The battle of Fajar

When Muhammad was twenty years old, a battle broke out at the Fair of ‘Okaz in the month of Dhul Qa’dah. The warring tribes were Quraysh and Kinana on one side and the Qays Ghilan on the other. The fighting was fierce, and several people on both sides were killed

At last they made peace on condition that whichever side had suffered the most casualties would get blood money (recompense for unlawful killing). This battle was the fourth and most deadly in a series of skirmishes that had erupted each of the previous years. It would, however, be the last. It came to be known as the Battle of Fajar (Arabic for immorality) as it took place in a sacred month when fighting was prohibited and violated the sanctity of a sacred month with bloodshed. As a member of the Quraysh, Muhammad was also present in the battle. His role was to collect the enemy’s arrows and hand them over to his uncles.

Hilf Al-Fudool:

In the wake of the Battle of Fajar, later that month a covenant was agreed upon among the five tribes of the Quraysh. It was known as Hilf Al-Fudool and its signatories were Banu Hashim, Banu Abdul Muttalib, Banu Asad, Banu Zahra and Banu Taym.

The covenant was born in response to a shameful denial of justice to a stranger. A man came from Zabid to sell his merchandise in Makkah. A local resident by the name of Aas ibn Wayel took all of the stranger’s goods, but refused to pay for them. The helpless stranger approached the people of Banu Abdul Dar, Banu Makhzoom, Banu Jamah, Banu Sham and Banu Adiy, all of whom ignored his cry for redress. In desperation, he climbed atop a hill called Jabal Abu Qays and informed everyone of how all his goods had been stolen. Then he implored his listeners to come forward to help him. His plea was answered by Zubayr bin Abdul Muttalib, who volunteered to help the unfortunate stranger.

Zubayr called on representatives of all the clans to assemble in the house of Abdullah bin Jad’an of Banu Taym. At this assembly, the tribal leaders agreed that henceforth they would stand up for anyone who had suffered injustice, regardless of his tribal affiliation. Then they forced Aas bin Wayel to return the merchandise he had taken.

Muhammad was also present with his uncles during the institution of the covenant, which he regarded as an honourable pact. Long after Allah had made him a Prophet, he was to declare: “I was present when a covenant was agreed upon in the house of Abdullah bin Jad’an, and I would not accept even a red camel in lieu of it. Had I been asked to uphold it even in the days of Islam, I would have agreed.”

Dispute over the Black Stone:

When Muhammad was thirty-five years old, a devastating flood damaged the Ka’bah. The walls of the Ka’bah had been weakened by a fire earlier, and the flood caused additional cracks to form. The structure revered by the Quraysh was in danger of collapse. Seeing their house of worship under threat of ruin, the Quraysh decided to rebuild the Ka’bah. They resolved not to taint the project with resources gained through usury, prostitution, or larceny.

As the walls of the Ka’bah had to be torn down before they could be rebuilt, the Quraysh feared Allah would punish anyone who raised his hand against the Sacred House. Waleed bin Mugheera was the first to approach the Ka’bah. Declaring, “Allah will not destroy reformers,” he began to dismantle the walls of the Ka’bah. When others saw that he had done so untouched by divine wrath, they joined in the work. They demolished the Ka’bah down to the original foundation laid by Ibraheem (Abraham).

Then the construction started with each tribe being allocated specific duties. The nobles among them carried pieces of stone and piled them up in one place. Muhammad and his uncle Abbas were among those carrying stones.

A Roman mason named Baqoom reconstructed the walls. However, the tribes were unable to collect enough money to rebuild the Ka’bah completely, so a small wall was built showing the boundaries of the original foundation laid by Ibraheem This small wall enclosed an area of about six cubits on the northern side of the Ka’bah and is called Hijr Isma’eel.

When the wall was completed up to the spot where the Black Stone (Al-Hajr Al-Aswad) was located, a dispute arose. Each chieftain claimed the honour of putting the Black Stone in place. The crisis continued for four or five days, and bloodshed was imminent. At that time, Abu Umayya – the oldest among them – found a solution to the problem. He suggested that the next man who entered the gate of the Ka’bah should be given the authority to settle the dispute. Everyone agreed to this suggestion, and it was by the will of Allah that the next man to enter the gate was Muhammad .

“It’s Muhammad,” they said as soon as they saw him coming. “Since he is trustworthy, we all agree to abide by his decision.” When Muhammad learned the details of the dispute, he asked them to bring him a sheet. He then took the Black Stone, and placing it on the sheet, asked each clan to take hold of an edge of the sheet and lift it in unison. When the Black Stone was lifted up by the tribal chieftains, Muhammad pushed it into place with his own hands. Everyone was satisfied with Muhammad’s decision, and a great conflict was averted.

The Black Stone rests about one and a half meters above the ground, with the Ka’bah door about half a meter above the Black Stone, The Quraysh did not lower the position of the door because they did not want anyone to enter the Ka’bah without their permission. They also doubled the height of the walls from nine to eighteen cubits, added a roof (fifteen cubits in height), and six pillars in two rows inside the Ka’bah to support it.

REFERENCE:

BOOK: WHEN THE MOON SPLIT FINAL.

Compiled by Safiur Rahman Mubarakpuri

Edited and Translated by Tabassum Siraj – Michael Richardson Badr Azimabadi