Onslaughts by the Enemies of Islam
In consideration of
the increasing strength of Muslims, people living in and
around Madinah thought it expedient to accept Islam so that
when the former gained power in the country, they would not be
deprived of the benefits. This is the reason why, although
there was only a year’s difference between the battles of Badr
and Uhud, the number of Muslims going to war in Uhud was
thrice as large as those going to Badr. Some people among the
Jews adopted a policy of conciliation towards the Muslims:
even though they might have harboured hostility within their
hearts, but they did not dare break their covenants with the
Muslims. Many of them even accepted Islam. Expediencies were
considered when Islam was accepted due to perceptions of its
power. Thus, there was a majority of Muslims who were not
sincere to Islam in that period. They were called hypocrites
and they attempted to hurt the Muslims at every stage later
on.
The results of Badr
created worries among the Quraysh and other enemies of
Muslims, such as the Jews. They did not see humiliation only
in their defeat but considered Islam as a serious threat. When
the Muslims migrated, the Quraysh had heaved a sigh of relief.
They had thought that Muslims would lose their sense of
collectivity once they were cut off from their centre and a
strange environment would not be conducive to them. However,
the results of Badr showed that this opinion was far from
reality and that Islam needed more power and force than before
to be uprooted. In view of these concerns, they tried to take
their fight to several fronts.
Plot to kill the Prophet (sws)
The young men of the
Quraysh were extremely frustrated by the large number of their
leaders being killed in the Battle of Badr and they tried
various ways and means to harm the Muslims. Umayyah ibn
Khalaf’s son Safwan convinced ‘Umayr ibn Wahb to go to Madinah
and kill the Prophet (sws). In lieu of this, he would pay all
his debts and take care of his children in the same manner as
he would of his own children. ‘Umayr accepted this condition,
dipped his sword in poison and proceeded towards Madinah. When
he reached the door of the Mosque of the Prophet, ‘Umar (rta)
stopped him. When the Prophet (sws) saw him, he welcomed him
and asked him why he had come. He said that he had come to pay
ransom for one of the prisoners. The Prophet (sws) asked why
the sword was necessary for this task. He answered: “Curse be
upon these swords! They have hardly been of any benefit to us
before.” The Prophet (sws) asked what the value of the
promises made between him and Safwan ibn Umayyah was. ‘Umayr
said that the matter was not known to a third person besides
Safwan and himself. If the Prophet (sws) was referring to
this, he had to be the prophet of God and he would accept
Islam. Safwan waited for the big news in Makkah and the
Prophet (sws) won ‘Umayr’s loyalty.
Battle of Sawiq
When the leadership of
the Quraysh came to Abu Sufyan after all the main leaders had
been killed in Badr, he vowed that he would not bathe until he
had taken revenge. Two months after the Battle of Badr, he
gathered 200 men and left, taking up post a few miles from
Madinah. In the darkness of night he went to the suburbs of
Madinah where mostly Jews lived. He knocked upon the door of
his Jewish friend, Huyy ibn Akhtab
who was the leader of Banu Nadir. The latter did not open his
door for fear of going back on his promise to the Muslims.
Disappointed, Abu Sufyan then went to another leader, Salam
bin Mushkam. He welcomed Abu Sufyan and was hospitable towards
him but refrained from making any open promises of help. When
Abu Sufyan did not get cooperation from the Jews, he did not
find the courage to undertake any big operation. He found a
couple of Muslim farmers working in their fields outside of
Madinah. He destroyed the farms, torched the houses and killed
the farmers. Thus he completed his oath and returned to Makkah.
When the Prophet (sws) found out, he followed him. Fearing his
capture, Abu Sufyan lightened the burden on his camels by
dropping the wheat flour which he had brought for use during
the travels, and ran to Makkah. This mission of the Prophet (sws)
is known as the Battle of Sawiq.
Treachery of Banu Qaynuqa‘
The Prophet (sws) had
signed agreements with the Jews to ensure their neutrality but
since they had previous relations with the Quraysh and were
also sympathetic towards them, they would advise them secretly
not to let Muslims obtain a firm foothold. They also had a
hand in inciting the Quraysh in the Battle of Badr. Their
efforts were focused on causing harm to the Muslims and at the
same time, remaining free from any blame. This is why they did
not make themselves obvious during the Battle of Badr. The
Qur’an gave news of this satanic role of theirs and gave
instructions to cancel the agreements if they were unwilling
to stand by their promises.
They are those with whom thou didst make a
covenant, but they break their covenant every time, and they
have not the fear [of Allah]. If ye gain the mastery over them
in war, disperse with them, those who follow them, that they
may remember. If thou fearest treachery from any group, throw
back [their covenant] to them, [so as to be] on equal terms:
for Allah loveth not the treacherous. (8:56-58)
It seems that the
Prophet (sws) suspected the Banu Qaynuqa‘ of being involved in
the matter of the Battle of Badr. Ibn Ishaq narrates that the
Banu Qaynuqa‘ were the first Jews who broke the covenant
between them and the Prophet (sws). The Prophet (sws) went to
their settlement to remind them of their promise and warned
them to protect themselves from the fate of the Quraysh. He
explained that the prophet who was referred to in their holy
texts was himself. It was their agreement with God that they
would support and accept him. Obviously it was reasonable to
warn the Jews regarding the fate of the Quraysh if they (the
jews) were found to commit an act that was contrary to the
agreement made with the Prophet (sws) and had broken their
covenant with him. However, in answer to the Prophet (sws)’s
speech, the Jews showed arrogance towards him and said: “O
Muhammad! You consider us your subordinates. Do not remain in
any doubt. You were fighting a nation that did not know how to
wage a war. You caused harm to them, but if we ever fight you,
you will find out what real fighters are like.” Their
reference to the Battle of Badr indicated that they had some
expectations from the Quraysh which had not been met and they
saw their own humiliation in the defeat of the Quraysh. The
Prophet (sws) noted their changed stance but ignored it.
Despite this, their hostile attitude did not change. In fact,
when a Muslim woman went to one of the Jewish goldsmiths, the
Jews present there tried to lift her veil. When they were
unsuccessful, they tied one corner of her shawl behind her. As
she tried to get up, her shawl opened. The Jews started to
make fun of her. At this she screamed. A Muslim man, hearing
her, attacked the goldsmith and killed him. The other Jews
went haywire and killed the Muslim. His tribe called other
Muslims. As the Banu Qaynuqa‘ had already committed acts of
treachery against the Muslims, this became an opportunity for
Muslims to act against them. The Prophet (sws) laid siege to
their settlements. After 15 days, they admitted defeat.
‘Abdullah ibn Ubayy, the head of the hypocrites, was eager to
save them. He said: “These are 700 brave men who have kept me
safe from the enmity of every white or black man. I am
concerned about the dangers I face in these times. How can you
have them killed?” At his insistence, the Prophet (sws) spared
their lives but ordered them to leave Madinah. They went to
Syria. After their departure, the Prophet (sws) had the
covenant of neutrality renewed by the remaining two tribes.
Treachery of Ka‘b ibn Ashraf
Ka‘b ibn Ashraf’s
father was from the Banu Tay but his
mother was from the Banu Nadir. Jewish lineage is linked to
the mother, so he was a native Jew and included among the
influential people of the Banu Nadir. When Muslims returned to
Madinah after the end of Badr and he heard that most of the
leaders of the Quraysh had been killed, he could not believe
it. He commented that if indeed, Muhammad (sws) had killed all
those people whose names were constantly mentioned by
‘Abdullah ibn Rawahah and Zayd ibn Harithah, then it would be
better to go underneath the ground than remain upon it,
because these people were the kings of commoners and the elite
of the country. When he found that the news was true, he went
to Makkah, tried to pep up the Quraysh and kept inciting them
to take revenge. He read poems in memory of those killed and
assured their families of his support. Upon his return from
Makkah, he declared enmity to the Prophet (sws) openly. He
recited poetry to ridicule the Prophet (sws) and incited
people against him. According to the history of Ya‘qubi, he
also conspired to kill the Prophet (sws) but his scheme
failed.
He began to recite sordid verses with names of Muslim women.
When sufficient proof had been found of him being an enemy of
Islam, the Prophet (sws) asked his Companions about who could
get rid of the pest. A few persons of the Banu ‘Abd al-Shahal
offered their services. They went to him and brought him out
of his home on some excuse and attacked him thereby killing
him. This took place during the night. When the Jews found out
about this, they were afraid. When the Banu
Nadir came to complain, the Prophet (sws)
related to them all his wrongdoings which they had been unable
to deter him from.
Obviously Ka‘b was not
under the Prophet’s jurisdiction that he could have punished
him himself. He was a member of a tribe that had taken an oath
of non-alliance. Practically, Ka‘b had broken this oath in his
personal capacity, opposed the Muslims openly and created
difficulties for them. His attitude was known to everyone and
the leaders of the Banu Nadir were also aware of this, but it
seems that they had ignored it. Thus, the Prophet (sws) had
this enemy of Islam removed.
Role of the Hypocrites
Just as the idolaters
and Jews are obvious as a group in the life of the Prophet (sws),
the involvement of the hypocrites is also so entangled with
the incidents in his life that no biography is complete
without mentioning their destructive activities. These
hypocrites were apparently supporters of the truth brought by
the Prophet (sws) but practically they disregarded it, kept
themselves away from its requirements and created problems for
the Prophet (sws). They would be counted amongst the Muslims
but they could not be depended upon for support or
companionship due to their specific character.
The seed of discord
had been sown as soon as the Prophet (sws) reached Madinah.
After a long period of bloodletting between the tribes of Aws
and Khazraj, they realized that both were suffering losses due
to their inter-fighting, so it would be in their interest to
create an environment of peace and harmony. This necessitated
that both tribes select a person as their leader and then lead
their lives in unity under his guidance. The person both
tribes agreed upon was ‘Abdullah ibn Ubayy al-Salul who
belonged to Banu al-Habla. As preparations were underway to
make him the leader, the two tribes invited the Prophet (sws)
to Madinah as their leader. As a result of the efforts of
Mus‘ab ibn ‘Umayr, several families accepted Islam and this
change happened so quickly that the matter of the leadership
of ‘Abdullah ibn Ubayy was forgotten. ‘Abdullah ibn Ubayy was
deeply aggrieved by this. He continued to observe the
situation in Madinah closely and when he saw that there were
no chances for him, he converted to Islam reluctantly. The
regret in his heart caused him to nurse a grudge against the
Prophet (sws) and he continued to try to harm him whenever he
could. Due to his influential personality, a large number of
people believed in his opinions and he kept creating discord
within them.
‘Abdullah ibn Ubayy
and his companions considered their own interests in every
matter. They never gave any importance to the collective
interests of Muslims. For them, personal prudence was an
outcome of their own efforts and strategies. They considered
belief in God’s promises and spending their lives with support
from these to be highly dangerous. Thus, they took interest in
the collective matters of Muslims only up to the extent that
it was necessary to keep up appearances for their legitimacy.
It was part of their nature to avoid collective
responsibilities.
Just as a personal
grudge of ‘Abdullah ibn Ubayy had become a cause for
developing a group of hypocrites, similarly, the Jews of
Madinah had vowed to remove Islam from its roots and seeds. To
achieve this, while they carried out other conspiratorial
actions, they infiltrated Muslims through some of their own
people who had apparently converted to Islam. They were helped
in this by the presence of some individuals within the Aws and
Khazraj who had accepted Judaism. These people had no
difficulty in gaining access to the Prophet (sws) and other
Muslims because, according to the Covenant of Madinah, they
had the same rights as the Muslims. When some of them donned
the cloak of Islam, they could be accepted within the special
meetings of the Prophet (sws). They found the opportunity to
demonstrate their evil nature in such a situation. They acted
upon the guidelines they obtained from Jewish scholars and
leaders and not only created doubts about the future of Islam
among people, but also raised objections about the Qur’an and
the prophet hood of the Prophet (sws). This was, in reality,
the enemy group of Muslims which had hidden itself under the
guise of Islam.
These hypocrites came
from within the Jews and even after converting to Islam,
remained loyal to them and acted as their agents. They
fulfilled their wishes and followed their guidance. However,
as Muslims, they had to agree with the latter and participate
in their worship. They attended prayers per force, more for
the sake of showing off than really remembering God. When, in
some collective matters, they supported Muslims they then ran
to their masters and offered excuses and gave reassurances of
their loyalty. They could not imagine cutting off their
friendship with enemies of Islam for the sake of Islam. They
would constantly assure them that they had not forsaken them
and would soon return to them when the situation was more
conducive. When Muslims questioned them about some issue, they
would say that they wanted peace and harmony among various
groups and wished to bridge the divide between the two
parties. The Qur’an clarified that this was an effort to
retain the ancient customs of the jahiliyyah period which
their society had been involved in. Islam wanted to end the
scourges of anarchy on earth, breaking of blood relationships
and killing of brothers, but these people wanted to hold on to
them.
When a problem
occurred among these people, they would not approach the
Prophet (sws) as other Muslims did so that he could resolve
the issue justly, but would go to the Jewish scholars and
jurists. They were convinced in their hearts that the Prophet
(sws) would be unfair to them while the Jews would be just.
This was despite the fact that Islam had declared denial of
Satan as second only to faith.
Some people, upon
instruction from Jewish leaders, began to play the game of
changing religions. They would first convert to Islam for a
few days and then change back to Judaism, saying that they had
not found in it the truth which other prophets had brought. By
doing so, they wanted to create uncertainty among weaker
Muslims and turn away the Jews who were inclined towards
Islam. The Qur’an warned hypocrites having this approach that
this was akin to apostasy. If all the hypocrites turned away
from Islam in this manner, it would be of no concern to God.
He would select the people who loved Him and this love would
not be based on any expedience. They would not be like the
hypocrites who were very clever in deceiving Muslims but were
acting as puppets in the hands of the idolaters.
The idolaters would
gain satisfaction by adopting the ways in which the Jews
attacked Muslims. For this, they would meet surreptitiously,
weave conspiracies and decide on strategies to implement them.
The Qur’an said about these meetings that they were held to
oppress, rebel and disobey God and His Messenger. These people
could hide from human beings but God could see all deeds of
the traitors and disloyal people. Today, some people spoke in
their defence but tomorrow who would advocate for them in the
court of the all Knowing God?
Instructions to handle the Hypocrites
The psychological or
social problems of all those who demonstrated weakness in
their faith were different. It was essential to protect the
larger community of Muslims from these. Therefore,
instructions were given in the Qur’an accordingly and this
continued until the end of the Madinan phase of the Prophet (sws).
Long sections were
revealed in the Qur’an for the purpose of training the people
whose weak faith became evident in various ways. Each and
every misunderstanding of theirs was removed through these
revelations. They were informed that they had not lost
anything by accepting Islam: rather, they had made themselves
worthy of the everlasting blessings of God. Whatever
sacrifices they would make would raise their status. As far as
trials were concerned, every Muslim must undergo these. It was
against the wisdom of God that the group which was meant to
guide the world towards truth and redemption should remain a
mixture of good and evil forces. It had to differentiate
between its faithful and false individuals so that those who
were loyal became visible and also those who were not worthy
of trust became prominent. The weak Muslims were advised that
they were to stay steadfast on the path shown by God and His
Messenger. They were to hold dear the verses of God and be
wary of those who made every effort to harm them through their
propaganda and conspiracies.
The hypocrites who
were dissatisfied about the future of Islam and wished to keep
intact their relations with the Jews were informed that it was
the policy of God that He gave power to His prophets
ultimately. Defeating the prophets was impossible. Therefore,
befriending the enemies of the Messenger of God was like
guarding a ravaged house. If they became tools in their hands,
they were to remember that it was a sign that Satan had
overpowered them and that they had joined his party, having
forgotten their God. Humiliation would be their destiny. True
faith belonged to those who did not make people who fight God
and His Messenger their confidantes and friends. Even if
fathers, sons, brothers and relatives fought faith, they were
not to give them a place in their hearts. It was only in this
manner that they could claim to be a part of God’s party.
The hypocrites were
informed that their current attitude was exactly according to
polytheism. A polytheist was never loyal to One God. He was
unfaithful to Him and included others in the rights that
belong to Him only. The hypocrites verbally claimed faith in
God and His Messenger, but their vested interests came into
play when they did not meet the demands of faith and were
loyal to others. This is why their fate in the Hereafter would
be the same as that of the idolaters and they would be thrown
into the lower levels of Hell. It was also clarified to them
that they would try to walk side by side with the Faithful
because of their false faith, but the Faithful would possess
the Light because of which they would proceed towards their
grand destination. The hypocrites, on the other hand, would be
deprived of Light and a wall would be created between them and
the loyal Muslims. They would cry out for light and would be
told that their hearts were not with the Muslims; they had
remained mired in the same evils from which God had tried to
pull them out. They had not sided with the Truth but instead,
gave precedence to their vested interests; they longed for
harm and troubles for the faithful. They retained their
relations with both Islam and its enemies but when they were
given some rope, they became active for falsehood. They
assumed that their two faced policy was successful. Satan kept
deluding them that they would be able to protect their
interests through this policy. The result was that the same
hardness which had lain upon the hearts of the Jews also
covered their hearts.
The hypocrites were
told that if they desired to correct themselves, they were to
refrain from opposing God and His Messenger. They were to
avoid gatherings where God and His Messenger were insulted and
the tenets of Islam were ridiculed. They were to adopt the
ways of the Companions and move away from conspiring to create
chaos and anarchy. In gatherings, instead of sin, oppression
and harming other’s rights, they were to focus on positive
works to do good, give in charity and reform the society.
Instead of being puppets in the hands of Jews and idolaters,
they were to fight in the way of God; take part in activities
related to raising the word of God and make the people who
were trying to give wrong advice and were raising objections
unsuccessful. Their current role was absolutely Satanic.
Two opinions about the
hypocrites were found within the Muslims. Some thought that
relations should be maintained with them. They would slowly
become better integrated. Others hated them because of their
actions and believed that if a hard attitude was adopted
towards them they would come to their senses. In the
beginning, the Qur’an advised that too much harshness was not
the solution. It would be better to adopt a moderate and soft
approach. However, those who believed that maintaining
relations with them would help to bring them to the right path
were also not correct. If they remained connected with them,
they were so manipulative that they would convert the innocent
Muslims to their way of thinking. The Qur’an also did not
give permission for much debate about the hypocrites. It asked
that if God disliked their character, why was a group within
the Faithful so eager to give them importance and develop
relations with them? The Qur’an further clarified that no
Muslim should remain under the misconception that the doubtful
faith of the hypocrites was in some measure better than the
complete denial of the idolaters. It said that this was not so
at all. Their character was more harmful for Islam as compared
with clear denial by the idolaters and this is why God had
decided on their destination to be the lower levels of Hell.
The Prophet (sws) was
an extremely kind hearted man who forgave easily. In the
matter of the hypocrites, despite their weaknesses and tricks
having come to light, he did not change his noble attitude
towards them. The Qur’an praised this attitude and said that
it was God’s favour upon the people that such a kind and
sympathetic prophet had been sent towards them. If his
attitude had been hard and rigid, people would have been
afraid of approaching him. The policy of forgiveness for the
hypocrites was also good. He was told to take them into
confidence and ask for their advice so that they would
recognize their importance. In the light of these instructions
and due to the demands of his nature, the Prophet (sws) would
behave with these hypocrites very kindly. Even if he wanted to
highlight a mistake anyone of them had made, he did it very
gently so that the person would not feel humiliated. If he
wanted to identify a mistake, he would not name anyone but
would talk in general about people doing some wrong. Due to
this softness, the hypocrites became more and more
impertinent, thinking that their deceit was bearing fruit.
Therefore, in later stages, instructions were given to change
the policy. The Prophet (sws) was asked to ignore the
activities of the hypocrites but continue to explain the
difference been good and evil and give them guidance so that
they might adopt the approach that would be truly beneficial
to them. If they did not correct themselves, then they would
be punished as they would not have any excuse to save
themselves.
Demand to Muslims living outside Madinah to Migrate
The message of Islam
had reached several tribes living far from Madinah and people
had accepted Islam in large numbers. The number of Muslims
within Madinah was small, and danger for them was increasing.
The Qur’an was giving clear instructions to Muslims to enhance
their strength. The Prophet (sws) sent messages to the tribes
inviting the faithful to migrate to Madinah and become a cause
for this strength. The great sacrifice made thus would benefit
them, both in the beginning and at the end.
Most people obeyed the
Prophet (sws) and the Faithful began to migrate, leaving
behind their families, relatives and property. But the same
order became the cause of much worry for some people. The love
of family, relations or property did not allow them to migrate
without a reasonable excuse. They were not concerned with the
dangers that Islam was facing. They wanted to remain outside
of the collective problems of their religion and thus remain
protected from trials. The Qur’an counted such people among
the hypocrites and advised the really faithful to consider
them to be friends of their enemies until they had migrated
and joined them. If they came to Madinah, this would be proof
of their loyalty and the differentiating tool between who was
true and who was not.
There were some
Muslims who were caught in their own tribes. They wished to
migrate but their tribes prevented them from doing so. Those
Muslims were warned that if they died in that state, the
excuse that they had been prevented from migrating would not
be enough for them. The Qur’an said that if those people asked
for some assistance, it was to be provided. However, if such
people were present within the tribes with whom covenants had
been signed, they were not worthy of such help. Matters could
be sorted out only within the confines of the treaties with
them.
(Translated by Nikhat Sattar)
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