Alhassanain(p) Network for Heritage and Islamic Thought

ON THE PATH OF RELIGION

In a class at the Jaffery Primary School of Mombasa, it was time for religious instruction. The subject was: The meaning and benefits of following a religion. This is how the lesson went. Pupil: Teacher: Please, Sir, tell us the meaning of religion.

Religion is a collection of beliefs. It lays down the rules of character, how to deal with your family members as well as with other people. It also teaches us rules concerning money matters. They have been taught to us by the Prophets who were messeners of God, sent for the guidance of Mankind.

May I know what benefit do we get from following a Religion? By following the teachings of true religion, a person becomes happy in this world as well as in the next one.

Please, Sir, tell us what religion teaches us. The teachings of religion mainly consist of:

1. Beliefs: To believe in One God, who created this world, the Sun, the Moon, the Stars, and other planets and everything in them. Because of his kindness, he did not leave humanbeings without guidance. He sent Prophets to guide them to the right path so that they fulfill the duties he has laid down. Those who follow the teachings of the Prophets would be successful and happy in this as well as the next world.

2. Character: Religion teaches us to be good and kind to everyone, to love everyone, to respect parents and teachers, to seek useful knowledge, to protect our rights and thoseofothersandtolivemoderately.

3. Social and Economic Guidance: A perfect religion lays down rules about how to behave and deal with people when they do wrong. It also teaches us rules about money matters, how one should earn one's living, how one should take care of the poor and needy relatives, what type of business is allowed.

4. Worship: Religion teaches us that we pray to God and fast, so that by such actions we rememberGodandpurifyourBodyand Mind.

We should obey God only and not follow people. God has created all of us. Therefore he knows better what is good for us. He has laid down a code of life for our benefit. Therefore, it is in our interest to follow it. Pupil:

Teacher:

May I know, Sir, how belief in a religion affects our lives? Belief in Religion not only affects a person's spirit or soul but also his body and action. A person who believes in one God, acts differently from a person who does not believe in God. He who believes in God cannot at any time become proud, because he knows that whatever he has acquired has been given to him by God and God can take it back whenever he wishes.

He does not look down upon other people as he knows that all of them have been created by God in the same way as he was created.

He does not bow down before anyone but God. He knows that everything has been created by God and he provides for all our needs. He alone is worthy of being worshipped. He also believes in life in the next world and always tries to do good and refrains from doing bad. The better his deeds, the better will be his life in the next world.

A person who believes in God does all the good work even if he is not paid for it or appreciated by others. He continues to do good to others. He sacrifices his time, money and energy in serving people for the sake of God, as this pleases God. He does not become selfish.

Thus belief is connected with character and character with actions. They are all connected to Now Sir, can you tell us what would happen if a person did not believe in Religion? A person who does not believe in God and life in the next world does not know who created him, why he was created and what is the purpose of his life. He is like a traveller who is lost and moves around aimlessely.

When such a person falls into trouble, he has no where to look for help. If he wants anything, he has no one from whom he can ask to fulfill his wishes.

A person who believes in religion asks for help from God when he is in difficulties. He asks God to fulfill his wishes. He is sure that God will help him and will grant him his desires if they are good for him. But a person who does not believe in God has no one. A non-believer acts according to his whims. He is most of the time selfish. He is not prepared to help others for he does not expect to get God's reward for his sacrifices for the trouble he takes for others.

His only aim in life is to find happiness for himself at all cost. He does not know what is the purpose of his life. He does not hesitate to tell lies, steal, hurt others and do all sorts of bad things; if these actions will gain something for him. He does not know that God will punish him for his bad deeds in the next world.

A person who believes in religion is afraid of God and will not do bad things. He knows that any difficulty that comes to him in this world is meant to test his faith in God. He, therefore, faces it patiently and prays for God's help. He knows that this will please God and he will be rewarded for it by God in the next world.

The bell rang. It was time for another lesson. When the children went home, they fully realised the need for a religion. Since then, they respected their religious teachings more and more and made every effort to follow them. In so doing they became happier and successful in life.

The Aant Prays For Rains

Once there was a big famine in Palestine. It was during the time of the Prophet Hazrat Sulaiman (King Solomon). He came out with his people and proceeded to an open place in the desert to pray for the rains to come. Suddenly, he saw an ant standing on its two legs, raising it hands up towards the sky and saying, "Oh Allah! We are but very small among all Thy creatures. We cannot survive without Thy grace.

Please bestow upon us Thy sustenance and do not punish us because of the sins of human-beings. Please send down the rains so that trees can grow, farms become green and grains become available and we have our food to eat."

Hazrat Sulaiman knew the language of all Animals. He told his people, "Let us go home. The prayer of this ant is enough." It then rained heavily and all the land became green and productive.

The ant is an intelligent creature. During warm days, it collects and stores grain inside the holes. It knows that during wet and cold months, it would not be able to go out to search for food. For fear that grain may start growing because of wetness, it splits it into two or more pieces. At times, during moonlight nights, it brings the split grains out of the stores for drying and preservation against decay.

The holes under the ground are made very carefully and covered with shelter to prevent the rain water from getting inside the holes. The ant, unlike the other animals, can lift a burden twice its own weight. It is not a selfish creature. When an ant finds some store of food grains, it runs up to its group and takes its fellow ants to that place. It shows everyone of them its own find of the store. They always behave in this manner. They work and live in co-operation with each other.

This shows how the Ant works for the group and how each of them fulfils the needs and livelihood of its fellow-beings. How shame-full it is for a man, who has no regard for another man; who has no concern for his fellow humanbeings who could be starving because of want of food.

Once, while Hazrat Sulaiman was travelling together with hosts of men, jinn and birds, they reached a valley of Ants.

When the chief of these Ants witnessed the pomp and the glory with which Hazrat Sulaiman and his companions were approaching toward it. He warned all the ants to get into their holes lest they got trampled and crushed unknowingly by the approaching men and Jinn. Hazrat Sulaiman smiled at this warning sounded by the ants' chief, and ordered his companions to wait till the ants went inside their holes. "None of us should hurt any ant while passing over their land", he said.

It is said that Hazrat Sulaiman addressed the chief of the Ants and said: "How could my people hurt you or your fellow ants when they are floating through air! Don't you know that I am a messenger of God and would never act unfairly?" The chief of the Ants replied: "O messenger of God! My cautioning the ants was not for any hurt that they would suffer but to prevent them getting astray and forgetting the glory of God after seeing your pomp and show."

There is a deep meaning in this event. It shows that even the most humble and smallest of creatures has been endowed with the necessary wisdom to live safely and avoid being hurt as far as possible. It also shows, how even a small Ant does have the natural understanding of the true position of Allah. It imparts a lesson that one should not forget the true might and glory of Allah when one experiences a great power and dignity of any creature in this world.

Thus an Ant is one of the most wonderful small creatures in this world. Sura 'NAML' (the Ant) in the holy Qur'an is a chapter named after this creature. Over 1300 years ago, Hazrat Ali (A.S.) was giving a sermon in Kufa, in which he was describing the beauties of creation in various forms of life. He was referring to small creatures and asking man to study how God made them so small yet so sturdy and strong. He described the ant in these words:

"Look at an Ant. How tiny is its body and how delicate are its features! It is such a small creature that it often escapes the eye, and few people care to attach any importance to it among the living beings found on this Earth. Look at it and study its ways of life; How it crawls, how it attacks its food; how it lifts a grain so many times heavier than its body, carries it to its hole; How it stores grains; and how in summer, it gathers and stocks food for winter and rainy days." (Nahjul Balagah sermon 185)

Care For The Dumb Animals

A man once came to Hazrat Muhammad (S.A.W.) carrying with him his belongings and a box. He said, "O Prophet! While I was passing through a jungle, I heard the voice of some Bird's babies. I took them and put them in this box. The moment I did that, their mother came fluttering round my head."

And the Prophet said, "Put them down." When the man put the box on the ground, the mother of the young birds joined them. Seeing this, the Prophet asked the man who now had a look of suprise on his face, "Are you surprised by the affection of the mother towards her young? I swear by Him (Almighty Allah) who has sent me, surely, God is more loving to his servants than the mother to these young birds. Return these baby birds to the place from where you took them, and let their mother be with them."

"Fear God with regard to Animals", said the Prophet of Islam, "ride them when they are fit to be ridden, and get off their backs when they are tired; surely, there are rewards for being kind and gentle to dumb animals, and for giving them water to drink."

Islam has taught that, in the eyes of Allah, the dumb Animals also have rights in the same way as man has. They should not be treated badly, tortured or left to starve without food or water.

Imam Ali (A.S.) had some ducks under his care in his house. At the time of his death, he had given particular advice to his sons to take good care of those dumb Animals, or to set them free if it was not possible to look after them properly.

The Holy Qur'an has also guided us by telling us that, in the eyes of God there is no difference between the human world and the animal world.

"And there is no animal that walks upon the earth nor a bird that flies with its two wings but (they are) genera like yourselves; We have not neglected anything in the Book, then to their Lord shall they be gathered." (6:38)

The Prophet of Islam was once performing ablution (Wudhoo) for prayers from a pot of water. A cat passed there and turned its eyes at the pot of water with a thirsty look. The Prophet realised at once that the cat was very thirsty, so he stopped the ablution (Wudhoo) and placed the pot before the cat. Only after the cat had fully quenched its thirst, did the Prophet resume the ablution (Wudhoo).

By this action, the Prophet has shown that quenching the thirst of even a small dumb Animal is a noble act full of virtue and should be given first attention before one prepares for offering prayers to God.

HAZRAT SULAIMAN (SOLOMON) THE KING PROPHET

guidance of mankind, Allah honoured four famous Prophets by revealing to them four Holy Books as Taurat to Hazrat Musa (Moses);

Zaboor (Psalms) To Hazrat Dawood (David);

njeel (Evangel) To Hazrat Isa (Jesus);

Qur'an To Hazrat Muhammad Mustafa (S.A.W.).

The commandments of Allah are contained in these books. The first three books were for the earlier times. The Holy Qur'an is the last book of God and is for the guidance of entire mankind till the day of judgement. Hazrat Dawood eventually became King of his people. He had 19 sons. Each of them hoped to inherit the father's Throne.

Allah revealed to Hazrat Dawood a few questions and their answers and commanded him to put the questions to each one of his sons. Whosoever answered those questions correctly, would inherit the throne of the father, Hazrat Dawood.

One day Hazrat Dawood called all his sons in the presence of the scholars and the chiefs of the tribes of his Kingdom. He then put forward the following questions:-

1. Which thing is closest (nearest) to man?

2. Which is the farthest thing?

3. Which two things are attached to each other?

4. Which is the most awe - creating thing?

5. Which two things remain unchanged?

6. Which two things are always different?

7. Which two things are opposed to each other?

8. What is the action the result of which is good?

9. What is the action the result of which is bad?

The sons of Hazrat Dawood felt helpless and could not answer any of these questions. Then the youngest of the sons, Hazrat. Sulaiman (Solomon) stood up and gave the following answers: -

1. The nearest things to a man is the hereafter (Life and Death - as one may die any moment);

2. The farthest things is the time which has passed away (which is not to come again);

3. The two things that are attached to each other is man's body with the soul;

4. The most awe-creating is the man's body (dead) without soul;

5. The two things which remain the same are the sky and the earth;

6. The two things which are different are the day and night;

7. The two things which are opposed to each other are life and death;

8. The action - the end of which is good - is patience and forebearance at the time of anger;

9. The action - the end of which is bad is Haste at the time of anger.

Hazrat Dawood, obviously, was very much impressed with these correct answers and appointed Hazrat Sulaiman as his successor.

Thus it will be seen that it was the supreme knowledge and understanding that made Hazrat Sulaiman succeed his father and become the Great King Prophet.

HERE COMES AL-AMIN -THE TRUSTWORTHY

It had rained heavily and continuously for a long period, and the water poured down towards the Holy Ka'ba in Masjid-UI Haram, the big mosque in Mecca. The Ka'ba was in the lower section of Mecca. It had become old and collapsed.

So the rebuilding was started. The work progressed well enough until AI-Hajar-UI-Aswad - the Black Stone was to be put back in its place.

Each quarter of the Ka'ba was being built by one leading family of Quraish - the big and prominent tribe of Mecca. Each family of Quraish felt the Honour of placing the Black Stone belonging to it.

The disagreement became deeper, and led to a lot of argument, shouting and abuse. The members of each big family were thinking that a War was going to break out. None of them was willing to change his position. They regarded it as a great insult if they didn't have that special honour of putting the Black Stone back in its place.

One member stood up and said, "I have a suggestion, let us wait till tomorrow and see who enters the Masjid-UI Haram first in the morning; then let him decide." All agreed, since that sounded like a good suggestion.

They anxiously waited next morning to see who was the first to come and enter Ka'ba. Suddenly they heard footsteps heading towards them. It was Muhammad (S.A.W.), the son of Abdulla. Everyone, of course, knew, loved, admired and respected Muhammad (S.A.W.). So with a loud voice, everyone said, "here comes Al- Amin" and the voice echoed through the place over and over again.

He was surprised to hear of that title with which they called him. He was told about what the people of Quraish were fighting for. It was all silent for a while. Everyone thought his family was going to be favoured. Their hearts were beating hard and they were getting anxious and impatient.

Muhammad (S.A.W.) put his robe on the floor, took the sacred Black Stone and put it in the centre of the robe and said. "The chief of each family will take one corner of the robe and lift it together." With that, each understood a marvellous example of justice in sharing the honour. It showed how Muhammad's intelligence far exceeded those around him. It also showed his great capacity to solve difficult problems with such ease.

When the robe with the Black Stone was lifted to a reasonable height, Muhammad (S.A.W.) took the Black Stone and put it in its proper place by his own hands. None felt insulted, and each had his share of the privilage and honour.

This is how Muhammad (S.A.W.) the Prophet of Islam suceeded in uniting the ever-fighting and ignorant Arabs with his honesty, justice and noble character.

Heraclues and Islam

Arabia, during the time of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.), was a country without any central authority. It was a country far from the civilised nations of those days.

At the time Prophet Muhammed (s.a.w.) was spreading Islam; asking people to turn away from worshipping idols to worshipping Allah, the Almighty, the All-Knower, the Master.

The Prophet sent letters of invitation to Kings and Rulers of various countries in the world, inviting them to embrace Islam. Many of the letters were met with a favourable response whilst others were rejected. In many cases, the Messengers of the Prophet were badly treated and abused. But the Prophet was not worried by these setbacks. He was inviting people to the right path and a few setbacks could not deter him from propagating Islam.

Abu Sufyan, a leader of the tribe of Quraish and the arch enemy of the Prophet was in Constantinople on a business trip, when the Prophet's letter of invitation reached Heracleus, the Bazantine emperor of Eastern Roman Empire. Heracleus, at the time was in his court at Constantinople celebrating his victory over the Persians.

Heracleus read the letter through an interpreter and then asked the people in his court, to find out if there was someone in the city who knew the Prophet. Abu Sufyan with his companions was brought into the court. The emperor asked Abu Sufyan, "What kind of family does Muhammad belong to?"

"Noble", replied Abu Sufyan "Has there been a King in his family?" Heracleus asked.

"No," said Abu Sufyan "Are the people who have accepted his religion poor or rich?" Heracleus questioned again. "They are poor", replied Abu Sufyan.

Heracleus was now becoming more and more interested and he went on asking questions. His next question was, "Are his followers on the increase or decrease?" "Increasing", Abu Sufyan replied shortly.

"Have you known him to tell lies?" asked Heracleus.

"No", admitted Abu Sufyan.

"Does he ever go against his convents?" Heracleus once again asked.

"Not so far. But we have to see whether he carries out the new agreement made between us and him", Abu Sufyan answered lengthily for a change.

"Have you ever fought him in wars?" Heracleus questioned.

"Yes", answered Abu Sufyan "What has been the result?" Heracleus asked, getting more and more interested.

"Sometimes we have won, sometimes he", replied Abu Sufyan. "What does he teach?" asked Heracleus "Worship One God, join no partners with Him, carry out your prayers, be chaste, speak the truth and keep union with your relatives" answered Abu Sufyan, even surprised at his own answer as it sounded like he was preaching Islam.

Heracleus, stood up and said, "If all you said is true, then I am sure that this Prophet's Kingdom will reach here where I am standing. I was certain that a Prophet was coming, but I didn't know that he would be born in Arabia. If I were to go there, I would embrace Islam and wash the Prophet's feet with my own hands." This was the way in which the Prophet spread Islam.

He impressed them by his truthfulness, honesty, noble character and dedication in the service of Allah. He did not compel people to accept Islam under threat of waging wars, nor did he compel people to accept Islam by the force of the sword. He fought only in defence, and only when the enemies waged war on him.

JA'FER - AT - TAIYAAR THE REFUGEE WHO BROUGHT ISLAM TO AFRICA

When the Holy Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.) began to preach religion of Islam in Mecca, those who did not believe in him and his message, opposed and troubled him. They called him a lunatic and a sorcerer. They offered bribes to persuade him to stop preaching the religion. When all these ways failed, they used harsh threats against the Prophet and the new Muslim converts.

During all these years, the Holy Prophet enjoyed the protection of his uncle Abu Talib. He always stood by his newphew and did not let anyone harm him. The sons of Abu Talib, one by one, accepted Islam. Hazrat Ali (a.s.) was right, from his childhood, under the care of the Prophet and was the first one to declare his true faith, Islam, when the Prophet proclaimed his prophethood. He always stood by the Prophet firmly and faithfully both in good and difficult times. Among the other sons of Abu Talib (a.s.), Ja'fer also accepted Islam and so did Aqeel, the other son of Abu Talib.

The torture and oppression which the Holy Prophet and the small group of his followers had been subjected to, had increased so much that life became unbearable. The Holy Prophet decided on an action which not only saved the lives of his followers but also spread the message of Islam to other countries. He therefore, decided to send some of his followers to Abyssinia., which was just across the Red Sea, to the south of Mecca.

The Holy Prophet had great faith in Ja'fer the son of Abu Talib (a.s.) and brother of Hazrat Ali (a.s.). The handful of Muslim refugees including men and women under the leadership of Ja'fer crossed the Red Sea. This is known to be the first migration in the history of Islam, which occured in the fifth year after the Prophet had proclaimed Islam in 615 A.D. They were joined by more immigrants who had become the victims of the enemies of Islam. The number of the refugees rose to eighty-two men and eighteen women.

On arrival at the capital of Abyssinia, Ja'fer and his companions paid a visit to the Emperor Negus. The Emperor was very much impressed with the knowledge, behaviour and the politenes of Ja'fer and he received him with much honour and entertained him as a respected guest.

When the non-believers of Quraish in Mecca came to know of this, Abdulla Bin Rabia and Amr Bin 'Aas together with some other people took some expensive gifts and arrived at the court of the Emperor Negus. On entering the court, they prostrated (bowed in sajda) before the Emperor and presented him with the gifts. Then they said, "Someone in our country has invented a new religion and some people have joined him. We tried to stop this, but some of his followers have taken refuge in your country. Now, we appeal to you to throw them out and hand them over to us."

The Emperor replied that he had already given protection to them and would not throw them out of the country, but he would ask them to come there before them. So saying, the Emperor called in the Muslim refugees.

Hazrat Ja'fer took with him some close companions and arrived at the court. But he did not prostrate (bow in sajda) before Negus. People in the court criticised him for this and asked him why he had not bowed down before the Emperor as was customary. Hazrat Ja'fer promptly retorted, "We do not bow down before anybody except God."

The Emperor knew that this was the true and basic teaching of divine religions. He called Ja'fer and gave a respectful place near him. He then informed Ja'fer that some people from his country of origin had come there with a complaint that he had deserted his old religion and started a new one which rejected the original idol-worship. Hazrat Ja'fer in very impressive language, replied:

"O King! We were in deep ignorance and barbarism; we adored idols, we lived in unchastity; we ate dead animals, we disregarded the duties of hospitality and neighbourhood; At that time, God raised among us a man, who is pure, truthful and honest.

He called us to believe in One God and taught us not to associate anything with Him. He forbade us to worship idols, enjoined us to speak the truth, to be faithful to our trusts, to be merciful and to regard the rights of neighbours. He forbade us to speak evil of women. He ordered us to keep away from vices, to offer prayers, to pay alms and to observe the fast"

Negus told Ja'fer to recite some words from the Holy Quran. Ja'fer commenced with Bismillah and proceeded to recite a few lines from Surae Maryam with such sincerity and sweet voice that the Emperor and his people were very much moved and began to weep. When the Emperor heard the verse concerning Hazrat Isa (Jesus), he was very touched and said that the words resembled those which were bestowed upon Hazrat Musa (Moses) and Hazrat Isa (Jasus).

The Emperor rejected the appeal of the Quraish and ordered Amr bin 'Aas to take away the gifts he had brought. Amr bin 'Aas went away but having thought of something, he returned to ihe court the next day. He made a cunning move by suggesting to the Emperor to ask the Muslims as to what their belief was concerning Hazrat Isa? Hazrat Ja'fer was called to the court again and was given a very respectful welcome. The Emperor then asked: "What does your Prophet (Muhammad (s.a.w.)) say about Hazrat Isa (Jesus)?" The Muslims became worried but Hazrat Ja'fer, with great peace of mind, replied: "O King! Our Prophet is guided by God in what he says." Saying this, he proceeded to show an Ayat from the Holy Quran and requested Negus to read it:

"The Messiah (Isa), son of Marium is but a messenger; messengers before him have indeed passed away; and his mother was a truthful woman; they both used to eat food. See how We make the communications clear to them, then behold, how they are turned away." (5:75)

Negus was extremely pleased to learn this and said: "This actually is also there in our book of Injil." He then expelled Amr bin 'Aas and the infidels of Quraish from Abyssinia. From then onwards, Negus had high regard for and faith in Islam.

Thus Ja'fer had done a great service to Islam. He preached the true message of Islam in Abyssinia and stayed there for fifteen years before returning to Medina.

HAZRAT IBRAHIM AND THE IDOL WORSHIP

During the olden times, people everywhere used to carve stones and make idols for worship. These statues were considered as gods, and people bowed and prayed before them. Namrud, the King of Babylonia, was once informed by his astrologers that someone was going to be born who would destroy his kingdom. He would teach people another religious concept: that of worshipping none but only one God.

On hearing that, Namrud gave orders that no woman would conceive, hence no child would be born in his kingdom. If any child was born, it would be killed immediately. The mother of Prophet Hazrat Ibrahim became pregnant. But by the will of Allah, no sign of pregnancy was to be seen. When the time of birth of the child came nearer, she went out of the town and hid in a cave. There, Hazrat Ibrahim was born. She then covered the child with a cloth, closed the mouth of the cave with stones and returned home without the child. She told nobody of what had happened.

The child was alone in the cave with no one to care for him. He was sucking the milk which flowed of his fingers - by the grace of Almighty God. The child grew up under Allah's protection. From time to time, his mother would come secretly to the cave to watch him. This went on for thirteen years. On one occassion when the mother visited the son, he beseeched her to take him out of the cave. The mother warned that he would be killed by the King if he came to know about him. But the child insisted that he be brought out of the cave as 13 years had been a long time.

Thus Hazrat Ibrahim came out of the cave for the first time. It was late In the evening when the sun was setting. When the night grew dark, he saw a star and he said, "Is this my Lord?". But when it set, he said, "I love not the setting ones." Then, when he saw the moon rising, he said.

"Is this my Lord?." But when it set, he said, "If my lord had not guided me, I would have certainly been among the mistaken ones." Then he saw the sun rising and said, "Is this my Lord? Is this the greatest?." But when it also set, he said, "O my peoplel Surely, I am clear of what you set up with Allah. Surely, I have turned myself wholly to the One Who created the heavens and the earth. I am not of the ones who believe and worship anything else other than Allah - the one God."

The people, at that time were not only idol-worshippers but they were also worshipping the stars, the sun, the moon etc. All the time, he was making them realise their error in their choice of 'gods'. He was showing his people what they called a god, did not deserve to be called god and worshipped if it disappeared at times. So Hazrat Ibrahim started preaching the belief of One god and persuading his people not to worship anything else but Allah, the one and only God.

Once, it was the time of annual festival in the town and according to their custom, Namrud, the King, went out of town with all his people to celebrate the day. Hazrat Ibrahim did not accompany them but stayed behind. He went to the temple where all the idols were kept, and broke all of them one by one. He left the biggest idol untouched, but put the axe on its shoulder.

When the King and his people returned they were very angry to see their idols destroyed. He said that he would kill the person who had caused that damage. The people told him that it must be a young man, named Ibrahim who always preached against the worship of idols. He must have destroyed them.

When Hazrat Ibrahim was asked if it was he who broke the idols. He replied, "Why do you not ask the chief (of the idols) who is standing safe. Perhaps he has done it, that is if your idol gods can speak, ask them as to who broke them." Thus Hazrat Ibrahim did not utter a lie denying what he had done. He only wanted the people to first ask their own idols as to who had done it.

Namrud got very angry and asked his people their opinion. Every one suggested that Hazrat Ibrahim be punished by burning him alive in a big fire.

So, Hazrat Ibrahim was jailed, while Namrud ordered that all available firewood in the forest be collected and be heaped up in one open place. When this was done, it was set alight. The fire burnt fiercely and widely for days and days. It had generated so much heat that no bird dared to fly nearby.

At the appointed day on which Hazrat Ibrahim was to be put in the fire and burnt, Namrud with his large army and followers came out to that place to watch. On seeing the huge fire and the intense heat, he began to ponder as to how it would be possible to convey Hazrat Ibrahim into the fire. Suddenly Satan, the devil, came and suggested that a type of a crane be prepared which could be used to hurle Hazrat Ibrahim into the fire. This would cut out the need of any assistance of human hands to do the risky job of delivering the Prophet into the raging fire.

The crane was constructed and Hazrat Ibrahim was lifted and readied to be dumped into the fire. On seeing this tragic happening, the angels in the heaven and all the creatures in the sky became deeply upset. Taking permission from Almighty Allah, one by one, they all came to Hazrat Ibrahim to inquire if they could be of any help to him.

The Prophet said that he was seeking help and protection from none of them. The one from whom he expected help (that is Almighty Allah), was fully aware of the dangerous situation in which he was and would help him if need be.

Just then, the angel, Gibrael came to the Prophet and gave him a ring on which the following was inscribed (written):

"There is no God but Allah" "Mohammed is the Prophet of Allah" "I depend and rely upon Allah" "I submit my affair to the will of Allah" Hazrat Ibrahim put the holy ring on his finger and the grace and blessing of Allah began to be showered upon him. Then came the command from Allah, "O fire! Be nothing but coolness and peace for Ibrahim."

Thus the burning fire instantly lost its heat and no harm came to the Prophet.

It is related that when Prophet Hazrat Ibrahim was being thrown into the fire, the angels in the heaven and the birds in the air cried in protest. One of them, a small weak bird decided to burn itself along with the Prophet. As it was flying towards the fire, the angel Gibrael was sent by Allah to inquire the reason why it was going to commit suicide.

The angel stopped the bird on the ground and asked it to explain its strange action - that of trying to burn itself along with Hazrat Ibrahim. The bird said: "Don't you know that the friend of God is to be burnt in the fire? As it is not within my strength to save him, I am showing my sorrow and sympathy by accompanying him into the fire!"

The angel conveyed this incident to Allah. Then came a command from Allah to tell the bird that it Would be rewarded for its sincere feeling shown for the Prophet. It was asked what it wished to have so that the wish be fulfilled. The bird in reply said: "I do not wish to have anything from this world. All I wish is to constantly remember Allah in prayer. There are a thousand and one names of Allah. I know hardly a hundred names.

I wish to be taught the remaining names." Almighty Allah fulfilled its desire. As it flew from tree to tree, it went on singing the names of Allah, thus remembering Him day and night.

To respect and sympathise with the friends of Allah; to remember Allah constantly in prayer is better than fulfilling worldly desires. This is what the little weak bird has shown to us. These are the acts of virtue which would one day undoubtedly earn great rewards from Allah.

The Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W.) Enters Madina

The camel has, since olden times, proved to be a very useful animal for desert journeys. It has shown to be dependable and sturdy animal for desert transport. The reason is that it has been created with certain special features which are not to be found in any other animal.

It can walk in the hot desert under scorching sun for days and days without feeling tired or thirsty and arrive at the intended destination with his rider - the traveller. Hence the Arabs have named this animal as the 'Ship of the Desert'.

It was this same animal which had fulfilled in excellent manner the task of conveying the Prophet of Islam from Mecca to Medina. It had also served well in the cause of Islam.

The Prophet, tried of the tortures by the disbelieving Quraish, decided to migrate from Mecca to Medina. He had hidden himself in the cave of Thaur to protect himself against the enemies who wanted to kill him.

Hazrat Ali (a.s.) sent three camels with a guide to the cave. The Prophet, mounting one of the camels, left the cave in the dark of the night, destined for Medina. On the way, several miracles took place which showed that God's help was always there to protect the Prophet against the attacks of his enemies.

The distance between Mecca and Medina is about three hundred fifty kilometres. In those days, it used to take eleven days to travel between the two places. But in this instance, the camel carrying the Prophet took only eight days to reach Medina. The Prophet (s.a.w.) travelled at night, resting during the day-time. He was doing so to protect himself against the desert heat as well as to keep away from being seen by the enemies.

On the eight day, the Prophet along with his companions reached a place known as Quba, just two kilometres outside Madina. There he rested for several days, waiting for Hazrat Ali (a.s.) and family members. After their arrival they proceeded to enter the city. On seeing the date trees on the outskirts of the holy city, they felt happy and relieved to have finally come out safe from the tortures of their enemies.

The people of Madina keenly awaited his arrival. Suddenly someone from the top of a hill announced that the Prophet had arrived. On hearing this, the people became wild with extreme joy and recited "Allah-O-Akbar - Allah-O-Akbar" - "God is Great - God is Great".

The Prophet dismounted the camel just outside Madina and sat down under a date tree. People rushed forward to greet and welcome him to their city. He was Ioved by all and everyone was keen to salute him. After the traditional welcome ceremony, the Prophet mounted his camel to enter the holy city. All around, there were expressions of great joy. The children got together and in loud voices chanted the following welcoming poem: -

"TALA-AL BADRU ALAINA MIN THANAYATIL WADAI WAJABAS-SHUKRU ALAINA MA DA'A - LLAHA DAI" "The full moon is shining on us from the area of gardens. We must offer thanks (to Allah) so long as anyone prays before Allah"

"AYYUHAL MAB-UTHU FIINA JE'TA BIL AMRIL MUTAI JE'TA SHAR-RAFTAL MADINA MARHABAN YA KHAIRA DAI"

"O The one sent to us, you have come with commands which we shall obey. You came and graced Madina, we salute and welcome you, 'O' the best caller (towards Allah)"

It was hardly three years since the people of Madina had embraced Islam and had started to worship Allah. The young boys in the city were given a job to eradicate the worship of idols. Wherever they saw an idol, they destroyed it and set fire to it.

One day, the youths came to know that Omar bin Janah, the chief of Barti Salma tribe, had still preserved his idol and worshipped it. In order to impress upon him the uselessness of worshipping an idol made of wood, they removed it from his place and threw it down a pit. The Chief, on tracing the idol to where it was lying, brought it back, washed it and kept it in its original place. But the next day again it was removed and thrown into the pit.

The Chief was very much disturbed at this. For the last time he brought home this idol and cleaned it. He then put his sword around its neck and said to the idol: "If henceforth anybody comes to you, promptly take action and kill him with the sword."

On the next day, the idol was again missing. This time he found it tied to a dead body of a dog. There was no effect at all of the sword which he had tied around the neck of the idol. This incident made him lose faith in his man-made wooden idol. He abandoned the idol-worship altogether. On becoming a Muslim, he uttered a poem as under:

"Alas! O'my idol! If you were my god, you would not have reached this stage and I would not have seen you in the pit along with a dead dog. I have now put my faith in the Almighty Allah, from Whom come all blessings. It is He Who has freed me from darkness of ignorance."

This is one of the examples of how the young Muslim volunteers of Madina helped the Prophet in putting an end to idol worship and spread the true message of Islam.

When the Prophet entered the city amid great rejoicing, every one wanted him to stay at his house. Particularly, the chiefs of all the tribes were keen to have the Prophet as their guest. Everyone insisted but the Prophet ordered: "Let the reins of the camel loose and I shall get down and stay where it stops by itself." The camel went ahead further and further till it stopped at a big open land. It was a place where people used to dry their dates and other farm produce. It knelt there and sat.

The Prophet dismounted and asked the people, whose land it was. They replied that it belonged to two small children by the name of SAHL and SUHAIL. Nearby was the house of ABU AYYUB. ABU AYYUB'S mother came forward and took away the luggage of the Prophet to her house. People again persuaded him to put up in their house but the Prophet asked: "Where is my luggage?" The reply was that the mother of ABU AYYUB had taken them to her house.

And the Prophet said: "One has to go to stay at a place where one's luggage and belonging go to." Some time later, the name of Yathrib was changed to 'Madina-tun-Nabii' i.e. 'the city of the Prophet! He named the people of that city as ANSAR (helpers) and those who had migrated from Mecca as MUHAJIREEN (immigrants). All these people, i.e. the Ansar and the muhajireen got together and united in the common bond of brotherhood of Islam.