The Last Prophet of Allah
by Ghulam Nabi Muslim
Early Muslims
Muhammad began to preach his religion, Islam, with great zeal. Islam is a very simple religion. Even a young boy or a girl can understand it easily. It teaches that there is only one God and Muhammad is His Prophet.
لَآاِلٰہَ اِلَّااللّٰھُ مُحَمَّدٌرَّسُوْلُ اللّٰھِ
“La ilaha ill al laho Muhammad ur rasul ullah.”
This is our creed which means,
“There is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.”
Islam says that the worship of idols is bad. We should worship none but Allah. We should love all men, help the poor, give alms and tend the sick. We should respect women. We must not gamble or drink liquor. In short, submission to Allah, seeking His mercy and peace, and showing kindness towards mankind is the essence of our faith.
Muhammad had never told a lie before becoming a prophet. He was noted for his honesty, integrity and piety. When his eight-year-old cousin Ali heard of the new faith of Muhammad, he joined him. The same day, the Prophet went to his bosom friend Abu Bakr, best known as Siddiq (the most truthful) and invited him to Islam. He at once embraced the new religion. Then Zaid bin (son of) Haris, his freed slave, also became a Muslim (follower of Islam).
Abu Bakr was a very pious and wise man. He was a rich trader of Mecca. The people of the city respected him. They often took their cases to him for decision. He helped the Prophet by preaching Islam. Through him many noble Meccans such as Usman, Zubair, Abdur Rahman bin Auf, Talha, Saad bin Abi Waqqas and others entered the fold of Islam. They were followed by Abu Ubaida, Abdul Asad, Usman bin Mazun, Amir bin Fahira, Abu Huzaifa bin Utba, Saib bin Usman and Arqum. Some of the slaves and poor men like Bilal, Yasir, his wife Sumiyya, and his son Imar, Khubab, etc. also became Muslims. Many notable ladies, namely the Prophet’s aunt Um-mul-Fazl, Asma bint (daughter of) Umais, Asma bint Abu Bakr, and Fatima, sister of Umar the Great followed the Prophet. By and by the number of the Muslims increased. They gave up idol-worship and prayed to the only God, Allah. They loved one another and became brethren in Islam, dearer than blood brothers.
Most of the Arabs and the people of Mecca, however, did not accept the new faith. They continued to worship their idols. They did not give up gambling, drinking and fighting with one another. As usual, they treated their slaves and women badly. When the Muslims increased in number, the people of Mecca began to torture them. They tied their hands and feet with strings, dragged them in the streets, and threw them on burning sand. They were given nothing to eat and drink and many of them died. But their faith in Islam was firm and they would not give it up even to save their lives. Sumiyya, a woman, was the first Muslima to be slain in the way of Allah. The Muslim slaves had to suffer the most. Bilal was a Negro slave. He turned Muslim, but his master was yet an enemy of Islam. Bilal was made to lie on burning sand and a heavy stone was placed on his chest. But Bilal wouldn’t give up Islam. At last, Hazrat Abu Bakr took pity on him, bought him from his master and set him free. Abu Bakr was rich and generous. He bought many other Muslim slaves and freed them, too.
The Muslims suffered much at the hands of the Quraish of Mecca. At last, the Prophet allowed them to leave Mecca, go to Habash (Ethiopia) and live there in peace. But the Quraish sent their men to bring the Muslims back. They went to the court of Najashi (Negus), the Negro king of Habash and asked him to turn the Muslims out of his country. But he was a kind and just ruler. He sent for the Muslims and asked them about the teachings of their religion. Then Hazrat Jafar bin Abu Talib, a cousin of the Prophet, stood up and said,
“O King, we were an ignorant people. We worshipped idols. We used to eat dead animals. We did all kinds of evil deeds. We were not faithful to our relations and treated our neighbours badly. The strong among us looted and troubled the weak. Then God sent His Prophet. He was born of a noble family. He is very pious, honest and good. He told us that there is only One God. He asked us to give up idol-worship. He asked us not to tell a lie or take the property of the orphans and not to blame chaste and pious ladies. He asked us not to kill one another. So, we accepted his call. At this our people turned against us and tortured us. So, we had to leave our homes, relations and native land and come to your country for peace and safety.”
Najashi was awise king He allowed them to live peacefully in his kingdom and sent away the Meccans.
The Meccans were put to shame. This made them furious all the more. They began to torture the Prophet and his companions more than before. They often threw dust on his head and spread thorns in his way. One day, when he was saying his prayer in the Kaaba an enemy tried to strangulate him with a sheet of cloth. Luckily Abu Bakr saw this. He pushed theman away. Some of the enemies fell upon Abu Bakr and beat him severely. He fell senseless and was carried home by his people.