Most Read in the Category of The Conquest of Makkah and Afterwards

In the 9^th year of the Migration, the light of Islam covered the whole Arabian Peninsula with its magnificence. The Messenger of God had many material things. The wealth of the Islamic state increased and the financial situation of the Muslims improved.  

Despite all kinds of material opportunities, the Messenger of God continued to lead a plain and modest life; he did not have any luxurious or wasteful things.

However, due to the inclination to the jewels and worldly goods inherent in the nature of women, the wives of the Prophet wanted their share of clothes and jewels from the wealth of the world. Therefore, they sometimes said to the Prophet, “We also want some jewels like the other women.” Then, they told the Prophet what they wanted.

However, the Prophet wanted his wives to lead a plain life like his life and show consent to it. Therefore, he did not give them what they wanted. He also felt disturbed by their requests like that.

The Prophet had a custom. After the afternoon prayer, he visited all of his wives asked about their health and determined their needs. In the evening, all of his wives gathered in the room of the woman who was going to be with the Prophet that night and the Prophet talked to them there. After that, everybody went to their own room.

During these usual visits, the wives of the Prophet treated him to the food or drinks that they had.

Once, somebody gave Zaynab bint Jahsh a leather bag full of honey. Whenever the Prophet visited Zaynab, she treated him to the sherbet she made of that honey that the Prophet liked very much. Therefore, the Prophet stayed with Zaynab longer than usual.

Aisha noticed this and wondered why the Prophet stayed with Zaynab longer than usual. She found out through her female slave that he stayed there longer due to the sherbet made of honey.[1]

The Instruction of Hazrat Aisha

There was a competition between Hazrat Aisha and Hazrat Zaynab; due to this competition, the wives of the Prophet were divided into two groups.  Sawda, Safiyya and Hafsa (may God be pleased with them) supported Aisha; Umm Salama, Umm Habi­ba, Maymuna and Juwayriyah (may God be pleased with them) supported  Zaynab bint Jahsh.[2]

Aisha felt grievous and jealous because the Messenger of God stayed in Zaynab’s room longer. She gathered the wives of the Prophet that supported her and said to them,

“When the Messenger of God comes to any of our room, we will ask him, ‘O Messenger of God! Have you eaten maghafir?’ The Messenger of God will say, ‘No’. Then, we will say, ‘What is this smell then?’ He will say, ‘Zaynab gave me honey sherbet.’ Then, we will say, ‘It means that honey was produced by bees that collected nectar from urfut tree’.”[3]

Maghafir is the plural of “maghfur”. Maghfur is sticky and sweet gum from the urfut tree; it has an unpleasant smell.

The Messenger of God did not like this smell; he felt disturbed by it. Aisha knew about it. That is why, she gave them an instruction like that. 

Once the Prophet was entering Hafsa’s room; she asked, “O Messenger of God! Have you eaten maghafir?”

The Prophet said, “No!”

Hafsa said, “What is this smell then?”

The Prophet said, “I drank honey sherbet in Zaynab bint Jahsh’s house.”

Then, Hafsa said, “It means that honey was produced by bees that collected nectar from urfut tree.”

Thereupon, the Messenger of God said, “I will not drink it again.” And he vowed that he would never drink it. Then he said, “I have vowed. Never tell about it to anyone (Aisha or anybody else).”[4]

Thus, the Prophet vowedthat he would not have honey, which is halal (permissible), because he wanted to rejoice his wives and he and to prevent the competition caused by jealousy among his wives[5] from causing a negative effect on the order of his family.[6]

He asked Hafsa to keep it secret along with some other things[7]he told her. He made her promise not to tell anyone about them.

When the Prophet vowed that he would not have honey from then on, the following verse was sent down:

“O Prophet! Why holdest thou to be forbidden that which God has made lawful to thee?, Thou seekest to please thy consorts? But God is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.”[8]

Hafsa did not keep those secrets very long; she told Aisha about it. Then, the other wives of the Prophet knew about it.  

God Almighty informed His Prophet through revelation that the secret that he wanted to be kept was disclosed: “When the Prophet disclosed a matter in confidence to one of his consorts, and she then divulged it (to another) and God made it known to him, he confirmed part thereof and repudiated a part. Then when he told her thereof, she said, ‘Who told thee this?’ He said, ‘He told me who knows and is well-acquainted (with all things).’”[9]

Thereupon, the Messenger of God reproached Hafsa. Aisha supported her. Altogether, they requested some things about the worldly life.  

The Prophet felt grievous about the situation and he felt disturbed by the fact that his wives were jealous of one another. 

Thereupon, he vowed that he would keep away from his wives for a month in order to show them that the worldly life was unimportant for him, to teach them a lesson, to decrease the jealousy among them and to measure their love of and loyalty to him.[10]After this vow, he started to live in the arbor called Mashraba.[11]

This incident is called “the Incident of I’la”. “I’la” lexically means an absolute vow; as a fiqh term, it means vow by a man that he will not approach his wife for sexual intercourse.

The Panic of the Companions

When the Companions heard that the Prophet started to live in Mashraba alone, they panicked because they thought he divorced his wives. Hazrat Umar narrates that panic as follows:

“I was living in Awali, a district of Madinah. I had a neighbor from Ansar. We visited the Prophet every other day. When I went to visit the Messenger of God, I informed my neighbor about the revelation that was sent down that day and any other news when I returned. When he went to visit the Prophet, he informed me about things when he returned.

It was my neighbor’s turn to visit the Prophet. It was late at night. He knocked on my door very loudly. I opened the door in panic.

I asked him, ‘What is the matter?’

He said, ‘A great disaster!’

I said, ‘What happened? Did Ghassanis attack Madinah?’

He said, ‘No! They say the Messenger of God has divorced all of his wives.’

Thereupon, after performing the morning prayer, I got dressed and went to Madinah. I went to my daughter, Hafsa. She was crying.

I said, “Why are you crying? Did I not warn you against opposing him and not demanding anything from him?’

Then, I asked her, ‘Did the Messenger of God divorce you?’

She said, ‘I do not know.’

I asked, ‘Where is the Messenger of God now?’

She said, ‘He is there, in that Mashraba; he is resting.’

I stood up and approached the place where the Messenger of God was. Rabah, his servant, was at the door.

I said, ‘O Rabah! Ask the Messenger of God permission for me to see him.’

Rabah went in and then returned. He said, ‘I asked him but he did not say anything.’

I went to the mosque. Some Companions were sitting around the pulpit sadly; some of them were weeping. I sat there for a while. I could not overcome my sorrow. I approached the room of the Messenger of God again. 

I said to Rabah, ‘Ask the Messenger of God permission for Umar to see him.’

The servant went in and then returned. He said, ‘I asked him but he did not say anything.’

I returned to the mosque. I sat near the pulpit for a while. I could not get rid of my anxiety and sorrow no matter what I did.

I approached the room of the Messenger of God again.

I said loudly, ‘O Rabah! I want to see the Messenger of God. Ask for permission. If the Messenger of God thinks that I will intercede for Hafsa, I swear by God that I will kill her if the Messenger of God orders me to do so.’

Rabah went in. When he came out, he said, ‘I told him but he kept silent. He did not say anything.’

While I was returning, I heard the servant say, ‘Come in; you were given permission.’

I went in. I greeted the Messenger of God. He was on a mattress made of straw. There were marks of the mattress on his body. I looked around. I saw a handful of barley and a fleece hung on the wall. I started to weep.

 The Messenger of God asked, ‘Why are you weeping?’

 I said, ‘O Messenger of God! How should I not weep? The kings and sultans of other countries lead a life of pleasure but you lead a very simple and plain life though you are the most beloved slave of God.’

The Messenger of God said, ‘O Umar, son of Khattab! Do you not consent to the hereafter for us and the world for them?’

Then, I said, ‘O Messenger of God! Did you divorce your wives?’

He looked up and said, ‘No!’

Upon this answer, I said, ‘Allahu akbar!’ All of the Companions are in sorrow. Did I go and tell them the truth?’

The Messenger of God said, ‘Alright’ and he talked to me until his sorrow disappeared. Then, he became happy and started to laugh.

Thereupon, I stood near the door of mosque and shouted loudly: ‘The Messenger of God did not divorce his wives.”[12]

The Messenger of God Leaves Mashraba

When one month passed, the Messenger of God ended the seclusion and started to see his wives. Meanwhile, the following verses were sent down:

“O Prophet! say to thy Consorts: ‘If it be that ye desire the life of this world, and its glitter― then come! I will provide for your enjoyment and set you free in a handsome manner."

But if ye seek God and His Messenger, and the Home of the Hereafter verily God has prepared for the well-doers amongst you a great reward.’”[13]

According to the verses, the Messenger of God offered two options to his wives: To prefer the world and the possessions in the world or to prefer God and His Messenger.

When the verses were sent down, the Prophet was near Aisha. He told her about the verses; he said she could also talk to her parents regarding the issue.

Aisha gave her answer at once: “Why should I talk to my parents regarding this issue? I definitely prefer God, His Messenger and the hereafter.”[14]

The Prophet smiled at Aisha’s answer.

His other wives also preferred God, His Messenger and the hereafter to the world and worldly possessions. Thus, they proved their love of and loyalty to the Prophet.

[1]Ayni, Umdatu’l-Qari, Vol. 20, p. 244.

[2]Bukhari, Sahih, Vol. 3, p. 132.

[3]Ibn Sa’d, Tabaqat, Vol. 8, p. 85; Bukhari, ibid, Vol. 4, p. 167; Muslim, Sahih, Vol. 2, p. 1101-1102.

[4]Ibn Sa’d, ibid, Vol. 8, p. 85; Bukhari, ibid, Vol. 6, p. 167; Muslim, ibid, Vol. 2, p. 1102.

[5]Kamil Miras, Tecrid-i Sarih Tercemesi, Vol. 11, p. 209.

[6]What is meant by rendering something halal haram means refraining from using it. It does not mean that he rendered something that God rendered halal haram. Nobody can render what God rendered halal haram or what God rendered haram halal. However, a person can refrain from eating or drinking something that is halal. Therefore, the Messenger of God vowed not to eat honey or drink honey sherbet, which is halal. Therefore, we should not have a thought like, “How can the Messenger of God render something that God rendered halal haram?”

[7]According to some narrations, the Prophet told Hafsa that after him Hazrat Abu Bakr and after that Hazrat Umar would become the Caliph (Ibn Kathir, Sirah, Vol. 4, p. 390).

[8]Tahrim, 1.

[9]Tahrim, 3.

[10]Bukhari, ibid, Vol. 7, p. 230; Halabi, Insanu’l-Uyun, Vol. 3, p. 406.

[11]Bukhari, ibid, Vol. 7, p. 230; Halabi, ibid, Vol. 3, p. 406.

[12]Bukhari, ibid, Vol. 1, p. 31-33; Vol. 6, p. 70; Ahmad Ibn Hanbal, Musnad, Vol. 1, p. 33; Muslim, ibid, Vol. 2, p. 1109; 1112; Tirmidhi, Sunan, Vol. 5, p. 421; Halabi, ibid, Vol. 3, p. 404.

[13]Ahzab, 28, 29.

[14]Bukhari, ibid, Vol. 6, p. 23; Muslim, ibid, Vol. 2, p. 1113.

(8^th year of the Migration, the month of Ramadan, Friday / AD 630 January)

The people of Thaqif, who were defeated by Muslims in the Battle of Hunayn, took refuge in their land, Taif; they closed the gates of the city and prepared to fight.  

It was one of the last shelters of polytheism. They had to be defeated so that they would never have the courage to oppose Islam. Malik b. Awf, who had made the tribes of Hawazin and Thaqif revolt against Muslims, took shelter there, too. It was necessary to catch him and punish him.

Therefore, the Prophet set off toward Taif with the mujahids. He knew Taif very well. Years ago, he had experienced the most painful days of his life there. He had gone to Taif to invite them to Islam but they had stoned him and he was drenched in blood.

The Islamic army reached the land of Taif soon. However, the people of Thaqif had locked themselves into their castle and stocked plenty of food as a precaution.  

It was not possible to enter the city by climbing the walls. Therefore, the Messenger of God besieged the city. The headquarters of the Islamic army was near the city walls; therefore, the mujahids received many arrow shots. Meanwhile, several mujahids were martyred by arrows.[1]

Thereupon, the Messenger of God moved the headquarters back, near the place where the Mosque of Taif is located today.[2] Two tents were put up for Umm Salama and Zaynab, the wives of the Prophet. The Messenger of God performed his prayers between these two tents and sat there. After the people of Thaqif became Muslims, they built a mosque there and named it “Sariya Mosque”[3]

During the siege, fighting continued in the form of throwing arrows.

The People of Thaqif are Stoned Through Catapults

When the Prophet saw that the siege prolonged and that the people of Thaqif had no intention of surrendering, he talked to the mujahids to set up some catapults and throw stones at them.

Salman al-Farisi said, “I find it appropriate; we used to set up catapults in Persia in the castles and the enemy also used to set up catapults against us. Thus, it was easier to defeat each other. When there were no catapults, we had to wait for a long time.”

The Messenger of God liked the idea of Salman and ordered a catapult to be set up. The order was fulfilled. There were two catapults in the army; with the new one that was set up, the number of the catapults amounted to three. There were also two dabbadas (strong carriage made of cowhide) in the Islamic army.

The mujahids tried to go under these dabbadas and approach the castle and break through the wall but they could not manage it because the arrows, hot pieces of iron and pokers thrown by the enemy soldiers pierced the hide and made it difficult for them to proceed. Meanwhile, a few mujahids were martyred.

Attempt to Cut off Grapevines

The siege prolonged and the aim could not be realized. Thereupon, the Messenger of God took a different measure: In order to suppress the enemy economically, he announced that the vineyards and orchards that belonged to the notables of Taif and where high quality grapes were cultivated would be destroyed; and he ordered the mujahids to cut off the grapevines.

When the people of Thaqif saw that their vineyards and orchards, which were their only source of income, were being destroyed, they said to the Prophet, “O Muhammad! Why are you cutting off our plants? If you defeat us, you will take them. Otherwise, leave them to us by considering the consent of God and the rights of kinship[4].”[5]

Thereupon, the Messenger of God said, “I am leaving your vineyards considering the consent of God and the rights of kinship.” Then, he prohibited the mujahids from cutting off their grapevines.[6]

Meanwhile, Khalid b. Walid, the heroic Companion asked the enemy to send someone to fight him one-on-one. However, there was no reaction from the enemy. One of them said to Khalid,

“None of us will leave the castle to fight you. We are going to continue sitting in the castle. We have enough food stock for years. If we run out of food and if you prefer to wait until then, we will draw our swords and fight you until we die.”[7]

A New Tactic

The siege went on and on. The people of Thaqif had no intention of leaving their castle and fighting one-on-one. They did not think of surrendering, either.

Thereupon, the Prophet used a different tactic. He had an announcement made: “Any slave that leaves the castle, joins us and becomes a Muslim will be free.”[8]

Upon this announcement, about twenty slaves left the castle, joined the Islamic army and became Muslims. The Prophet freed them and surrendered each of them to a wealthy Muslim so that they will teach them how to read the Quran and teach them about the sunnahs. 

When the people of Thaqif later became Muslims, they asked the Prophet to return those slaves to them. However, the Prophet rejected their request by saying, “God freed them; I cannot return them to you.”[9]

The Hypocrisy of Uyayna b. Hisn

Meanwhile, Uyayna b. Hisn went to the presence of the Prophet and said, “O Messenger of God! Let me go and talk to them; I will invite them to Islam. Maybe God will grant them guidance.”

When the Messenger of God let Uyayna, he went to the people of Taif and talked to them contrary to what he said to the Prophet, “By God, Muhammad has never encountered any people like you. Your castles are well-protected. Go on resisting.”

After that, Uyayna returned.

The Messenger of God said, “O Uyayna! What did you tell them?”

Uyayna spoke as if he was telling the truth: “I invited them to become Muslims. I said, ‘Muhammad will not return unless you surrender. Surrender and ask for forgiveness.’”

When Uyayna finished his talk, the Prophet said to him furiously, “You are lying. You said this and that.” The Prophet told him exactly what he had said.

Uyayna’s face blushed. He said, “You are telling the truth, O Messenger of God! I ask God to forgive me for what I said. I regret it. I repent to God.”[10]

Meanwhile, Hazrat Umaru’l-Faruq said, “O Messenger of God! Let me kill him.”

The Messenger of God said, “No! People will say I am killing my Companions then.”[11]

The Dream of the Prophet

One night, the Prophet saw a dream. He saw that he was offered a bowl of butter but a cock turned over the bowl with its beak and spilled the butter.

When the Prophet told his Companions about his dream, Hazrat Abu Bakr said, “O Messenger of God! I think you will not attain what you wish about the people of Taif today.”

The Prophet had the same idea. He said, “I do not think it is possible, either.[12]

The Siege is Lifted

The Messenger of God realized that he would not be able to conquer Taif at that time. If he continued the siege, he would lose time.

Mnawhile, he told his Companions that he was not given the permission to conquer Taif for the time being.

Thereupon, Hazrat Umar said, “Shall we tell people to get ready to retreat?”

The Prophet said, “Yes...”

Thereupon, Hazrat Umar told the Muslims to get ready to leave Taif. Hazrat Umar also asked the Prophet, “O Messenger of God! Will you pray against the people of Thaqif?”

The Prophet said, “God did not allow me to pray against them. Get ready to move.”[13]

However, some of the mujahids did not want to leave without attaining anything. The even said, “Where are we going without conquering Taif?”

They applied to Hazrat Abu Bakr. He said to them, “God and His Messenger know it better. The Messenger of God receives orders from the sky.”

Thereupon, they went to Hazrat Umaru’l-Faruq and talked to him. Hazrat Umar said to them,

“We experienced the Incident of Hudaybiyah. In Hudaybiyah, I had some doubts that only God knew. That day, I uttered some words that I had never uttered before to the Messenger of God (pbuh). My family and property were almost destroyed. There was no conquest better than the Peace Treaty of Hudaybiyah for the people. The number of the people who became Muslims   after the Hudaybiyah was bigger than the number of people who became Muslims during the period between the day the Messenger of God (pbuh) was sent as a prophet and the day the Peace Treaty was signed in Hudaybiyah; and they became Muslims without any fighting. Whatever the Messenger of God does is good. After the Incident of Hu­daybiyah, I cannot object to him for anything. This is God’s affair. He reveals to His Prophet whatever He wishes.”[14]

When the Prophet noticed that the general opinion of the mujahids was to stay in Taif for some more time, he said to them, “Get ready to fight tomorrow morning.”

In the morning, they fought. However, this fighting brought about nothing but some wounds. The mujahids also believed that they could not conquer Taif. When the Prophet said, “Inshaallah, we will return tomorrow”, they were happy. The Prophet smiled at their state.   

The Messenger of God and his army left Taif after a siege that lasted for about thirty days.

The people of Thaqif struggled with the mujahids a lot; they tired and wounded them; they also martyred about fourteen mujahids. Therefore, when the mujahids were about to leave, they asked the Prophet to pray against the people of Thaqif. However, the Prophet, who was sent as mercy to the realms, prayed as follows: “O God! Show the people of Thaqif the right path and make them come to us.”[15]

The Messenger of God had such a vast feeling of mercy and such a big ocean of compassion that he did not want even his fiercest enemies to be destroyed; on the contrary, he wanted them to live with the light of Islam and belief. He asked his Lord to do it. 

Returning to Jirana

After the Messenger of God lifted the siege, he left Taif together with the mujahids for the place called Jirana, where the booty obtained in Hunayn and Awtas was kept.

Suraka b. Jushum Becomes a Muslim

While the Messenger of God and his Companions were going to Jirana from Taif, they noticed someone approaching them. The Muslims wanted to stop him because they did not know him. They even wanted to harass him lest he should be someone with evil intentions. They asked him, “Where are you going? What do you want to do?”

When he realized that the Muslims would not let him approach the Prophet, he held the writing written by Hazrat Abu Bakr for him during the Migration between two of his fingers and shouted by showing it: “O Messenger of God! This is what you wrote for me. I am Suraka b. Jushum.”

The Prophet recognized him. He said, “Today is the day to keep my promise and to do you a favor.” Then he called out to the Muslims, “Let him approach me.”

When Suraka went to the presence of the Prophet, he uttered kalima ash-shahada and became a Muslim.

Suraka later said,

“I asked the Messenger of God, ‘O Messenger of God! Some camels at large come close to my pools that I fill with water for my camels. Will I have rewards if I give water to them, too?’ The Messenger of God said, ‘Yes... There is reward for giving water to any being that has lungs.’ I did not ask anything else. I returned to my tribe. I separated the zakah for my goods and sent it to the Messenger of God (pbuh).”[16]

The Booty and the Captives

The Prophet proceeded and reached Jirana.

The booty and the captives obtained by the mujahids during the fighting were quite a lot. The number of the women and children held captive was about six thousand.[17]

The booty that they obtained consisted of twenty four thousand camels, forty thousand sheep and four thousand uqiyyas[18] of silver.[19]

The Messenger of God did not start to distribute the captives among the mujahids in case Hawazins came and became Muslims. Meanwhile, he sent a Companion to Makkah o bring clothes for the captives; he clothed all of them.[20]

Though the Prophet waited for more than ten nights, Hawazins did not come; so, he distributed the captives among the Muslims.

Hawazin Delegates Arrive

The captives had just been distributed among the mujahids when Hawazin delegates arrived. They said they had become Muslims and that the people in their land had become Muslims.[21]

Halima, the foster mother of the Messenger of God belonged to the tribe of Hawazins. It was a tribe that looked after the Prophet when he was an infant. They mentioned it and asked the Muslims to treat them well; they also demanded their goods and the captives.  

The Messenger of God said, to them, “I postponed distributing the booty and the captives for a long time in case you came. However, you came too late. I distributed the captives among the mujahids. It is very difficult for me to return them to you.”

After this talk, the Prophet offered them to choose one of them: If they wanted, they would prefer to receive their goods or women and children back.

Hawazins preferred their women and children.

Thereupon, the Prophet said, “I am returning the captives that were my share and the shares of Sons of Abdulmuttalib.” Then he said to them, “After I lead the noon prayer, stand up and say, ‘We want the Messenger of God to intercede with the Muslims for us and the Muslims to intercede with the Messenger of God for us.’ I will repeat that I have waived my share and I will ask the Muslims to waive their shares.”

When the Prophet led the noon prayer, Ha­wa­zins stood up as the Prophet had advised them and asked the Messenger of God and the Muslims to return the captives.

The Messenger of God declared loudly in the presence of the Muslims that he waived his shares and the shares of Sons of Abdulmuttalib. When the muhajirs and Ansar heard it, they waived their shares.[22]

Thus, thanks to the two sentences uttered by the Messenger of God, about six thousand women and children held as captives were released at once.  

This event is interesting because it shows both the vast compassion and mercy of the Prophet and the Muslims’ absolute loyalty and obedience. 

Malik b. Awf Becomes a Muslim

After the Messenger of God returned the women and children to Hawazins, he asked, “What is Malik b. Awf doing?”

Hawazin delegates said, “He escaped and took refuge in the Castle of Taif. Now, he is together with the people of Thaqif.”

Thereupon, the Prophet said, “Go and tell him that if he becomes a Muslim and comes here, I will return him his family and give him one hundred camels.”[23]

When the Hawazin delegates told him what the Prophet said, Malik came to the presence of the Messenger of God and became a Muslim. The Messenger of God surrendered him his goods and his family as he had promised; he also gave him one hundred camels. Apart from giving him one hundred camels, the Messenger of God gratified him by appointing him as the administrator of the Muslims in his tribe.[24]

Affected by the grant of the Prophet, who conquered hearts through his nice attitudes, sweet words, grants and compliments, Malik b. Awf said, “I have neither seen nor heard anyone like Muhammad so far. When he is asked to grant something, he grants more than he is asked. If you ask him, he will tell you about the events that will take place tomorrow.”[25]

Ma­lik b. Awf, who had prepared a great army against the Muslims about a month ago, became a Muslim and entered the service of Islam. 

Distribution of the Booty

After the captives were returned to their owners, the Messenger of God was going to start to distribute the booty.

Meanwhile, it was seen that some Bedouins disturbed the Prophet and pulled his garment by saying, “O Messenger of God! Distribute the booty of camels and sheep among us.” The Bedouins went so far that the Prophet had to lean back to a tree. Thereupon, the Messenger of God said, “Do you think I will not distribute the booty that God granted among you? By God, if the booty was as much as the number of the trees of Tihaman, I would distribute them among you without fear and stinginess.” Then, he picked a camel hair and held it between his fingers and showed it to them. He said, “O people! By God, apart from the one-fifth, there is nothing, not even something like this camel hair, that I have from the booty. And the one-fifth is spent on you when it is necessary.”[26] After that, he had the booty items counted and distributed everybody their share.

Grants to the Muallafa al-Qulub

In the Islamic army in Jirana, there were about two thousand people who had just become Muslims on the day of the Conquest of Makkah and some notables of Makkah that had not become Muslims yet. The Prophet used a new method in order to strengthen the belief of the new Muslims and to gain over the hearts of people who had not become Muslims yet.  

As it is known, the Prophet had the right to use one-fifth of the bounty. He could spend this one-fifth for necessary things and people.

Due to the purpose mentioned above, he gave abundantly from the one-fifth to the new Muslims and the notables of the Quraysh in order to soften their hearts.

He gave Abu Sufyan, the leader of the Qurayshis, his sons Yazid and Muawiya one hundred camels each and forty uqiyyas of silver each. Thus, Abu Sufyan and his sons received three hundred camels and one hundred and twenty uqiyyas of silver totally. Abu Sufyan, who was received such great generosity and grants said,   “May my mother and father be sacrificed for you! You are so generous and charitable. When we fought against you, you fought so nicely. When we made peace, you made peace so nicely. May God reward you with good things.” Thus, he expressed the generosity and philanthropy of the Prophet.[27]

Besides, the Messenger of God granted two hundred camels to some of the notables of the Quraysh and fifty camels to other notables each.[28]

Safwan b. Umayya Becomes a Muslim

Safwan b. Umayya was one of the people who opposed and acted against the Prophet and Muslims severely. He was one of the people that had been ordered to be killed wherever they were seen on the day of the conquest of Makkah. However, when he took refuge in the Prophet, who was like an ocean of compassion, he was forgiven. He asked for a period of two months to become a Muslim. The Prophet gave him four months.  

He also joined the Islamic army.

While the Messenger of God was checking the booty in Jirana, he spotted Safwan, who had not become a Muslim yet. He was staring at the valley full of camels and sheep.

The blessed eyes of the Messenger of God noticed this careful look and senses what he was thinking about. He said,

“Abu Wahb! Did you like the valley a lot?”

Safwan said, “Yes...”

Thereupon, the Prophet said, “Then, the valley belongs to you with all the things in it.”

Safwan was astonished; he could not believe his ears. After waiting for a while in astonishment due to the grants and generosity of the Prophet, who never said no to the requests of people, Safwan said, “The heart of nobody except a prophet can be so pure, good and generous.” He stated that his heart had been conquered.[29]

Safwan was affected by the attraction of the light of Islam and the sun of the prophethood. He uttered kalima ash-shahada there and became a Muslim.

Thus, Safwan b. Umayya, who was the enemy of Islam for years and who was given permission for a period of four months to become a Muslim, embraced Islam at the end of the first month.   

Safwan, who beautified his Islam through good deeds, later stated the following about the effect made by that generosity:

“The Messenger of God was the person that I hated the most among the people until he granted me the valley. However, after his grant, he became the most beloved person for me.”[30]

This incident is an example showing clearly how skilled the Messenger of God was at knowing people and treating them accordingly. Sometimes one compliment of his, sometimes a sweet word, sometimes a smile, a nice act and sometimes a grant was enough to gain over people. Only this characteristic of his is a topic that can be researched. When this research is made, it will be seen that the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) determined the rules and principles of making friends and gaining over the hearts of people more than fourteen centuries ago uniquely through his acts, attitudes and words.

To be able to make people loyal to you with one look, sign, word, smile or act is a characteristic of the Prophet that needs to be learned by the humanity. 

The Objection of the Companions

Some Muslims who did not know the reason behind this act of the Prophet that aimed to affect the spirits of the people who had not become Muslims yet or who had just become Muslims felt disturbed by this act. They thought those people were preferred over them and that they were regarded superior. However, the Messenger of God did not do so with such thoughts. 

As a matter of fact, when he was granting the people whose hearts he wanted to gain over (muallafa al-qulub), Sa’d b. Abi Waqqas, one of the Companions, went to his presence and said, “O Messenger of God! You gave people like Uyayna b. Hisn one hundred camels each instead of people like  Juayl b. Suraka.”

The Messenger of God realized the reason of the opposition very well. Juayl was really poor in terms of money and goods but he was very rich in terms of belief. The Messenger of God knew that it was the reason of opposition; so, he answered Sa’d as follows:

“By God, if the earth was full of people like Uyayna and Aqra, Juayl would be better and more virtuous than them. However, I am giving them abundantly to make them like Islam and belief. I refer Juayl to his Islam and the rewards prepared for him in the hereafter.”[31]

Some People from Ansar Talk Critically

What distressed the Prophet was what he heard from some Madinah Muslims. In fact, the Prophet had expressed his loyalty and love about them as follows: “My life is together with your life; my death is together with your life.”

The Messenger of God was granting abundantly to the people who had been fierce enemies of Islam and the Muslims until yesterday, who had not made a sacrifice for the religion and who had not undergone any troubles for the religion. That was what made the Companions think about it. They felt distressed by the act of the Prophet because they had not realized the real wisdom behind the act of the Prophet and they showed their distress by their attitudes. Some of them even uttered unpleasant words.[32]

Sa’d b. Ubada told the Prophet about the distress and discontent of some Ansar. Thereupon, the Prophet summoned Ansar and addressed them as follows: “O Ansar! I heard that you uttered some words that you should not have uttered. You said this and that.”

Upon the words of the Prophet, some Ansar apologized; they said, “O Messenger of God! We did not say so; some of our young people spoke like that.”

Despite their apology, the Messenger of God continued speaking: “O Ansar! Did I not come to you when you were in the wrong path? Did God not grant you guidance through me? Did God not make you rich when you were poor through me? You were enemies of one another. Did God not soften your hearts and unite you?”

Ansar said, “Yes, O Messenger of God! You found us in darkness; we attained light thanks to you. You found us near a hole of fire; we got rid of it thanks to you. You found us in aberration; we attained the true path thanks to you. We accepted God as Lord, Islam as the religion and Muhammad (pbuh) as the Prophet. The rights and bounties of God and His Messenger on us are superior to everything. We are grateful to God and His Messenger. O Messenger of God! Do whatever you wish.”[33]

Despite this, the Messenger of God continued speaking. He did not want any anxiety or resentment to remain in the hearts. He added,

“O Ansar! If you had wished, you could have said this and it would have been true: ‘You came to us when you were rejected by others and we confirmed you. You came to us when you were left alone and we helped you. You had been deported but we looked after you like our souls.’  Yes, if you had said so, I would have confirmed you.”

After this conversation, the Messenger of God expressed what he meant to say through the following laconic sentences:

“O Ansar! Do you not want to return to your land with the Messenger of God while some people leave with the goods, camels and sheep that they have obtained?”

The Muslims of Madinah answered this question by shouting, “Yes, O Messenger of God! We do.”

Upon this answer, the Prophet ended his speech, which changed the situation altogether, as follows:

“I swear by God, in whose hand of power is the existence of Muhammad that, if it were not for the virtue of the Migration, I would want to be a member of Ansar!

O God! Show mercy on Ansar, their children and the children of their children!”[34]

Upon these sincere and loving words of the Messenger of God, the Muslims of Madinah sarted to cry sobbingly; their beards got wet due to the tears coming down.   

They made their final decision. They said, “We consent to the Messenger of God as our share of the booty even if we do not receive anything else.”

A unique share of the booty!

God Almighty granted His beloved Messenger such unexceptional persuasive ability. On the one hand, he affected the spirits of his fierce enemies and attracted them to Islam through his words; on the other hand, he eliminated all of the resentment of his friends through one speech. 

From Jirana to Makkah

There were twelve days left for the month of Dhulqada to end.

When the Messenger of God was in Jirana, he performed prayers in the mosque there; he went to the mosque again, performed prayers, prayed and entered ihram for umra. Then, he left Jirana and entered Makkah at night with his Companions. The Prophet uttered talbiya during the journey; when he saw the Kaaba, he stopped uttering talbiya. In the morning, he circumambulated the Kaaba with his Companions. Then, he performed sa’y between Safa and Marwa. After the seventh sa’y, he cut his hair near Marwa.

The Prophet did not sacrifice an animal during this umra.[35]

Returning to Madinah

The Messenger of God wanted to return to Madinah.

He appointed At­tab b. Asid as the governor of Makkah again. He ordered Muadh b. Jabal to stay there so that he will tell people about Islam and teach the Quran.

Then, he set off from makkah. He reached Madinah a few days before the end of the month of Dhulqada.

(8^th year of the Migration, 5 Shawwal Saturday / AD 630, January 27)

With the conquest of Makkah, almost all of the Qurayshis became Muslims. The conquest affected the tribes that were the allies of the Qurayshis; they started to have nice feelings about Islam and Muslims, and showed interest in Islam. This interest was regarded as a sign that they would be allies of the Messenger of God.

However, there were some tribes that were deprived of this interest: The tribes of Hawazin and Thaqif were the leaders of them. They were known to be the fierce enemies of the Prophet and Muslims. Though many Arab tribes became loyal to the Messenger of God, they could not end their enmity. They deceived themselves because they were the strongest tribes of that region and assumed groundless pride.

When the Messenger of God conquered Makkah and became allies with the Qurayshis and many other tribes, Hawazin and Thaqif tribes decided to make preparations and attack Makkah. Their aim was to attack Makkah suddenly before the Prophet could attack them.

The leaders of both tribes expressed their intention when they talked to each other. They said, “There is nothing that can prevent Muhammad from attacking us. What is appropriate for us is to attack him before he attacks us.”[1]

As a matter of fact, they formed an army consisting of twenty thousand soldiers under the command of Malik b. Awf, the leader of Hawazins, with the participation of the people from the tribes around. Malik b. Awf, their commander, made all of the women, children and sheep join the army so that the soldiers would fight bravely and would not run away.  

The enemy army consisting of twenty thousand people settled in a place called Awtas together with the women, children and animals.[2]

The Prophet is Informed about the Situation

When the Messenger of God heard that Hawazin and Thaqif tribes came together in order to attack the Islamic land, he immediately sent Abdullah b. Abi Hadrad to the enemy so that he would gather some information.

Abdullah wondered among the enemy soldiers in disguise for a few days and collected necessary information. He heard Malik b. Awf, the commander of the army, say the following to the other commanders: 

“This will be the last fight of Muhammad. The people that he has fought up to now were people unaware of fighting. That is why, he defeated them.

When it is dawn, line your animals, women and children behind you. Then line your soldiers. 

When you see the Muslims, you will attack them.

Break the sheaths of your swords and attack at once like one single man. Know it very well that victory belongs to the party that attacks first!”

After collecting this information, Abdullah returned to Makkah and informed the Prophet about what he had heard.

The Prophet Prepares the Army

When the Messenger of God was informed that a big army had been prepared against him, he acted very fast to attack them in the place where they had settled.

Meanwhile, he said to Safwan b. Umayya, who had a lot of weapons and armor but who had not become a Muslim yet, “O Abu Umayy­a! We will go and fight the enemy tomorrow. Lend your weapons to us.”

Safwan said, “O Muhammad! Do you want to take them by force and not give them back?”

The Prophet said, “No... I want to borrow them; I will pay for the ones that will be broken and that will get lost.”

Thereupon, Safwan gave him armor for one hundred people and weapons that will be enough for them; he also undertook the duty of carrying them to the place of fighting upon the request of the Prophet.[3]

The Prophet appointed Attab b. Asid, who was a young man aged twenty, as the governor of Makkah on the day of the conquest of Makkah. He also appointed Muadh b. Jabal to teach Islam and the Quran in the city.[4]

The Islamic Army Leaves Makkah

It was the fifth of the month of Shawwal in the 8^th year of the Migration.

The Islamic army consisting of twelve thousand soldiers under the command of the Messenger of God set off from Makkah toward the place where the enemy army had settled. Two thousand soldiers were Makkans. There were also about eighty polytheists in the army. Many notables of the Quraysh were among these eighty people. They wanted to see which party would win and to get some booty. 

The Prophet had not led such a big army before. However, he knew that the number of the soldiers was not enough for the victory. He knew that it was God Almighty who granted victory and who caused defeat and that man was obliged to make perfect preparations that will enable him to gain victory. Therefore, he did not show any traces of pride though he was leading such a big and magnificent army.  

However, some mujahids who trusted in the number of the soldiers said,

“We will not be defeated due to insufficient number of soldiers today.”[5]

However, they had defeated many armies that were more crowded than them and that had more weapons than them several times with the help of God. The Victory of Badr was a very clear example. The Battle of Khandaq and Muta were visible examples. However, they talked as if the only element to bring victory was the number of soldiers.

Naturally, the Messenger of God did not like what they said and showed it through his attitude.

They Arrive at Hunayn

It was Tuesday, 11^th of the month of Shawwal.

The Messenger of God and his army arrived at the valley of Hunayn, which had many slopes and descents, narrow passes and hidden ways.

At dawn, he arranged his army in ranks. He gave the flags and the standards to their bearers.

Hazrat Ali had the standard of the Muhajir Muslims; Sa’d b. Abi Waqqas and Hazrat Umar had their flags. Hubab b. Mundhir and Usayd b. Khudayr had the standards of Ansar Muslims.

Sons of Sulaym under the command of Khalid b. Walid formed the vanguards of the Islamic army.

The Messenger of God acted very cautiously. He was on his horse, Duldul. He had put on two armored shirts; there was a cap on his head and a helmet.[6]

The Messenger of God, who feared the Creator more than everybody and who worshipped Him more than everybody, obeyed the material laws of God Almighty in daily life called “Adatullah” more than everybody and observed those rules very carefully. He showed his situation against the enemy very clearly. Though he was under the protection of God and was helped by God, he put on two armored shirts when people put on only one and he had a cap and a helmet on his head.  

First Clash

It was the time of dawn.

The Prophet ordered his army to go down the valley of Hunayn in order to take the enemy by surprise. The vanguards under the command of Khalid went down the valley first; they were unaware of the plans and movements of the enemy. They were attacked by the arrows of the enemy that had ambushed in two places overlooking the valley. The attack of the arrows astonished the mujahids in the narrow valley, which was not suitable for military maneuvers. It was still dark, which made things harder for them. The vanguards had to retreat; after them, the new Makkan Muslims who had voluntarily joined the army started to retreat. The retreat was about to turn into a defeat. 

The situation was very delicate; the scene was very painful.

There were only about one hundred mujahids around the Messenger of God. The enemy was coming toward them with their twenty thousand soldiers. The Prophet called out, “O people! Where are you going? Come toward me! I am Messenger of God! I am Muhammad b. Ab­dullah.”

The battlefield was like Doomsday. The camels were hitting each other; the horses were neighing and causing a lot of tumult and fear.

The Messenger of God was sitting on Duldul like a statue of bravery though everybody was retreating and running away and the enemy forces were coming toward him like a flood. He did not move back even one step; he had no signs of fear; he was full of courage, hope and strength. Only that hero of the heroes could stand bravely against the enemy that consisted of twenty thousand soldiers in this tumult.  

The Hatred and Enmity in the Hearts are Revealed

When the Islamic army faced such an unexpected defeat, some Qurayshis started to utter bad words.

Abu Sufyan b. Harb said, “This defeat cannot be stopped.”

Safwan b. Umayya had not become a Muslim yet. However, he did not like what Abu Sufyan said. He said to Abu Sufyan, “May soil and stones fill your mouth!

Meanwhile, Safwan b. Umayya came and said to him, “Good news! The spell has been broken today; it has lost its effect.” Safwan b. Umayya said to him,

“Shut up! May God tear your mouth! I prefer a Qurayshi to rule over me than a Hawazin.”

Suhayl b. Amr said, “Muhammad and his Companions can never recover and fight again.”

Abu Jahl’s son Ikrima, who had just become a Muslim, said, “It is not appropriate to talk like that!” He added,  

“God has control over everything. Muhammad cannot do anything. If the war is against him today, it will definitely be in favor of him tomorrow.”

Suhayl was surprised when he heard what Ikrima said, “You used to say just the opposite.”

Ikrima said,

“By God, we used to insist on things that were not appropriate. We did not think very well; we kept on worshipping some stones that could neither harm nor help us.”[7]

God Almighty Protects His Prophet from an Assassination

During this defeat, some of the Qurayshis that had not become Muslims yet thought about killing the Prophet. Shay­ba b. Uthman was one of them.

His father was killed during the Battle of Uhud; he was full of the feelings of revenge and hatred. He drew his sword. He wanted to approach the Prophet from the right side of the Prophet. He saw that Hazrat Abbas, the Prophet’s uncle, was standing there with his sword shining in his hand. He thought, “I cannot approach him while his uncle is there.” Then, he moved to the left side of the Prophet. He wanted to attack from that direction. However, he saw that Abu Sufyan b. Harith, the Prophet’s cousin was standing there. He thought, “His cousin will help him.” This time, he wanted to approach the Prophet from behind. He approached him and wanted to lift his sword. There was nothing that could prevent him from hitting the Prophet. Just then, a blaze of fire appeared between him and the Prophet. Shayba shivered and felt scared. He thought the blaze was going to scorch him. He closed his eyes due to his fear and moved back. Only then did he realize that the Prophet was protected by God.  

While he was moving back, the Messenger of God turned toward him smiling and said, “O Shayba! Come here!”

Shayba, who had dared to kill the Prophet a minute ago, was shivering and shaking in fear. He went to the Prophet, who put his blessed hand on his chest and prayed: “O God! Remove all of the delusions of Satan from him.”

All of a sudden, the feelings of revenge and hatred in his heart disappeared and were replaced by belief and love of the Prophet. Shayba described that moment as follows: “By God, before he removed his hand from my chest, there was nobody more beloved to me from him.”

Then, the Prophet said, “O Shayba! Come on, fight the unbelievers!”

Shayba said,

“I fought in front of the Messenger of God with my sword. I wanted to protect him with my soul and everything. If my father had been alive and appeared in front of me, I would definitely have killed him with my sword.”[8]

Thus, a person who once said, “I will not be subject to Muhammad even if all Arabs and non-Arabs become subject to him” could not resist the attraction of the light the Messenger of God brought and embraced Islam.

The Islamic Army Gathers Strength Again

When the Messenger of God, who had been left with only a handful of mujahids, saw that the enemy was coming toward them like a flood, he wanted to spur Duldul, his horse, and fight them; however, Abbas was holding the reins and Abu Sufyan b. Harith was holding the stirrup of Duldul and trying to prevent the Prophet.

During this tumult, the Messenger of God said to his uncle Abbas, who was holding the reins of Duldul, “O Abbas! Call out this, ‘O Ansar! O Companions who paid allegiance to the Messenger of God under Samura tree! Where are you?’” Abbas called out in a strong voice.[9]

The strong voice resonated through the valley. The mujahids who were running away stopped. After the dawn, it was getting bright; similarly, the mujahids came to their senses by getting rid of the fear that covered their hearts. It dawned on them; they said, “Where are we going? Who are we leaving the Messenger of God to?”

They looked as if they had woken up from a deep sleep. They remembered their promise to the Messenger of God and started to come to their senses. The feet that were running away started to run toward the Prophet, who was like a statue of courage in this tumult. The same thing had happened during the Battle of Uhud, too. The courage, strength and perseverance of the Messenger of God had prevented the Islamic army from a worse situation.

The mujahids that surrounded the Prophet drew their swords and started to attack the enmy. The clangs of the swords were accompanied by the takbir sounds of the mujahids. The enemy soldiers were terrified and frightened all of a sudden.

Heroic Companions like Hazrat Uthman, Hazrat Ali and Abu Dujana fought in front of the Messenger of God by using their bodies as shields for the Messenger of God. Hazrat Ali discouraged the enemy soldiers with his agility and courage.

During this most severe moment of the fighting, the Messenger of God stood up on the stirrups of Duldul and said, “Now, the oven has heated; the war has become hot!”[10] Then he looked at the terrifying scene and called out, “I am the Messenger of God. This is no lie!”[11]

With those words, he stated that prophethood and telling lies would not be together and that he believed in the help promised by God. This call was the harbinger of victory, which was the reward of patience and perseverance.

Meanwhile, Hazrat Ali and Abu Dujana killed one of the standard-bearers of the enemy. When Hawazins saw that their standard-bearer was killed, they started to feel scared. 

The Prophet’s Prayer

When the mujahids started to fight enthusiastically and the enemy started to feel scared, the Messenger of God got off Duldul and prayed his Lord as follows:

“O God! Send us your help! You definitely do not want them to beat us.”[12]

After praying God Almighty so heartily, the Prophet picked a handful of sand and threw it against the enemy soldiers, saying, “May their faces be black!”[13]

At that moment, as a miracle of the Prophet, all of the enemy soldiers’ eyes were filled with sand.

The enemy army started to scatter.

When the angels came to help the mujahids, the soldiers of the enemy lost their strength to continue fighting and started to run away. 

Hazrat Abbas later described that moment as follows:

“By God, after the Messenger of God threw the sand against them, I saw that they lost their strength and things started to change. Eventually, God defeated them. I can still see the Messenger of God spurring Duldul and following them.”[14]

In the Quran, God Almigty describes the bright victory that He granted Muslims after the first defeat of the mujahids as follows:

“Assuredly God did help you in many battle-fields and on the day of Hunayn: behold! your great numbers elated you, but they availed you naught: the land for all that it is wide, did constrain you and ye turned back in retreat.

But God did pour His calm on the Messenger and on the Believers and sent down forces which ye saw not: He punished the Unbelievers: thus doth He reward those without Faith.”[15]

The enemy army that was defeated left the battlefield by being divided into several parts sadly. Some of them went to Taif; some of them gathered in Awtas. Others went to the direction of Nahla.

The Number of the Martyrs and Wounded Soldiers

At the end of the fighting, it was found out that four Muslims had been martyred but seventy enemy soldiers had been killed.

Since the enemy had come there together with women and children, they left many women and children as captives. In this battle, the mujahids obtained plenty of booty that they had never obtained before.

An Example of Gratitude

Among the captives was Shayma of Sons of Sa’d; she was the foster sister of the Prophet. When she was treated harshly, she said, “I am the foster sister of your prophet.”She asked them to give up their harsh treatment.Thereupon, the mujahids took her to the presence of the Prophet to find out whether she was telling the truth or not. 

Shayma said, “O Muhammad! I am your foster sister. The Prophet said, “Can you prove it?”

Shayma said, “There is a scar of bite on my shoulder; you had bitten me.”[16]

When the Prophet saw the scar, he recognized his foster sister, Shayma. She was the girl he had played, run and walked around together in the land of Sons of Sa’d. The Messenger of God, who appreciated people and who never forgot the favors done to him even after years passed, put his garment on the ground and let her sit on it. He remembered his childhood. He felt as if he was going to cry. He asked her about her parents. Shayma said they had died a long time ago.

Then, he said to Shayma, “If you want, stay here with me; I will show respect to you; or I can give you some goods and send you to your tribe.”

Shayma said,

“Give me some goods and send me to my tribe.”[17]

Meanwhile, Shayma became a Muslim[18]; the Prophet gave her a male and a female slave; he told her to go to the place called Jirana and wait there. While returning from Taif, the Prophet gave her and her relatives some sheep and camels.  

They Follow the Enemy

The Messenger of God ordered the mujahids to follow Hawazins, who were defeated and ran away. The vanguards were Sons of Sulaym under the command of Khalid b. Walid.

Meanwhile, the Prophet saw a dead body of a woman. When he was told that the woman had been killed by Khalid b. Walid, he sent a mujahid to Khalid giving him this order: “Go and find Khalid; tell him ‘The Messenger of God prohibits you from killing children, women and servants’.”[19]

When the Prophet also heard that some children had been killed, he said,

“Be careful! Do not kill any children!”

When one of the Companions asked, “O Messenger of God! Are they not the children of the polytheists?”, the Messenger of God said,

“Were you not the children of the polytheists, too? Every child is born as a Muslim; he remains so until he starts to speak. Then his/her parents make him/her a Jew or a Christian.”[20]

Fighting in Awtas

It was seen that some members of Hawazin tribe defeated by the mujahids in the valley of Hunayn gathered in the valley of Awtas. The Messenger of God gave a standard to Abu Amir al-Ash’ari and sent him against the enemy with some mujahids. The enemy soldiers that were positioned in Awtas started to defend themselves.  

During the one-to-one fights, Abu Amir, the commander, beat many Hawazins. Then, fighting with spears started. Meanwhile, Abu Amir, the commander, was wounded by an arrow thrown by the enemy; he gave the standard to Abu Musa al-Ash’ari, his cousin and appointed him as the commander. After a while, he was martyred due to the wound he received.[21]

Abu Musa, who became the commander, started to fight and managed to scatter the enemy forces. The enemy ran away and took refuge in Taif. Their commander, Malik b. Awf had taken refuge there, too.

The Captives and Booty are Taken to Jirana

The Prophet wanted to have a definite victory. The fighting in Hunayn did not bring out a definite victory. The enemy took refuge in Taif. Therefore, it was necessary to walk against Taif.

Therefore, the Prophet sent the booty and captives obtained in the Battle of Hunayn to the place called Jirana. He ordered the Companions he sent there to keep them there.[22]

A Feud is Settled

The Messenger of God had not left Hunayn yet.

He performed the noon prayer and was sitting in the shade of a tree to have a rest.

Meanwhile, two people went to the presence of the Prophet. They were Uyayna b. Hisn, the leader of Ghatafans and Aqra b. Habis. Uyay­na asked the Prophet about the blood of Amir b. Azbat, who had been killed unjustly; he wanted Muhallim b. Jaththama, the murderer, to be surrendered to him.[23]

Uyayna b. Hisn said, “O Messenger of God! By God I will not give up until I make the women of his tribe grievous as he made the women of my tribe grievous.” He wanted Muhallim b. Jaththama to be surrendered to him for retaliation; Aqra b. Habis was defending Muhal­lim.

The Messenger of God said, “Is it not possible to accept blood money for him?” Uyayna b. Hisn did not accept it. Meanwhile, some voices were heard. There was a lot of noise.  

Thereupon, the Prophet said, “You will receive fifty camels during this expedition and fifty camels when we return as blood money. However, Uyayna b. Hisn did not accept this offer, either.

After long talks, Uyayna b. Hisn accepted to receive the blood money as the Prophet had offered.[24]

Thus, the Prophet settled a feud that caused some tension among the people.

However, the interesting part of the incident took place after the Prophet settled it. The Muslims said to Muhallim b. Jaththama, “Go to the presence of the Messenger of God and ask him to ask for forgiveness for you from God.” Muhallim, who was tall and had put on a new garment, had prepared himself for retaliation; he went to the presence of the Messenger of God. He knelt down before the Prophet. He was very said and sorrowful; he was crying. He wanted the Messenger of God to ask for his forgiveness from God by stating that he regretted what he had done and that he repented God: “O Messenger of God! I regret it. I repent to God. Ask God to forgive me!”

The Messenger of God asked, “Who are you?”

He answered, “Muhallim b. Jaththama!”

The Messenger of God said, “Amir greeted you and you greeted him with the greeting of God and then you killed him. Is that right?” Mu­hallim b. Jaththama bowed his head and kept silent.

The Prophet raised and opened his hands; he prayed loudly: “O God! Do not forgive Mu­hallim b. Jaththama!”

When Muhallim heard what the Prophet said, he shivered and his hair stood on end. He begged again: “O Messenger of God! I regret it. I repent to God. Please ask God to forgive me.”

However, Muhallim’s appeal was no good; the Prophet prayed against him whenever he appealed and sent him away. 

Due to the sorrow of the curse of the Prophet and the terror of his end, Muhallim could live only for one week. When he died, they buried him. However, the grave cast him out. They buried him several times but each time the grave rejected him.[25] Finally, his tribe buried him between two mountains by piling stones on him.[26]

When they informed the Prophet about the situation, he said,

“By God, the ground accepted people worse than him. However, God wanted to advise you and teach you about the prohibition of killing a person unjustly.”[27]

Ka’b b. Zuhayr was a great poet.

His father, Zuhayr, was among the most famous Arab poets and men of letters. He educated his two sons, Ka’b and Bujayr, as poets and men of letters like himself.

When Zuhayr b. Abi Sulma attended the talks of the People of the Book, he heard that a prophet would emerge at the end of time.

One night, he saw in his dream that a rope was hanging down from the sky; he reached out to hold it but he could not hold it. He interpreted his dream as follows: he would not be able to live long enough to see that prophet.

Therefore, before his death, he said to his sons, “Believe in the prophet to come.[1]

Many men of letters, poets and orators had been affected by the fluency and eloquence of the Quran and embraced Islam. However, there were still some people who insisted on polytheism and who continued expressing their hatred and enmity against the Prophet and Muslims through their poems and speeches. Ka’b b. Zuhayr was one of them.

When his father died, he inherited the fame of his father.

His brother, Bujayr, became a Muslim but Ka’b did not give up polytheism. He sometimes satirized the Prophet and Muslims and distressed them through the poems he wrote.

Once, he wrote a poem expressing his hatred, anger and denial satirizing his brother, Bujayr, because he embraced Islam and sent him to Bujayr. When Bujayr read the poem to the Prophet (pbuh), he became very sad. The poems of Ka’b transgressed the limits of tolerance because of his insults at Muslims. Thereupon, the Messenger of God said to his Companions,

“Kill Ka’b b. Zuhayr wherever you meet him. From this point onwards, it is permissible to shed his blood.”[2]

After this permission, the end of Ka’b was definitely going to be terrible. Thinking about this, Bujayr wrote a letter to him in order to warn him and to give some advice to him. In the letter, he also wrote about the decision of the Prophet about Ka’b. He added that the only way of getting rid of this end was to go to the Messenger of God and ask for forgiveness.[3]

When Ka’b received the letter, he felt restless. The vast earth became a very narrow place for him. He felt as if he would die any minute. He knew that he was not going to get rid of the decision against him. He had to choose between two alternatives: To continue to be a polytheist and hide so that he will not be caught or to go to the presence of the Messenger of God and ask for forgiveness, stating that he repented and regretting what he had done.

Ka’b acted cleverly and chose the second alternative. Besides, when he received the letter from his brother, he started to feel repentant. 

Ka’b covered the long distance in a very short time and came to Madinah, to the presence of the Messenger of God. The Prophet did not know him in person. Ka’b used this very cleverly. He kneeled down before the Prophet and said, “Ka’b b. Zuhayr repented and wants to come to your presence as a  Muslim. If I bring him to you, will you accept his repentance and forgive him?”

If Ka’b stops distressing Muslims and feels repentant and embraces Islam, there will be no problem between him and the Messenger of God. As a matter of fact, the Messenger of God expressed his thought by saying, “Yes”.

Upon this reply, Ka’b became very happy and uttered kalima ash-shahada without letting the hands of the Messenger of God:

“I witness that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of God.”

The Messenger of God and the Companions around him were astonished; the Prophet asked him, “Who are you?”.

He said, “I am Ka’b b. Zuhayr, O Messenger of God!”.

Just then, one of the Companions said, “O Messenger of God! Let me kill this enemy of Islam. The Prophet said, “Leave him. He repented what he had done and embraced Islam.”[4]

Ka’b, whose heart was conquered through the spiritual sword of Islam, recited a poem called “Banat Suadu”, which is among the masterpieces of Arab literature. 

“...

As if the departure of Suad was not enough, people who reported others’ words said to me, ‘O son of Abu Sulma! Know that you are dead.’

Every one of the friends that I depended on and applied to said to me, ‘I cannot entertain and console you; paddle your own canoe.’

I said, ‘Get out of my way!’ What ar-Rahman preordained will take place.

No matter how long the lifespan of man is, he will definitely be carried in a coffin one day.

I heard that the Messenger of God would kill me.

What is most desired is being forgiven in the presence of the Messenger of God.

I came to the presence of the Messenger of God by expressing my apologies.

Apologies are always accepted by the Messenger of God.

Treat me with mercy and tolerance.

May God, who granted you the gift of the Quran containing a lot of advice and decrees. 

Do not hold me responsible for what my rivals say.

Though they talk against me a lot, I am not so guilty.

I am in such a station now that if an elephant saw and heard what I saw and heard, it would definitely shiver.

“Only the pardoning of the Prophet with the permission of God may save me here now.

I am extending my right hand to the just hand of the Prophet without objecting to anything.

Now, his words count.

...

There is no doubt that the Messenger of God is a light that shows the right path and is one of the sharp swords of God that has been unsheathed in order to eliminate the evil.”[5]

Ka’b continued his poem by mentioning the heroism and bravery of the Messenger of God and Muslims.

There was a couplet in the poet; the Messenger of God liked it very much. This was the couplet: 

“There is no doubt that the Messenger of God is a light that shows the right path and is one of the sharp swords of God that has been unsheathed in order to eliminate the evil.”

When the Messenger of God heard that couplet, he took off his mantle, which he was wearing, gave it to this great poet and expressed his gratification and appreciation.

After that, the poet “Banat Suadu” was known as “Qasida al-Bur­da” (poem of the mantle).

Ka’b. b. Zuhayr always took pride in this gift of the Messenger of God everywhere. He kept it with him until his death.

Once, Muawiya wanted to buy it by paying him ten thousand dirhams. Ka’b said, “I would not want anyone to wear the mantle of the Messenger of God that I own.”[6]

However, Muawiya obtained what he wished after the death of Ka’b. He sent twenty thousand dirhams to his inheritors and obtained the holy mantle of the Messenger of God.[7]

Then, this holy mantle was transferred to Umayyads, then to Abbasids and then to the Ottomans through the hand of Sultan Selim I.[8]

Today, this mantle is kept in the room of the Holy Mantle in Topkapı Palace, where some other relics of the Messenger of God are kept.[9]

“The Holy Mantle is 1,24 m long; it is made of black woolen fabric and has loose sleeves. The inside is lined with a cream woolen fabric. At the front, one part with the dimensions of 0,23 x 0,30 is missing. The right arm is not complete. It is partly worn out.

“... The Holy Mantle is kept in a golden box with two lids that can be opened upwards; its dimensions are (0,57 x 0, 45 x 0,21), and it is wrapped in bundles.[10]There is a long inscription made by Sultan Abdulaziz, including a request for intercession.

This box is wrapped in bundles and put in a big golden chest. It was made by Sultan Abdulaziz; the following is inscribed on it:  ‘La ilaha illallah. Wa ma arsal­naka illa rahmatan lilalamin. La ilaha illallah al-Ma­li­ku’l-Haqqu’l-Mubin-Muhammadun Ra­su­lul­lah Sadiqu’­l-Wa’­di’­l-A­min’ (There is no god but Allah. We sent thee not, but as a mercy for all creatures. There is no god but Allah,the King, the Right, the Manifest; Muhammad is the Messenger of God, Truthful to his Promise, the Trustworthy).  

Its pedestal on four feet is plated with gold.”[11]

Tahsin Öz, a former director of the Topkapı Palace Museum, also writes the following in his book:

“During the Ottoman period, the Sultan used to go to the Topkapı Palace on the 15^th day of the month of Ramadan. The Holy Mantle used to be opened through a special ceremony; it used to be visited by the statesmen and government officials in the presence of the Sultan; handkerchiefs were given as gifts to them. Then, the women of the palace used to visit it.

The head guard of the Holy Mantle was the Sultan; when he was absent, it was the duty of an official to keep it. The servants of the Holy mantle worked in the same way until the Topkapı Palace was transformed into a museum (April 3, 1924).”[12]

(8^th year of the Migration, the month of Dhulhijjah)

Ibrahim, the son of the Prophet, was born on this date. Ibrahim, born of Mariya, was the last child of the Prophet.[1]

Abu Rafi, husband of Salma, who was the midwife, gave the Prophet the news of Ibrahim’s birth; he was born in the house in the date grove allocated to his mother near a place called Awali in the upper part of Madinah. The Prophet became very happy when he heard the news and said to Abu Rafi,

“I have given him the name of my ancestor, Ibrahim.”[2]

Ibrahim is Given to a Foster Mother

All of the women of Ansar who had just given birth wanted to suckle the child of the Messenger of God very much. The Messenger of God gave his son to Umm Burda Hawla bint Mundhir to suckle.[3] The Prophet allocated a date grove to Umm Burda Hawla because she undertook the task of suckling his child. Ibrahim stayed with Umm Burda Hawla, his foster mother, until his death.

The Prophet used to visit Ibrahim, his son, very often; he used to caress him and hug him, showing his mercy.

Anas b. Malik, the servant of the Prophet narrates one of his memories about the Prophet as follows:   

“I have never seen anyone treating his family more compassionately and more mercifully than the Messenger of God (pbuh).

When Ibrahim was in Awali, Madinah, with his foster mother, the Prophet used to go and visit him and we used to go together with him.  

Ibrahim’s foster father (Abu Sayf Bara b. Aws) was an ironsmith. The Messenger of God used to enter the house when it was full of smoke, hold his son, kiss him and return.

Once, the Messenger of God set off to visit him. I was following him. When we arrived there, Abu Sayf was blowing his bellows. The house was full of smoke. I ran to the house before the Prophet and said to Abu Sayf, ‘Stop your bellows! The Messenger of God (pbuh) arrived.’ Then, he stopped his bellows.

The Messenger of God held the child and hugged him. He also uttered some words and talked to the child.”[4]

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It was one day in the month of Rajab in the 9^th year of the Migration.

The Messenger of God was together with many Companions.

Meanwhile he said, “Today, one of your righteous brothers died. Stand up and perform his janazah prayer.”[1]

The Companions got ready immediately and performed the janazah prayer of “their righteous brother” behind the Messenger of God.

After the prayers, the Messenger of God said, “We asked mercy of God from God for your brother Ashama, the Negus.”[2]

Thereupon, the Companions learned that “their righteous brother” was Ashama, the Negus of Abyssinia.

The news that reached Madinah about a week later informed them that the Negus of Abyssinia had died on the day that the Prophet had said.

Ashama, the Negus of Abyssinia, was invited to Islam by the Messenger of God in the 7^th year of the Migration by a letter. Ashama embraced Islam at once. He said to the Muslim envoy, “Instead of this sultanate, I wish I were the servant of Muhammad (pbuh). Being a servant of him is superior to being a Sultan.”[3]

(8^th year of the Migration, the month of Dhulqada)

The Prophet returned to Madinah with the joy and peace brought about by the conquest of Makkah and the victory of Hunayn with his Companions. The polytheism was defeated badly and the tribes started to enter Islam in groups. The Muslims virtually had a new excitement and spirit of jihad. The fact that the honorable flag of Islam started to wave almost everywhere in Arabia made them peaceful and happy.

However, there were still some kings who had not received the invitation of Islam yet. When the Messenger of God returned to Madinah, he sent Amr b. As to Umman. His duty was to give Jayfar, the king, and his brother Abd the letter that was given to him and to invite them to Islam.[1]

Umman was a big city on the coast of Yemen-India Sea where the Persian Gulf narrows. Azdis ruled this city, which was famous for its date groves and crops. There were also some people of different races there.

Amr b. As arrived in Umman as he was ordered and gave the letter to the king and his brother. When they opened the letter, they saw that the Messenger of God addressed them as follows:

“Bismillahirrahmanirrahim!

From the Messenger of God Muhammad b. Abdullah to Jayfar and Abd, sons of Julanda!

Peace be upon those who follow guidance!

After greeting you, I tell you this:

I invite both of you to Islam. Be Muslims so that you will attain salvation.  

I am the Messenger of God that He sent to the humanity so that I will warn them about the torture in the hereafter and to apply the decrees of God about the unbelievers.

If you embrace Islam, you will remain as the rulers; if you do not embrace Islam, you will definitely lose your sovereignty; cavalrymen will invade your land and my prophethood will beat your kingdom and sultanate.”[2]

At first, Jayfar and his brother hesitated; then, they overcame their hesitation and became Muslims, affirming the prophethood of the Messenger of God. They also invited the people to Islam. When the people heard their invitation, they accepted Islam readily.[3]

Thereupon, Amr b. As undertook the duty of administrative affairs of this city as the Prophet had told him. Amr was ordered by the Prophet to collect zakah and sadaqah from the rich and to give them to the poor; he was also ordered to collect jizyah from fireworshippers and settle the cases among the Muslims.[4]

Amr stayed in Umman to carry out these tasks until the death of the Prophet.[5]

-------------------------------------------------------

(8^th year of the Migration, the end of the month of Dhulqada)

The Prophet sent Ala’ b. Had­ra­mi to Mundhir b. Sawa, the king of Bahrayn.  Abu Hurayra also went to Bahrayn with Ala’ b. Had­ra­mi.[1]

Bahrayn is the name given to the countries on the coast of India, Basra and Umman. The people of Bahrayn consisted of fireworshippers, Jews and Christians.  

Ala’ b. Hadrami went to Mundhir b. Sawa and gave him the letter of the Prophet. The following was written in the letter:

“Bismillahirrahmanirrahim!

Peace be upon those who follow guidance!

I invite you to Islam! Be a Muslim so that you will attain salvation. God will let you be the king of your land.

Know it very well that my religion will rule and go as far as camels and horses can go.”[2]

After a short conversation with Ala’ b. Hadrami, Mundhir b. Sawa became a Muslim together with Sibuht, the religious leader of the fireworshippers.[3] Thus, Mundhir had the belief that would bring him the sultanate of the hereafter along with the sultanate in the world.  

Many people became Muslims together with the king and the religious leader.

Mundhir, the king, sent a letter to the Prophet. After stating that he became a Muslim and that he approved the prophethood of the Messenger of God, he asked how he should treat the fireworshippers and Jews in his country.     

The Messenger of God replied the letter of Mundhir as follows:

“Bismillahirrahmanirrahim!

From Muhammad, Messenger of God to Mundhir bin Sawa.

Peace be on you!

I praise God, who has no associates, for giving you the bounty of guidance.

I bear witness that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger.

I received your letter, had it read and listened to what you wrote.

I remind you to act in accordance with the orders and prohibitions of God. A person who advises others definitely advises himself, too; and he will gain rewards.

 A person who follows my messengers and acts in accordance with their orders, in fact, is regarded to have obeyed me.

My messengers have highly praised your behavior and told me good things about you. I accept your intercession and recommendation regarding your people. Give the new Muslims full chance to practice their religion. Pardon the previous offences of the offenders; do not hold them responsible for what they did in the past.

Know it very well that as long as you do good things, you shall continue in your present office; you will be our deputy there.

As for the people who want to go on in their Jewish or fireworshipping faith, they have to pay you jizyah.

Peace and mercy of God be upon you!”[4]

We should state that the Prophet sent several letters to Mundhir b. Sawa on different dates and that Mundhir answered them.[5]

Ala’ b. Had­rami stayed there as the Messenger of God had ordered him and continued to collect tithe from Muslims and jizyah from non-Muslims.

During the 8^th year of the Migration, many delegates from the tribes around came to Madinah and expressed that they became Muslims in the presence of the Messenger of God.[6]

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(9^th Year of the Migration, the month of Muharram)

Until that date, many tribes had accepted Islam and many lands were under the rule of the Islamic state. It was necessary to administer those countries and to tell the people there about their responsibilities and obligations.

To this end, the Messenger of God appointed some governors and zakah collectors in the month of Muharram of the 9^th year of the migration and sent them to different countries.[1]

The Messenger of God advised the governors and zakah collectors as follows:

“Forgive the mistakes of people; avoid collecting their best goods.”[2]

Among the tribes that the Messenger of God sent governors and zakah collectors were San’a, one of the most beautiful cities of Yemen, Hadramut in Yemen, the tribes of Sulayms, Muzaynas, Juhaynas, Sons of Kilab and Sons of Ka’b.[3]

Apart from administration, these governors also settled the issues among people and gave judgments based on Islamic decrees.

Zakah collectors informed people about zakah in the places that they went to and asked the rich people to give zakah.

Some tribes paid zakah readily. Others did not like it because they thought it was too heavy a burden at first; however, they started to pay zakah later.

DELEGATES COME TO MADINAH IN LARGE GROUPS

The conquest of Makkah was a very bright and honorable victory of Islam. With this conquest, the fierce struggle that lasted for years between the Messenger of God and the Qurayshi polytheists ended with the victory of Islam.

The tribes in Arabia observed this fierce struggle that lasted for years closely and carefully. At first, they decided to leave the Messenger of God alone with his struggle against the Qurayshis, his own tribe; they said, “Leave him alone with his tribe. If he defeats his tribe, it means he is telling the truth and he is a prophet.”[4]

This fierce struggle, which was observed closely by the tribes around, ended with the victory of Islam and the defeat and destruction of the polytheism as a result of the conquest of Makkah.

There was only one thing left to do for them: To accept Islam as soon as possible.

They knew it very well that they would not be able to stop and eliminate this cause, which Makkan polytheists could not stop and eliminate despite their strength and enmity.

Therefore, after the conquest of Makkah, at the beginning of the 9^th year of the Migration, the tribes around started to come to Makkah in large groups in order to become Muslims. For this reason, this year was named the “Year of Delegates”.[5]

The Prophet welcomed all of those delegates and entertained them. There were people from all walks of life in those delegates. All of them admired the high ethics and virtues of the Prophet and the kind attitudes of his Companions; they returned to their land happily.  

The Delegation of Sons of Tamim in Madinah

The Messenger of God sent Busr b. Sufyan, one of the Companions, to the tribe of Sons of Ka’b from Khuzaas in order to collect zakah from them.

Sons of Ka’b had put the animals to be given for zakah aside. However, the tribe of Tamim, living in the same place, objected to giving those animals as zakah; they even drew their swords implying that they would kill Busr. Thereupon, Busr returned to Madinah and told the Messenger of God what had happened. The Messenger of God sent Uyayna b. Hisn with about fifty Bedouin cavalrymen to Sons of Tamim. Uyayna b. Hisn attacked Sons of Tamim suddenly and returned to Madinah with lots of booty, and captives including eleven men, twenty women and about thirty children.[6]

A short time after the return of Uyayna b. Hisn to Madinah, a delegate from Sons of Tamim, who had objected to paying zakah, went to the presence of the Prophet. There were famous orators and poets among them. Their aim was to take the captives back.

The Prophet asked them, “What do you want”

They said, “We are from the tribe of Tamim. We brought our orators and poets to compete with yours by reciting poems and boasting.”

The Prophet smiled slightly and said, “I was not appointed to recite poems or boast; I cannot do it. However, do your best and we will listen to you.”

Thereupon, Utarid, an orator of the tribe of Sons of Tamim, stood up and started to praise his tribe. Then, he said, “Who will compete me and praise his tribe like me?”

After the orator of Sons of Tamim finished his speech and sat, the Messenger of God said to Thabit b. Qays, “Stand up and reply his speech.”

Thabit stood up. Though he had not made any preparations, he recited such an eloquent and effective sermon regarding the majesty of God Almighty and the virtues of the Messenger of God that Sons of Tamim were astonished.   Thabit spoke as follows:  

“...

Praise be to God, who created the skies ant the earth and who rules them.

There exists nothing that is not the work of His grant and generosity.

Our victories and rule over countries are also the work of His power. 

He chose the best man and sent him as a prophet; he has the noblest ancestors paternally and maternally; he always tells the truth. God sent His book to him and made him the most trustworthy person; He made the Prophet the most distinguished person in the world. 

“...”[7]

After this speech, it was time for the poets.

First, one of the poets of Sons of Tamim stood up and recited a poem boasting himself.

As soon as the man finished his poet, the Messenger of God said to Hassan b. Thabit, his poet, “Stand up O Has­san! Reply this man.”[8] He added, “God will definitely support him with Gabriel when he defends His Messenger.”

Hassan, who undertook the honor of defending the Messenger of God, stood up enthusiastically. He recited a long poem with the same meter and rhyme as the man’s poem. He expressed the exceptional beauty, highness and virtue of Islam concisely and clearly.   

The fact that the Muslim orator and poet presented a much better speech and poem than those of Sons of Tamim rejoiced both the Prophet and the Companions who were there. On the other hand, the delegates of Tamim kept silent when they saw that the orator and poet of Muslims were superior.  Aqra b. Habis, one of the notables of Tamim, could not help saying,

“I swear by God that this person (the Prophet) is always helped by the unseen. He will definitely be successful. He becomes superior to everybody regarding everything. His orator is superior to our orator and his poet is superior to our poet. Their voice is more sonorous than ours.”[9]

Then, Aqra b. Habis approached the Messenger of God and became a Muslim by uttering kalima ash-shahadah. The other members of Sons of Tamim followed him and embraced Islam, too.[10]

Thereupon, the Messenger of God gave a gift to each member of the delegation and returned the captives to them.[11]

The Delegation of Sons of Asad in Madinah

It was the month of Muharram in the 9^th year of the Migration.

One of the delegations that came to Madinah was the delegation of Sons of Asad, which consisted of ten people. After telling the Prophet that they became Muslims, they said, “O Messenger of God! We came here on our own accord though everybody was having difficulty due to famine and drought. We became Muslims without fighting you unlike the other tribes.”[12]

With that statement, they wanted to say that the Prophet needed to be grateful to them because they became Muslims; they expected to receive a lot of things due to this gratification. It was certain that they assumed such an attitude because they had just become Muslims and they had not learned about the vast spirit of Islam yet.   

As a matter of fact, by becoming Muslims, they helped themselves only. Thus, they protected their eternal lives from being destroyed. They did not make the Messenger of God gain any profits by becoming Muslims. Therefore, their attitude was groundless and it was not in accordance with the spirit of Islam. The verse that was sent down regarding the issue expressed this fact:

“They impress on thee as favor that they have embraced Islam. Say "Count not your Islam as a favor upon me: nay, God has conferred a favor upon you that He has guided you to the Faith, if ye be true and sincere.”[13]

The duty of a believer is to thank and praise God for attaining the greatest and highest truth, which is belief, in the universe. He should not expect or even think about anything material or spiritual gains in return for his belief. The reward to be given for attaining belief and being honored with Islam is in the hereafter. Only there will God Almighty give this unique reward to us through his bounties and generosity.  

The rewards for the services regarding belief and the Quran are also otherworldly; they will be given in the hereafter. Therefore, a Muslim who has belief, has embraced Islam and serves belief and the Quran should not expect any worldly rewards or interests for his service. If he expects such things and he wants it through his heart, he will be regarded to have lost his sincerity in the religion. Losing sincerity eliminates the acceptance of worshipping; God forbid, such a person may go bankrupt spiritually. However, if a person who serves belief and the Quran is given a material reward though he does not expect or want it through his heart, he should regard it as a grant of God Almighty; he should not feel gratitude to the people who give it; besides, he should not have the feeling, “This material interest and money is given to me because of my service to the religion.”

THE IDOL-HOUSE OF THE TRIBE OF TAYY IS DEMOLISHED

The tribe of Tayy, was the tribe of Hatam at-Tai, who was famous for his generosity. They lived in Yemen.

In the 8^th year of the Migration, Hatam at-Tai died and his son, Adiyy, became the leader of the tribe.

After the conquest of Makkah, almost all of the idol-houses in Arabia were demolished and the idols were destroyed; however, the idol-house of this tribe was still existent and the idol called Fuls (Fals) was not destroyed.   

The Messenger of God sent Hazrat Ali to the tribe of Tayy with about one hundred and fifty Companions to demolish Fuls in the month of Rabiul-Akhir in the 9^th year of the Migration.[14]

Hazrat Ali arrived at the land of the tribe of Tayy with the mujahids. Sons of Tayy resisted the mujahids. There was a clash between them. The enemy suffered a lot of casualties. The Muslims defeated them and obtained a lot of captives and booty. The idol-house of Sons of Tayy was destroyed completely; Fuls was broken into pieces and burned down.[15]

Adiyy b. Hatam, the leader of the tribe, had been informed about the mujahids who were coming there; so, he ran away to the direction of Syria; he was not captured. However, Saffana, the daughter of Adiyy, was among the captives.[16]

Saffana’s Request

Hazrat Ali fulfilled his duty and returned to Madinah with the captives and booty.

Saffana, who was among the captives, was put in a room near the door of Masjid an-Nabawi. She was a clever and solemn woman. One day, while the Messenger of God was passing by that room, Saffana stood up and said, “O Messenger of God! My father died and my brother escaped. I have nothing to give to free myself from captivity. I take refuge in your forgiveness, mercy and compassion for my freedom.”[17]

When the Messenger of God asked her who she was, Saffana said,

“O Messenger of God! I am the daughter of Hatam at-Tai, who protected families, freed slaves, fed the hungry, clothed the naked, entertained guests, gave people food and greeted people.”

The Messenger of God became glad that Saffana introduced herself like that and said, “O woman! What you have listed are attributes of believers. I wish your father had become a Muslim and we had mentioned his name with mercy.”[18]

With those words, the Prophet stated an important truth. The fact that “not all attributes of an unbeliever are unbeliever attributes”. Yes, Hatam at-Tai was not a Muslim; and he died before he became a Muslim. However, the attributes mentioned above are attributes of believers. The Messenger of God appreciated the Muslim attributes of Hatam by saying so. Apart from appreciating them, the Prophet freed Saffana. The Messenger of God, who showed compassion, mercy and tolerance to those who were worthy of them, granted a lot of things to Saffana. He gave her some clothes and allowance; then, he sent her to Damascus with a trustworthy caravan to her brother.[19]

When Saffana arrived in Damascus, she found her brother. She told him about the kind attitudes of the Prophet. The kind attitude of the Prophet to his sister caused some movements in his heart. He asked her, “What is your opinion about this man”. Saffana[20], who saw the blessed face of the Messenger of God only once and who received kind attitudes only once from him, said without hesitation, “I advise you to go to him and be subject to him.”

When Adiyy thought for a while, his sister said,

“Why are you thinking so much? If he is a prophet, you will obey him and attain great goodness and virtues. If he is a king, you will not lose anything; your sultanate in Yemen will belong to you again. You will not be despised.”[21]

Adiyy regarded the advice of his sister appropriate; he arrived in Madinah at once and went to the presence of the Prophet. 

The Messenger of God wanted to host Adiyy, who was famous like his father, in his house.

They left the mosque to go to the house of the Prophet. Meanwhile, a woman stopped them and talked to the Prophet about her need for a long time. The Messenger of God listened to her patiently and without feeling disturbed. When Adiyy saw the nice and kind attitude of the Prophet to the old woman, he said to himself, “I swear by God he is not a king.” There was only one possibility left: “Then, he is a prophet.”

They reached the house of the Prophet. The Prophet wanted Adiyy to sit on a leather mattress. However, he did not want to sit on it. He said the Prophet was worthy of sitting on it. However, the Prophet did not sit on it and insisted that Adiyy sit on it. Thereupon, Adiyy sat on the leather mattress. The Messenger of God sat on the ground opposite his valuable guest. This attitude of the Prophet, which showed his modesty and his kindness toward his guest, softened Adiyy’s heart some more and made him approach belief a bit more.  

Then, the Messenger of God invited him to become a Muslim. He repeated it three times. However, Adiyy did not give a positive answer. He said, “I am a Christian.”

Thereupon, the Messenger of God said,

“O Adiyy! Maybe you do not want to become a Muslim because some people say, ‘Weak, poor and helpless people enter his religion.’ By God, one day, Muslims will have so much wealth that they will not be able to find anybody that asks for money or goods from them.  

You may also have thought, ‘The number of the Muslims is few and the number of their enemies is a lot.’ You might not want to become a Muslim because of that thought.

Do you know Hiyara? This religion will provide such safety and security that a woman will come from Hiyara to the Kaaba on her own for circumambulation without fearing anything but God.”[22]

This talk opened the door of Adiyy’s heart and he embraced Islam. 

Adiyy b. Hatam, who was one of the notables of the Companions was this person.

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