09. ISLAM & AWWALEEN MUSALMAAN [The first believers]

The mission begins 

Muhammad ( ﷺ)accepted his duties as Prophet and Messenger with resolute obedience. He answered his Lord’s call by inviting members of his household to worship Allah in keeping with His commandments. They were to be Muslims, those who had surrendered to Allah, and their religion was Islam, the religion of peace. However, the Prophet’s compatriots were a rough people accustomed to settling their disputes with swords. They clung to idol worship because it had been the practice of their ancestors who had strayed far from pure the monotheism of Ibraheem (علیہ السلام) and Isma’eel( علیہ السلام). Sensing their antagonism, The Prophet ( ﷺ)began to quietly teach those closest to him, those whose hearts he felt would be open to the truth.

The first believers:

 Khadeejah ( رضی اللہ عنہا)was the first person who believed that the husband had been chosen as Allah’s Messenger and Prophet( ﷺ),. As his wife, she knew more than anyone else did that Muhammad ( ﷺ) was no ordinary man: his sublime character and innate morality set him apart from those he lived among. She had also heard about Allah’s final prophet ( ﷺ), who was yet to appear. She had also heard about some of the strange and miraculous events that others had witnessed concerning Muhammad( ﷺ) . Furthermore, she had heard Waraqa say that the angel who had come to the cave of Hira was none other than Jibreel( علیہ السلام) , and that this angel had brought Muhammad ( ﷺ )a revelation from Allah. Lastly, she was present at the moment Surah Al-Muddaththir was revealed. It was therefore only natural that she was the first to believe in Muhammad ( ﷺ)and his appointment as Allah’s final Messenger.

Abur Bakr ( رضی اللہ عنہ) was also among the first people to become Muslim. When the verses of Surah Al-Muddaththir were revealed, the Prophet ( ﷺ), went to Abu Bakr( رضی اللہ عنہ), who was a leading Makkan trader and a prominent figure in his own right, and told him what had happened. Two years younger than the Prophet( ﷺ) , he was thoroughly familiar with his friend’s character and the reputation he enjoyed in the community for truthfulness. Abu Bakr( رضی اللہ عنہ) did not doubt Muhammad’s declaration of his Prophethood, just as he did not refuse his invitation to Islam. With his declaration of faith, he became one of the first Muslims.

Ali bin Abu Talib ( رضی اللہ عنہ)was only a child when the Prophet’s( ﷺ),  mission began, and some sources indicate that he was ten years old when he became Muslim. He was living under the Prophet’s guardianship since his father, Abu Talib, was unable to provide for all his children, Muhammad ( ﷺ) was like a second father to the boy, who believed without a doubt that his guardian was indeed a prophet( ﷺ), and that he had brought the truth.

Among the first to accept the faith was also the Prophet’s ( ﷺ), freedman, Zayd bin Muhammad, but following the prohibition of giving adopted children the names of their foster parents, he was referred to by his actual name as mentioned above. Notwithstanding the change of name, Zayd’s love for the Prophet( ﷺ),  was deep and the bond between the two was enduring.

These four (Khadeejah( رضی اللہ عنہا), Abu Bakr, Ali and Zayd( رضی اللہ عنہما) ) accepted Islam the same day the opening verses of Surah Al-Muddaththir were revealed. Some sources hold that they accepted Islam in the same order as given above.

Life changed for the new Muslims who desired to reform the religious practice of their families and friends. After his conversion, Abu Bakr( رضی اللہ عنہ) began to encourage others to abandon idol worship and follow Allah’s Messenger. A well-respected merchant, known for his generosity and intelligence, Abu Bakr( رضی اللہ عنہ) was the foremost authority on Arab genealogy. His reputation and his character ensured that people gravitated to him, and if he deemed a person was sincere in finding the truth, he would talk to him about his new faith. Many people were interested in what he told them about Islam, and they went with him to the Prophet( ﷺ),  . Among those who became Muslim in this way were Uthman bin Affan Umwi, Zubayr bin Awwam Asadi, Abdul Rahman bin Auf Zuhri, Sa’d bin Abi Waqqas Zuhri and Talha bin Ubaydullah Tayim.

Many others from the Quraysh later became Muslims: Abu Ubaydah Amir bin Jarrah; Abu Salamah bin Abdul Asad and his wife, Umm Salamah; Arqam bin Al-Arqam; Uthman bin Madh’un and his brothers Qadam bin Madh’un and Abdullah bin Madh’un; Ubaydah bin Harith bin Muttalib bin Abdu Munaf; Sa’eed bin Zayd bin Amr bin Nafil and his wife (the sister of Umar), Fatimah bint Khattab; Khabbab bin Aratt, Ja’far bin Abi Talib and his wife, Asmaa bint Umays; Khalid bin Sa’eed bin As and his wife, Amina bint Khalaf, his brother, Amr bin Sa’eed bin As; Hatib bin Harith, his wife, Fakiha bint Yasir, and his other brother, Muammar bin Harith; Muttalib bin Azhar and his wife, Ramla bint Auf; and Na’im bin Abdullah bin Naham.

More believers came from other tribes to embrace Islam: Abdullah bin Mas’ood Hadhli; Mas’ood bin Rabi’a Qari; Abdullah bin Jahsh and his brother, Abu Ahad bin Jahsh; Suhayb bin Sinan Rumi; Ammar bin Yasir Ansi and his parents, Yasir and Sumayya; and Amir bin Fuhayrah.

Umm Ayman Barakah, the Prophet’s father’s Abyssinian slave who had looked after the Prophet ( ﷺ), during his childhood, also became Muslim, as did Ummul Fadal Lababatul Kubra bint Harith Hilalya, and Asmaa bint Abu Bakr Siddeeq.

These and others who embraced Islam in the early days of Islam are called the “Earliest Believers.” Scholars put their number at 130, but the exact time of their declaration of faith cannot be determined. Such a list includes those Companions also who embraced Islam after the Prophet ( ﷺ), began preaching his message openly.

Dar Al-Arqam:

 First, the Prophet ( ﷺ), began using the house of Arqam bin Abi Al-Arqam as a secret centre for prayer, preaching, education and training. Arqam’s house was ideally located at the foot of Mount Safa, only a short walk away from the Ka’bah and its bustling crowds. The pagans who lived in the area, therefore, did not take notice of the many people who gathered in Arqam’s house.

The Prophet ( ﷺ), would meet his Companions there and recite verses of the Qur’an to them which they would then memorise. These arrangements allowed the early Muslims to learn the essential tenets of Islam and perform prayers in secret without incurring the wrath of their neighbours or other family members who had not converted.

As for the Prophet( ﷺ),  , he continued to perform his prayers in the open for all to see. In the face of persecution, insults, and harrassment, he kept preaching the message of Islam to everyone he met. It was the wisdom and mercy of Allah that the Prophet ( ﷺ), never refrained from carrying on with his mission, even under extremely adverse conditons. Because of his efforts, no soul will be able to argue on the Day of Judgment that Allah did not send a messenger to warn those who were astray and to show them the straight path.

REFERENCE:

BOOK: WHEN THE MOON SPLIT FINAL.

Compiled by Safiur Rahman Mubarakpuri

Edited and Translated by Tabassum Siraj – Michael Richardson Badr Azimabadi