Many a battle have been fought from the inception of this world. Every battle has a starting and ending point but none of them lasted forever except for one battle which has been continued to be fought from the beginning of the world and it is still fought in various ways and will continue to be fought till the day of Judgment. It is the battle between the truth and falsehood – between the right and wrong. It’s the battle between light and darkness. It’s the battle between Iman and kufr.
There can be no compromises when it comes to the truth and falsehood just like there can be no mixing of the day and night and black and white.
Allah Almighty thus states in the Holy Quran as follows:
وَ قُلْ جَآءَ الْحَقُّ وَ زَہَقَ الْبٰطِلُ ؕ اِنَّ الْبٰطِلَ کَانَ زَہُوۡقًا ﴿۸۱﴾
And say, ‘The truth has come, and falsehood vanished.”Undoubtedly the falsehood was certain to vanish”.
(Bani Israel 17, Verse 81)
The first Encounter – between Sayyiduna Adam – peace be upon him – and Iblees:
It is a Quranic incident commonly known to people that Allah Almighty had commanded the angels to prostrate before Sayyiduna Adam – peace be upon him. He stated the following:
وَ اِذْ قُلْنَا لِلْمَلٰٓئِکَۃِ اسْجُدُوۡا لِاٰدَمَ فَسَجَدُوۡۤا اِلَّاۤ اِبْلِیۡسَ ؕ اَبٰی وَاسْتَکْبَرَ٭۫ وَکَانَ مِنَ الْکٰفِرِیۡنَ﴿۳۴﴾
He “said, “O Adam tell them the names of all things, when Adam had informed them of the names of all, He told, had I not told you that I know all the hidden things of the heavens and earth, and I know whatever you disclose and whatever you hide.
(Al-Baqarah 2, Verse 34)
He went as far as arguing with the Allah Almighty as it is mentioned in the Holy Quran:
قَالَ یٰۤاِبْلِیۡسُ مَا مَنَعَکَ اَنۡ تَسْجُدَ لِمَا خَلَقْتُ بِیَدَیَّ ؕ اَسْتَکْبَرْتَ اَمْ کُنۡتَ مِنَ الْعَالِیۡنَ ﴿۷۵﴾
Allah said, O lblis’, ‘what hindered you from falling prostrate before that which I made with My own hands? Have you been proud, or you were indeed among haughty ones?
قَالَ اَنَا خَیۡرٌ مِّنْہُ ؕ خَلَقْتَنِیۡ مِنۡ نَّارٍ وَّ خَلَقْتَہٗ مِنۡ طِیۡنٍ ﴿۷۶﴾
He said, ‘I am better than he, You have made me of fire and created him of clay’.
(Saad 38, Verse 75-76)
This marked the first battle between satan and Sayyiduna Adam – peace be upon him, the father of mankind. Since then it had not ended and will be there for as long as there is good and evil, until one is eliminated completely.
May Allah let the truth prevail. Ameen!
The Battle Between Nimrod and Sayyiduna Ibrahim – peace be upon him:
Hazrat Ibraheem – peace be upon Him – had debated with his nation and disclosed the truth but people did not accept the truth but rather they said to him, “Tomorrow it is our day of celebration and there will be a very big fair. Come there and see how beautiful and fun our religion is!” It was the practice of that nation that in their annual fair people would gather in a jungle and play whole day, and in the evening, they would go into their temple and worship the idols and perform their sacrifices and offer foods. Hazrat Ibraheem – peace be upon Him – walked towards the fair on their request but then made an excuse of illness and returned, and those people went to partake in the fair. He told the people that did not go to the fair very clearly:
وَتَاللہِ لَاَکِیۡدَنَّ اَصْنٰمَکُمۡ بَعْدَ اَنۡ تُوَلُّوۡا مُدْبِرِیۡنَ ﴿۵۷﴾
And I swear by Allah, I shall devise bad against your idols after you have turned your backs.
(Al-Ambiya 21, Verse 57)
However, after that, he took and axe and went inside the temple and saw there are many small and big idols and there was a very big one in front of the gate. Looking at those false objects of worship, he was overwhelmed by the emotions of the oneness of Allah and he slashed the idols with his axe and broke them into pieces, but he spared the biggest one of them. He placed the axe onto its shoulder and came out of the temple. When the people returned from the fair and entered the temple to offer their prayers and sacrifices, they were astonished to see that their gods were broken and scattered. They all suddenly went mad and began to squeal and make noise.
قَالُوۡا مَنۡ فَعَلَ ہٰذَا بِاٰلِہَتِنَاۤ اِنَّہٗ لَمِنَ الظّٰلِمِیۡنَ ﴿۵۹﴾
They said, ‘who has done this to our gods’? Undoubtedly, he is unjust.
(Al-Ambiya 21, Verse 59)
Some of them said, “We heard a young man whose name is Ibraheem speaking ill of the idols.” People told them to bring the young man, perhaps he might have broken the idols. They asked Hazrat Ibraheem – peace be upon Him, “Are you responsible for this condition of our idols?” He replied, “Your big idols must have done that, because the axe is on its shoulder. Why don’t you ask your broken idols as to who has broken them? If they can relate, then ask them who broke them?”
Peoples’ heads were bowed, and they responded, “O Ibraheem, what and even how do we ask them? You know, they can’t talk.” Hearing this, Hazrat Ibraheem – peace be upon Him – said in anger:
قَالَ اَفَتَعْبُدُوۡنَ مِنۡ دُوۡنِ اللہِ مَا لَا یَنۡفَعُکُمْ شَیْـًٔا وَّلَا یَضُرُّکُمْ ﴿ؕ۶۶﴾
He said, ‘Do you then worship besides Allah that which neither profits you and nor hurts you’.
اُفٍّ لَّکُمْ وَلِمَا تَعْبُدُوۡنَ مِنۡ دُوۡنِ اللہِ ؕ اَفَلَا تَعْقِلُوۡنَ ﴿۶۷﴾
Fie on you and on those deities, which you worship besides Allah, do you then have no wisdom?
(Al-Ambiya 21, Verse 66-67)
They had no answer to this truth which Hazrat Ibraheem – peace be upon Him – spoke but they rather began to make noise calling upon their idols.
قَالُوۡا حَرِّقُوۡہُ وَ انۡصُرُوۡۤا اٰلِہَتَکُمْ اِنۡ کُنۡتُمْ فٰعِلِیۡنَ ﴿۶۸﴾
They said, ‘Burn him and help your gods, if you have to do.’
(Al-Ambiya 21, Verse 68)
Nimrod’s futile attempt to torture Sayyiduna Ibrahim – peace be upon him
They created a huge fire and its flames were so high that if a bird flew over it, it would burn, and then they tied him and with the aid of a catapult they threw him into the fire and were happy in their hearts thinking that Hazrat Ibraheem – peace be upon Him – must have been burnt to ashes, but the following summon of Allah Almighty was given to the fire:
یٰنَارُ کُوۡنِیۡ بَرْدًا وَّ سَلٰمًا عَلٰۤی اِبْرٰہِیۡمَ ﴿ۙ۶۹﴾
‘O Fire! be you cool and safety for Ibrahim.’
(Al-Ambiya 21, Verse 69)
And the response of the final result, is given in the Quran in a very sold tone:
وَاَرَادُوۡا بِہٖ کَیۡدًا فَجَعَلْنٰہُمُ الْاَخْسَرِیۡنَ ﴿ۚ۷۰﴾
And they desired evil for him, but We made them the worst losers.
(Al-Ambiya 21, Verse 70)
The fire was set off and Hazrat Ibraheem – peace be upon Him – emerged safe and alive from it and the oppressors were left doing nothing better than rubbing their hands together in regret!
The Trust of Hazrat Ibraheem – peace be upon Him:
It is narrated that when Namrood threw Hazrat Ibraheem – peace be upon Him – into the fire in front of his entire nation all the heavens and earth and creation screamed and pleaded in the mighty court of Allah, “O Allah! Your friend is being thrown into the fire and there is none besides him the flag-bearer of Thy Oneness and Thy Praises, so permit us to assist him.” Allah Almighty replied, “Ibraheem is My friend and I am his Lord. If Ibraheem calls you for assistance then I give permission to all of you to assist him, and if he does not seek anyone’s help besides Mine then listen, I am his Helper and Friend, therefore leave his matter up to Me.” And then the angel of rain came to him and sought his permission to rain down and extinguish the fire, then the angel of death came and sought permission to bring a heavy gush of hurricane and blow away the fire, he said to both the angels, “I do not need anything from you. My Allah is sufficient for me and He is my best Helper. It is all up to Him when and how He wills to help me.”
(Saawi Vol. 4, p. 1307)
Which Du’a He Recited and then Entered the Fire? :
It is mentioned in a narration that when the infidels put him in the fire, he recited the following Du’a:
لَا اِلٰہَ اِلَّا اَنْتَ سُبْحٰنَکَ لَکَ الْحَمْدُ وَ لَکَ الْمُلْکُ لَا شَرِیْکَ لَکَ
And when he entered the fire Hazrat Jibreel – peace be upon Him – came down and said, “O Allah’s friend! Are you in need of something?” He replied, “I have no need from you.” Hazrat Jibreel – peace be upon Him – said, “Then relate your need to Allah Almighty at least.” He replied, “He is very well aware of my situation, therefore there is no need for me to ask for anything at all.” Hazrat Ibraheem – peace be upon Him – was just 16 years or 20 years old at that time.
How Long Did He Stay In The Fire?:
There are three quotations in respect of the duration of his stay in the fire:
- Some Mufasireen said that he stayed in the fire for a week.
- Some wrote that it was for 40 days.
- And some even said that he stayed there for 50 days.
And Allah Almighty Knows Best!
(Saawi Vol. 4, p. 1307)
Nimrod’s daughter Raghfa embraced Islam:
Nimrod’s daughter Raghfa was seeing the entire incident from the building and observed closely how Sayyiduna Ibrahim – peace be upon him – was saved from the fire which lit the flame of Iman in her heart. She jumped into the fire reading the Kalimah:
لَا اِلٰہَ اِلَّا اللّٰہُ اِبْرَاھِیْمُ خَلِیْلُ اللّٰہِ
There is none worthy of worship but Allah. Ibrahim (peace be upon him) is the friend of Allah.
She then returned home to her father. Nimrod also witnessed her jumping into the fire and then coming out of it alive and harmless which concreted his perception of Sayyiduna Ibrahim’s – peace be upon him – truth but his arrogance kept him in denial. He tried to manipulate her and talked her into reverting to her old beliefs, but she remained steadfast on Iman which infuriated him to go to extreme measures of tormenting her in various ways. He tied her hands and feet and left her to burn on the burning sand all day, but she remained steadfast on Islam. Allah Almighty has mercy on her and sent Hazrat Jibreel – peace be upon him – to bring her to Sayyiduna Ibrahim – peace be upon him. Her name was Ragh’fah. After some time Sayyiduna Ibrahim – peace be upon him – got her married to his son Madyan. By the Will of Allah, she gave birth to 20 sons, and all of them were blessed with Prophethood.
(Ma’arij al-Nubuwwah Vol. 337)
It was all the blessing of Kalimah and love of the Prophet. If we truly love the beloved Prophet – may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him – then no trouble of this world or the hereafter will come close to us by Allah’s Mercy.
The Bad End of the Enemy of Allah’s Prophet
Nimrod was an evil king. He used to enforce people to consider him as God and made them prostrate before him. Allah’s capture is severe although he gives the transgressors time to mend their ways but instead of considering it a second chance, they take it as leverage, and when their oppression crosses the limit the punishment of Allah captures them.
According to one narration, the age of Nimrod was over a thousand years and he did not fall ill for the past 300 years. He assumed that because he possesses a sort of superpower, he is not falling ill, so he is above the creation of Allah. Instead of being thankful to Allah he started to think of himself as God.
As his punishment, Allah Almighty sent a mosquito to him who entered through his nostril and entered his brain. He was in severe pain due to the mosquito interfering with his brain and he tried every treatment, but the pain only increased. A doctor advised that his head should be massaged with an old shoe and then the little beating with the shoe will cure his severe headache. When people hit him with the shoe, he did not get cured but eventually he died in such a pathetic way. So much for a playing God!!!
This is the ultimate result of insulting and hating Allah’s Prophet. May Allah Almighty inspire us to love His Prophets and friends. Ameen!
Sayyiduna Moosa – peace be upon him – and Pharaoh:
This is a battle to stay, so it did not end with Nimrod. The next battle of Haqq and Baatil started between Sayyiduna Moosa – peace be upon him – and Pharaoh.
When Hazrat Moosa – peace be upon Him – was troubled by Pharaoh and his allies and followers he left Egypt in the night with Bani Israel. When Pharaoh and his people came to know in the morning that Hazrat Moosa – peace be upon Him – had left Egypt with Bani Israel he became very angry and went with an army in search of Bani Israel. At last, he found them at one spot. Bani Israel were terrified looking at the gigantic army and since, they did not have any means to withstand in challenge with Pharaoh’s army they were in a state of panic and trauma. Hazrat Moosa – peace be upon Him – calmed them and said that they need not worry, the power of Allah is with them. By the command of Allah Almighty, Hazrat Moosa – peace be upon Him – struck in the ocean with his staff and 12 pathways were made on which Bani Israel successfully crossed the ocean, and when Bani Israel tried to go through those pathways and reached in the middle of the ocean the water was leveled once again and those pathways disappeared which caused Pharaoh and his army to drown in the water and they all died therein.
The following Quranic statement describes the incident:
فَاَتْبَعُوۡہُمۡ مُّشْرِقِیۡنَ ﴿۶۰﴾
Then the people of Firawn followed them at the sunrise.
فَلَمَّا تَرٰٓءَ الْجَمْعَانِ قَالَ اَصْحٰبُ مُوۡسٰۤی اِنَّا لَمُدْرَکُوۡنَ ﴿ۚ۶۱﴾
Then when the two groups saw each other, the people of Musa said, ‘They have overtaken us’.
قَالَ کَلَّا ۚ اِنَّ مَعِیَ رَبِّیۡ سَیَہۡدِیۡنِ ﴿۶۲﴾
Musa said, ‘Not so, undoubtedly my Lord is with me, He guided me just now.
فَاَوْحَیۡنَاۤ اِلٰی مُوۡسٰۤی اَنِ اضْرِبۡ بِّعَصَاکَ الْبَحْرَ ؕ فَانۡفَلَقَ فَکَانَ کُلُّ فِرْقٍ کَالطَّوْدِ الْعَظِیۡمِ ﴿ۚ۶۳﴾
Then We revealed to Musa, strike the sea with your staff hence the sea was parted, and every part was like a big mountain.
وَ اَزْلَفْنَا ثَمَّ الْاٰخَرِیۡنَ ﴿ۚ۶۴﴾
And We brought others nearer to that place.
وَ اَنۡجَیۡنَا مُوۡسٰی وَ مَنۡ مَّعَہٗۤ اَجْمَعِیۡنَ ﴿ۚ۶۵﴾
And We saved Musa and all those with him.
ثُمَّ اَغْرَقْنَا الْاٰخَرِیۡنَ ﴿ؕ۶۶﴾
Then We drowned the others.
اِنَّ فِیۡ ذٰلِکَ لَاٰیَۃً ؕ وَمَا کَانَ اَکْثَرُہُمۡ مُّؤْمِنِیۡنَ ﴿۶۷﴾
Undoubtedly in it necessarily is a sign.
(Al-Shu’ara 26, Verse 60-67)
The Holy Prophet – may Allah send peace and blessings upon him – and Abu Jahl, the Greatest Enemy of Islam:
It is reported that one day, Abu Jahl and two members of his clan made a promise among each other that if they got the opportunity, they would smash the head of Sayyiduna Rasoolullah Sallal Laahu ‘Alayhi Wasallam with a boulder.
One day, as Sayyiduna Rasoolullah Sallal Laahu ‘Alayhi Wasallam was reading Salaah in the Haram Shareef, Abu Jahl saw him and approached him with a large boulder. As he picked up the boulder, his hands became stuck just above his shoulders and the boulder also appeared stuck in his palms. In this way, he was unsuccessful, and he returned without achieving anything.
The next day, Waleed bin Mugheerah boastfully said that the boulder should be given to him. He also boasted that he would be able to complete this task. However, as he approached Sayyiduna Rasoolullah Sallal Laahu ‘Alayhi Wasallam, he instantly became blind and ran back in fear. He was listening to Sayyiduna Rasoolullah Sallal Laahu ‘Alayhi Wasallam read but could not see him. When he returned to his friends, he explained what had happened.
Their third companion then took the boulder from him and approached Sayyiduna Rasoolullah Sallal Laahu ‘Alayhi Wasallam. Instead of doing anything, he ran back to them in great panic and he was also panting heavily. When they asked him what had happened, he replied that as he approached Sayyiduna Rasoolullah Sallal Laahu ‘Alayhi Wasallam, he saw such a large and threatening camel which he had never seen before. He also swore in the name of Laat and Uzza that if he had gone nearer, this camel would have destroyed him.
(Tafseer Saawi, 2/ 264)
This incident is mentioned in Surah Yaseen in the first Ruku. This type of miracle of Sayyiduna Rasoolullah Sallal Laahu ‘Alayhi Wasallam continued to occur on many occasions when the Kuffaar tried many times to assassinate him. As a matter of fact, they left no stone unturned in trying to kill him and on every occasion, Allah azza wajal always protected His beloved Prophet Sallal Laahu ‘Alayhi Wasallam.
This is also a promise which is mentioned in the Qur’an that Allah azza wajal had assured Sayyiduna Rasoolullah Sallal Laahu ‘Alayhi Wasallam that He would protect him against people. Allah azza wajal knows best.
Abu Jahl’s Plans Fail
It is mentioned that Abu Jahl tried on many occasions to restrict and stop the Holy Prophet – may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him – from performing Salaah in front of the Ka’ba. He had also boasted that if he ever saw the Holy Prophet – may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him – performing Salaah himself, he would strangle him and rub his face on the sand (Ma’azzallah).
Once, he saw the Holy Prophet – may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him – performing Salaah. He went towards the Holy Prophet – may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him. Suddenly, he turned around and started to run as if someone was chasing him. His complexion had also changed for the worse and he was also trembling in fear. When the people around asked him the reason for this, he replied, “There was a trench of fire between me and Muhammad and, also frightening figures that had wings on them. I became so fearful that I could not go further. That is the reason that I ran away so that I could save myself.”
After completing his Salaah, the Holy Prophet – may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him – informed everyone, “If Abu Jahl had only came nearer, the Angels would have torn him to pieces.”
However, even after this incident, Abu Jahl did not stop his insults and attacks.
On another occasion, the Holy Prophet – may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him – actually shouted at him and he threatened to kill the Holy Prophet – may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him – and also boasted that he was one of the most powerful men in Mecca. However, the answer to this threat was giving in Surah Alaq.
In Surah Alaq, verse 13-18, the Qur’an declares:
اَرَءَیۡتَ اِنۡ کَذَّبَ وَ تَوَلّٰی ﴿ؕ۱۳﴾ اَلَمْ یَعْلَمْ بِاَنَّ اللہَ یَرٰی ﴿ؕ۱۴﴾ کَلَّا لَئِنۡ لَّمْ یَنۡتَہِ ۬ۙ لَنَسْفَعًۢا بِالنَّاصِیَۃِ ﴿ۙ۱۵﴾ نَاصِیَۃٍ کٰذِبَۃٍ خَاطِئَۃٍ ﴿ۚ۱۶﴾ فَلْیَدْعُ نَادِیَہٗ ﴿ۙ۱۷﴾ سَنَدْعُ الزَّبَانِیَۃَ ﴿ۙ۱۸﴾
“What is your opinion – if he denies and turns away, how wretched will be his state! Did he not realise that Allah is watching? Yes certainly, if he does not desist, We will seize him by the forelock. A forelock that lies, is sinful. So, let him now call his gang! We will now call the guards!”
Tafseer:
قَالَ ابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ: لَمَّا نَهَى أَبُو جَهْلٍ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ عَنِ الصَّلَاةِ انْتَهَرَهُ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، فَقَالَ أَبُو جَهْلٍ أَتَنْهَرُنِي [يَا مُحَمَّدُ لَقَدْ عَلِمْتَ مَا بِهَا أَكْثَرُ نَادِيًا مِنِّي ثُمَّ قَالَ] : فَوَاللَّهِ لَأَمْلَأَنَّ عَلَيْكَ هَذَا الْوَادِي إِنْ شِئْتَ خَيْلًا جُرْدًا وَرِجَالًا مُرْدًا
قَالَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ: {فَلْيَدْعُ نَادِيَهُ} أَيْ قَوْمَهُ وَعَشِيرَتَهُ
Sayyiduna Ibn ‘Abbas – may Allah be pleased with them – said: When abu jahl stopped the Holy Prophet – may Allah send peace and blessings upon him – from praying Salah, the Holy Prophet – may Allah send peace and blessings upon him – reprimanded him, then abu jahl said, “Are you reprimanding me, O Muhammad?! You know that most will respond to my call and I swear by Allah, I shall definitely appoint this entire valley upon you, and if you wish, I shall fill it with swift horses and young men.
Allah Almighty stated: So, let him now call his gang! i.e. his people and his clan.
(Tafsir al-Baghawi [Ma’aalim al-Tanzeel])
In the Hadith Shareef, it is mentioned that if Abu Jahl had called his associates, then the Angels would have seized all of them and they would not have escaped from this grip.
(Khazaa’inul Irfaan)
As long as Abu Jahl, lived, he continued to be an ardent enemy of the Holy Prophet – may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him – until finally, he was killed in the Battle of Badr by two youngsters in great disgrace. His body was also thrown on one side in a deep hole. This is the final destination of those who insult the Holy Prophet – may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him – whether they are open enemies of Islam such as the disbelievers or whether they are hidden enemies of Islam such as the Munaafiq.
The End of Abu Jahl
What actually had happened to Abu Jahl in the Battle of Badr is explained by Hadrat Sayyiduna Abdur Rahman bin Auf – may Allah be pleased with him. He mentions that while he was standing among the Muslims, he looked left, and he saw young a man, and on his right, there was another young man. One of the young men asked him, “O uncle! Who is Abu Jahl?”
He asked them why they were looking for Abu Jahl.
They replied that they had heard that he is someone who greatly insults Sayyiduna Rasoolullah – may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him – and if they knew who he was, they would certainly kill him without hesitation. Suddenly, another young man from the Ansaar also mentioned the same thing.
Hadrat Sayyiduna Abdur Rahman bin Auf – may Allah be pleased with him – said:
Suddenly, I could see Abu Jahl among the Kuffaar and I pointed him out to the young people. The rushed towards him like a bolt of lightning and finished him off. After a while, Sayyiduna Rasoolullah – may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him – asked the Muslims to see what had happened to Abu Jahl.
Hadrat Sayyiduna Abdullah ibn Mas’ud – may Allah be pleased with him – found him on the ground and he was taking his final breaths. He then placed his foot on the head of Abu Jahl so that he could behead him. In fact, even in these last few moments, the father of evil did not stop his Kufr and had actually insulted the blessed companion even to his last breath. Finally, the blessed companion had his head cut off.
When Sayyiduna Rasoolullah – may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him – saw the head of Abu Jahl, he loudly mentioned the Takbeer.
It is mentioned that later when the corpses of the Kufaar were being gathered, no one could recognize the body of Abu Jahl because he had been beheaded.
However, Sayyiduna Rasoolullah – may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him – mentioned that his body could be recognised by an injury on his knee.
Sayyiduna Rasoolullah – may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him – further explained that once they were both invited by Abdullah bin Jad’aan for meals and after this meal there was a wrestling match between Abu Jahl and Sayyiduna Rasoolullah – may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him. During this match, Sayyiduna Rasoolullah – may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him – had thrown him to the ground with such force that Abu Jahl had broken his knee. When they saw his body, they could still see a clear and visible mark on his knee which indicated to a previous injury.
(Sahih Bukhari, As Seerah An Nabawi, Al Bidaayah, etc)
There is another incident worth mentioning in this regard:
Once Abu al-Tufail Amir suggested to the Holy Prophet – may Allah send peace and blessings upon him, “You can choose to take control of the urban kingdom and I leave the kingdom of countryside to me” – you can find and study this in Bukhari – “Or take both the kingdom of urban and rural areas but on the condition that the kingdom should return to me after you. Can we conclude the deal on this? And if you reject both my offers and are adamant on your decision then I can bring thousands of tribes’ members and fight against you fiercely.”
Neither his offer could entice the Holy Prophet – may Allah send peace and blessings upon him – nor did he care about his threat but rather challenged him, “I do not accept any of your proposals but if you wish to fight with me so be it!”
He sent some of his companions to the battlefield and they were martyred, and there is a narration in Bukhari which proves that after he said those things he was afflicted with plague and he fled the place where the plague arrived. He tried to get away riding his horse, but he died in this state on his way.
Our beloved Prophet – may Allah send peace and blessings upon him – faced such difficult challenges, and if this was not enough, there was a time when Musailamah, the liar, surrounded Madinah Munawwarah with the army of thousands from Najd and sent a message to the Holy Prophet – may Allah send peace and blessings upon him:
“I am ready to take pledge on your hand and believe in you with the condition that you make me your successor after you.”
The Holy Prophet – may Allah send peace and blessings upon him – approached him with just one of his companions Hazrat Thaabit Ibn Qais Ibn Shammaas al-Ansari – may Allah be pleased with him – in the field where he and his army were present. This Hadeeth is in Bukhari Shareef so one may go and refer to it. The Holy Prophet – may Allah send peace and blessings upon him – asked him what he had to say? He replied, “I am here to pledge allegiance on your hands with the condition that I become your successor after you.” The Holy Prophet – may Allah send peace and blessings upon him – became angry at this and replied holding a thin stick of palm tree, “Let alone becoming my successor, I swear by Allah, even if you beg for this stick I would not give it to you! I have seen you in my dream, that I had two gold bangles in my hands, and it kept me disturbed, and then Allah Almighty stated, ‘Blow on both of them.’ When I blew on them they turned to ashes and fell on the floor.” He added, “You are one of the two. You are to be turned into ashes. Thaabit Ibn Qais al-Ansari who is the spokesperson for the Ansar will reply to you.” He left after giving the Sahabi some instructions.
Despite the threat of Musailamah who had an army with him and on the other hand, the Holy Prophet – may Allah send peace and blessings upon him – was alone with just a single Sahabi but he could not succeed into manipulating him into accepting his proposal. If it was anyone else, he would think a thousand times that at least his group and followership would expand in this manner but no, the Holy Prophet – may Allah send peace and blessings upon him – never agreed with falsehood! He could see the future and had much more foresight; he does not only know the unseen but witnesses it.
The two individuals whom he saw in the form of two gold bangles; one was Musailamah and the other was Aswal Anfi.
He knew that they both will claim to be Prophets after him while Allah Almighty clearly indicated to him the dream by turning them into ashes that they will not succeed, and their efforts will turn to ashes.
Islam does not leave any leeway for any sort of agreement between Haqq and Baatil but it has taught us to never unite with the falsehood under any circumstances.
The Battle of Karbala:
When the Yazeedi army made the offer to Imam Husain – may Allah be pleased with him, “Accept the allegiance of Yazeed or prepare to fight.”
The great Imam replied, “I am the son of the Lion of Allah Almighty and I certainly do not fear death.”
The opposition were also confused and amazed. This is someone who had remained hungry and thirsty for three days. He carried such immense sadness and grief, yet he continued to stand like a rock.
Imam Husain – may Allah be pleased with him – then stated, “Swearing allegiance to Yazeed is a complete insult to the blessed family of Sayyiduna Rasoolullah – may Allah send peace and blessings upon him – and while I am still present, this can never be done. We are also those people for whom the Holy Prophet – may Allah send peace and blessings upon him – made a special Du’a. Hasan was blessed with authority and awe and I was blessed with bravery and generosity. We may be beheaded, or our families killed, but we will never abandon the truth.”
It does not end here, but there have been many such battles fought throughout history and there will be many such battles till the Day of Judgment.
Martyred for the sake of Haq
Hadrat Sayyiduna Saeed bin Jubair – may Allah be pleased with him – was born in the 45 A.H. in Kufah. His title was “Abu Abdullah”. Hadrat Sayyiduna Saeed bin Jubair – may Allah be pleased with him – was considered as a very eminent Jurist and scholar. He was also a specialist in Hadith and Islamic Jurisprudence.
Hadrat Sayyiduna Saeed bin Jubair – may Allah be pleased with him – met many eminent companions and acquired immense knowledge from them. He used to recite the Qur’an in a very beautiful manner. He learned Tafseer of the Qur’an from the blessed companion, Hadrat Sayyiduna Abdullah ibn Abbas – may Allah be pleased with him. Even someone like Hujjaj bin Yusuf also admired him. The only reason that Hujjaj later became his enemy is that he was a supporter of ibn Ash’ash, who was an opponent of the Bany Ummayyah. During the ensuing battle between them both, Ibn Ash’ash was killed and obviously Hujjaj became an open enemy of Hadrat Sayyiduna Saeed bin Jubair – may Allah be pleased with him. Even though he was forced on many occasions to support Hujjaj, he refused to do so. With the result that Hujjaj kept threatening him with death. Finally, in the year 95 A.H., he was martyred.
It is mentioned that when the great Imam, Sayyiduna Imam Ahmed bin Hambal – may Allah be pleased with him – used to remember him, he used to weep. He used to also say, “I swear by Allah Almighty that Saeed bin Jubair has been killed in such a condition that every Muslim in the world is in need of his knowledge.”
This person who was a Saint and recognized as a Shaikhul Islam was killed by the tyrant Hujjaj bin Yusuf. It is very difficult to find any book today in which we will not find the name of this eminent scholar not mentioned. Yet, it is sad to think that this eminent Saint was killed by one of the most despicable people of his era. What was his crime? What did he do that was so serious that warranted his death? His only ‘crime’ was that he stood for the truth and was not prepared to compromise the truth for anyone or anything.
He also openly accused Hujjaj of oppression and tyranny. When Hujjaj heard what the great scholar had said about him, he made a decision that he would have this great scholar killed because he did not want anyone to openly oppose him. The soldiers of Hujjaj went to Hadrat Sayyiduna Saeed bin Jubair’s – may Allah be pleased with him – house and when they knocked at his door and he saw who it was, he read “Hasbunallah Wa Nemal Wakeel”. He then asked them what they wanted, and they informed him that Hujjaj wanted to see him in his court. He then asked them to wait for him and entered his room and placed the special scent which is placed on a dead body. Obviously, this is something which is mixed with various other types of fragrance as well. He placed this on his body after making Ghusal. He then also wore his Kafan.
The soldiers then took him to the court of Hujjaj. During the entire journey, he kept mentioning that there is no one more Powerful than the Allah Almighty and certainly Allah Almighty will ultimately destroy the transgressor.
When he was presented in the court of Hujjaj, the eyes of this tyrant were red with anger. Hujjaj then asked him what his name was and he replied “Saeed bin Jubair”. However, Hujjaj mockingly replied, “You are not Saeed bin Jubair, you are Shaqi bin Kusair.”
However, he declared, “This name was kept for me by my mother and she certainly knew better than you.”
Hujjaj then said, “You and your mother are both a disgrace.”
The great scholar replied, “Knowledge of the Unseen is known to Allah Almighty.”
Hujjaj asked, “What is your opinion of the Holy Prophet – may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him?”
He replied, “He is a Prophet of guidance and the Imam of mercy.”
Hujjaj then asked him his opinion about Hadrat Sayyiduna Ali – may Allah be pleased with him – and he replied, “He has become the beloved of Allah Almighty and is also a chief of mercy.”
Hujajj then asked him, “What do you have to say about me?”
The great Imam replied, “You are an oppressive person and will go to Allah Almighty in such a state that your hands will be red with the blood of innocent Muslims.”
Hujjaj then offered him gold and silver and he then instructed one of his servants to present the great Imam with two pouches of gold and silver.
The great Imam replied, “What is this? If this is something you have saved to protect yourself against the Divine Anger and Wrath of Allah Almighty, then it is something which can be praised. If, however, you have robbed the poor and innocent of this wealth, then I swear by Allah Almighty in Whose Divine Power is my life, you should fear that Day when even the breast feeding mother will forget her infant. Allah Almighty states in Surah Hajj, verse 2:
یَوْمَ تَرَوْنَہَا تَذْہَلُ کُلُّ مُرْضِعَۃٍ عَمَّاۤ اَرْضَعَتْ وَ تَضَعُ کُلُّ ذَاتِ حَمْلٍ حَمْلَہَا وَ تَرَی النَّاسَ سُکٰرٰی وَمَا ہُمۡ بِسُکٰرٰی وَلٰکِنَّ عَذَابَ اللہِ شَدِیۡدٌ ﴿۲﴾
“On the Day when you will witness it, every nursing mother will forget her nursling and every pregnant one will discharge her burden, and you, (O Muhammad) will see people as if they are drunk, whereas they will not be intoxicated, but the fact is that Allah’s punishment is very severe.”
Hujjaj then asked, “Why do you not laugh like the rest of us.”
The great Imam replied, “When I think about the Day when everyone will arise from their graves and all secrets will be revealed, my laughter immediately disappears.”
Hujjaj then asked him why he and others were able to laugh. The great Imam replied that the hearts of people are not the same.
Hujjaj then threatened him with the punishment of placing him in a wall of Fire.
The great Imam replied, “If you have the power to do this, then I would worship you instead, but you have no power to do this.”
Hujajj then said that he would murder the great Imam in such a manner that it would have no comparison.
The great Imam replied, “I swear by Allah Almighty that the manner in which you kill me, in like manner, on the Day of the Judgement, you will also be punished.”
Hujajj then ordered that he be killed.
The great Imam then read the verse in Surah Al An’am, 79:
اِنِّیۡ وَجَّہۡتُ وَجْہِیَ لِلَّذِیۡ فَطَرَ السَّمٰوٰتِ وَالۡاَرْضَ حَنِیۡفًا وَّمَاۤ اَنَا مِنَ الْمُشْرِکِیۡنَ ﴿ۚ۷۹﴾
“I have directed my attention towards Him Who has created the heavens and the earth, am devoted solely to Him, and am not of the polytheists.”
Hujajj then ordered that his head be turned away from the Qiblah, however the great Imam replied, “Wherever you turn, you will find Allah Almighty”.
He was then ordered to be placed on the ground to which he replied as found in the Surah Taha, verse 55:
مِنْہَا خَلَقْنٰکُمْ وَ فِیۡہَا نُعِیۡدُکُمْ وَ مِنْہَا نُخْرِجُکُمْ تَارَۃً اُخْرٰی ﴿۵۵﴾
“From the earth We have created you, and to it We shall return you, and from it We shall raise you again.”
Hujjaj then asked him, “You are still smiling after all of this?”
The great Imam replied, “Those who give their hearts to Allah Almighty, when do they become afraid of oppression and tyranny?”
The great Imam then continued to look at him while he smiled and kept saying, “I am smiling because the Allah Almighty is certainly Ever Merciful of His servants and yet, you have become so brave and arrogant in front of His Divine Being.”
He was then ordered to be killed. As this was happening, the great Imam kept saying, “O Allah Almighty after me, do not allow this oppressor to overpower anyone else.”
After he mentioned these words, the great Imam was killed. There is no doubt that this Du’a of the great Imam was immediately accepted by the Allah Almighty.
A few days later, terrible sores began to appear on the body of Hujjaj and the pain was unbearable. In fact, he lived in terrible pain and anguish for nearly a month. People actually thought that he had become insane. In this month, he had forgotten all the joys of this world. He could hardly eat, drink, sleep or walk around. In fact, peace became something which he could not experience either in the day or in the night. He used to say to people in anguish, “I swear by Allah Almighty that on those nights in which I do fall off to sleep, I can see that I am swimming in a sea of blood.” He also continued to take the name of the great Imam till his last breath saying that he did not know what was going to happen.
(Taarikhe Al Muluk wal Umam, Sayr Al ‘Alaamul Nubla)
Imam bin Hanbal was firm on Haq
It is reported that when Hadrat Sayyiduna Imam Ahmed bin Hambal – may Allah be pleased with him – was sent to prison due to the issue surrounding the matter of the Qur’an, there was already a person before him in prison.
When this person heard the story of why the great Imam had been imprisoned, he replied, “I am a thief and robber and I was imprisoned because of these crimes and even though they have committed all types of oppression against me while I have been in prison, I am still convinced that I will be freed. In other words, even though I am someone whose life is based on falsehood, still I am convinced about this. You on the other hand are someone whose mission is based on absolute truth and therefore, you must never leave the path of truth and always remain firm on this.”
It is mentioned that when Hadrat Sayyiduna Imam Ahmed bin Hambal – may Allah be pleased with him – was released from prison, he also used to make Du’a for this person as he made Du’a for others. He took the name of this person when he used to make Du’a and used to convey Thawaab to the person through his Du’a.
One day, his son, Hadrat Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Ahmed – may Allah be pleased with him – asked him, “Who is this person whose name you take in your Du’a?”
The great Imam replied, “This is the name of one of my teachers.”
His son replied that this name did not appear in his Sanad or certificate.
The great Imam replied, “When I was in prison, this person taught me how to be firm on truth.”
In the book Safinatul Awliyah, it is mentioned that no matter how much of punishment was given to Hadrat Sayyiduna Imam Ahmed bin Hambal – may Allah be pleased with him – later on, he remained firm in his belief that the Qur’an was not a creation but the Divine Word of Allah Almighty.
It is said that once, the chains were loosened around his hands and he was brought in front of the public. Suddenly, two hands appeared from the Unseen and covered his body. At that time, a certain portion of his body became visible because his clothes had fallen a little. When those in authority saw this miracle, they released him. But Hadrat Sayyiduna Imam Ahmed bin Hambal – may Allah be pleased with him – passed away soon after. When his Janazah was been carried hundreds of birds appeared and covered his Janazah. When they saw this miracle, thousands of Fire-worshippers and Jews accepted Islam and began to read the Kalimah aloud.
Daughters who stood on Haq
Hadrat Mohammed bin Saweed Tahaan – may Allah be pleased with him – narrates:
On the day in which the great Imam and a symbol of piety and greatness, namely Hadrat Sayyiduna Imam Ahmed bin Hambal – may Allah be pleased with him, was been whipped in public, we were present in front of Hadrat Sayyiduna Asim bin Ali – may Allah be pleased with him. There were also others among us such as Ibn Ubaid bin Salaam, Ebrahim bin Abu Laith, etc. Hadrat Sayyiduna Asim bin Ali – may Allah be pleased with him – then asked those around him, “Is there anyone among you people who is brave enough to accompany me to the Khailfah so that we can ask him why he is been so oppressive to such an eminent Imam and scholar?”
At that moment, no one came forward. Most of them realised that they would be approaching a tyrant leader. However, among these people, a person named Ebrahim bin Abu Laith stood up and declared, “O Abul Hasan! I am prepared to come with you”.
When he saw the bravery of this person, Hadrat Sayyiduna Asim bin Ali – may Allah be pleased with him – surprisingly asked him, “O young man! Are you prepared to follow me in this regard? Think carefully about your decision. And also, ponder about the person we are going to meet.”
However, Ebrahim bin Abu Laith replied that he had already thought carefully about his decision and wanted to go home for a few minutes just to remind his daughters that he was undertaking a very important task and duty. He also wanted the opportunity to give them advice on following and obeying the true religion.
Ebrahim bin Abu Laith then returned to his residence. We also thought that perhaps Ebrahim bin Abu Laith had also gone to prepare his kafan and make last minute arrangements for his burial because approaching someone like this Khalifah was in fact inviting death.
After a few minutes, Ebrahim bin Abu Laith returned. Hadrat Sayyiduna Asim – may Allah be pleased with him – then asked him whether he was ready, and he admitted that he was now ready. He also admitted that he had mentioned to his children that he was going to approach the Khalifah and when he left, they were crying as well.
While they were preparing to leave, at that moment, a person arrived with a letter from the daughters of Hadrat Sayyiduna Asim – may Allah be pleased with him. In this letter, it was mentioned, “O our father! We have heard that a tyrant has imprisoned the great Imam, Imam Ahmed bin Hambal, and is also delivering punishment on him in public. They are also forcing him to admit that the Qur’an is a creation of man. We urge you not to move away from your mission. Fear nothing and remain steadfast. Even if the Khalifah wants you to say something contrary, never allow yourself to do this. It is better that we receive news of your death while you were fighting for the truth than receive news that you had supported tyranny. If you lose your life, it is better than for you to lose your Imaan. Your beloved daughters.”
May Allah Almighty keep us steadfast on the truth and guide us on the true path of the Ambiya, Siddeeqeen, Shuhada, Awliya and Saaliheen.
Ameen!
MUSJIDUL HAQ 
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