Notes of 3rd Seera class taught by teacher Yumna

Dated: October 4, 2013

Sirrat of Prophet Muhammed (PBUH)

The Lesson's main points:

1- The circumstances of the prophet's (PBUH) birth.

(Pages 71-74)

2-The year of elephant.

In spite of his noble lineage,however,Muhammed(PBUH) did not have great wealth. It was this lack of wealth combined with his nobility which enabled him to acquire the best traits of all classes of people. The sons of noble families are led by their wealth to become haughty.

Abdul Muttalib was the chief of Mecca. However, this chiefdom which he inherited ended with him and wasn't passed on to his descendents.

There is a very important and beautiful meaning around that. Some scholars said as if there are some people in the prophet's life who have roles to be done and they are here in our world just to carry on this role. For example, his family was very known and had the control of Mecca till his uncle Abou Tallib the one who raised him after the death of his grand father, Abdul Muttalib. As if the honor of the family is only given to this family from its beginning to let Abou Tallib help his nephew in the beginning of Islam. Abdullah and Aminah, the prophet's parents their lives ended just after being born and his mother died while he (PBUH) was a child, as if they were in life to be the reason of the prophet's birth and to left for him an honorable memory of their kindness and honor. While the example of the one we will meet after that who is Waraqa Ibn Nawfal, the one who told the prophet that the angel he saw in cave of Hirra in Ramadan is Jibril, and he comes from Allah to tell him that he is a prophet. This man's story is very strange. He pursued every detail in his life to reach the true religion and he was Christian. He tried to know who is the last prophet that Jesus the Christ (PBUH) told about? , and while his searching, he found the prophet (PBUH) and after three days of his explanation of what happened with him, Waraqa died. As if his role is only to know the prophet and told him about Jibril.

Abdul Muttalib received the news of his grandson's birth with joy. May be it compensated him for his son who had died in the prime of his life and so he turned his affection from the past to the newcomer and showed pride and concern in him. It was amazing that he should inspire to name his grandson Muhammad (PBUH), a name probably inspired by a noble angel! The Arabs heard this name for the first time and they asked the grandfather why he did not choose the name of one of his ancestors.

He replied "I wanted Allah to praise him in the heavens and mankind to praise him on earth". This wish was a perception of the future , for no one of Allah's creation is so deserving of the sentiments of thanks and praise for what he accomplished as much as the Arab Prophet, Muhammad (PBUH)

Abu Hurariah narrated that the prophet (PBUH) said:

"Do you not wonder at how Allah diverts from me the curses and the abuses of Quriash? They abuse Mudhammam and I am Muhammad "(PBUH)

However, the harsh reality still remained in spite of the loving grandfather's attention.Muhammed (PBUH) was an orphan, born after his father had left this world. If we supposed that for his son? Could he have trained him to become a Prophet? Of course not: the father is only one of a number of factors which determine the future of a child. Even if prophethood could be acquired through effort, his father's being alive would not make it more achievable so what about when it is in fact a selection   [made by Allah (PBUH)]?

Abdullah passed away, leaving his son an orphan. Neverthless, this orphan was being prepared from the first moment for a noble task. Father and grandfather, relatives and friends, heavens and earth were nothing but means which Allah utilized to accomplish His decree and to shower His bounty on the one whom He himself fashioned.

But there is a very important event that happened in the year of the prophet's birth but before it. That's the event of the elephant.

  Abrahah, who came from Abyssinia-a country in Africa-conquered Yemen and was made vice-regent there. Later, he noticed that at certain time of the year large numbers of people would travel from all over Yemen and the rest of Arabia to Mecca. He asked the reason for this and was told that they were going on pilgrimage to the Kabbah. Abrahah hated the idea of Mecca being more important than his own country, so he decided to build a church of colored marble, with doors of gold and Ornaments of silver, and ordered the people to visit it instead of the Kabbah. But no one obeyed him.

Abrahah became angry and decided to destroy the Kabbah. He

prepared a large army led by an elephant and set off towards Mecca. When the Meccans heard that he was coming they became very frightened. Abrahah’s army was huge and they could not fight it. But how could they let him destroy the Holy Kabbah? They went to ask the advice of their leader, ’Abd al-Muttalib. When Abrahah arrived outside Mecca, ’Abd al-Muttalib went to meet him. Abrahah said, ’What do you want?’

Abrahah had taken Abd al-Muttalib’s camels, which he had found grazing as he entered Mecca, so .Abd al-Muttalib replied, ’I want my camels back.’ Abrahah was very surprised and said,

’I have come to destroy your Holy Kabbah, the holy place of your fathers, and you ask me about some camels?’ ’Abd al-Muttalib replied calmly, .The camels belong to me; the

Kabbah belongs to Allah and He will protect it.’ Then he left Abrahah and went back to Quraysh and ordered them to leave Mecca and wait for their enemies in the mountains.

In the morning Abrahah prepared to enter the town. He put armor on his elephant and drew up his troops for battle. He intended to destroy the Kabbah and then return to Yemen. At that moment, however, the elephant knelt down and refused to get up, no matter how much the soldiers tried to get it to move by beating it. But when they turned its face in the direction of Yemen it immediately got up and started off. In fact, it did the same in any other direction, but as soon as they pointed it towards Mecca it knelt down again. Suddenly, flocks of birds appeared from over the sea. Each bird carried three stones as small as peas and they dropped them on Abrahah and his

army. The soldiers suddenly fell ill. Even Abrahah was hit by the by the stones and fled in fear with the rest of his army back to Yemen, where he later died. On seeing their enemy flee the Arabs came down from the mountains to the Kabbah and gave thanks to Allah.