure and degrees,would bear relationship to everybody and to whicheverybody belonged. This power is the one God whom

Islam has presented as the object of universal worship,the creator of all beings and the end of everybodyspursuit. Once it came to be realized that all men were

Gods creatures the development of a sense of equalityand fraternity between individuals became inevitable.

Im ped im ent s Put in The Spr ead of Isla mi c Teachi ng s

Says the book Martyr of Humanity, The framingof Islamic laws and regulations, the setting up of Islamicpractices and institutions and, in general, the

establishment of an Islamic social order were achievedduring the lifetime of the prophet of Islam. It was nomean achievement for the revolution ushered in by Islam.The prophet of Islam had to undergo untold hardshipsand contend against all manner of stiff opposition andoverwhelming forces of obstruction in bringing about


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the revolution. Some men are so sentimentally devotedto all that is ancient that they harbour a motiveless malignity

against any body who changes the existing order. Some

others have vested interests in the old dispensation andapprehend impairment of their selfish advantages fromany move to overthrow the status quo. The clean sweepthat Islam had made of the old order and the far-reachingalterations that it had introduced in all departments of

live were productive of personal loss to persons in manywalks of life, not only in a pecuniary sense, but also in

many other ways, concerning their rank and power.For example, Islam placed an embargo on the chargingof interest on loans. Did this not forebode the reductionof the moneylenders of Arabia to bankruptcy, as they

battened on the amount of interest exacted from theimpoverished and the needy? And then, the ban appliednot only to the charging but also to the payment ofinterest. Obviously it is the needy many who pay interestto the opulent few, and it was the poorer classes whowere being irresistibly attracted towards Islam.

Accordingly, even if the capitalists could parry the blowaimed at them by not joining the ranks of the faithful,they stood to gain little, for those who paid interest and

upon whom therefore, depended their livelihood, stoppedpayment of interest to them. Again, the Islamic instructionthat precedence among individuals was to be determinedsolely on the basis of excellence of conduct andconscientious discharge of human responsibilities, andon no other grounds whatever, shattered the prospectsof those who had wrested positions of authority and power

simply on the strength of social superiority, wealth,property or the numerical preponderance of their tribesor races. The changes made by Islam in the standardsof determining pre-eminence and merit amongstindividuals abolished the rights enjoyed on the basis ofprevious norms, so that those in power before the advent


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of Islam were reduced to impotence, being devoid ofmerit as conceived by Islam. To the contrary, those who

had been earlier deemed to be unworthy even of a

passing notice such as the strangers from foreign lands,the destitutes or the members of the oppressed anddespised classes, were set on the road to the acquisitionof dignity and respect, should they fulfill what wasdemanded of men in performance and piety and fear

of God. How could then the monopolists of rank anddistinction reconcile themselves to their unhappy lot under

Islam? They had lorded it over their fellow men whom,instead of making the bondsmen of God, they had madetheir own slaves.

These reasons for the opposition to the prophet of

Islam were underlined for the Umayyads by the memoriesof outstanding animosities, both ancient and of recent

origin, and envy. Their leader, Abu Sufiyan, therefore,raised the whole of Arabia against the prophet. All kindsof torments were inflicted on Gods messenger. He waspelted with stones, rubbish was heaped on his head,

offensive things were cast at him, and he was threatenedwith assassination. When danger to the prophets lifebecame imminent, his uncle, Abu Talib, removed him

to the safety of his mountain fastness: Sheb of Abu Talib.The prophets family, all the Hashimides (Prophets owntribe) except Abu Lahab, joined Abu Talib in his retirement

with the prophet. The Quraish (the larger clan to whichHashimides belonged) formed a confederacy againstthe Hashimides: they would not marry their women,nor give their own women to the Hashimides in marriage,they would neither sell anything to them nor buy anythingfrom them, and all transactions with them would stop. It

was made almost impossible for even the necessities oflife, like water and food, to reach the isolated Hashimides.People had to live without food and water for days; it isreported that Khadija (Prophets wife) used to put a piece


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of leather in her mouth and chew it when in excessivehunger, there are some who are reported to have tied

up stone on their stomachs, and ate whatever they could

find in that barren place, including the bark of trees.This was in the seventh year of the prophetic life ofMohammad, the chosen, and lasted for close to threeyears.

After the termination of the blockade, the

Hashimides emerged form their seclusion. Within a year,however, Khadija and Abu Talib passed away. Oppositionto the prophet assumed such intensity in the bitternessthat his assassination was planned and he had to leavefor Medina.

Even after he had reached Medina, opposition tothe prophet did not allow him much repose. On theone hand those of his followers who could not leave

Makkah after his departure were put to a variety ofhardships and on the other, preparations for launchingan attack on Medina itself were set afoot. The prophetwas, therefore, compelled to come out in the open togive battle to their enemies and save himself, and, whatwas still more important, to keep from harm the hearthsand homes of those who had afforded shelter.

The manner in which the first battle of Badr wasfought is an indicator that Prophet could have nevercontemplated attack. The Muslims, who were completelyunprepared for the engagement, numbered only 313men who had between them only three horses and afew swords. But the Hashimides made things exceedingly

unpleasant for the adversary. Hamza b. Abdul Muttalib,Obaida b. Haris and Ali b. Abu Talib, performed suchoutstanding feats of bravery that the enemy lost heart.The Muslims and, in particular, the Hashimides, suffereda grievous loss in the assassination of Obaida in thewar, but the Makkans, specially the Umayyads, sufferedmuch heavier losses. Abu Sufiyan had not only to mourn


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the death of his son, Hanzala, at the hands of Ali, butalso to grieve over the capture of his other son, Amr, at

the same hands. Abu Sufiyans wife Hind had to mourn

the death of her father, Otba, her uncle Sheba, andher brother, Walid. Abu Sufiyan was so overwhelmedwith sorrow that he took a vow not to bathe till he hadled on attack against the prophet. But the infidels couldnot muster courage enough to face the Muslims in battle.

In order, therefore, to keep up the appearance of havinghonoured his oath, Abu Sufiyan collected two hundred

horses from amongst the Quraish and made for Medina.Reaching the confines of Medina, he killed two Muslims,destroyed some date=trees and beat a hasty retreat.When the prophet emerged with his followers to give

him battle, Abu Sufiyan had already fled, and in thehurried disorder of his flight his band shed all alongthe way, their wallets containing parched and powderedcereals, called sawique in Arabic, which their pursuersrecovered. The engagement is therefore, called the warof sawique.

The important battle of Ohad took place in 3 A.H.Ikrima b. Abu Jahl, Abu Sufiyan and Hind could notrest contented for a moment till they had settled old

scores with the Medinites. The Makkans prepared forwar on an ambitious scale. Besides the Quraish, theBani Kinana and the Tahamites also joined the fray. Their

army consisted of 3000 armed soldiers, of whom 700were clad in armour. The prophet this army with a forceconsisting of only 700 men of whom only 100 weremail clad combatants. Two horses completed the strengthof the army. Ikrima and Khalid b. Walid, were in commandof the troops of the Quraish. We have to remember it

were many of these who formed the greatest obstacleto progress of Islam, like Abu Sufiyan, Khalid b. Walidand others who were to later embrace Islam, at theconquest of Makkah, and contributed their worth to


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degrading the principles of Islam after the death ofProphet. Khalid b. Walid is the same man whose

marauding armies attacked all frontiers, in the name

of Jehad, and led to the emergence of view that Islamspread with sword. They were self-seekers materialistswho opposed Islam when they thought they could subdueit and joined its fold to reap the rewards from within.

This war wrought great havoc among the Muslims

but the Hashimides and Alis swordsmanship ultimatelyretrieved the day, and the enemy had to retire,discomfited. Another of the brave Hashimides, Hamzawas martyred in the battle. There was a stage whennearly all Muslims had fled, with the exception of fewHashimides including Ali. This was consequent to the

Prophet being attacked and somebody raising the sloganthat he had been killed. Ali continued to fight with vigour

till he had dispersed all those who had surrounded theProphet and raised him so that people knew that hewas still alive. What did happen however was that theProphet lost two of his teeth in the attack.

As a last attempt, therefore, Abu Sufiyan and therest of his aides aligned as many parties in Arabia withthemselves as possibly could, and even maneuvered towin over the Jews to their cause. Then they emergedwith 10000 men in year 5 A.H. for a war, which, onaccount of the multi-party composition of its army, iscalled the War of parties. Poised against this numerousarmy, the Muslims numbered only 3000; but theirenemies again met with defeat, and their hero, Amr b.

Abd Wud b. Abi Qais Aamiri fell a victim of Alis sword.Abu Sufiyan had to retire to Makkah crestfallen and ina very sorry plight. The spirit of confronting the prophetin a war or launching an attack upon him had beencrushed although the wounds inflicted up by these reversesdid not lend themselves to healing.


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When the prophet of Islam found that the infidelQuraish had desisted from showing aggression in any

manner for some time, he made up his mind for the

Omra or lesser pilgrimage to the Holy House (Kaaba)in 6 A.H., and led a part of the Muslims with sacrificialcamels, a sure symbol of the absence on his part, ofany warlike disposition. But when the Quraish heard ofthe approach of the prophet, they reached Kra-il-ghamim

with Khalid b. Walid, at their head to offer resistance tohis entry into Makkah.

At this juncture the courage of the Muslims hadnaturally been heightened by the successive triumphsthat had attended their arms, especially when they noticedconfronting them the same defeated troops that had

not sufficient time to put themselves in trim for a battle.It would, therefore, have been easy enough for the prophet

to offer a battle to his adversaries so as to enter Makkahin triumph as a victor. The prophet, however, had toprove his pacific intentions and as soon as he noticedthe dust raised by he opposing forces marching to check

his advance he abandoned the road he was followingand turned to the right and adopted the route which ledto Hadaibia, passing behind Humz and through Saniat-

Ul-Marrar.

This gesture of conciliation so impressed theunfriendly Makkans that they likewise fell back and openednegotiations with the prophet, through Urwa, b. MasudSaqafi. The prophets conciliatory behaviour createdsuch a cordial atmosphere that Sohail b. Amr, was

dispatched to the prophet as a representative of theQuraish to finalize the peace parleys. He presentedsuch conditions for the treaty as favoured the infidelsand were seemingly designed to put undue pressureon the prophet and to extort unfair advantages for hisown men. The prophet, however, accepted all the termsproposed for the treaty, which was then ratified. The


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settlement required that:

1. Mohammad and his followers should go back that

year without entering Makkah and performing the

pilgrimage.2. War should be suspended for 10 years.

3. Whoever wished to join Mohammad and enter intoa treaty with him, shall have liberty to do so; andwhosoever wished to join the Quraish and enterinto a treaty with them shall likewise be free to do

so.4. If any one went over to Mohammad without the

permission of his guardian, he shall be sent back tohis guardian. If any one, however, from amongstMohammads followers returned to the Quraish, heshall not be sent back to Mohammad.

5. In the following year, Mohammad may visit Makkahwith his followers for three days, and the Quraishwould retire from the city for the duration. TheMuslims shall, however, not carry any weapons, savethose usually kept by the travelers, every one carryingonly a sheathed sword. Every one of the Muslimsshall leave Mecca within not more than the three

days allowed for their stay in that city.

These terms were so iniquitous and markedlydisadvantageous to the Muslims that many of the prophetscompanions, who were unable to perceive the underlying

purposes of their leader, were thrown into great agitationand anxiety. As recorded by some historians, the matter

assumed dimension of great magnitude and acquiredthe attributes of uncommon delicacy in the hearts ofmen, and their renegation seemed imminent. Their faithwas shaken and they were driven to all but apostasy.

Accordingly, when after putting his signatures to the treaty,the prophet told his followers to offer their sacrificesand get their heads shaved and return to Medina, the


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majority of the assemblage maintained a glum silence.Nobody seemed interested in complying the prophets

directions. The prophet, however, rose with conspicuous

nonchalance, to offer the customary sacrifice and gothis head shaved. Others also then rose with ill-concealedreluctance and got their heads shaved or their hair-cropped (as is the custom during hajj), but looks ofmurderous sullenness were writ large on their brows.

The difference in prophets action and that of theMuslims are evident. Ali accepted the Prophets decisionand history has recorded that it was Ali who was alongsidehim, writing down the points of the treaty. At the sametime, history has recorded several of those consideredeminent Muslims were unable to digest Prophets action.

The difference in the mindset is evident. Prophet wasall for peace while many, still carrying materialistic

tendencies, wanted to take advantage of the situation,when they were powerful while the enemy was nervouslytrying to make a peaceful settlement. That shows thateven when the Prophet was powerful, he only fought

when he was compelled. The mindset that we have talkedabout showed its colours when after the Prophet, thesepeople gained power. They were aided fully by the likes

of Abu Sufiyan and Khalid b. Waled, who were still inthe opposite camp till the Peace Treaty of Hodaibia.Khalid b. Waled was given the title Sword of Allah,

and this sword instead of fighting only when compelled,as was the case when Prophet was alive, was used toconquer territories. As war-booty filled the coffers ofthe influential, the poor died in poverty while the richlived in luxury, the sword of Allah went on to conquerterritories in the name of J ehad.

Impervious to the sentiments of his followers, theprophet accepted the oppressive conditions of the treaty.Had he taken Makkah by storm, he would have exposedhimself to the charge of committing an act of aggression


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against the Makkans. He observed the terms of the treatystrictly in letter and spirit. The ink had not dried on the

treaty when a son of Sohail, b. Amr himself who had

acted as a representative of the infidels approachedthe prophet crying and seeking his intercession andshelter. This young man had embraced Islam and wasunwilling to accompany his father back to Makkah.According to the terms of the agreement, Sohail, however

claimed him, and the prophet raised no objection. Tothe young mans piteous prayers he made only this reply,

This hardship will not last long. Be patient. God willassuredly word for you and others like you, some wayof deliverance. We have concluded a treaty with thesepeople, and will not do anything against it.

The prophet then went back. The following yearhe returned to Mecca as provide din the treaty. The

infidels withdrew form the city for three days, leavingthe prophet and his followers undisturbed in theperformance of the pilgrimage, where after the Muslimsleft Makkah within the specified time. The Makkans,

however, did not thereafter adhere to terms of the treatyregarding non-aggression. The treat, it will be recalled,had kept it open for all persons or groups to join the

prophet or the infidels as allies of either. Accordingly,the tribe of Bani Khazae attached itself to the prophetand the tribe of Bani Bakr allied itself to the infidels.

These two tribes were on terms of long-standing enmityand missed no opportunity of harming each otherwhenever opportunity offered. As war between theprophet and the infidels had been banned by the treatyfor 10 years and, by implication, the embargo appliedalso to the allies of both, the Bani Khazaa, shedding

their apprehensions, disarmed themselves and neglectedto remain on the alert against any possible hostile moveby the Bani Bakr. They were surprised by the Bani Bakrwhen camping near a stream and lost many of their


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number as killed.

Some of the Quraish secretly helped the Bani Bakr,

and had a hand in the slaughter of the Bani Khazaa.

Amr b. Salim, belonging to the unfortunate tribe repairedto Medina lamenting what had befallen his kinsmen.He saw the prophet when the latter was sitting in hismosque with his companions. A very tragic and movingaccount of exceedingly heartless cruelties which had

been perpetrated against his tribe was given by him inverse ending with the words, Prophet of God, the Quraishhave broken their pledge to you. The Bani Bakr ambushedmy tribe on the bank of a stream, knowing that nobodywould come to our rescue and lend a willing ear to ourlaments. Had we been prepared for the war, they would

not have dared attack us. They are not superior to us innumbers and have always been proved inferiors in war.

We were massacred while we were engaged in ournightly prayers and bowing and prostrating ourselvesbefore God.

The prophet was so deeply moved by the versesrecited that he did not tax the supplicant with a longwindedreply, contenting himself with the very eloquently briefremark, Amr b. Salim, you have been helped. Sayingthis, the prophet set out with his followers to the aid ofthe tribe allied to him. He was heading towards Makkah,but in a different attitude of mind this time. The infidels,lacking the spirit to try their luck against him in the fieldof battle, laid down their arms and in the extremity ofdistress, Abu Sufiyan found himself compelled to the

subscribe to Islam, outwardly.It is a measure of his large heartedness that the

prophet of Islam granted amnesty not only to Abu Sufiyan,but extended it to those who took shelter in Abu Sufiyanshouse or in the mosque or retired into their houses andshut their doors. According to another version layingdown of arms was the sole condition for the grant of


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amnesty. However upon actually entering Makkah, theprophet declared a general amnesty. When he entered

the city, he asked those who had gathered in front of

him, How do you thing I would treat you? They answered,We hope only to receive good treatment. You are ourgenerous brother and the son of a generous brother.The prophet replied, You may go. I have set you allfree.

Remember many of these people were those whohad tortured the prophet while he was in Makkah. Theyhad thrown stones at him and planned to kill him onseveral occasions. It was because of them that the prophetand his family had to live in scarcity of food and waterfor three years, consequent to which his beloved wife

and uncle, both died of weakness. It were they whohad spearheaded the battles against Muslim when they

were in Medina, consequent to which several of prophetsfriends and relatives had died, and even two of theteeth broken.

In view of the foregoing events it is only natural topresume that while the stunning blow of irretrieved disastermay force an enemy to capitulate, to surrender armsand drive him to sullen silence it can never assuagefeelings or melt an obdurate and cantankerous heart tofaith. Nor could such defeat move hatred to love andloyalty a consuming hatred nurtured over generationas evidenced by the preceding events. Such a changeof heart is well nigh impossible, human nature beingas it is. Human psychology makes it easy to realize that

the dread dragon hissing death and defiance would notlie low and under the cloak of conformity feel free forunderhand and clandestine intrigues and conspiracies.Such a foe can be truly dangerous. Such precisely wasthe assessment of Imam Ali, that assayer of Islam, whenhe observed:


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They did not accept Islam: they only accepted before

the might of Islam.

Aga Mahdi Puya has summed up the situation in

the following words:

The new mission, Islam, is like a heavy showercoming down from heaven, a promising event everyone welcomes, but the thunder, lightning and darkness,coming along with it, create fright and make peopletake precaution against the impending threat. In the days

of early Islam some people anticipated reaping a goodharvest if they joined the ranks of the believers, yetthey were reluctant to give up the privileges enjoyed bythem under the old system. For example, the Quraish,as custodians of the Kaaba, were respected by the people

of Arabia. This sanctity gave them the opportunity ofmonopolizing the trade from the Indian Sea to the

Mediterranean, and from the Persian Gulf to the ArabianSea and Red Sea up to the African coast. By giving upidolatry, they had to renounce class distinction and agreeto the equality of human beings, preached by Islam,

which would have certainly affected their economicinterests. On the other hand, they could not close theireyes to the grand possibility of taking control of the everprogressing active energy of a highly advanced society,created by the lofty ideals of Islam, which would spreadlike a wild fire all over the world, so as to rule over vast

lands and countless people and appropriate the wealthof the nations. The result was a continuous wavering.Neither did they want to detach themselves from the

old order, which appeared to them as a frightfuldarkness, nor could they resist the unlimited producethe abundant rain, Islam, would yield.

Enemy o f I sl a m Wi th i n t he Fo ld o f I sl a m

The Prophet had repeatedly said that the wayforward was through Quran in its capacity as the highest


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theoretical reference for the Message. O n the otherhand, he had linked it to the apostolic leaders who were

at the level of taking on the huge responsibilities of leading

the experiments infallibly, sincerely and with a properawareness. Of those men, Imam Ali was the personwho was equipped to do this through the stipulation ofthe Apostle. There had been innumerable occasions whenthe prophet had explicitly told the collected audience

that Ali was to be his successor. Deviation from this andthe subsequent reaching of power in the hands of those

who were no less than the worldly rulers, softened andlater distorted the nucleus, so that the Message that wentacross, beyond a certain time, appeared to be tied closelyto sword.

This deviation occurred because of the people whohad joined the folds of Islam when left with no choices.

It was Prophets large-heartedness that he accepted eventhose into the folds of Islam who had plotted and conspiredagainst it till sometime before. Also, it was against theteachings of Islam not to believe in their words when

they were saying that they were coming to its fold. Andunless they came up in defiance, they could not havebeen killed or punished.

It is fascinating to note how fast the affairs of theMuslim government went outside the text of the Messageand turned into an aristocracy, which had created anew class.

The man who brought the Message was himselfremoved from the scene to offer to his Lord the balance

of his account on earth. Though he had given severalwarnings in this regard, they were not taken seriously.In addition to that the Message was still only freshly inits covers. Men had not practiced it sufficiently and itwas still threatened by many apostasies like the withdrawalat Ohad and then the return. It was still seeking helpfrom the leaders of Quraish, those men who had only


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sought to slip away from their thrones under challenge.There were still the false gods Mana, al-Uzza and Hubal

mumbling in the dust of their broken fragment under

the veils of the Kaaba.The Message itself had not yet been established

in its polished form. There were still sayings of the Prophetscattered among the Companions, which had not beenproperly collected and arranged. In addition to all that,

it was exposed to attempts to soften it under the numerouscurrents of reasoning and interpretation based on interestsand whim.

It was these wavering hypocrites who were to dothe biggest disservice to the Message of Islam. It is theywho hijacked the Islamic teachings right at its infancyand were responsible for portraying the religion in badlight, which is still evident in the manner and belief of

the Muslims. They opposed Islamic teachings tooth andnail and even waged war against the young religion intheir attempt to throttle the teachings in their infancy.When they realized that this tactic was sure to fail, theyembraced Islam, though only in face. They kept waitingfor their opportunity, which they got when the toweringpersonality of Prophet Mohammad was no longer amongthem. Within a short while itself, the reigns of the entireMuslim empire (empire it was for them) had fallen inthe hands of those who were its greatest enemies. Astage came when the Umayyads were taking theiranimosity against Islam to its extreme, killing andimprisoning the true champions of the faith, while the

world considered them as Caliphs of the new religion.It is sad that even today, their actions, their beliefs, theirconduct is viewed as Islam.

The Dea th o f t he Pr ophe t

It is a pity that the subject of Khilafat (Caliphate),i.e. succession to the prophet has become such a vexed


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question that even now the contention about it betweenthe Shias and Sunnis defies resolution. The historical

fact, however, remains that upon the prophets death,

some of his followers joined hands to eliminate themembers of prophets household, from the seat of politicalpower. As a result, therefore, the members of the prophetshousehold, suffered outwardly, in the eyes of the world,from an eclipse.

All Muslims believe that Ahlebayt were the mostrighteous of men of all times. They were also witness tothe extraordinary love that Prophet showed towards themeven at public places. Muslims had repeatedly heardthe Prophet declare that whosoever bore affection towardshim should be bound by affection to them as well. They

had also seen visible signs of annoyance on the prophetsface whenever any lapse, however small, from affectionate

conduct towards his grandsons, occurred in the prophetspresence, as would appear from the sharp retort givenby the prophet to one who, perhaps, lightly addressedHasan thus, How fine is your mount, child on seeing

him propped on the Prophets shoulder. The Prophet atonce rejoined, And how good is the rider as well.

Writes Allama Ali Naqi Naqawi: To those whohad the slightest insight into the prophets nature, suchincidents left little room to spare any effort and care inaccording due consideration to these grandsons (Hasanand Husain) of the prophet. It would therefore, be noexaggeration to say that Husain was then a lamp aroundwhich circled moths, or a sun around which revolved

the planets. Adoration was shown to him from all directionsof the world.

Every morning, before going for prayers, theProphet used to call out.

Get up, it is time fo r prayers. God wishes, O

members of the household to remove from you all


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trace of defilement and to purify you as purity

itself may require.

People were also witness to Prophets extraordinary

behaviour towards his daughter, in whose respect heused to stand up. Every morning, he unfailingly went tothe Fatimas door to convey his greetings. Traditionsabound of Prophet calling her the head of the womenin heavens, or that anybody who grieved Fatima, grieves

the Prophet. History has also recorded that after thedeath of Prophet, people assembled at the door of Fatimashouse and set fire to it. The burning door fell on Fatimasabdomen and the child in the womb died because ofthis. Fatima too died as a consequence of that injurysometime later. Fatima used to cry so often at the

behaviour of the people towards the Members of theHousehold that a complaint was then made by the people

that her unremitting wailing had made it impossible forthem either to take their meals or to snatch some rest.She, therefore, used to retire to the graveyard of JannatulBaqi where she raised her continuous laments and cries.

As regards to Ali, who was Prophets cousin andson-in-law, there are innumerable instances when theProphet had proclaimed him as his successor in thecompany of his companions. Some of these we will begiving at a later stage in this book. Ali had also beenthe bravest of fighters during the various wars with

enemies. He was the most righteous of men. There areinnumerable traditions of Prophet citing Alis lofty position.At one point he said:

Ali is never separated from the truth and the truthis never separa ted f rom Imam Ali.

At Ghadeer, while returning from the last hajj,Prophet identified Ali as his successor in front of a largecrowd. This was even validated by God, when theQurans verse saying that with this announcement the


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teachings have been completed. Whether it was becauseof the fact that it was Ali who had killed the near and

dear ones of a lot many who had come to fight against

Mohammad in earlier days, or it was because of theextraordinary position that Mohammad had given to him,or Alis superiority in terms of piety or his mention inQuran on many occasions people were jealous ofAli, his position, attributes and achievements. Another

reason that contributed to this was his affiliation to theHashimide tribe of Quraish.

An interesting conversation between the secondcaliph and Ibn-e-Abbas, recorded by Tabari and otherhistorians, is quoted below, which throws light on theinfluence of the Jewish mentality on the behaviour and

mental attitude of the non-Hashimide Muslims.

The second caliph said:

O son of Abbas! Do you know why your familyhas been deprived of Khilafat? The Quraish did notlike that prophethood (nubuwwat) and vicegerency(khilafat) be combined in the family of Hashim, lest theirvanity increases. So they chose some one else, reallytheir choice was good.

Ibn-e-Abbas said:There is nothing unusual so far as the hatred of

the Quraish for the family of Hashim is concerned,because right from the beginning they did not like themessage, nor the messenger. That is because they wereaverse to what Allah has sent down, so He shall rendertheir deeds null and void (Quran, Mohammad: 9). Andthe apprehension about the vanity of the people whohave been (thoroughly) purified, by Allah himself, fromevery type of uncleanness is an (unfounded) accusation.It would have been most appropriate if the Quraish hadchosen he whom Allah had chosen, and...

At this stage the caliph interrupted and said:


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Behold! O son of Abbas! I have already beeninformed about your utterances. Beware! You may fall

in my estimation.

Ibn-e-Abbas said:Yes. If my opinions are true, they should not cause

my downfall, and if they be untrue, you should remindme to put them in order.

The caliph got angry and left the place.

This incident, sharply defines the most vital issue

that divided the Muslims into various schools of thought.

This was confounded by the feeling in heart thatthey would never be able to take benefit out of being inthe fold of Islam, if Ali was to remain at the helm ofaffairs. Therefore, on one side the Prophet was makingannouncements citing Ali as successor and Caliph, certain

influential people were hatching plans to usurp thatposition for themselves. It is evident from the eventsthat happened on the day of Prophets death that theplan to change the course of Prophets will had alreadybeen made. People were now waiting for a chance totake their plan to implementation.

The day it was known that the Prophet was dying,life suddenly changed for the beloved members of hishousehold. This was despite the fact that Prophet sparedno opportunity to introduce them and remind of theirimportance, not only in his life, but also in the schemes

of God for the future.

The Medina that was once pure and good was

now filled with hatred and fear. Politics had pushed faithand piety from the city of Mohammad. The army thatwas ready to do anything at the wish of the Prophetscommand stood unmoved, against the words and even

insults of the Prophet. Prophet had given the banner ofleadership to Ali but Osamah was chosen as the leaderof army, despite objections from all quarters.


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Even at the time of dying, the Prophet had askedfor something that had been denied to him. He had

said: Bring a tablet and pen so that I can write something

so that when I am gone, you will not be led astray.Instead of obeying to his command, as they used to doin the past, they caused uproar and did not allow thissmall wish of the Prophet. They said he was justmumbling. They said the book of God existed, and there

was no need of writing anything. Perhaps they knewwhat Mohammad would have written and they also knew

that the same in writing would create more hurdles intheir path of attaining their age-old objectives. It wasfor this day that they had entered into the fold of Islamand they never wanted to waste this opportunity.

If the Prophet was mumbling under the influenceof illness, he would have written a set of jumbled words

that would have made no sense. What was the harm ingiving him the pen and the tablet?

But Umar and Abu Bakr (Abu Bakr was laterappointed as the first Caliph, only to be followed byUmar) knew that the Prophet was not just mumblingand whatever he was saying was in full senses. Thewords of the Prophet were profound and sensible, somuch so that the history has recorded them clearly. Hewanted to write something that would prevent the peoplefrom getting astray, when the Prophet was gone. Isnt itclear that the Prophet was going to identify his successoronce again? Otherwise, in response to the Prophetsdesire for a pen, what was the reason to say that the

book of God existed, and there was no need for writinganything. Answer itself shows what was going in theirmind!

Shias are blamed for holding on to the Ahlebaytand leaving the Prophet. Truth is that the Shias hold onto the Ahlebayt in order to continue holding on to theProphet and the Quran. The prophecy of the Quran


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was getting true, right there:

Mohammad is no more than a Prophet. O ther

prophets have been sent before him. If he d ies or

is killed, you will go backwards and you will returnto the reactiona ry, despo tism of ancient time.

Umar and Abu Bakr entered the room again, uponhearing the death of the Prophet, cried and left. Aliwas all this while in the room; in fact, the Prophet was

lying with his head on Alis lap.

From that time onwards, it was politics that governedthe affairs. It had replaced truth, the Gods and theProphets wish. The city was full of plans, plots andconflicts. It is recorded in history that only Ali and fewof his trusted companions were there at the time ofProphets ablution as well as burial. Isnt it amazing thatthe Prophet of the Muslims, who had controlled nearlythe entire Arabian Peninsula up to the limits of thediminishing Roman Empire on one side and the PersianEmpire on the other, was buried with only a few familymembers and loyal friends at his side?

Where were the rest? It is stated that the Ansars(Medinites) of the Prophet had gathered at a place outside

the city, called Saqifah, to elect the Caliph. They hadfelt that the Quraish of Mecca had their own plans.Abu Bakr, Umar and Abu Ubaidah arrived and thenconvinced them that the Prophet had said, Leaders arefrom among the Quraish. They reasoned that thereplacement for the Prophet must be from among hisfamily. As a result, Abu Bakr was chosen at Saqifah.

Why was the hurry? Were there threats from outsidethe Muslim world of attack? Even if there were, theMuslim dominion had stretched at least so much so thatit would have taken a few days for the message to reachthe enemies and then for them to attack or plan sabotage.Moreover, Prophet had already ordered a battalion to


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march towards one of the frontiers. Though they didntlisten to orders and waited, truth is that an entire contingent

was battle-ready.

Then why didnt they wait till the burial? Thosewho defend this behaviour say that the Muslims shouldnot remain without a leader even for a moment, oncethe previous leader died. What a logical argument indeed?But can they explain that the last words that were heard

of Umar in Medina, prior to his appearance outside thecity at Saqifah were that the Prophet never dies andwould soon reappear.

It so happened that when the news of Prophetsdeath was spreading, Umar unsheathed his sword inpublic and said that he would kill anybody who wouldsay that the Prophet had died. He said, The Prophethas not died. He rose to heaven like Jesus. He will return.

Whosoever says the Prophet has died is a hypocrite. Iwill cut-off his head.

Isnt it clear that the fear that Umar and Abu Bakrhad was not from outside Muslim world but from inside?People were threatened with death if they talked ofProphets death, lest the message spread among the

common people, many of whom could have put othercandidates in front. Then upon hearing that a meetingwas already in place at Saqifah, the three rushed there,and got one from among them elected. Nobody saysthat when God had not chosen them, when even theProphet had not chosen them, when the only time theywere made the commanders of the army, they fled,

then who gave the authority to that select group of peopleto choose the successor, that too at a time when theProphet had still not been buried.

Wh y n o t A l i ?

Everything becomes clear. That is why for centuriesafter this incident, the Muslims were not allowed to study


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numerals, lest their reasoning faculties would arise. Inspite of this, if the Muslim world progressed so much

that it is called the originator of Arabic numerals, it was

courtesy those attached with the Ahlebayts.Prophet too knew that the plans were being hatched

to usurp the caliphate. That is why upon his return fromhis last pilgrimage and prayer at Ghadir Khum, he hadintroduced Ali in front of all of the groups of Muslims

who had accompanied him to the gathering and hadthem admit that the leadership of Ali was the same ashis leadership. It is recorded that even several of thosewho were present at the Saqifah to elect the Caliphhad congratulated Ali at Ghadir Khum, as the Prophetssuccessor-designate.

There are several other questions that are yet tobe answered by the Muslims in general? See Ali Shariatis

view:Why was it that when the Prophet had not yet

entered the city, a group of 12 people circled themountainous road so that he and perhaps Ali wouldbe killed? And this plot that came about afterpronouncement of Ali as successor-designate at Ghadir

relates to it because the elections were no action.And why is that, although the Prophet was informed

about the plot before hand and ordered them to betaken away after the event, he did not reveal their names?It was not a small accident especially considering theparticular interest of the Companions of the Prophetwho have recorded with care even the least important

events of his life.

Why did the Prophet in his last battle, the Battle ofTabuk, accepted considering his age and the age ofhis great and elder Companions and those who werenot military men, who were not men of the sword butmore political elements that they go to this battle to


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fight the powerful foreign Romans in the north of thecountry where the danger of death was very great?

Why did he single out Ali, and, against the will of Ali,

the reproach of the Jewish people and the hypocrites,kept Ali in Medina even though Ali was known as aman of the sword, the hero of many battles, the bearerof the flag and the conqueror of the famous and greatbattles of the Prophet? He said to him, I leave you for

that which I left behind in Medina. Are you not satisfiedthat your relationship to mine is the same as the relationship

of Moses with that of his brother Aaron? (The worldknows that Aaron succeeded Moses after his death.)

Why did he, at the time of his death, sent an armyto attack the Romans when there was no emergency

neither need to send the army to defend the border?Why did he ordered Abu Bakr, Omar and the other

great men and politicians who had influence, to go alongwith the army? Why, with such an army did he choosethe 18-year-old Osamah to lead the army while thesegreat men were among the common soldiers? Why,

when there was objection to Osamahs leadership becauseof his youth, did the Prophet get angry and in strongterms criticized those who thought age was more important

than worthiness?

And why when he was feverish and at the door ofdeath, did he insist and persist, pray and insult so thatthe army would move quickly, and along with it the elderstoo would move out of Medina while he kept Ali in Medina?Why, at the last moment of his life did he ask for a

tablet and pen and said, I want to write down somethingso that you will never go astray. Why do those wholater got elected as caliphs, not allow him to write anythingdown? They even argued in front of him and createduproar. They bothered him. They even insulted andprotested to his wives who were crying behind the curtainsaying, The Prophet wants to leave his last will and


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testament. Bring him a tablet and a pen. They delayed.They called themselves friends of Joseph until the Prophet,

in anger said, All of those women are better than you.

And then he asked to be left alone.Why at the end of his life, when the Prophet said,

I have three pieces of advice for you, he mentionedonly two of them and the third one, which was aboutAli, remained unanswered? Why when Bilal said, It is

the time of ritual prayer, and the Prophet was not ableto rise from his bed, he said, Tell Ali to come. Suddenlyboth of them appeared in answer to the message ofAbu Bakrs daughter and the Prophet saw all three ofthem at one time and then, without saying anything,asked all three to leave.

Why? Why? Why?

Why is it that the Prophet, who at the most difficult

times of battle, face to face with the power of the enemy,and he lacking power, filled with loneliness, always spookfull of hope and strength, certain of the future? Whyduring the last days of his life when he was on the edgeof his victory, was he so afraid and worried?

part 2 (krishna)

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