Alhassanain(p) Network for Heritage and Islamic Thought

Exceptional Cases

435. In the following three cases, the prayer offered by a person will be valid, even if his body ordress be Najis:

* If his body or dress is stained with the blood discharged from a wound or a sore on his body.

* If his body or dress is stained with blood, spread over a space lesser thana Dirham (which, as an obligatory precaution, is equal to the upper joint of the thumb).

* If he has no alternative but to offer prayer with Najis body or dress. Further, there is one situation in which, if the dress of one who prays is Najis, theSalat will be valid. And that is, when small clothes like socks, skull-caps are Najis.

436. If the body or the dress of a person wishing to pray is stained with blood from wound or sore etc, he can praySalat with that blood as long as the wound or the sore has not healed up. And the same applies to pus, which may flow out with blood, or any medicine which became Najis, when applied to the wound or the sore.

437. If blood on the dress or the body of a person who is praying, is equal to or more than a Dirham, and it originates from a small cut or wound which can be healed easily, and which can be washed clean, then hisSalat is void.

438. If any part of the body, or the dress, which is away from the wound, becomes Najis owing to the fluid which oozes out from the wound, it is not permissible to offer prayer with it. However, if a part of the body or dress around the wound becomes NAjis, owing to suppuration, there is not harm in offering prayer with it.

439. If the body or dress of a person is stained with blood from piles (whether internal or external), or from a wound which is within one's mouth, nose etc, he can offer prayer with that blood.

440. If the clothes or the body of a person praying, is stained with the blood of Haydh, however little, theSalat will be void. And as a precaution, the same rule applies to the blood of Nifas, Istihadah and the blood from sources which are essentially Najis, like a pig, a carcass, or an animal whose meat is Halal (allowed). As regards other bloods, like the blood from a human body, or from an animal whose meat is lawful to eat, there is no harm in offering prayer with them, even if they are found at several places on the dress or the body, provided that, when added together, their area is less than that of a Dirham.

441. If the area of the blood on one's body or dress is less than that of a Dirham, and some moisture reaches it and spreads over its sides, the prayer offered with that blood is void, even if the blood and the moisture which has spread there, is not equal to the area of a Dirham.

442. If there is no blood on the body or dress of a person, but it becomes Najis because of contact with some moisture mixed with blood, prayer cannot be offered with it even if the part which has become Najis is less than the area of a Dirham.

443. If small dresses belonging to a person offering prayer, like his socks or skull-cap, which would not ordinarily cover his private parts, become Najis, and if they are not made of the parts of a carcass or an animsl whose meat is Halal (allowed) to eat, the prayer offered with them will be in order. But if they are made of the parts of a carcass or a Najis animal, as an obligatory precaution, the prayer offered with them will be void. And there is no objection if one offers prayer with a Najis ring.

Place WhereSalat Can Be Prayed

There are seven conditions for the place where one can offer prayer on:

First: The place where the prayer is offered should, as an obligatory precaution, be Mubah.

444. If a person prays on a usurped property, then as an obligatory precaution, his prayer is void, even if he prays on a carpet, or a couch, or similar object.

445. Prayer offered in a property whose use and benefit belongs to someone elso, will be like the prayer offered on a usurped property, unless permission is taken from the entitled person. For example, if a house has been rented out, and the owner of the house, or anyone elso offers prayer in that house without permission of the tenant, then as a measure of precaution, his prayer is void.

446. If a person sitting in a mosque, is made to quit his place by someone who then occupies his place, the prayer offered there will be valid, though he will have committed a sin.

447. If a person purchases a property with the sum of money from which Khums has not been paid by him but the transaction on the whole is in debt, like most of transactions, using that property will be lawful, but he owes the Khums of the money paid by him. However if he purchases a property with a particular sum of money whose Khums has nat been paid by him, then his use of that property, without the permission of a Mujtahhid, is Halal (allowed) and as an obligatory precaution the prayers which he offers in it are void.

448. Use of a property which belongs to a dead person, who has not paid Zakat (alms) or owes a debt, is allowed with the permission of the heirs, provided that such a use does not in any way prevent from obligations. So a person wishing to pray in such property can do so, with the permission of the heirs.

449. If some of the heirs of a dead person are either minor, or insane, or absent, then use of that property without permission of the guardian of those heirs, is Halal (allowed), and it is not permissible to offer prayers in it. But usual uses, which are made in order to perpare the dead body for burying, will be in order.

889. The second condition: The place for obligatory prayers should not have such a vigorous movement which would make normal standng, Ruku or Sajdah impossible. In fact, as an obligatory precaution, it should not prevent the body from begin at ease. But if one is forced to pray at such places, due to shortage of time, or any other reason, like in a car, on a ship or on train, the one should try to remain still, and to maintain the direction of Qiblah, as much as possible. And if the vehicles move away from the direction, he should return to Qiblah. If maintaining the exact direction of Qiblah is not possible, then one should try to keep the deviation in an angle less than go degrees, and if this again is impossible, he should keep the direction of Qiblah only while offering Takbirat-ul-iharm. But if this is not impossible either, considering the direction of Qiblah will be not necessary.

450. There is no harm in offering prayers in a car or a boat, or on railway train or other vehicles, while they are motionless. And if they do not cause excessive swaying to the body when they are in motion, one can pray in them in motion.

The third condition: The ceiling of the place where one prays should not be so low, that one may not be able to stand erect, nor should the place be so small, that there may be no room for performing Ruku or Sajdah.

The fourth condition: If the place where one wishes to pray is Najis, it should not be so wet that its moisture would reach the body or the dress of the person praying, provided that the Najasah is of that kind which invalidates the prayer. But, if the place where one places one's forehead while performing Sajdah, is Najis, the prayer will be void, even if that place is dry.

The fifth condition: As an obligatory precaution, women should stand behind men while praying. At least, her place of Sajdah should be in line with his knees, when he is in Sajdah.

451. If a woman stands in line with a man, or in front of him in prayer and both of them begin the prayer together, they should, as an obligatory precaution, repeat their prayers. And the same applies if one of them starts earlier than the other.

452. If a man and a woman are standing side by side inSalat, or woman is in front, but there is a wall, curtain, or something else separating them, so that they cannot see each other, the prayers of both of them are in order. Similarly, the prayers of both will be valid if the distance between them is more than ten cubits.

The sixth condition: The place where a person places his forehead while in Sajdah, should not be a span of four fingers or more higher or lower than the place of knees or toes. The details of this rule will be given in the rules relating to Sajdah.

453. For a Non-Mahram man and woman to be inprivate at a place, where there is a possibility of falling into sin is Halal (allowed). And as a recommended precaution, one must avoid praying at such places.

Rules Regarding a Mosque

454. It is Halal (allowed) to make the floor, roof, ceiling and inner walls of a Masjid Najis, and when a person comes to know that any of these parts has become Najis, he should immediately make it Tahir. And the recommended precaution is that the outer part of the wall of a mosque, to

o should not be made Najis. And if it becomes Najis, it is not obligatory to remove the Najasah. But if someone makes it Najis to violate its sanctity, that act is Halal (allowed), and the Najasah should be removed.

455. It is Halal (allowed) to make the precincts (Halal (allowed)) of the Holy Shrines of Imam Najis, and if anyone of these precincts becomes Najis, and if its remaining in that state affects its sanctity, then it is obligatory to make it Tahir. And the recommended precaution is that it should be made Tahir, even if no desecration is involved.

456. If the mat or carpet of a masjid becomes Najis, it should be made Tahir.

457. It is Halal (allowed) to carry any Najis -ul-Ayn or a thing which has become Najis, into a mousque, if so desecrates the mosque.

458. If a mosque is draped with black cloth or covered with a marquee in preparation of Majlis (recication of the sufferings of holy martyrs), and tea is prepared, there will be no objection to all that, if thay do not have any harmful effect on the mosque, and if it does not obstruct those who come to pray.

Adhan and Iqamah

459. It is Mustahab for man and woman to say Adhan and then Iqameh before offering daily obligatory prayers, but for other Mustahab or obligatory prayers, they are not prescribed.

460. It is recommended that Adhan be pronounced in the right ear of the child, and Iqamah in its left ear, on the day it is born or before the umbilical cord is cast off.

461. Adhan consists of the following 18 sentences:

¨ Allahu Akbar (four times).

¨ (Allah is greater than any description.)

¨ Ashhadu an la ilaha illa-llah (twice).

¨ (I testify that no one deserves to be worshipped but Allah.)

¨ Ashhadu anna Muhammadan Rasul-u-llah (twice).

¨ (I testify that Muhammad is Allah's Messenger.)

¨ Hayya alas-Salah (twice)

¨ (Hasten to prayer.)

¨ Hayya alal-Falah (twice).

¨ (Hasten to deliverance.)

¨ Hayya ala Khayr-il-Amal (twice).

¨ (Hasten to the best act.)

¨ Allahu Akbar (twice).

¨ (Allah is greater than any description.)

¨ La ilaha illa-llah (twice).

(No one deserves to be worshipped.)

As regard to Iqamah, it consists of 17 sentences. In Iqamah, Allahu Akbar is reduced in the beginning to twice, and at the end, La ilaha illa-llah to once, and after Hayya ala Khiyr-il-Amal, Qad qamatis-Salah (i.e. the prayer has certainly been established) must be added two times.

462. Ashhadu anna Amir-al-Mu'minina Aliyyan Waliyyu-llah (I testify that the Commander of the faithful, Imam Ali (A.S.) is the vicegerent of Allah for all people) is not a part of either Adhan or Iqamah. But it is preferable that it is pronounced after Ashhadu anna Muhammadan Rasul-u-llah with the intention of Qurban.

463. There should not be an unusual interval between the sentences of Adhan or Iqamah, and if an unusual gap is allowed between them, the Adhan or Iqamah will have to be repeated.

464. Whenever a person offers two prayers with one common time together, one after the other, Adhan is not necessary for the second prayer, if he has said it for the first one.

465. If Adhan and Iqamah have been pronounced for congregational prayer, a person joining that congregation should not pronounce Adhan and Iqamah, for his own prayer.

466. Adhan and Iqamah should be pronounced in correct Arabic. Hence, if they are pronounced in incorrect Arabic, or one lettrer is uttered for another, or if, for example, its translation is pronounced, it will not be valid.

467. Adhan and Iqamah for a prayer should be pronounced when the time for that prayer has set in. If a person pronounces them before time, whether it be intentionally or due to forgetfulness, his action is void, except when if the time ofSalat sets in during the prayer being offered, then that will be valid, as explained in (rule 752.)

Obligatory Acts Relating toSalat

There are eleven obligatory acts for prayers:

* Niyyah (intention)

* Qiyam (standing)

* Takbirat-ul-Ihram (saying Allahu Akbar while commencing the prayer)

* Ruku (bowing)

* Sajdatayn (two prostrations)

* Qira'ah (recitation of Surat-ul-Hamd and another surah)

* Dhikr (prescribed recitation in Ruku and Sajdah)

* Tashahhud (bearing witness after completing the Sajdah of the second and the last Rak'ah)

* Salam (Salutation)

* Tartib (sequence)

* Muwalat (to perform the different acts of prayer in regular succession).

468. Some of the opligatoy acts of prayers are elemental (Rukn). Hence, a person who does not offer them, whether intentionally or by mistake, his prayer becomes void. Some other obligatory acts of prayers are not essential. Therefore, if they are omitted by mistake, the prayer does not become void.

The elementals ofSalat are five:

* Intention (Niyyah)

* Takbirat-ul-Ihram

* Standing before the Ruku

* Ruku

* Two Sajdahs in every Rak'ahn

Any addition made to these elemental (Rukn) acts, intentionally, will render the prayer void. If the addition is done by mistake, the prayer does not become void except when a Ruku is added, or more than two Sajdahs are offered in one Rak'ah, in which cases as an obligatory precaution the prayer is void.

Intention

469. A person should offer prayer with the intention of Qurban, that is, paying homage to the Almighty Allah. It is not, however, necessary to make the intention pass through his mind, or, for example, utter: I am offering four Rak'ahs of Tuhr prayer Qurbatan ila-llah.

470. If a person stands for Tuhr prayer or for A?r prayer, with intention to offer four Rak'ahs without specifying whether it is Tuhr or A?r prayer, his prayer is void ; but it is enough, while specifying the prayers, to consider Tuhr prayer as the first and A?r prayer as the second prayer. Similarly, if he wants to offer a Qada'Tuhr prayer at the time of Tuhr, he should specify whether he is offering the Tuhr prayer of the day, or the Qada.’

471. A person shuold be sonscious and aware of his intention, from the beginning of the prayer till its end. Hence, if during the prayer he becomes so lost that he is unable to say what he is doing, if asked, his prayer is void.

472. A person should offer prayer to pay homage to the Almighty Allah only. So, if a person prays to show off to the people, his prayer is void. It will be void even if he couples the intention of showing off, with the performance for the pleasure of allah.

Takbirat-In-Ihram

473. To say AllahuAkbar in the beginning of every prayer is obligatory, and one of its Rukns. And these two words should be pronounced in correct Arabic. If a person pronounces these words incorrectly, or utters their translation, it will not be volid.

474. It is necessary that when a person pronounces Takbirat-ul-Ihram for an obligatory prayer, his body is steady, and if he pronounces Takbir-ul-Ihram intentionally when his body is in motion, his Takbir is void.

475. One should pronounce Takbir. Surat-ul-hamd, other Surah, Dhikr and Du'a (supplication) in such a manner that he should at least hear the whisper. And if he cannot hear it because of deafness or too much noise, he should pronounce them in such a manner that he would be able to hear, if there was no impediment.

476. If a person is dumb, or has some defect in his tongue rendering him unable to pronounce Allahu Akbar, he should pronounce it in whatever manner he can. And if he cannot proounce it at all, he should say it in his mind, and should make a suitable sign with his finger for Takbir, and should also move his tongue and lips if he can. But a person who is born dumb, should move his tongue and lips like someone who pronounees the takbir, and made signs with his fingers, too.

477. It is Mustahab for a person pronouncing the first Takbir of the prayer, and also the Takbir which occur during the prayer, to raise his hands parallel to his ears.

Qiyam (To Stand)

478. To stand erect while saying Takbirat-ul-Ihram, and to stand before the Ruku are Rukns of the prayers. but, standing while reciting Surat-ul-Hamd and the other Surah and standing after performing the Ruku, are not Rukn and if a person omits it inadvertently, his prayer is in order.

479. It is obligatory for a person to stand a while before and after pronouncing Takbir, so as to ensure that he has pronounced the Takbir while standing.

480. If a person forgets to perform Ruku, and sits down after reciting Surat-ul-Hamd and other Surah, and then remembers that he has not performed Ruku, he should first stand pu and then go into Ruku. If he does not stand up first, and perform Ruku while he is bowing, his prayer will be void because of not having performed standing before Ruku.

481. When a person stands for takbirat-ul-Ihram or Qira'ah (recitation), he should not walk, nor should he incline on one side, and as an obligatory precaution, he should not move his body nor lean on anything in normal condition. However, if he is helpless, and is obligatory to lean on something, there is no harm in it.

482. If while standing, a person forgetfully walks a little, or inclines on one side, or leans on something, there is no harm in it.

483. When a person is engaged in obligatory Dhikr in the prayer, his body should be still, and, as an obligatory precaution, it applies to Mustahab Dhikr also.And when he wishes to go a little backward or forward, or to move his body a little towards right or left, he should not recite any thing at that time.

484. If he recites something Mustahab while in motion, for example, if he says Takbir while going into Ruku or Sajdah, his Dhikr will not be correct provided that he has said it with the intention of a Dhikr ordered to be said in prayers, but hisSalat will be valid. Bi-hawli-llahi wa quwwatihi aqumu wa aq'ud should be said in the state of rising.

485. If a person becomes unable to stand while offering prayer, he should sit down, and if he is unable to sit, he should lie down. However, until his body becomes steady, he should not utter any of the obligatory Dhikr.

486. As long as a person is able to offer pravers standing, he should not sit down. For example, if the body of a person shakes, or moves when he stands, or he is obliged to lean on somthing or to inclinc his body a bit, he should continue to offer prayer standing in whatever manner he can. But, if he cannot stand at all, he should sit upright, and offer prayer in that position.

487. If a person is offering prayerin a sitting position, and if after reciting Surat-ul-Hamd and other Surah, he is able to stand up and perform Ruku, he should first stand, and then perform Ruku. But, if he cannot do so, he should perform Ruku while sitting.

488. If a person who can stand, fears that owing to standing he will become ill or will be harmed, he can offer prayer in a sitting position and if he fears sitting, he can offer the prayer in a lying posture.

Qira'ah (Reciting the Surat-ul-Hamd and Other Surah of holy Qur'an)

489. In the daily obligatory prayers, one should recite Surat-ul-Hamd in the first and second Rak'ahs, and thereafter one should recite another Surah and on the basis of precaution it should be one complete Surah.

490. If the time left forSalat is little, or if person has to helplessly abandon the Surah because of fear that a thief, a beast, or anything else, may do him harm, or if he has an important work, he can ablandon the other Surah. In fact, there are situations when he should avoid it, like when the Salat time at his disposal is limited, or when in certain fears.

491. If a person realises before bowing for Ruku, that he has not recited al-Hamd and Surah, he should recite them, and if he realises that he has not recited the Surah, he should recite the Surah only. But, if he realises that he has not recited al-Hamd only, he should recite al-Hamd first and then recite the Surah again. Moreover, if he bends but before reaching the Ruku realises that he has not recited surah or only al-Hamd and Surah or only al-Hamd, he should stand up and act according to the foregoing rules.

492. It is not necessary to recite a Surah after al-Hamd in Mustahab prayer, even if that prayer may have become obligatory due to Nadhr (vow). But, as for some Mustahab prayers like Wah shah prayer, in which a parti cular Surah is recommended, if a person wishes to act according to the rules, he should recite the prescribed Surah.

493. It is obligatory, as a precaution, for a man to recite al-Hamd and the other Surah loudly, while offering Fajr, Maghrib or Isha prayer, and it is obligatory also, as a precaution, for a man and a woman to recite al-Hamd and the other Surah silently while offering Tuhr and A?r prayers.

494. A woman can recite al-Hamd and other Surah in Fajr, Maghrib and Isha prayers loudly or silently. But, if a non-Mahram hears her voice, and if it is Halal (allowed) for her to be heard by a non-Mahram man, she should recite them silently, and if she recites them loudly, as a precaution, her prayer will be void.

495. If a person intentionally prays loudly where he should pray silently, and vice versa, as a precaution his prayer is void. But, if he does so owing to forgetfulness, or not knowing the rule, his prayer is in order. And if he realises that he is doing a mistake while reciting al-Hamd and the other Surah, it is not necessary to recite again what he has recited not following the rule.

496. A person should say his prayer correctly, and if one cannot by any means recite the whole of Surat-ul-Hamd, he should recite it as he can provided that the part pronounced correctly is considerable ; but if that is a very small part, then as an obligatory precaution, he should add to it some verses of Qur'an which he can recite correctly. And if he cannot do that, he should add some Tasbih to it. But if someone cannot recite al-Hamd correctly at all, then there is no necessary replacement for it.

497. If a person does not utter a certain word of al-Hamd or the other Surah intentionally or while he is negligently ignorant, or utters one letter for another, like Z for D, or changes the inflections, by adding a vowel kike A or I where not needed or changing their pronunciations in such a manner that the word is considered as incorrect, or does not render Tashdid (pronouncing the letter hard as if there is two letters) properly, his prayer is void.

498. If a person has learnt a word which he believes to be correct, and recites it that way in prayers, but comes to know later that he has been reciting it incorrectly, it is not necessary for him to offer the prayers again.

499. The recommended precaution is that while offering prayer, one should not recite the ending word of any phrase, with Waqf (i. e. not to utter the last vowel) if one wishes to join it to the next phrase. Nor should one utter the last vowel of a word (do Wasl) when one wishes to pause. For example, if you recite Ar-Rahman-ir-rahimi and then pause before starting the next word, it is not proper, but you should continue with no pause. Similarly, in the same vorse, that is, Ar-Rahman-ir-Rahim, if you utter the last consonant (M’) without the vowel (I), you should do a pause and not attach the verse to Maliki yawmid-din.

500. In the third and fourth Rak'ahs of prayer, one may either raed only al-Hamd or Tasbihat (i. e. Subhana-llahi wal-hamdu li-llahi wa la ilaha illa-llahu wa-llahu akbar) which may be said once, although it is better to say it three times. It is also permissible to recite al-Hamd in one Rak'ah, and Tasbihat in the other, but it is better to recite the latter in both.

501. It is obligatory, as a precaution, for men and women that in the third and fourth Rak'ahs, they should recite al-Hamd or Tasbihat silently.

502. If a person doubts whether he has pronounced a verse or a word correctly, like, whether he has uttered Qul Huwa-llahu Ahad correctly or not, he may ignore his doubt. However, if he repeats that verse or word correctly as a precautionary measure, there is no harm in it. And if he doubts several times he may repeat as many times. However, if it becomes an obsession, it is better no to reapeat.

Ruku (Bowing)

503. In every Rak'ah, a person offering prayer should, after reciting the Surahs (Qira'ah), bow to an extent that he is able to rest all his finger tips, including the thumb on his knees. This act is called Ruku.

504. There is no harm, if a person bows to the extent prescribed for Ruku, but he does not rest his fingertips on his knees.

505. Bending should be with the intention of Ruku. If a person bends for some other purpose (e. g. to Kill an insect), he cannot reckon it as Ruku. He will have to stand up and bend again for Ruku, and in so doing, he will not have added any Rukn, nor will his prayer be void.

506. A person who performs Ruku in the sitting position, should bow down till his face is parallel to his knees.

507. It is better that in normal situations one should say in Ruku Subhana-llah three times or Subhan a rabbiy-al-azimi wa bi-hamdih once. But actually, uttering any Dhikr is sufficient and as an obligatory precaution it should be to the extent of the above Dhikr. However, ifSalat time is short, or if one is under any pressure, it will be sufficient to say Subhana-llah once. A person who cannot utter Subhana rabbiy-al-azimi wa bi-hamdih” correctly, he should say another Dhikr like `Subhana-llah` three times.

508. The Dhikr of Ruku should be uttered in succession and in correct Arabic.

509. In Ruku, the body should be steady, and one should not purposely move or shake oneself resulting in not being steady, even if, as a precaution, he or she is not reciting the obligatory Dhikr. And if someone does not observe this steadiness, his prayer, as a precaution, will be void, even if he repeats the Dhikr in steady state.

510. If at the time of uttering the obligatory Dhikr of Ruku, he loses steadiness by mistake or involuntarily because of uncontrollable vigorous movement, it will be better that after his body resumes steadiness he repeats the Dhikr. However, if the movement is so negligible that steadiness is not lost, or if he just moves his fingers, there is no harm on it.

511. If a person intentionally recites the Dhikr of Ruku before he has proper ly bowed down, and before his body becomes still, his prayer will be void, unless he repeats the Dhikr in steady state. But if he has uttered it by mistake before steadiness, it is not necessary to repeat it again.

512. If a person intentionally raises his head from Ruku before completing obligatory Dhikr, his prayer is void. If he raises his head by mistake, repeating the Dhikr is not necessary.

513. If a person cannot bow down for Ruku properly, he should lean on something and perform Ruku. And if he cannot perform Ruku ‘even after he has leaned, he should bow down to the maximum extent he can, so that it could be customarily recognised as a Ruku. And if he cannot bent at all, he should make a sign for Ruku with his head.

514. If a person supposed to make a sign with his head for Ruku ‘is unable to do so, he should cloes his eyes with the intention of Ruku, and then recite Dhikr. And for rising from Ruku, he should open his eyes. And if he is unable to do even that, he should make an intention of Ruku in his mind, and then, as a precaution, make a sign of Ruku with his hands and recite Dhikr. In this case, the precaution is to add to this act, it possible, making a sign for Ruku ‘whli sitting.

515. If a person cannot perform Ruku while standing, but can bend for it while sitting, he should offer prayer standing and should make a signwith his head for Ruku.

516. After the completion of the Dhikr of Ruku, one should stand straight, and as a precaution proceed to Sajdah after the body has become steady. If one goes to Sajdah intentionally before standing, the prayer is void. also, as a precaution, the prayer will be void, if one goes to sajdah intentionally before the body is steady.

Prostration

517. A person offering prayer should perform two sajdhs after the Ruku, in each Rak'ahs of the obligatory as well as Mustahab prayer. Sajdah occurs when one places his forehead on earth in a special manner, with the intention of humility (before Allah)

While performing Sajdahs during prayer, it is obligatory that both the palms and the palms and both the big toes are placed on the ground. Forehead in this rule means, as a precaution, the middle of it, that is the rectangle bounded by the eyepows on below, and the limit of hair on above.

518. Two Sajdahs together are one Rukn (elemental), and if a person omits to perform two Sajdahs in one Rak'ah of an obligatory prayer, whether intentionally or owing to forgetfulness or ignorance, or as an obligatory precaution if he adds two more sajdahs in one Rak'ah due to forgetfulness or ignorance with no negligence, his prayer is void.

519. If a person omits or adds one Sajdah intentionally, his prayer becomes void. And if he omits or adds one Sajdah forgetfully, the prayer will not become void, and the rule when omitting one Sajdah, will be explained in the rules of Sajdat-us-Sahv.

520. If a person who can keep his forehead on the ground, does not do so whether intentionally or forgetfully, he has not performed Sajdah, even if other parts of his body may have touched the ground. But, if he places his forehead on the earth, but does not keep other parts of his body on the ground, or does not utter the Dhikr by mistake, his Sajdah is in order.

521. It is better in normal situation to say `Subhana-llah` three times, or `Subhana rabbiy-al-a'la wa bi-hamdih” once. And he should utter these words in succession and in correct Arabic. Actually any other Dhikr will suffice, but as an obligatory precaution, it should be to the extent of the above Dhikrs.

522. If a person intentionally utters the Dhikr of Sajdah before his forehead reaches the ground and his body becomes steady his prayer will be void, unless he repeats the Dhikr when the body becomes steady in Sajdah, and if he raises his head from Sajdah intentionally before the Dhikr is completed, his prayer is void.

523. If a person utters the Dhikr of Sajdah by mistake before his forehead reaches the ground and realises his mistake before he raises his head from Sajdah, he should utter the Dhikr again when his body is steady, but if when the forehead has reached the ground, and before the staidness of the body, he utters the Dhikr, it is not necessary to repeat it.

524. If after raising his head from Sajdah, a person realises that he has done so before the completion of the Dhikr of Sajdah, hid prayer is in order.

525. If at the time of uttering Dhikr of sajdah, a person intentionally lifts one of his seven parts of the body from the ground, hisSalat will be void, provided that it is inconsistent with the steadiness required for Sajdah.This rule applies also, as an obligatory precaution, when one is not uttering any Dhikr.

526. If a person raises his forehead from the ground by mistake, before the completion of the Dhikr of Sajdah, he should not place it on the ground again, and he should treat it as one Sajdah. However, if he raises other parts of the body from the ground by mistake, he should place them back on the ground and utter the Dhikr.

527. After the Dhikr of the first Sajdah is completed, one should sit till the body is steady, and then perform the second Sajdah.

528. It is necessary that there should be nothing between the forehead of the person offering prayer, and the thing on which Sajdah can be offered. Hence if the Turbah is so dirty that the forehead does not reach the Turbah itself, the Sajdah is void. But if only the colour of the Turban has changed, there is on harm.

529. In Sajdah a person offering prayer should place his two palms on the ground and as an obligatory precaution, he should place the surface of the palm if possible. In a state of helplessness, there will be no harm in placing the back of the hands on the ground, and if even this is not possible, he should, on the basis of precaution, place the wrists of hands on the ground. And if he cannot do even this, he should place any part of the forearm up to his elbow on the ground, and if even that is not possible it is sufficient to place the arms on the ground.

530. In Sajdah, a person should place his two big toes on the ground, but it is not necessary to place the tips of the toes. If he places the outer or the inner parts of the toes, it will be proper. But if he places instead of the big toes, any other smaller toes on the ground, or the outer part of his feet, or if his big toe does not rest on the ground due to very long nails, his prayer will be void. And if a person does not follow this rule due to ignorance or carelessness, he has to pray again.

531. The Turbah or other thing on which a person performs Sajdah, should be Tahir to a size required for correctness of Sajdah. If, he places the Turbah on a Najis carpet, or if one side of the Turbah is Najis, and he places his forehead on its Tahir part, there is no harm in it.

532. If a person can sit but cannot make his forehead reach the ground, he should bow as much as he can, provided that his bowing is customarily considered as Sajdah, and should place the Turban or any other allowable thing on something high, and place his forehead on it. But his palms, his knees and toes should, if possible be on the ground as usual.

533. If a person with the above situation cannot find something high on which he may place the Turbah, or any other allowable thing, and he cannot find any person who would raises the Turbah etc. For him, then he should raise it with his hand and do Sajdah on it.

534. If a person cannot perform Sajdah at all or can bow very little so that it cannot be customarily considered as Sajdah, he should make a sign for it with his head, and if he cannot do even that, he should make a sign with his eyes. And if he cannot make a sign even with his eyes he should make an intention for Sajdah in his mind and, on the basis of obligatory precaution, make a sign for Sajdah with his hands etc. And recite the obligatory Dhikr.

535. If the forehead of a person is raised involuntarily from the place of Sajdah, he should not, if possible, allow it to reach the place of Sajdah again and this will be treated as one Sajdah even if he may not have uttered the Dhikr of Sajdah. And if he cannot control his head, and it reaches the place of Sajdah again involuntarily, both of them will be reckoned as one Sajdah, and if he has not uttered the Dhikr, as a recommended precaution, he will do so with the intention of Qurban, but not as a part of prayer.

536. At a place where a person has to observe Taqiyyah (concealing one's faith in dangerous situation) he can perform Sajdah on a carpet, or other similar things, and it is not necessary for him to go elsewhere, or delay the prayer so that he is able to pray freely at that place without Tagiyyah. But if he finds that he can perform Sajdah on a mat, or any other allowed objects, without any impediment, then he should not perform Sajdah on a carpet or things like it.

537. The obligatory precaution is that in the first Rak'ah ofSalat and in the third Rak'ah which does not contain Tashahhud (like the third Rak;ah in Tuhr, A?r and Isha prayers) one should sit for a while after the second Sajdah before rising.

Mecca the honored town

It may be useful to talk in brief about Mecca because it was the country where Prophet Muhammad (a.s.) was born and brought up, and where he announced his immortal mission in which but a group of slaves and weak people there believed whereas the chiefs and wealthy people resisted and fought with all weapons.

The talk about the Prophet (a.s.) and the study of his life require us to talk about Mecca and the cultural, ideological, and economic life of its people for I think it is from the requirements of the study on the Prophet (a.s.).

Other names of Mecca

For its importance to people, Mecca was named with some other names such as:

1. Ummol Qura (mother of villages)

Allah the Almighty has called it so in the Holy Qur'an when saying, (that you may warn the Mother of Villages and those around her).[1] It has been called so because it was the most important city.[2] In another place in the Qur'an, Allah has said, (And thus have We revealed to you an Arabic Qur’an, that you may warn the Mother of Villages and those around it).[3]

2. Al-Balad al-Ameen (the safe country)

It has been called so in the Holy Qur'an that Allah says, (I swear by the fig and the olive, and Mount Sinai, and this land of security).[4]

3. Becca

It was called so because it exhausted the arrogants if they disbelieved in it unjustly.[5] Allah says in the Qur'an, (Most surely the first house appointed for men is the one at Becca, blessed and a guidance for the nations).[6]

4. The Inviolable House

Mecca has been honored and called “the Inviolable House” that Allah made a Qibla for all people. It is narrated that this House (the Kaaba) had been built before Adam (a.s.). Abul Waleed al-Azraqi narrated a tradition from Imam Zaynol Aabidin (a.s.) that he said, “Allah the Almighty has sent his angels and said: Build Me a building in the earth like the House (in the Heaven) in form and size. Allah has ordered all those in the earth from His creatures to circumambulate it as the inhabitants of the Heavens circumambulate the much-frequented House (in the Heaven), and this was before the creation of Adam.”[7]

The one who built this house (the Kaaba) and made it a center for worshipping Allah was Prophet Abraham (a.s.) and his son Prophet Ishmael (a.s.). It was the first House in the earth that had been taken as a place of worshipping Allah. Allah has said, (Most surely the first house appointed for mankind is the one at Becca, blessed and a guidance for people).[8]

It is the most honored House that Allah has glorified and said about, (And when We made the House a pilgrimage for men and a (place of) security, and: Appoint for yourselves a place of prayer on the standing-place (for prayer) of Abraham. And We enjoined Abraham and Ishmael saying: Purify My House for those who visit (it) and those who abide (in it) for devotion and those who bow down (and) those who prostrate themselves).[9]

Abraham (a.s.) asked Allah to grant Mecca security and endow its people with fruits. Allah has said, (And when Abraham prayed: My Lord, make this a region of security and bestow upon its people fruits, such of them as believe in Allah and the Last Day).[10] Allah has imposed on His people the pilgrimage to this glorified House by saying, (and pilgrimage to the House is incumbent upon people for the sake of Allah, (upon) every one who is able to undertake the journey to it).[11] Mecca has other names, as well, mentioned in the lexicons that one can refer to.

Its locality

Mecca extends from the west to the east in a distance of about three kilometers long and nearly half of that wide in a valley inclining from the north to the south between two mountain chains that are about to join each other in the east, west, and the south; that is to say the three gates of Mecca. Therefore, a comer cannot see its buildings except when he is at its gates. The north mountain chain consists of the mountain of al-Falaj (al-Falaq) in the west, and then the mountains of Qay’aqan, al-Hindi, La’la’, and Kada’ at the top of Mecca where the Prophet (a.s.) entered Mecca at conquering it. The south mountain chain consists of the mountain of Abu Hadeedah to the west, then Kada’, then Abu Qubays to the east of these two mountains, and then Khandamah. From the Kaaba, you can see the versants of these mountains full of houses and buildings in series until the bottom of the valley.[12]

Mecca lies in a barren valley surrounded by black mountains with no water source except the well of Zamzam and the water that is brought from other places. We shall talk about the economic life of Mecca in a coming chapter.

Mecca is the most beloved place to the Prophet

Mecca was the most beloved country to the Prophet (a.s.). In the year of the Conquest (of Mecca), he stopped when throwing the stones during the ritual of the hajj and said, “By Allah, you (Mecca) are the best of Allah’s land, and you are the most beloved of Allah’s land to me. If I was not forced to go out (of Mecca), I would not go out. It was not violable to anyone before me, and it shall not be violable to anyone after me. It was not violable to me except for a short time of a day, and then it is inviolable. Its trees should not be cut (during the Ihram in the hajj), its grass should not be mowed, and its lost things should not be picked except by their seeking owners.” Some man said, “O messenger of Allah, except al-Ithkhir because it is for our houses and our graves.” The Prophet (a.s.) said, “Except al-Ithkhir.” Then he said, “Whoever is patient with the hot of Mecca for an hour the Hell will be far from him for a distance of (travel of) one hundred years, and the Paradise will be near to him for two hundred years.”[13]

The Prophet glorifies the Kaaba

The Prophet (a.s.) sanctified the Inviolable House (the Kaaba) and glorified it so highly. Once, he was in the mosque. He turned towards the House and said addressing it, “I know that Allah the Almighty has not put a house in the earth more beloved to Him than you, and there is no country in the earth more beloved to me than you. I had not left you willingly, but those, who were unbelievers, forced me to leave.”[14]

The Prophet (a.s.) took great care of the Inviolable House, loved it too much, and made it the most holy place of worship in the earth.

The Prophet puts the Rock in its place

The tribe of Quraysh rebuilt the Kaaba after it had been destroyed. Aa’id bin Imran bin Makhzum, who was the Prophet’s (maternal) uncle, advanced and said to Quraysh, ‘O people of Quraysh, do not put (spend) in building it from your gains except good (well-gotten property). Let no dowry of a prostitute, money of usury, or an oppression against any one of people be included in it (the Kaaba).’

The clans of Quraysh began building the House. When they reached to the place of the Black Rock, the clans disagreed on putting it in its place. Each clan wanted to put it in its place to gain the honor and pride of that. The dispute grew and they were about to fight each other. Abu Umayya bin al-Mugheerah, who was from the obeyed notables of Quraysh, suggested, ‘Let the arbitrator between you on what you are disputing for be the first one who will enter from the gate of Bani Shayba…’ They all accepted his suggestion and saw that it would put an end to their dispute. The first one who entered from the gate of Bani Shayba was Muhammad (who was not prophet yet). They all cried out, ‘This is Muhammad the trustworthy…we accept his judgment…’

They told the Prophet (a.s.) what happened, and he solved the problem in a way that satisfied all of the clans. He asked them to bring a garment and said to them, ‘Let every clan of you hold a side of the garment and you all will participate in this virtue.’ They lifted the Black Rock in this way and the Prophet (a.s.) received it from them and put it in its place. The people of Quraysh admired this behavior of the Prophet (a.s.) that kept them safe from fighting each other.

The first who lived in Mecca

The first ones who lived in Mecca were Hagar and her son Ishmael (a.s.). Prophet Abraham (a.s.) took them there. At that time, the tribes of Jurhum passed by Mecca. They suffered thirst. One of them saw some birds hovering in that land and felt that there was water in that place. He told the caravan who hurried towards that place and found a spring, which was the well of Zamzam, and saw a woman with her child. They asked her to permit them to stay beside the well and she permitted them.

Ishmael was the guardian over the affairs of the Kaaba and other affairs of Mecca. When he died and was buried beside his mother Hagar, his son Nabit undertook the affairs of the House. After him, the tribes of Jurhum overcame the guardianship of the Kaaba and the affairs of Mecca. At the time of Jurhum, the tribe of Khuza’ah emigrated to Mecca and a war broke out between them and the tribe of Jurhum. Khuza’ah won the war and seized the emirate over the Kaaba from Jurhum.

The tribe of Khuza’ah ruled in Mecca and managed the affairs of the Kaaba for about three hundred years or more. Then, the tribes of Quraysh attacked them and seized Mecca from them after a war. The guardianship over the Kaaba and the emirate of Mecca became in the hands of Quraysh until the advent of Islam. Quraysh dug many wells and established some projects to improve the economic life in Mecca. Qussay (Prophet Muhammad’s great grandfather) assumed the emirate and established in his house a building and called it “Dar an-Nadwa; club or council” which we shall talk about soon.

The cultural life

That which dominated among some tribes of Mecca was the keeping of rights and assuring the benefits of strangers and the weak, and therefore two foundations were founded:

Dar an-Nadwa

It was like a parliament of nowadays. It was established by Qussay who made its door at the Mosque of the Kaaba. The people of Quraysh met there to deliberate with each other about the affairs of the town and the Inviolable House. The system of Dar an-Nadwa did not permit anyone under forty years to attend its meetings. It grew stronger and had importance among the Arabs. It was a center for deciding disputes and disagreements. Qussay entrusted the responsibility of Dar an-Nadwa to his son Abd Manaf.[15]

Hilf al-Fudhool (alliance of virtues)

The Alliance of al-Fudhool was one of the most important events in Mecca. It was founded to help the weak and keep the rights of strangers and minorities that lived in Mecca. It was a matter of pride for the people of Mecca and for the Arabs all because of its noble values. This alliance was established in the house of Abdullah bin Jad’an. The Prophet (a.s.) reached it and he said about it, ‘I witnessed in the house of Abdullah bin Jad’an the Alliance of al-Fudhool, and if I am invited to it in Islam, I will respond.’

It is worth mentioning that once a dispute took place between Imam al-Husayn (a.s.) and al-Waleed bin Utba bin Abu Sufyan who was the emir over Medina appointed by Mo’awiya. Al-Waleed wronged Imam al-Husayn (a.s.) who said, ‘I swear by Allah, that either you treat me justly or I will take my sword and rise in the mosque of the messenger of Allah and then I will call for the Alliance of al-Fudhool.’ Ibn az-Zubayr was present. He said, ‘And I swear by Allah, that if al-Husayn called for it, I would respond to him until he would be treated fairly or we would die.’ Al-Musawwir bin Makhrama az-Zuhri and Abdurrahman bin Uthman bin Abdullah at-Tamimi said the same. When al-Waleed heard that, he submitted and gave back Imam al-Husayn’s right.’[16]

The religious life

Idolatry was dominant in Mecca which was a fort for this belief that resulted from ignorance and shallow thinking. From the very devoted ones to the idols was Abu Sufyan the chief of the Umayyad family and one of the heads of Quraysh. He was very terrified when he saw the Prophet (a.s.) circumambulate the Kaaba and recite the hymn of Islam “Labaykallahumma labayk…”

He was very terrified and he cried out, ‘Exalt Hubal!’[17]

The Prophet (a.s.) replied to him, ‘O Abu Sufyan, Allah is more Exalted and more Glorious.’

More than three hundred idols were hung on the walls of the Kaaba. The people of Quraysh absolutely believed in those idols.

Who denied the idols

Some people of bright reason denied and mocked at the idols. The following are some of them:

1. Umru’ ul-Qayss

Umru’ ul-Qayss was one of the most famous poets in the pre-Islamic age. When his father was killed, he went to avenge on the killers. He went to an idol called Thul Khalasah that the Arabs sanctified. He sought what was best by arrows near the idol whether to fight against the killers of his father or not. It was negative for three times. He gathered the arrows, broke them, and hit the face of the idol with them. He abused and mocked at the idol and said, ‘If your father was killed, you would not let me free!’[18] Then, he went to avenge his father.

2. Ghawi bin Abdul Uzza

One day, he passed by an idol called Suwa’ and saw two foxes eat before it and then go up and urinate over its head. That scene provoked doubts inside him. He mocked at the idols and recited, “Is he a god that foxes urinate on his head?!

He is low on whom foxes urinate!”[19]

3. Zayd bin Umar

Zayd bin Umar scorned idolatry and thought that the worshipping of idols was as degrading of reason.

4. A nomad man

Once, a Bedouin with his camels passed by the shore of Jeddah. There was an idol called Sa’d. He came with his camels to the idol that it might bless them. When the camels saw the bloods of sacrifices on the idol, they ran away here and there. The Bedouin took a stone, threw the idol with it, and said, ‘May Allah not bless you as god! You startle my camels.’ Then he tried his best until he gathered his camels again. He left while reciting,

“We have come to Sa’d that he may reunite us,

but he scattered us; so we are not from Sa’d.

Surely Sa’d is but a rock on the earth,

who can call neither for deviation nor guidance.”[20]

5. Khuza’a bin Abd

Khuza’a bin Abd al-Muzani was the custodian of the idol of the tribe of Muzayna that was called Nahm. He apostatized the idol and went to the Prophet (a.s.) to be a Muslim.

6. Abdurrahman

When Abdurrahman bin Abi Sabrah reached the advent of the Prophet (a.s.), he went to an idol called Faras and destroyed it. Then he went to the Prophet (a.s.) and became a Muslim.

The belief of the Hashemites

The certain thing is that the Hashemite family believed in the religion of Prophet Abraham (a.s.) and they did not worship idols. Imam Ali (a.s.) said,

‘By Allah, neither my father, my grandfather Abdul Muttalib, Abd Manaf, nor Hashim had ever worshipped an idol. They worshipped Allah and were offering prayers towards the House (the Kaaba) due to the religion of Abraham and were keeping to it…’[21]

This shows that the Hashemite family believed in monotheism and was not deviant from the straight path of Allah.

The Prophet destroys the idols

Prophet Muhammad (a.s.) destroyed the idols in the Kaaba as his grandfather Prophet Abraham (as.) had done before. This was before his being sent to people as prophet. Imam Ali (a.s.) narrated,

“The Prophet (a.s.) and I went until we arrived in the Kaaba. The messenger of Allah asked me to sit down and he mounted on my shoulders. When I wanted to get up, he noticed a weakness in me. He dismounted and he himself sat down for me and asked me to mount on his shoulders. I mounted on his shoulders and he got up. I imagined that if I wanted, I would reach the horizon of the heaven. I went up the House and there was on it an idol of brass or copper. I began moving it right and left, from behind and from before until I could pluck it out. The messenger of Allah (a.s.) asked me to throw it down and I did. It broke into pieces as pots break. Then I got down. The messenger of Allah (a.s.) and I hastened back until we hid among houses for fear that someone of people might see us.”[22]

When Allah granted the great conquest over Mecca to His prophet, there were three hundred idols or more hung on the walls of the Kaaba which the tribes of Quraysh worshipped away from Allah. Among their famous idols there were Na’ilah, Asaf, Manaf, Thul Khalasah, Thul Kuna, Thul Sharaf, al-Uqaysar, Nahm, Sameer, and others.[23]

The master of those idols was Hubal which was the god of Abu Sufyan; Mo’awiya’s father and Yazid’s grandfather. It was made of copper and tied with iron pegs on the wall of the Kaaba. Imam Ali (a.s.) got upon the Prophet’s shoulders, plucked this idol out, and threw it to the ground while the Prophet (a.s.) was reciting this verse (And say: The truth has come and the falsehood has vanished; surely falsehood is a vanishing (thing)).[24] Then, Imam Ali (a.s.) threw down the rest of idols and thus the Kaaba was purified[25] of those filths hung on the walls and taken as gods by Quraysh.

The economic life

Mecca was a stage for lively commercial activities. It had many commercial caravans and great capitals were used in speculation. The caravans of Mecca brought from Yemen the products of India, the silk of China, and the textiles of Aden, besides gold nuggets from Africa, and cotton, linen, silk, and colored clothes from Syria and Egypt. Weapons, grains, and oils were also imported from Syria. Profits reached one hundred percent in these trades.[26]

The people of Quraysh had two commercial journeys a year; one to Yemen in winter because it was warm, and the other to Sham in summer because it was cool. Without these two commercial journeys, the people of Quraysh could not live in Mecca which was safe from enemies because it had the Inviolable House of Allah.

Al-Kalbi, the historian says, ‘The first one who brought wheat from Sham was Hashim bin Abd Manaf (the Prophet’s grandfather).’

In Mecca, there were some very wealthy people among whom was Khadeeja (the Prophet’s wife). She invested her capitals in trade. The Prophet (a.s.) (before prophethood) worked with her monies in trade and got great profits. We shall talk about this in a coming chapter.

Abu Jahl’s mother had a shop of perfumes, Hind (Mo’awiya’s mother) sold goods for the tribe of Kalb in Syria,[27] and Abu Sufyan himself was the leader of the commercial caravans of Mecca.

Anyhow, Mecca was a commercial center and most of its merchants practiced usury in their dealings. Al-Abbas bin Abdul Muttalib was one of the usurers. He had great wealth from this way. From the very wealthy people of Mecca was Abdullah bin Jad’an at-Tamimi, some Umayyad families, al-Waleed bin al-Mugheerah al-Makhzumi, Abdullah the father of Umar bin Abi Rabee’ah the poet, and others. The wealthy class lived at utmost ease and luxury and had tens of slaves whereas great masses of the inhabitants of Mecca lived wretchedly.

The social life

The most prominent Arab families that lived in Mecca were the Hashemite family and the Umayyad family. The natures and morals of these two families were too different. We refer in brief here to the natures of both.

The Hashemites

The Hashemites were famous for honor, succor, and high morals, and they were ideal examples of all perfect characteristics that mankind would pride on especially the Prophet’s family that was a gift from Allah’s mercy.

The Alawid[28] tree, since the dawn of its history until now, did not fruit but what benefited people. The Alawids undertook the interests of the wronged and the oppressed and all human rights. They did their best in the way of Allah, and they spread good and mercy among all people.

The Umayyads

The dominant morals of the Umayyads were oppression, selfishness, and aggression against people. Their defects, sins, and bad characteristics had blackened the face of history. Their souls were full of grudge and enmity against the Hashemites. They resisted Islam and strove to put out the light of the Islamic mission since its beginning. They stood against the Prophet (a.s.) and led armies to fight and do away with him, but Allah the Almighty repelled and abased them and supported His messenger against them.

The Umayyads bore malice and enmity against the Hashemites men and women. Historians mention that once Lady Aatikah bint Abdul Muttalib saw in sleep a vision that terrified her. She went to her brother al-Abbas bin Abdul Muttalib. She told her vision to him and said, ‘I fear that evil and calamity may afflict your people. Keep secret what I shall tell you…’

She told, ‘I saw a rider coming on a camel until he stopped at al-Abtah (mountain) and began shouting loudly: O people of perfidy, come on to your deaths! He said that three times. I saw that people crowded around him…then he took a rock and threw it. It dropped and when it reached the foot of the mountain, it broke into pieces. No house from the houses of Mecca remained except that a piece from that rock entered into it…’

Al-Abbas was terrified by that dream and he could not conceal it. He spread it among people. The news reached the Umayyads among whom there was Abu Jahl. They began mocking. Abu Jahl went to al-Abbas and said to him mockingly, ‘O bani[29] Abdul Muttalib, are you not satisfied that your men prophesy that now your women began prophesying?’

The vision of Aatikah came true that abasement and destruction afflicted the people of Quraysh. The battle of Badr took place and the tribe of Quraysh was defeated disgracefully. Killing, sorrow, and mourning entered all their houses.

Great personalities and glories

The origins that the Master of all creation Prophet Muhammad (a.s.) had branched from were the greatest of all human beings and nonesuch in purity, chastity, loftiness, and perfection among all that Allah has created.

Al-Mawardi says, ‘He (the Prophet) is from a lineage of noble fathers. No one among them is mean, but all of them are leading masters. The nobility of lineage and the purity of birth are from the conditions of prophethood.’[1]

The history of the Prophet’s glorious family is full of virtues and nobilities. This family had undertaken the social services to people, and what increased its honor and high position was the Prophet (a.s.) who had had all virtues of this world.

The Prophet (a.s.) was not the pride of Adnan[2] and the glory of the Hashemites only, but also he was and is the pride, the glory, and the honor of the humanity throughout all the stages of history. It was he who had built the civilization of man and caused springs of knowledge and wisdom to gush out in the earth. Here, we talk in brief about some pillars of this great family:

Hashim

His name was Amr, and he was called Amr ul-Ula (Amr of highness) for his exalted position and high standing. Also, he and his brothers were called “aqdah an-nidhar” meaning “gold”, and called “the protectors” for their generosity, honor, and leadership over the Arabs. As an example on his generosity is that when once Quraysh suffered a terrible famine, Hashim went to Sham, bought quantities of flour and cakes, and brought them to Mecca. He crumbled and sopped bread and cakes and slaughtered a camel. He offered the food to people until they became satiate. Therefore, he was called Hashim.[3] He also was called “Abul Battha’-father of the plain” and “Sayyid al-Battha’-master of the plain”.

He was at the top of honor and loftiness. Historian says that he satisfied the needs of wayfarers, gave rights to their people, protected the frightened, and these are the noblest qualities. When the month of Thul Hajja came, he made a speech before the people of Mecca encouraging them to serve the hajjis who came to the Kaaba. He said,

“O people of Quraysh, you are masters of the Arabs, the best of them in notability, the greatest in reason, and the noblest in lineages.

O people of Quraysh, you are neighbors of the House of Allah. He has honored you with His guardianship and favored you with His neighborhood away from the rest of the offspring of Ishmael. The visitors of Allah come to you to glorify His House and so they are your guests, and the worthiest to entertain the guests of Allah are you. Entertain His guests and the visitors of His House! By the Lord of this Building, if I had money enough for that, I would not ask you to that. I will take out of my lawful property, which no kinship has been deserted in, not been obtained by oppression, and not included any unlawful bit. Let whoever of you, who likes to do that, do that. I ask you by the sanctity of this House that let no anyone of you spend from his property on the entertainment of the visitors of the House of Allah except lawful money that has not been obtained wrongfully, and no kinship has been deserted by it, and has not been obtained by force.”[4]

This speech shows Hashim’s deep faith in Allah and his precaution in avoiding properties that are taken wrongfully. When Allah chose him to His neighborhood (made him die), he died while with a calm soul, pure, and unpolluted with the sins of the pre-Islamic era.

Abdul Muttalib

From the pillars of honor and pride of the Arabs was the noble master Abdul Muttalib. He was one of the noblest young men in his youth, and in his old age was the most notable one; therefore, he was called “Shaybatul Hamd-the old man of praise” because of the people’s much praise and gratefulness to him”.[5]

Abdul Muttalib’s faith

Abdul Muttalib was on the religion of his great grandfather Abraham (a.s.). He did not worship an idol, but he worshipped Allah the Almighty. The Prophet (a.s.) said, ‘Abdul Muttalib did not gamble, nor did he worship idols or eat from what was slain for idols. He often said: I am on the religion of my father Abraham”.[6]

Surely, he had deep faith in Allah that some sayings and too much poetry were transmitted from him showing his true faith. He said, “No unjust one leaves this life until he will be avenged on and afflicted with punishment.” He also said, “By Allah, behind (after) this house (life) there is a house where a good doer is rewarded for his good doing and a bad doer is punished for his bad doing.”[7]

These verses are ascribed to him,

“All people blame the time,

whereas our time has no defect except us.

We blame our time but the defect is in us,

And if the time can speak,

It will dispraise us.

A wolf does not eat a wolf’s flesh,

While we eat each other openly.”[8]

Entrusting the hospitality of the pilgrims to him

The hospitality and the watering of the pilgrims, who came to the Kaaba, were entrusted to Abdul Muttalib and he suffered too much in gathering water. He gathered it from rain and other sources and put it into leather basins to offer it generously to the pilgrims of Allah’s House.

It is very odd that the orientalist (Margolios) says, “Abdul Muttalib sold water to pilgrims and got great profits from that...”

Lutfi Jum’ah refutes him saying, “It is clear that Margolios compares the matter to some countries of Western Europe where generosity has no value except in rare cases. So, he cannot imagine that someone may offer his properties liberally except rarely. In most of Europe, no one can have a sip of water with no price, and the same is said about food. Margolios’s mind cannot imagine that Abdul Muttalib carried water and offered dates and raisins for the pilgrims as a means of approaching Allah the Almighty and entertaining the pilgrims…”[9]

Restoring the well of Zamzam

From the famous charismata of Abdul Muttalib in history, was his restoring of Zamzam Well after it had been buried for centuries, and the people of Mecca did not know its place. Abdul Muttalib uncovered it and refreshed life for the inhabitants of Mecca after they were suffering the bitterness of thirst.

Some historians say that the reason of the disappearance of Zamzam Well was that Mudhadh bin Amr al-Jurhumi, who lived about three hundred years before Abdul Muttalib, had involved in a war with his enemies that led to his defeat. He was certain that his enemies would drive him away from Mecca; therefore, he thought of depriving them of water. He hid his precious properties and gold in the well and buried the well and covered all its signs, and then he fled to Yemen. Sands accumulated over the well until it disappeared. The inhabitants of Mecca were obliged to dig many wells in the valleys of Mecca. Abdu Shams dug a well called Tuwa. Hashim dug a well and called it Bathr, and he allowed people to make use of it freely. Umayya dug a well and called it al-Hafr, but he monopolized it for himself. And the tribes of Mecca dug wells for themselves.[10]

However, Yaqut al-Hamawi, the historian, says that rains flooded the well of Zamzam and no one could find its place.[11]

Abdul Muttalib’s vision

Abdul Muttalib suffered too much in gathering water to offer it to the guests of Allah. Mecca faced a rainless year, and that was too heavy for Abdul Muttalib who felt pain for the pilgrims that they might be affected by the shortage of water. While he was in bed, he heard in sleep that someone ordered him to dig Tayyibah, or Barrah, or al-Madhmunah (names of wells). He saw the vision for three nights, but he was worried to reveal his vision that Harb bin Umayya and the men of Makhzoom might mock at him. Once again, the caller (in sleep) ordered him to re-dig the well of Zamzam and defined to him its place. Abdul Muttalib remembered that it was the very well that was at the time of his grandfather Abraham (a.s.). He carried out what the caller had ordered him (in the dream) to do. He took with him his son al-Harith, and they both made great efforts to remove the sands accumulated on the well. While digging, he found two gold gazelles, swords, and precious armors that belonged to Mudhadh al-Jurhami who had hid them in the well before his fleeing to Yemen. This news spread among the people of Quraysh. Some of them rose to ask Abdul Muttalib to let them have shares in that treasure, but some others said it was to be Abdul Muttalib’s. There was a dispute between the two parties, but Abdul Muttalib settled the arguments by determining to spend the treasure on the Kaaba and thus he was admired and glorified by the people of Quraysh.

After no long, water began gushing out and it flowed over the land to enliven Mecca, water its thirsty inhabitants, and refresh the economic life there. The news spread here and there like light, and all people; men and women, old and young, hurried to see that great achievement while Abdul Muttalib’s soul was full of joy and delight for that great conquest that provided the pilgrims of the Kaaba and the inhabitants of Mecca with the essence of life. His mention was raised high and all people everywhere praised his favor.

Abdul Muttalib’s vow

Abdul Muttalib met difficulties when searching for the well of Zamzam, the bitterest of which was the mocking of Quraysh at him and then their dispute with him on the treasure that he found. He felt that that was because of his weakness and the little children he had. Therefore, he vowed to Allah that if he would have ten children and when they would be adults, he would slaughter one of them at the Kaaba for the sake of Allah as his grandfather Abraham (a.s.) had done when he had finished building the Kaaba. And indeed, Allah endowed him with ten males; al-Harith, az-Zubayr, Hajl, Dhirar, al-Muqawwam, Abu Lahab, al-Abbas, Hamza, Abu Talib, and Abdullah, and some females; Safiyyah, Wabrah, Aatikah, Umm Hakeem, (Ajbahah), and Arwa.

Abdul Muttalib’s wish came true and he had ten males. Then, he had to fulfill his vow. He gathered his sons and told them about his vow. They all submitted and showed their obedience to their father. He chose by lot and it was Abdullah, the Prophet’s father and the most beloved to his father, who was to be slaughtered. Abdul Muttalib took Abdullah to the Kaaba to slaughter him there. The people of Quraysh hasten to him saying, “By Allah, you should not slaughter him. O Abul Harith, if you do, it shall be a custom followed by your people, and every man will bring his son to slaughter him here.”[12]

Abdul Muttalib said, “I have promised my Lord and I will fulfill what I have promised Him…”

Some other men tried to convince him to change his determination. They asked him to go to a diviner in Khaybar and to do whatever the diviner would tell him. Abdul Muttalib responded to them and went to the diviner. The diviner asked, “How much is the blood money among you?”

Abdul Muttalib said, “Ten camels (for a man).”

The diviner said, “Go back to your country and then offer a sacrifice for your man (Abdullah). Offer ten camels and draw lots on him and on the camels. If the lots fall on your man, then add other ten camels, and so on until your Lord will be pleased. When the lots fall on the camels, then you slaughter them and so your Lord will be pleased and your man will be saved…”

Abdul Muttalib went back to Mecca. He draws the lots on his son and camels, and in the tenth time the lots fell on the camels. People glorified Allah and cried out, “O Abdul Muttalib, your Lord is pleased.” Abdul Muttalib ordered one hundred camels to be slaughtered between the Safa and the Marwa,[13] and ordered a caller to call the people of Mecca to come to take some meat and they hurried from everywhere.[14]

Abdullah was saved from slaughter as his grandfather Ishmael had been saved before.

His care for the Prophet

Prophet Muhammad (a.s.) was born at the time of his grandfather Abdul Muttalib. His father and mother died and he was adopted by his grandfather who looked after him with great love and kindness. The grandfather was certain that his grandson would be an important man in the future. Monks and others told him of that. He himself took much care of him and was too kind and loyal to him. He preferred him to all his sons and other grandsons.

Abdul Muttalib was cautious and worried about his grandson whose mention would fill the world and who would bring to them a great glory and immortal mention until the last day of life…Abdul Muttalib felt that his inevitable end was near, and he recommended his son Abu Talib saying to him,

“O Abu Talib, be a keeper to this lonely one who has not smelt his father’s scent or tasted his mother’s kindness. Be careful to regard him as your liver to your body, for I have left all my children and entrusted him to you. Support him with your tongue, hand, and money, for, by Allah, he will be a master over you and will have what no one of my fathers has had…”

Then he asked Abu Talib, “Do you accept my recommendation?”

Abu Talib said, “Yes, I accept your recommendation and Allah is the witness on that.”

Abdul Muttalib felt relieved from that burden oppressing him, and he said to Abu Talib, “Now, death is made light to me.” Then, he began kissing him (the Prophet) and saying, “I have not seen anyone more scented or more beautiful than you.”

Towards the High Companion

After this recommendation, Abdul Muttalib lived no long and soon he breathed his last. By his death, a bright page of nobility and honor was folded and Mecca was upset by this sad news, because people lost the reformer who was too loving and kind to them…he was escorted to his last abode by great masses and his funerals were so splendid.

It is worth mentioning that the Prophet (a.s.) was eight years old when his grandfather Abdul Muttalib died.[15] The Prophet (a.s.) was brought up in this family that had inherited nobility, honor, and magnanimity, and were accustomed to goodness, kindness, and charity.

Mecca the honored town

It may be useful to talk in brief about Mecca because it was the country where Prophet Muhammad (a.s.) was born and brought up, and where he announced his immortal mission in which but a group of slaves and weak people there believed whereas the chiefs and wealthy people resisted and fought with all weapons.

The talk about the Prophet (a.s.) and the study of his life require us to talk about Mecca and the cultural, ideological, and economic life of its people for I think it is from the requirements of the study on the Prophet (a.s.).

Other names of Mecca

For its importance to people, Mecca was named with some other names such as:

1. Ummol Qura (mother of villages)

Allah the Almighty has called it so in the Holy Qur'an when saying, (that you may warn the Mother of Villages and those around her).[1] It has been called so because it was the most important city.[2] In another place in the Qur'an, Allah has said, (And thus have We revealed to you an Arabic Qur’an, that you may warn the Mother of Villages and those around it).[3]

2. Al-Balad al-Ameen (the safe country)

It has been called so in the Holy Qur'an that Allah says, (I swear by the fig and the olive, and Mount Sinai, and this land of security).[4]

3. Becca

It was called so because it exhausted the arrogants if they disbelieved in it unjustly.[5] Allah says in the Qur'an, (Most surely the first house appointed for men is the one at Becca, blessed and a guidance for the nations).[6]

4. The Inviolable House

Mecca has been honored and called “the Inviolable House” that Allah made a Qibla for all people. It is narrated that this House (the Kaaba) had been built before Adam (a.s.). Abul Waleed al-Azraqi narrated a tradition from Imam Zaynol Aabidin (a.s.) that he said, “Allah the Almighty has sent his angels and said: Build Me a building in the earth like the House (in the Heaven) in form and size. Allah has ordered all those in the earth from His creatures to circumambulate it as the inhabitants of the Heavens circumambulate the much-frequented House (in the Heaven), and this was before the creation of Adam.”[7]

The one who built this house (the Kaaba) and made it a center for worshipping Allah was Prophet Abraham (a.s.) and his son Prophet Ishmael (a.s.). It was the first House in the earth that had been taken as a place of worshipping Allah. Allah has said, (Most surely the first house appointed for mankind is the one at Becca, blessed and a guidance for people).[8]

It is the most honored House that Allah has glorified and said about, (And when We made the House a pilgrimage for men and a (place of) security, and: Appoint for yourselves a place of prayer on the standing-place (for prayer) of Abraham. And We enjoined Abraham and Ishmael saying: Purify My House for those who visit (it) and those who abide (in it) for devotion and those who bow down (and) those who prostrate themselves).[9]

Abraham (a.s.) asked Allah to grant Mecca security and endow its people with fruits. Allah has said, (And when Abraham prayed: My Lord, make this a region of security and bestow upon its people fruits, such of them as believe in Allah and the Last Day).[10] Allah has imposed on His people the pilgrimage to this glorified House by saying, (and pilgrimage to the House is incumbent upon people for the sake of Allah, (upon) every one who is able to undertake the journey to it).[11] Mecca has other names, as well, mentioned in the lexicons that one can refer to.

Its locality

Mecca extends from the west to the east in a distance of about three kilometers long and nearly half of that wide in a valley inclining from the north to the south between two mountain chains that are about to join each other in the east, west, and the south; that is to say the three gates of Mecca. Therefore, a comer cannot see its buildings except when he is at its gates. The north mountain chain consists of the mountain of al-Falaj (al-Falaq) in the west, and then the mountains of Qay’aqan, al-Hindi, La’la’, and Kada’ at the top of Mecca where the Prophet (a.s.) entered Mecca at conquering it. The south mountain chain consists of the mountain of Abu Hadeedah to the west, then Kada’, then Abu Qubays to the east of these two mountains, and then Khandamah. From the Kaaba, you can see the versants of these mountains full of houses and buildings in series until the bottom of the valley.[12]

Mecca lies in a barren valley surrounded by black mountains with no water source except the well of Zamzam and the water that is brought from other places. We shall talk about the economic life of Mecca in a coming chapter.

Mecca is the most beloved place to the Prophet

Mecca was the most beloved country to the Prophet (a.s.). In the year of the Conquest (of Mecca), he stopped when throwing the stones during the ritual of the hajj and said, “By Allah, you (Mecca) are the best of Allah’s land, and you are the most beloved of Allah’s land to me. If I was not forced to go out (of Mecca), I would not go out. It was not violable to anyone before me, and it shall not be violable to anyone after me. It was not violable to me except for a short time of a day, and then it is inviolable. Its trees should not be cut (during the Ihram in the hajj), its grass should not be mowed, and its lost things should not be picked except by their seeking owners.” Some man said, “O messenger of Allah, except al-Ithkhir because it is for our houses and our graves.” The Prophet (a.s.) said, “Except al-Ithkhir.” Then he said, “Whoever is patient with the hot of Mecca for an hour the Hell will be far from him for a distance of (travel of) one hundred years, and the Paradise will be near to him for two hundred years.”[13]

The Prophet glorifies the Kaaba

The Prophet (a.s.) sanctified the Inviolable House (the Kaaba) and glorified it so highly. Once, he was in the mosque. He turned towards the House and said addressing it, “I know that Allah the Almighty has not put a house in the earth more beloved to Him than you, and there is no country in the earth more beloved to me than you. I had not left you willingly, but those, who were unbelievers, forced me to leave.”[14]

The Prophet (a.s.) took great care of the Inviolable House, loved it too much, and made it the most holy place of worship in the earth.

The Prophet puts the Rock in its place

The tribe of Quraysh rebuilt the Kaaba after it had been destroyed. Aa’id bin Imran bin Makhzum, who was the Prophet’s (maternal) uncle, advanced and said to Quraysh, ‘O people of Quraysh, do not put (spend) in building it from your gains except good (well-gotten property). Let no dowry of a prostitute, money of usury, or an oppression against any one of people be included in it (the Kaaba).’

The clans of Quraysh began building the House. When they reached to the place of the Black Rock, the clans disagreed on putting it in its place. Each clan wanted to put it in its place to gain the honor and pride of that. The dispute grew and they were about to fight each other. Abu Umayya bin al-Mugheerah, who was from the obeyed notables of Quraysh, suggested, ‘Let the arbitrator between you on what you are disputing for be the first one who will enter from the gate of Bani Shayba…’ They all accepted his suggestion and saw that it would put an end to their dispute. The first one who entered from the gate of Bani Shayba was Muhammad (who was not prophet yet). They all cried out, ‘This is Muhammad the trustworthy…we accept his judgment…’

They told the Prophet (a.s.) what happened, and he solved the problem in a way that satisfied all of the clans. He asked them to bring a garment and said to them, ‘Let every clan of you hold a side of the garment and you all will participate in this virtue.’ They lifted the Black Rock in this way and the Prophet (a.s.) received it from them and put it in its place. The people of Quraysh admired this behavior of the Prophet (a.s.) that kept them safe from fighting each other.

The first who lived in Mecca

The first ones who lived in Mecca were Hagar and her son Ishmael (a.s.). Prophet Abraham (a.s.) took them there. At that time, the tribes of Jurhum passed by Mecca. They suffered thirst. One of them saw some birds hovering in that land and felt that there was water in that place. He told the caravan who hurried towards that place and found a spring, which was the well of Zamzam, and saw a woman with her child. They asked her to permit them to stay beside the well and she permitted them.

Ishmael was the guardian over the affairs of the Kaaba and other affairs of Mecca. When he died and was buried beside his mother Hagar, his son Nabit undertook the affairs of the House. After him, the tribes of Jurhum overcame the guardianship of the Kaaba and the affairs of Mecca. At the time of Jurhum, the tribe of Khuza’ah emigrated to Mecca and a war broke out between them and the tribe of Jurhum. Khuza’ah won the war and seized the emirate over the Kaaba from Jurhum.

The tribe of Khuza’ah ruled in Mecca and managed the affairs of the Kaaba for about three hundred years or more. Then, the tribes of Quraysh attacked them and seized Mecca from them after a war. The guardianship over the Kaaba and the emirate of Mecca became in the hands of Quraysh until the advent of Islam. Quraysh dug many wells and established some projects to improve the economic life in Mecca. Qussay (Prophet Muhammad’s great grandfather) assumed the emirate and established in his house a building and called it “Dar an-Nadwa; club or council” which we shall talk about soon.

The cultural life

That which dominated among some tribes of Mecca was the keeping of rights and assuring the benefits of strangers and the weak, and therefore two foundations were founded:

Dar an-Nadwa

It was like a parliament of nowadays. It was established by Qussay who made its door at the Mosque of the Kaaba. The people of Quraysh met there to deliberate with each other about the affairs of the town and the Inviolable House. The system of Dar an-Nadwa did not permit anyone under forty years to attend its meetings. It grew stronger and had importance among the Arabs. It was a center for deciding disputes and disagreements. Qussay entrusted the responsibility of Dar an-Nadwa to his son Abd Manaf.[15]

Hilf al-Fudhool (alliance of virtues)

The Alliance of al-Fudhool was one of the most important events in Mecca. It was founded to help the weak and keep the rights of strangers and minorities that lived in Mecca. It was a matter of pride for the people of Mecca and for the Arabs all because of its noble values. This alliance was established in the house of Abdullah bin Jad’an. The Prophet (a.s.) reached it and he said about it, ‘I witnessed in the house of Abdullah bin Jad’an the Alliance of al-Fudhool, and if I am invited to it in Islam, I will respond.’

It is worth mentioning that once a dispute took place between Imam al-Husayn (a.s.) and al-Waleed bin Utba bin Abu Sufyan who was the emir over Medina appointed by Mo’awiya. Al-Waleed wronged Imam al-Husayn (a.s.) who said, ‘I swear by Allah, that either you treat me justly or I will take my sword and rise in the mosque of the messenger of Allah and then I will call for the Alliance of al-Fudhool.’ Ibn az-Zubayr was present. He said, ‘And I swear by Allah, that if al-Husayn called for it, I would respond to him until he would be treated fairly or we would die.’ Al-Musawwir bin Makhrama az-Zuhri and Abdurrahman bin Uthman bin Abdullah at-Tamimi said the same. When al-Waleed heard that, he submitted and gave back Imam al-Husayn’s right.’[16]

The religious life

Idolatry was dominant in Mecca which was a fort for this belief that resulted from ignorance and shallow thinking. From the very devoted ones to the idols was Abu Sufyan the chief of the Umayyad family and one of the heads of Quraysh. He was very terrified when he saw the Prophet (a.s.) circumambulate the Kaaba and recite the hymn of Islam “Labaykallahumma labayk…”

He was very terrified and he cried out, ‘Exalt Hubal!’[17]

The Prophet (a.s.) replied to him, ‘O Abu Sufyan, Allah is more Exalted and more Glorious.’

More than three hundred idols were hung on the walls of the Kaaba. The people of Quraysh absolutely believed in those idols.

Who denied the idols

Some people of bright reason denied and mocked at the idols. The following are some of them:

1. Umru’ ul-Qayss

Umru’ ul-Qayss was one of the most famous poets in the pre-Islamic age. When his father was killed, he went to avenge on the killers. He went to an idol called Thul Khalasah that the Arabs sanctified. He sought what was best by arrows near the idol whether to fight against the killers of his father or not. It was negative for three times. He gathered the arrows, broke them, and hit the face of the idol with them. He abused and mocked at the idol and said, ‘If your father was killed, you would not let me free!’[18] Then, he went to avenge his father.

2. Ghawi bin Abdul Uzza

One day, he passed by an idol called Suwa’ and saw two foxes eat before it and then go up and urinate over its head. That scene provoked doubts inside him. He mocked at the idols and recited, “Is he a god that foxes urinate on his head?!

He is low on whom foxes urinate!”[19]

3. Zayd bin Umar

Zayd bin Umar scorned idolatry and thought that the worshipping of idols was as degrading of reason.

4. A nomad man

Once, a Bedouin with his camels passed by the shore of Jeddah. There was an idol called Sa’d. He came with his camels to the idol that it might bless them. When the camels saw the bloods of sacrifices on the idol, they ran away here and there. The Bedouin took a stone, threw the idol with it, and said, ‘May Allah not bless you as god! You startle my camels.’ Then he tried his best until he gathered his camels again. He left while reciting,

“We have come to Sa’d that he may reunite us,

but he scattered us; so we are not from Sa’d.

Surely Sa’d is but a rock on the earth,

who can call neither for deviation nor guidance.”[20]

5. Khuza’a bin Abd

Khuza’a bin Abd al-Muzani was the custodian of the idol of the tribe of Muzayna that was called Nahm. He apostatized the idol and went to the Prophet (a.s.) to be a Muslim.

6. Abdurrahman

When Abdurrahman bin Abi Sabrah reached the advent of the Prophet (a.s.), he went to an idol called Faras and destroyed it. Then he went to the Prophet (a.s.) and became a Muslim.

The belief of the Hashemites

The certain thing is that the Hashemite family believed in the religion of Prophet Abraham (a.s.) and they did not worship idols. Imam Ali (a.s.) said,

‘By Allah, neither my father, my grandfather Abdul Muttalib, Abd Manaf, nor Hashim had ever worshipped an idol. They worshipped Allah and were offering prayers towards the House (the Kaaba) due to the religion of Abraham and were keeping to it…’[21]

This shows that the Hashemite family believed in monotheism and was not deviant from the straight path of Allah.

The Prophet destroys the idols

Prophet Muhammad (a.s.) destroyed the idols in the Kaaba as his grandfather Prophet Abraham (as.) had done before. This was before his being sent to people as prophet. Imam Ali (a.s.) narrated,

“The Prophet (a.s.) and I went until we arrived in the Kaaba. The messenger of Allah asked me to sit down and he mounted on my shoulders. When I wanted to get up, he noticed a weakness in me. He dismounted and he himself sat down for me and asked me to mount on his shoulders. I mounted on his shoulders and he got up. I imagined that if I wanted, I would reach the horizon of the heaven. I went up the House and there was on it an idol of brass or copper. I began moving it right and left, from behind and from before until I could pluck it out. The messenger of Allah (a.s.) asked me to throw it down and I did. It broke into pieces as pots break. Then I got down. The messenger of Allah (a.s.) and I hastened back until we hid among houses for fear that someone of people might see us.”[22]

When Allah granted the great conquest over Mecca to His prophet, there were three hundred idols or more hung on the walls of the Kaaba which the tribes of Quraysh worshipped away from Allah. Among their famous idols there were Na’ilah, Asaf, Manaf, Thul Khalasah, Thul Kuna, Thul Sharaf, al-Uqaysar, Nahm, Sameer, and others.[23]

The master of those idols was Hubal which was the god of Abu Sufyan; Mo’awiya’s father and Yazid’s grandfather. It was made of copper and tied with iron pegs on the wall of the Kaaba. Imam Ali (a.s.) got upon the Prophet’s shoulders, plucked this idol out, and threw it to the ground while the Prophet (a.s.) was reciting this verse (And say: The truth has come and the falsehood has vanished; surely falsehood is a vanishing (thing)).[24] Then, Imam Ali (a.s.) threw down the rest of idols and thus the Kaaba was purified[25] of those filths hung on the walls and taken as gods by Quraysh.

The economic life

Mecca was a stage for lively commercial activities. It had many commercial caravans and great capitals were used in speculation. The caravans of Mecca brought from Yemen the products of India, the silk of China, and the textiles of Aden, besides gold nuggets from Africa, and cotton, linen, silk, and colored clothes from Syria and Egypt. Weapons, grains, and oils were also imported from Syria. Profits reached one hundred percent in these trades.[26]

The people of Quraysh had two commercial journeys a year; one to Yemen in winter because it was warm, and the other to Sham in summer because it was cool. Without these two commercial journeys, the people of Quraysh could not live in Mecca which was safe from enemies because it had the Inviolable House of Allah.

Al-Kalbi, the historian says, ‘The first one who brought wheat from Sham was Hashim bin Abd Manaf (the Prophet’s grandfather).’

In Mecca, there were some very wealthy people among whom was Khadeeja (the Prophet’s wife). She invested her capitals in trade. The Prophet (a.s.) (before prophethood) worked with her monies in trade and got great profits. We shall talk about this in a coming chapter.

Abu Jahl’s mother had a shop of perfumes, Hind (Mo’awiya’s mother) sold goods for the tribe of Kalb in Syria,[27] and Abu Sufyan himself was the leader of the commercial caravans of Mecca.

Anyhow, Mecca was a commercial center and most of its merchants practiced usury in their dealings. Al-Abbas bin Abdul Muttalib was one of the usurers. He had great wealth from this way. From the very wealthy people of Mecca was Abdullah bin Jad’an at-Tamimi, some Umayyad families, al-Waleed bin al-Mugheerah al-Makhzumi, Abdullah the father of Umar bin Abi Rabee’ah the poet, and others. The wealthy class lived at utmost ease and luxury and had tens of slaves whereas great masses of the inhabitants of Mecca lived wretchedly.

The social life

The most prominent Arab families that lived in Mecca were the Hashemite family and the Umayyad family. The natures and morals of these two families were too different. We refer in brief here to the natures of both.

The Hashemites

The Hashemites were famous for honor, succor, and high morals, and they were ideal examples of all perfect characteristics that mankind would pride on especially the Prophet’s family that was a gift from Allah’s mercy.

The Alawid[28] tree, since the dawn of its history until now, did not fruit but what benefited people. The Alawids undertook the interests of the wronged and the oppressed and all human rights. They did their best in the way of Allah, and they spread good and mercy among all people.

The Umayyads

The dominant morals of the Umayyads were oppression, selfishness, and aggression against people. Their defects, sins, and bad characteristics had blackened the face of history. Their souls were full of grudge and enmity against the Hashemites. They resisted Islam and strove to put out the light of the Islamic mission since its beginning. They stood against the Prophet (a.s.) and led armies to fight and do away with him, but Allah the Almighty repelled and abased them and supported His messenger against them.

The Umayyads bore malice and enmity against the Hashemites men and women. Historians mention that once Lady Aatikah bint Abdul Muttalib saw in sleep a vision that terrified her. She went to her brother al-Abbas bin Abdul Muttalib. She told her vision to him and said, ‘I fear that evil and calamity may afflict your people. Keep secret what I shall tell you…’

She told, ‘I saw a rider coming on a camel until he stopped at al-Abtah (mountain) and began shouting loudly: O people of perfidy, come on to your deaths! He said that three times. I saw that people crowded around him…then he took a rock and threw it. It dropped and when it reached the foot of the mountain, it broke into pieces. No house from the houses of Mecca remained except that a piece from that rock entered into it…’

Al-Abbas was terrified by that dream and he could not conceal it. He spread it among people. The news reached the Umayyads among whom there was Abu Jahl. They began mocking. Abu Jahl went to al-Abbas and said to him mockingly, ‘O bani[29] Abdul Muttalib, are you not satisfied that your men prophesy that now your women began prophesying?’

The vision of Aatikah came true that abasement and destruction afflicted the people of Quraysh. The battle of Badr took place and the tribe of Quraysh was defeated disgracefully. Killing, sorrow, and mourning entered all their houses.

Great personalities and glories

The origins that the Master of all creation Prophet Muhammad (a.s.) had branched from were the greatest of all human beings and nonesuch in purity, chastity, loftiness, and perfection among all that Allah has created.

Al-Mawardi says, ‘He (the Prophet) is from a lineage of noble fathers. No one among them is mean, but all of them are leading masters. The nobility of lineage and the purity of birth are from the conditions of prophethood.’[1]

The history of the Prophet’s glorious family is full of virtues and nobilities. This family had undertaken the social services to people, and what increased its honor and high position was the Prophet (a.s.) who had had all virtues of this world.

The Prophet (a.s.) was not the pride of Adnan[2] and the glory of the Hashemites only, but also he was and is the pride, the glory, and the honor of the humanity throughout all the stages of history. It was he who had built the civilization of man and caused springs of knowledge and wisdom to gush out in the earth. Here, we talk in brief about some pillars of this great family:

Hashim

His name was Amr, and he was called Amr ul-Ula (Amr of highness) for his exalted position and high standing. Also, he and his brothers were called “aqdah an-nidhar” meaning “gold”, and called “the protectors” for their generosity, honor, and leadership over the Arabs. As an example on his generosity is that when once Quraysh suffered a terrible famine, Hashim went to Sham, bought quantities of flour and cakes, and brought them to Mecca. He crumbled and sopped bread and cakes and slaughtered a camel. He offered the food to people until they became satiate. Therefore, he was called Hashim.[3] He also was called “Abul Battha’-father of the plain” and “Sayyid al-Battha’-master of the plain”.

He was at the top of honor and loftiness. Historian says that he satisfied the needs of wayfarers, gave rights to their people, protected the frightened, and these are the noblest qualities. When the month of Thul Hajja came, he made a speech before the people of Mecca encouraging them to serve the hajjis who came to the Kaaba. He said,

“O people of Quraysh, you are masters of the Arabs, the best of them in notability, the greatest in reason, and the noblest in lineages.

O people of Quraysh, you are neighbors of the House of Allah. He has honored you with His guardianship and favored you with His neighborhood away from the rest of the offspring of Ishmael. The visitors of Allah come to you to glorify His House and so they are your guests, and the worthiest to entertain the guests of Allah are you. Entertain His guests and the visitors of His House! By the Lord of this Building, if I had money enough for that, I would not ask you to that. I will take out of my lawful property, which no kinship has been deserted in, not been obtained by oppression, and not included any unlawful bit. Let whoever of you, who likes to do that, do that. I ask you by the sanctity of this House that let no anyone of you spend from his property on the entertainment of the visitors of the House of Allah except lawful money that has not been obtained wrongfully, and no kinship has been deserted by it, and has not been obtained by force.”[4]

This speech shows Hashim’s deep faith in Allah and his precaution in avoiding properties that are taken wrongfully. When Allah chose him to His neighborhood (made him die), he died while with a calm soul, pure, and unpolluted with the sins of the pre-Islamic era.

Abdul Muttalib

From the pillars of honor and pride of the Arabs was the noble master Abdul Muttalib. He was one of the noblest young men in his youth, and in his old age was the most notable one; therefore, he was called “Shaybatul Hamd-the old man of praise” because of the people’s much praise and gratefulness to him”.[5]

Abdul Muttalib’s faith

Abdul Muttalib was on the religion of his great grandfather Abraham (a.s.). He did not worship an idol, but he worshipped Allah the Almighty. The Prophet (a.s.) said, ‘Abdul Muttalib did not gamble, nor did he worship idols or eat from what was slain for idols. He often said: I am on the religion of my father Abraham”.[6]

Surely, he had deep faith in Allah that some sayings and too much poetry were transmitted from him showing his true faith. He said, “No unjust one leaves this life until he will be avenged on and afflicted with punishment.” He also said, “By Allah, behind (after) this house (life) there is a house where a good doer is rewarded for his good doing and a bad doer is punished for his bad doing.”[7]

These verses are ascribed to him,

“All people blame the time,

whereas our time has no defect except us.

We blame our time but the defect is in us,

And if the time can speak,

It will dispraise us.

A wolf does not eat a wolf’s flesh,

While we eat each other openly.”[8]

Entrusting the hospitality of the pilgrims to him

The hospitality and the watering of the pilgrims, who came to the Kaaba, were entrusted to Abdul Muttalib and he suffered too much in gathering water. He gathered it from rain and other sources and put it into leather basins to offer it generously to the pilgrims of Allah’s House.

It is very odd that the orientalist (Margolios) says, “Abdul Muttalib sold water to pilgrims and got great profits from that...”

Lutfi Jum’ah refutes him saying, “It is clear that Margolios compares the matter to some countries of Western Europe where generosity has no value except in rare cases. So, he cannot imagine that someone may offer his properties liberally except rarely. In most of Europe, no one can have a sip of water with no price, and the same is said about food. Margolios’s mind cannot imagine that Abdul Muttalib carried water and offered dates and raisins for the pilgrims as a means of approaching Allah the Almighty and entertaining the pilgrims…”[9]

Restoring the well of Zamzam

From the famous charismata of Abdul Muttalib in history, was his restoring of Zamzam Well after it had been buried for centuries, and the people of Mecca did not know its place. Abdul Muttalib uncovered it and refreshed life for the inhabitants of Mecca after they were suffering the bitterness of thirst.

Some historians say that the reason of the disappearance of Zamzam Well was that Mudhadh bin Amr al-Jurhumi, who lived about three hundred years before Abdul Muttalib, had involved in a war with his enemies that led to his defeat. He was certain that his enemies would drive him away from Mecca; therefore, he thought of depriving them of water. He hid his precious properties and gold in the well and buried the well and covered all its signs, and then he fled to Yemen. Sands accumulated over the well until it disappeared. The inhabitants of Mecca were obliged to dig many wells in the valleys of Mecca. Abdu Shams dug a well called Tuwa. Hashim dug a well and called it Bathr, and he allowed people to make use of it freely. Umayya dug a well and called it al-Hafr, but he monopolized it for himself. And the tribes of Mecca dug wells for themselves.[10]

However, Yaqut al-Hamawi, the historian, says that rains flooded the well of Zamzam and no one could find its place.[11]

Abdul Muttalib’s vision

Abdul Muttalib suffered too much in gathering water to offer it to the guests of Allah. Mecca faced a rainless year, and that was too heavy for Abdul Muttalib who felt pain for the pilgrims that they might be affected by the shortage of water. While he was in bed, he heard in sleep that someone ordered him to dig Tayyibah, or Barrah, or al-Madhmunah (names of wells). He saw the vision for three nights, but he was worried to reveal his vision that Harb bin Umayya and the men of Makhzoom might mock at him. Once again, the caller (in sleep) ordered him to re-dig the well of Zamzam and defined to him its place. Abdul Muttalib remembered that it was the very well that was at the time of his grandfather Abraham (a.s.). He carried out what the caller had ordered him (in the dream) to do. He took with him his son al-Harith, and they both made great efforts to remove the sands accumulated on the well. While digging, he found two gold gazelles, swords, and precious armors that belonged to Mudhadh al-Jurhami who had hid them in the well before his fleeing to Yemen. This news spread among the people of Quraysh. Some of them rose to ask Abdul Muttalib to let them have shares in that treasure, but some others said it was to be Abdul Muttalib’s. There was a dispute between the two parties, but Abdul Muttalib settled the arguments by determining to spend the treasure on the Kaaba and thus he was admired and glorified by the people of Quraysh.

After no long, water began gushing out and it flowed over the land to enliven Mecca, water its thirsty inhabitants, and refresh the economic life there. The news spread here and there like light, and all people; men and women, old and young, hurried to see that great achievement while Abdul Muttalib’s soul was full of joy and delight for that great conquest that provided the pilgrims of the Kaaba and the inhabitants of Mecca with the essence of life. His mention was raised high and all people everywhere praised his favor.

Abdul Muttalib’s vow

Abdul Muttalib met difficulties when searching for the well of Zamzam, the bitterest of which was the mocking of Quraysh at him and then their dispute with him on the treasure that he found. He felt that that was because of his weakness and the little children he had. Therefore, he vowed to Allah that if he would have ten children and when they would be adults, he would slaughter one of them at the Kaaba for the sake of Allah as his grandfather Abraham (a.s.) had done when he had finished building the Kaaba. And indeed, Allah endowed him with ten males; al-Harith, az-Zubayr, Hajl, Dhirar, al-Muqawwam, Abu Lahab, al-Abbas, Hamza, Abu Talib, and Abdullah, and some females; Safiyyah, Wabrah, Aatikah, Umm Hakeem, (Ajbahah), and Arwa.

Abdul Muttalib’s wish came true and he had ten males. Then, he had to fulfill his vow. He gathered his sons and told them about his vow. They all submitted and showed their obedience to their father. He chose by lot and it was Abdullah, the Prophet’s father and the most beloved to his father, who was to be slaughtered. Abdul Muttalib took Abdullah to the Kaaba to slaughter him there. The people of Quraysh hasten to him saying, “By Allah, you should not slaughter him. O Abul Harith, if you do, it shall be a custom followed by your people, and every man will bring his son to slaughter him here.”[12]

Abdul Muttalib said, “I have promised my Lord and I will fulfill what I have promised Him…”

Some other men tried to convince him to change his determination. They asked him to go to a diviner in Khaybar and to do whatever the diviner would tell him. Abdul Muttalib responded to them and went to the diviner. The diviner asked, “How much is the blood money among you?”

Abdul Muttalib said, “Ten camels (for a man).”

The diviner said, “Go back to your country and then offer a sacrifice for your man (Abdullah). Offer ten camels and draw lots on him and on the camels. If the lots fall on your man, then add other ten camels, and so on until your Lord will be pleased. When the lots fall on the camels, then you slaughter them and so your Lord will be pleased and your man will be saved…”

Abdul Muttalib went back to Mecca. He draws the lots on his son and camels, and in the tenth time the lots fell on the camels. People glorified Allah and cried out, “O Abdul Muttalib, your Lord is pleased.” Abdul Muttalib ordered one hundred camels to be slaughtered between the Safa and the Marwa,[13] and ordered a caller to call the people of Mecca to come to take some meat and they hurried from everywhere.[14]

Abdullah was saved from slaughter as his grandfather Ishmael had been saved before.

His care for the Prophet

Prophet Muhammad (a.s.) was born at the time of his grandfather Abdul Muttalib. His father and mother died and he was adopted by his grandfather who looked after him with great love and kindness. The grandfather was certain that his grandson would be an important man in the future. Monks and others told him of that. He himself took much care of him and was too kind and loyal to him. He preferred him to all his sons and other grandsons.

Abdul Muttalib was cautious and worried about his grandson whose mention would fill the world and who would bring to them a great glory and immortal mention until the last day of life…Abdul Muttalib felt that his inevitable end was near, and he recommended his son Abu Talib saying to him,

“O Abu Talib, be a keeper to this lonely one who has not smelt his father’s scent or tasted his mother’s kindness. Be careful to regard him as your liver to your body, for I have left all my children and entrusted him to you. Support him with your tongue, hand, and money, for, by Allah, he will be a master over you and will have what no one of my fathers has had…”

Then he asked Abu Talib, “Do you accept my recommendation?”

Abu Talib said, “Yes, I accept your recommendation and Allah is the witness on that.”

Abdul Muttalib felt relieved from that burden oppressing him, and he said to Abu Talib, “Now, death is made light to me.” Then, he began kissing him (the Prophet) and saying, “I have not seen anyone more scented or more beautiful than you.”

Towards the High Companion

After this recommendation, Abdul Muttalib lived no long and soon he breathed his last. By his death, a bright page of nobility and honor was folded and Mecca was upset by this sad news, because people lost the reformer who was too loving and kind to them…he was escorted to his last abode by great masses and his funerals were so splendid.

It is worth mentioning that the Prophet (a.s.) was eight years old when his grandfather Abdul Muttalib died.[15] The Prophet (a.s.) was brought up in this family that had inherited nobility, honor, and magnanimity, and were accustomed to goodness, kindness, and charity.