The following summary contains the definition of Hijra as it refers to Political Islam and a short history of Medina's (city) full transition to the legal and political Islamic system. It is based on the Islamic foundational texts of the Sira, Hadith and the Koran. The doctrinal quotes make up the second part of this report.
Glossary:
Hijra - Islamic political migration
Political Islam
Umma – Islamic community
Kafir – a non-Muslim
Jihad – Cause / Way of Allah
Mosque
Abstract:
Islamic doctrine divides people into two main ethical categories: the Islamic Community and the Kafirs, who are considered to be less than human and impure.
According to Islamic doctrine, Allah outlined for Mohammed and his followers how to make Islamic expansion successful. It would come through emigrating to a powerful town which could overpower other towns. Then when the Islamic political influence would increase, Islamic organizations as well as a parallel legal system (Sharia) would be established, Islamic taxes collected for expenditures, and the fight, as doctrinally prescribed, would be executed until there would be no Kafir who could reduce the influence of Political Islam. Hijra to Kafir countries can only be political and it's goal is the submission of the Kafir to Political Islam. Hijra is rewarded with paradise.
Koran, 8:74 Those who believed and left their homes and strove for the cause of Allah, and those who took them in and helped them these are the believers in truth. For them is pardon, and a bountiful provision.
Hadith [Muslim 7,84,3189] Abu Huraira reported Allah's Messenger as saying: I have been commanded (to migrate) to a town (Medina) which would overpower other towns. They (the people) call it Yathrib; its correct name is (in fact) Medina. It eliminates (bad) people just as a furnace removes the alloy of iron.
Sira [Ibn Ishak, 313-314] "'Permission is given to those who fight because they have been wronged. God is well able to help them, ‒ those who have been driven out of their houses without right only, because they said God is our Lord. Had not God used some men to keep back others, cloisters and churches and oratories and mosques wherein the name of God is constantly mentioned would have been destroyed. Assuredly God will help those who help Him. God is Almighty. Those who if we make them strong in the land will establish prayer [mosques], pay the poor-tax [Zakat, collecting taxes], enjoin kindness, and forbid iniquity [establish Sharia law]. To God belongs the end of matters.' I The meaning is: 'I have allowed them to fight [Jihad] only because they have been unjustly treated while their sole offence against men has been that they worship God. When they are in the ascendant, they will establish prayer, pay the poor-tax, enjoin kindness, and forbid iniquity, i.e. the prophet and his companions all of them.' Then God sent down to him: 'Fight them so that there be no more seduction' i.e. until no believer is seduced from his religion.' And the religion' is in God's', i.e. Until God alone is worshipped."
I) Why non-Islamic society needs to understand Islamic Migration (Hijra)
Hijra is so important that the Islamic calendar starts with it. Hijra is Islamic migration which emulates Mohammed’s immigration from Mecca to Medina. This specific type of migration is fully based on the Islamic political doctrine. It is a decentralized tactics of non-violent jihad that uses migration from Islamic to Kafir (non-Islamic) territory to expand the ideas as well as influence and power of Political Islam. (1,2)
Hijra brings the political ideology of Mohammed and Allah from Islamic territories and countries to non-Islamic ones. According to the Islamic political doctrine, all the world must submit to Islam since it is a perfect civilizational system, for all people, for all times, and its precepts can never be disputed. One cannot know what is in the hearts of people coming from Islamic countries. However, one can observe, based on the extensive research of the Islamic primary doctrine, that the ideology of Political Islam poses a threat to national security and territorial integrity of non-Islamic countries. It aims to transform the land by variety of violent as well as non-violent means with establishing a political, economic and socio-cultural system which is contradictory to basic human rights and values of host societies. The ultimate goal of Hijra is to turn the non-Islamic countries into Islamic ones.
Koran, 13:41 See they not how We visit the land, reducing it of its outlying parts? (When) Allah doometh there is none that can postpone His doom, and He is swift at reckoning.
Koran 21:44 Nay, but We gave these and their fathers ease until life grew long for them. See they not how we visit the land, reducing it of its outlying parts? Can they then be the victors?
There can be no permanent compromise between the Islamic civilization and the Kafir one, as the ones performing the Hijra are forbidden to assimilate with Kafirs. Allah specifically forbids taking Kafirs as friends. One who befriends a Kafir may gain Kafir status himself, and thus they could be targetted/killed just as Kafirs can be. The other reason is that Islamic doctrine does not allow to make actions which are outside the bounds of it's precepts, except temporarily if Jihad requires it. Furthermore, Islamic migrants are not obliged, in accordance to the same doctrine, to abide by any oath of allegiance sworn to a Kafir country.
Koran 5:51 "O ye who believe! Take not the Jews and Christians for friends. They are friends one to another. He among you who taketh them for friends is (one) of them. Lo! Allah guideth not wrongdoing folk."
Koran 33:36 And it becometh not a believing man or a believing woman, when Allah and His messenger have decided and affair (for them), that they should (after that) claim any say in their affair; and whoso is rebellious to Allah and His messenger, he verily goeth astray in error manifest.
Koran, 9:1-2 Freedom from obligation (is proclaimed) from Allah and His messenger toward those of the idolaters with whom ye made a treaty: Travel freely in the land four months, and know that ye cannot escape Allah and that Allah will confound the disbelievers (in His guidance).
Hadith [Bukhari 3,34,364] Narrated 'Aisha: Allah's Apostle came to me and I told him about the slave-girl (Buraira) Allah's Apostle said, "Buy and manumit her, for the Wala is for the one who manumits." In the evening the Prophet got up and glorified Allah as He deserved and then said, "Why do some people impose conditions which are not present in Allah's Book (Laws)? Whoever imposes such a condition as is not in Allah's Laws, then that condition is invalid even if he imposes one hundred conditions, for Allah's conditions are more binding and reliable."
[Sira: Ibn Ishak 342-345] A believer shall not slay a believer for the sake of an unbeliever, nor shall he aid an unbeliever against a believer ... Believers are friends one to the other to the exclusion of outsiders.
Koran 4:89 They long that ye should disbelieve even as they disbelieve, that ye may be upon a level (with them). So choose not friends from them till they forsake their homes in the way of Allah; if they turn back (to enmity) then take them and kill them wherever ye find them, and choose no friend nor helper from among them,
Allah, in the Koran, repetitively commands everyone to model themselves after Mohammed. He is proclaimed as the perfect pattern for all humanity to follow. Thus, the Hijra around the world that we see today has its roots in the life of Mohammed. These Islamic doctrinal texts describe the Hijra in detail and show the migration to be a successful method of expansion of Islamic dominion in the cause of Allah.
Hijra follows the example of Mohammed’s ultimate success in Medina where the jihad (the struggle to bring the cause of Allah to Kafirs) begins. The expectation is that if this pattern is followed, then success is assured.
II) The Hijra of Mohammed
In Mecca
Mohammed and his followers openly mocked the religion of their tribesmen. Consequently, he was forced out of Mecca. According to the accounts of Kafirs reported in the Sira, Mohammed divided families over their loyalty to him. In turn, the Meccans insulted and made fun of him, and also attempted to take his life. Fights broke out between the Islamic community and their polytheistic tribesmen. Allah gave to Mohammed and the believers permission to fight and protect themselves from those who wronged them. (3)
Mohammed and a few followers fled Mecca when he learned that the Quraish (Jewish tribe) wanted to kill him. He was invited to Medina where his Ansar (Ar. "helpers") had already formed a community which could support him and his immigrant followers. Allah commanded him to go to Medina, as it was a town capable of overthrowing other towns. (4)
In Medina
The first mosque in history was established by Mohammed in Medina shortly after he migrated there from Mecca. With that, the first Islamic organization was established. A mosque is not just a place of worship. It’s a place with multipurpose functionality (political, religious, social, legal etc.).
He became a political figure and had a constitution (the Charter or Covenant of Medina) written which functioned as a basis of law and governance and gave Mohammed power over those outside Islam. (9) He codified the tenets of his ideology and formulated the Islamic rules as well as political and religious structure of governance.
He used this covenant to turn himself into the sole arbiter of law, thus taking over political power in Medina. The former local arbiters were not to be consulted.
The Charter of Medina was a document that formed the religious/political foundation of the Islamic state. It described the relationship between the Islamic tribe from Mecca and the Medinan converts, and their relationship between the Jews of Medina and the polytheist Medinan Arabs. (5)
The Charter of Medina said the Believers (the Islamic community) “are one community, the Umma, to the exclusion of all others”. They could be friends to one another but not to outsiders. They shouldn’t kill anyone from Umma for the sake of a Kafir (non-Muslim), nor should they aid a Kafir against a Believer. However, Jews who would follow and fight side by side with the Islamic warriors should be helped and treated well, but they can’t go to war without Mohammed’s permission.
Jews who don’t have loyalty to Mohammed are not under his protection. As for the polytheist Medinan Arabs, they should not take the property or attack a person from the Quraysh (Mohammed’s tribe) who is under Mohammed’s protection, nor shall he (the non-Muslim) intervene against any member of the Umma. (6)
Thus, Mohammed set up a political system that was not based on traditional tribal blood affiliations. Instead, Mohammed divided the world into 1: the Umma, the community of those who believe in Allah as the only god and Mohammed as Allah’s messenger, and 2: everyone else (the Kafirs). There were different rules for each group, thus establishing the principle of duality as a fundamental part of the Islamic doctrine and law.
Mohammed and his followers needed a way to make a living, aside from the taxes collected as Zakat. Under his leadership, they made raids on trading caravans and fought battles with other tribes. They took those they defeated as slaves, keeping their stock and possessions. One fifth of the booty was given to support jihad, and they kept the rest, dividing it among themselves. (7)
While in Medina, Mohammed’s followers desecrated Kafir shrines and threw their ritual objects into latrines. (8)
(9) After Mohammed and his followers defeated the Quraish at the battle of Badr and had most of them killed, he said to the Jews that they should accept Islam. Otherwise Allah would treat them as he had treated the Quraish. So, the Jews and Polytheists in Medina formally converted to Islam to save their lives and those of their families.
Eventually, Mohammed and his men became powerful warriors. After many successful battles and raids, they conquered Mecca, took over the Kaba, the sacred center of Arabian polytheism, and made it the holy place for their god, Allah. By the time Mohammed died, all Arabia was under the Islamic rule.
Mohammed’s politically-motivated migration from Mecca to Media is a doctrinally codified prototype of non-violent jihad that is still being used today. The Hijra begins with sending out an advanced guard, a few individuals who learn about the new culture and its political structure. Along with Hijra, formal Islamic organizational infrastructure is established to ensure that this goal is reached, by setting clear objectives, rules and procedures. As the Islamic community grows in the host society, mosques are being build and Islamic education being offered. The Umma usually lives nearby the mosque, keeping its own rules. When the Umma is large and strong enough, violent as well as non-violent jihad intensifies.
III) Collateral Damage of Hijra
A certain amount of people migrating from Islamic countries into non-Islamic ones are seeking for the refuge because of the influence of Political Islam. They do not want to follow its principles and want to enjoy freedoms offered by non-Islamic societies.
Usually those individuals are ending up, because of their inability to speak the language of the host country, under the direct and/or indirect influence of local Islamic organizations. The implications of the Islamic political doctrine, they were initially running away from, is in its full power in a non-Islamic country they escaped to. This makes it very hard for them to break away from the Umma out of the fear of Islamic (capital) punishments for apostasy. Doctrinal texts describing penalties like the one above are widely distributed across non-Islamic countries with limited or no restrictions.
Hadith [Bukhari 9, 83, 17] Narrated 'Abdullah: Allah's Apostle said, "The blood of a Muslim who confesses that none has the right to be worshipped but Allah and that I am His Apostle, cannot be shed except in three cases: In Qisas for murder, a married person who commits illegal sexual intercourse and the one who reverts from Islam (apostate) and leaves the Muslims."
Hadith [Bukhari 7, 71, 623]: Narrated Anas bin Malik: Some people from the tribes of 'Ukl and 'Uraina came to Allah's Apostle and embraced Islam and said, "O Allah's Apostle! We are owners of livestock and have never been farmers," and they found the climate of Medina unsuitable for them. So Allah's Apostle ordered that they be given some camels and a shepherd, and ordered them to go out with those camels and drink their milk and urine. So they set out, but when they reached a place called Al-Harra, they reverted to disbelief after their conversion to Islam, killed the shepherd and drove away the camels. When this news reached the Prophet he sent in their pursuit (and they were caught and brought). The Prophet ordered that their eyes be branded with heated iron bars and their hands be cut off, and they were left at Al-Harra till they died in that state.
To the date (of writing of this report), we are not aware of any official governmental program, in any country around the world, focusing on protecting the above-mentioned group of people.
CSPII has compiled the following doctrinal references from the primary Islamic texts:
- Koran [1] - the exact words of Allah as the Angel Gabriel dictated them to Mohammed.
- Sunna- Mohammed’s words and deeds are called the Sunna. They are found in two different texts— the Sira and the Hadith. The Sira [2] is Mohammed’s biography and the Hadith [3],[4] are Traditions (examples) from his life.
The process of the Islamization of countries through the implementation of Sharia law is gradual. For example, even in some Islamic countries, wearing the veil is not mandatory because full Sharia Law has not yet been implemented.
(1) Hijra is to emigrate in the Cause of Allah
There is a lot of incentive for migration in Islamic political doctrine
Koran 4:100 Whoso migrateth for the cause of Allah will find much refuge and abundance in the earth, and whoso forsaketh his home, a fugitive unto Allah and His messenger, and death overtaketh him, his reward is then incumbent on Allah. Allah is ever Forgiving, Merciful.
Koran 22:58 Those who fled their homes for the cause of Allah and then were slain or died, Allah verily will provide for them a good provision. Lo! Allah, He verily is Best of all who make provision.
Koran 8:74 Those who believed and left their homes and strove for the cause of Allah, and those who took them in and helped them these are the believers in truth. For them is pardon, and a bountiful provision.
Those who emigrate in the Cause of Allah are protected by Mohammed, but those who do not are not protected.
Koran 8:72 Lo! those who believed and left their homes and strove with their wealth and their lives for the cause of Allah, and those who took them in and helped them; these are protecting friends one of another. And those who believed but did not leave their homes, ye have no duty to protect them till they leave their homes; but if they seek help from you in the matter of religion then it is your duty to help (them) except against a folk between whom and you there is a treaty. Allah is Seer of what ye do.
Migration wipes misdeeds
Hadith [Muslim 1, 52, 18] "Islam demolishes all the previous evil deeds and so do migration (for Allah's sake) and Hajj (pilgrimage to Makkah)"
Hadith [Muslim 50, 1, 0211] It is narrated on the authority of Jabir that Tufail son of Amr al-Dausi came to the Apostle (may peace be upon him) and said: Do you need strong, fortified protection? The tribe of Daus had a fort in the pre-Islamic days. The Apostle (may peace be upon him) declined this offer, since it (the privilege of protecting the Holy Prophet) had already been reserved for the Ansar. When the Apostle (may peace be upon him) migrated to Medina, Tufail son of Amr also migrated to that place, and there also migrated along with him a man of his tribe. But the climate of Medina did not suit him, and he fell sick. He felt very uneasy. So he took hold of an iron head of an arrow and cut his finger-joints. The blood streamed forth from his hands, till he died. Tufail son of Amr saw him in a dream. His state was good and he saw him with his hands wrapped. He (Tufail) said to him: What treatment did your Allah accord to you? He replied. Allah granted me pardon for my migration to the Apostle (may peace be upon him): He (Tufail) again said: What is this that I see you wrapping up your hands? He replied: I was told (by Allah): We would not set right anything of yours which you damaged yourself. Tufail narrated this (dream) to the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him). Upon this he prayed: O Allah I grant pardon even to his hands.
Hadith [Muslim 55, 1, 220] It is narrated on the authority of Ibn Shamasa Mahri that he said: We went to Amr b. al-As and he was about to die. He wept for a long time and turned his face towards the wall. His son said: Did the Messenger of Allah not give you tidings of this? Did the Messenger of Allah not give you tidings of this? He (the narrator) said: He turned his face (towards the audience) and said: The best thing which we can count upon is the testimony that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is the Apostle of Allah. Verily I have passed through three phases. (The first one) in which I found myself averse to none else more than I was averse to the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) and there was no other desire stronger in me than the one that I should overpower him and kill him. Had I died in this state, I would have been definitely one of the denizens of Fire. When Allah instilled the love of Islam in my heart, I came to the Apostle (may peace be upon him) and said: Stretch out your right hand so that may pledge my allegiance to you. He stretched out his right hand, I withdrew my hand, He (the Holy Prophet) said: What has happened to you, O 'Amr? replied: I intend to lay down some condition. He asked: What condition do you intend to put forward? I said: should be granted pardon. He (the Holy Prophet) observed: Are you not aware of the fact that Islam wipes out all the previous (misdeeds)? Verily migration wipes out all the previous (misdeeds) (…)
(2) The cause of Allah is to fight the Kafirs, and convert the whole world to Islam
Hadith [Muslim 1, 31] Mohammed: ”I have been commanded to fight against people, till they testify to the fact that there is no god but Allah, and believe in me (that) I am the messenger (from the Lord) and in all that I have brought. And when they do it, their blood and riches are guaranteed protection on my behalf except where it is justified by law, and their affairs rest with Allah.“
Koran 57:10 And what aileth you that ye spend not in the way of Allah, when unto Allah belongeth the inheritance of the heavens and the earth? Those who spent and fought before the victory are not upon a level (with the rest of you). Such are greater in rank than those who spent and fought afterwards. Unto each hath Allah promised good. And Allah is Informed of what ye do.
Koran 3:13 There was a token for you in two hosts which met: one army fighting in the way of Allah, and another disbelieving, whom they saw as twice their number, clearly, with their very eyes. Thus Allah strengtheneth with His succour whom He will. Lo! herein verily is a lesson for those who have eyes.
Koran 4:74 Let those fight in the way of Allah who sell the life of this world for the other. Whoso fighteth in the way of Allah, be he slain or be he victorious, on him We shall bestow a vast reward.
Koran 4:76 Those who believe do battle for the cause of Allah; and those who disbelieve do battle for the cause of idols. So fight the minions of the devil. Lo! the devil's strategy is ever weak.
Koran 4:84 So fight (O Muhammad) in the way of Allah Thou art not taxed (with the responsibility for anyone) except for thyself and urge on the believers. Peradventure Allah will restrain the might of those who disbelieve. Allah is stronger in might and stronger in inflicting punishment.
Koran 4:94 O ye who believe! When ye go forth (to fight) in the way of Allah, be careful to discriminate, and say not unto one who offereth you peace: "Thou are not a believer;" seeking the chance profits of this life (so that ye may despoil him). With Allah are plenteous spoils. Even thus (as he now is) were ye before; but Allah hath since then been gracious unto you. Therefore take care to discriminate. Allah is ever informed of what ye do.
Koran 8:60 Make ready for them all thou canst of (armed) force and of horses tethered, that thereby ye may dismay the enemy of Allah and your enemy, and others beside them whom ye know not. Allah knoweth them. Whatsoever ye spend in the way of Allah it will be repaid to you in full, and ye will not be wronged.
Koran 9:120 It is not for the townsfolk of Al-Madinah and for those there is none who can repel His bounty. He striketh with it whom He will of his bondmen. He is the Forgiving, the Merciful, around them of the wandering Arabs to stay behind the messenger of Allah and prefer their lives to his life. That is because neither thirst nor toil nor hunger afflicteth them in the way of Allah, nor step they any step that angereth the disbelievers, nor gain they from the enemy a gain, but a good deed is recorded for them therefor. Allah loseth not the wages of the good.
(3) Mohammed spoke disparagingly of the gods of the Quraish, and ordered people from the Quraish to obey him and his men. The Quraish ridiculed, turned against him and his followers, and grabbed him by the robe. Some of Mohammed's tribesmen intended to kill him.
Sira [Ibn Ishak 166-167] When the apostle openly displayed Islam as God ordered him his people did not withdraw or turn against him, so far as I have heard, until he spoke disparagingly of their gods. When he did that they took great offence and resolved unanimously to treat him as an enemy, except those whom God had protected by Islam from such evil, but they were a despised minority.
Sira [Ibn Ishakh 183] When the Quraysh became distressed by the trouble caused by the enmity between them, and the apostle and those of their people who accepted his teaching, they stirred up against him foolish men who called him a liar, insulted him, and accused him of being a poet, a sorcerer, a diviner, and of being possessed. However, the apostle continued to proclaim what God had ordered him to proclaim, concealing nothing, and exciting their dislike by condemning their religion, forsaking their idols, and leaving them to their unbelief.
Sira [Ibn Ishakh 330-332] Yahya b. 'Urwa b. al-Zubayr on the authority of his father from 'Abdul-lah b. 'Amr b. al-'As told me that the latter was asked what was the worst way in which Quraysh showed their enmity to the apostle. He replied: 'I was with them one day when the notables had gathered in the Hijr and the apostle was mentioned. They said that they had never known anything like the trouble they had endured from this fellow; he had declared their mode of life foolish, insulted their forefathers, reviled their religion, divided the community, and cursed their gods. What they had borrne was past all bearing, or words to that effect.' While they were thus discussing him the apostle came towards them and kissed the black stone, then he passed them as he walked round the temple. As he passed they said some injurious things about him. This I could see from his expression. He went on and as he passed them the second time they attacked him similarly. This I could see from his expression. Then he passed the third time, and they did the same. He stopped and said, 'Will you listen to me O Quraysh? By him who holds my life in His hand I bring you slaughter.' I This word so struck the people that not one of them but stood silent and still; even one who had hitherto been most violent spoke to him in the kindest way possible, saying, 'Depart, O Abu'l-Qasim, for by God you are not violent.' So the apostle went away, and on the morrow they assembled in the Hijr, I being there too, and they asked one another if they remembered what had taken place between them and the apostle so that when he openly said something unpleasant they let him alone. While they were talking thus the apostle appeared, and they leaped upon him as one man and encircled him, saying, 'Are you the one who said so-and-so against our gods and our religion?' The apostle said, 'Yes, I am the one who said that.' And I saw one of them seize his robe. Then Abu Bakr interposed himself weeping and saying, 'Would you kill a man for saying Allah is my Lord?' Then they left him. That is the worst that I ever saw Quraysh do to him.
Sira [Ibn Ishakh 184] One of the family of Umm Kulthum, Abu Bakr's daughter, told me that she said, 'Abu Bakr returned that day with the hair of his head torn. He was a very hairy man and they had dragged him along by his beard'.
Sira [190-191] When the apostle had gone Abu Jahl spoke, making the usual charges against him, and saying, 'I call God to witness that I will wait for him tomorrow with a stone which I can hardly lift,' or words to that effect, 'and when he prostrates himself in prayer I will split his skull with it. Betray me or defend me, let the B. 'Abdu Manaf do what they like after that.' They said that they would never betray him on any account, and he could carry on with his project. When morning came Abu Jahl took a stone and sat in wait for the apostle, who behaved as usual that morning. While he was in Mecca he faced Syria in prayer, and when he prayed, he prayed between the southern comer and the black stone, putting the Ka'ba between himself and Syria. The apostle rose to pray while Quraysh sat in their meeting, waiting for what Abu Jahl was to do. When
the apostle prostrated himself, Abu Jahl took up the stone and went towards him, until when he got near him, he turned back in flight, pale with terror, and his hand had withered upon the stone, so that he cast the stone from his hand. The Quraysh asked him what had happened, and he replied that when he got near him a camel's stallion got in his way. 'By God', he said, 'I have never seen anything like his head, shoulders, and teeth on any stallion before, and he made as though he would eat me.'
Sira [325-326] Thereupon Abu Jahl said that he had a plan which had not been suggested hitherto, namely that each clan should provide a young, powerful, well born, aristocratic warrior; that each of these should be provided with a sharp sword; then that each of them should strike a blow at him and kill him. Thus they would be relieved of him, and responsibility for his blood would lie upon all the clans. The B. 'Abdu Manaf could not fight them all and would have to accept the blood-money which they would all contribute to. The shaykh exclaimed: 'The man is right. In my opinion it is the only thing to do.' Having come to a decision the people dispersed. Then Gabriel came to the apostle and said: 'Do not sleep tonight on the bed on which you usually sleep.' Before much of the night had passed they assembled at his door waiting for him to go to sleep so that they might fall upon him. When the apostle saw what they were doing he told 'Ali to lie on his bed and to wrap himself in his green Hadrami mantle; for no harm would befall him. He himself used to sleep in this mantle.”
Sira [Ibn Ishakh 186] Yazid b. Ziyad from Muhammad b. Ka'b al-Qurazi told me that he was told that 'Utba b. Rabi'a, who was a chief, said one day while he was sitting in the Quraysh assembly and the apostle was sitting in the mosque by himself, 'Why should I not go to Muhammad and make some proposals to him which if he accepts in part, we will give him whatever he wants, and he will leave us in peace?' This happened when Hamza had accepted Islam and they saw that the prophet's followers were increasing and multiplying. They thought it was a good idea, and 'Utba went and sat by the prophet and said, ‘O my nephew, you are one of us as you know, of the noblest of the tribe and hold a worthy position in ancestry. You have come to your people with an important matter, dividing their community thereby and ridiculing their customs, and you have insulted their gods and their religion, and declared that their forefathers were unbelievers, so listen to me and I will make some suggestions, and perhaps you will be able to accept one of them.' The apostle agreed, and he went on, 'If what you want is money, we will gather for you of our property so that you may be the richest of us; if you want honor, we will make you our chief so that no one can decide anything apart from you; if you want sovereignty, we will make you king, and if this ghost which comes to you, which you see, is such that you cannot get rid of him, we will find a physician for you, and exhaust our means in getting you cured, for often a familiar spirit gets possession of a man until he can be cured of it,' or words to that effect. The apostle listened patiently, and then said: 'Now listen to me, "In the name of God, the compassionate and merciful, H.M., a revelation from the compassionate, the merciful, a book whose verses are expounded as an Arabic Quran for a people who understand, as an announcement and warning, though most of them turn aside not listening and say, 'Our hearts are veiled from that to which you invite US.’ Then the apostle continued to recite it to him When 'Utba heard it from him, he listened attentively, putting his hands behind his back and leaning on them as he listened. Then the prophet ended at the prostration and prostrated himself, and said, 'You have heard what you have heard, Abu'l-Walid; the rest remains with you.' When 'Utba returned to his companions they noticed that his expression had completely altered, and they asked him what had happened. He said that he had heard words such as he had never heard before, which were neither poetry, spells, nor witchcraft. 'Take my advice and do as I do, leave this man entirely alone for, by God, the words which I have heard will be blazed abroad. If (other) Arabs kill him, others will have rid you of him; if he gets the better of the Arabs, his sovereignty will be your sovereignty, his power your power, and you will be prosperous through him.' They said, 'He has bewitched you with his tongue.' To which he answered, 'You have my opinion, you must do what you think fit.'
Sira [Ibn Ishakh 225-227] (...) One day 'Umar came out, girt with his sword, making for the apostle, and a number of his companions, who he had been informed had gathered in a house at al-Safa, in all about forty, including women. With the apostle was his uncle Hamza, and Abu Bakr, and 'Ali, from among the Muslims who stayed with the apostle and had not gone out with those who went to Abyssinia. Nu'aym met him and asked him where he was going. 'I am making for Muhammad, the apostate, who has split up the Quraysh, made mockery of their traditions, insulted their faith and their gods, to kill him.' 'You deceive yourself, 'Umar,' he answered, 'do you suppose that B. 'Abdu Manaf will allow you to continue waiking upon the earth when you have killed Muhammad? Had not you better go back to your own family and set their affairs in order?' 'What is the matter with my family?' he said. 'Your brother-in-law, your nephew Sa'id, and your sister Fatima, have both become Muslims and followed Muhammad in his religion, so you had better go and deal with them.' Thereupon 'Umar returned to his sister and brother-in-law at the time when Khabbab was with them with the manuscript of Ta Ha, which he was reading to them.
Sira [Ibn Ishakh 325-327] Thereupon Abu Jahl said that he had a plan which had not been suggested hitherto, namely that each clan should provide a young, powerful, well-born, aristocratic warrior; that each of these should be provided with a sharp sword; then that each of them should strike a blow at him and kill him [Mohammed]. Thus they would be relieved of him, and responsibility for his blood would lie upon all the clans. The B. 'Abdu Manaf could not fight them all and would have to accept the blood-money which they would all contribute to. The shaykh exclaimed: 'The man is right. In my opinion it is the only thing to do.' Having come to a decision the people dispersed. Then Gabriel came to the apostle and said: 'Do not sleep tonight on the bed on which you usually sleep.' Before much of the night had passed they assembled at his door waiting for him to go to sleep so that they might fall upon him. When the apostle saw what they were doing he told 'Ali to lie on his bed and to wrap himself in his green Hadrami mantle; for no harm would befall him. He himself used to sleep in this mantle.
(4) Allah gave Mohammed permission to fight the Kafirs and outlined the way to do it
[Ibn Ishak 313-314] The apostle had not been given permission to fight or allowed to shed blood before the second 'Aqaba. He had simply been ordered to call men to God and to endure insult and forgive the ignorant. The Quraysh had persecuted his followers, seducing some from their religion, and exiling others from their country. They had to choose whether to give up the religion, be maltreated at home, or to flee the country, some to Abyssinia, others to Medina. When Quraysh became insolent towards God and rejected His gracious purpose, accused His prophet of lying, and ill treated and exiled those who served Him and proclaimed His unity, believed in His prophet, and held fast to His religion, He gave permission to His apostle to fight and to protect himself against those who wronged them and treated them badly. The first verse which was sent down on this subject from what I have heard from 'Urwa b. al-Zubayr and other learned persons was: 'Permission is given to those who fight because they have been wronged. God is well able to help them, ‒ those who have been driven out of their houses without right only, because they said God is our Lord. Had not God used some men to keep back others, cloisters and churches and oratories and mosques wherein the name of God is constantly mentioned would have been destroyed. Assuredly God will help those who help Him. God is Almighty. Those who if we make them strong in the land will establish prayer, pay the poor-tax, enjoin kindness, and forbid iniquity. To God belongs the end of matters.' I The meaning is: 'I have allowed them to fight only because they have been unjustly treated while their sole offence against men has been that they worship God. When they are in the ascendant, they will establish prayer, pay the poor-tax, enjoin kindness, and forbid iniquity, i.e. the prophet and his companions all of them.' Then God sent down to him: 'Fight them so that there be no more seduction' i.e. until no believer is seduced from his religion.' And the religion' is in God's', i.e. Until God alone is worshipped. When God had given permission to fight and this clan of the Anṣār had pledged their support to him in Islam and to help him and his followers,the Muslims who had taken refuge with them, the apostle commanded his companions, the emigrants of his people and those Muslims who were with him in Mecca, to emigrate to Medina and to link up with their brethren the Anṣār. 'God will make for you brethren and houses in which you may be safe.' So they went out in companies, and the apostle stayed In Mecca waiting for his Lord's permission to leave Mecca and migrate to Medina.
Hadith [Muslim 7,84,3189] Abu Huraira (Allah be pleased with him) reported Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying: I have been commanded (to migrate) to a town (Medina) which would overpower other towns. They (the people) call it Yathrib; its correct name is (in fact) Medina. It eliminates (bad) people just as a furnace removes the alloy of iron.
(5) Mohammed made himself the sole arbiter in Medina
Sira [Ibn Ishak 342-345] ... If any dispute or controversy likely to cause trouble should arise it must be referred to God and to Muhammad the apostle of God ... Whenever you differ about a matter it must be referred to God and to Muhammad ...
Islamic community in Medina lived under a separate legal system, while turning to the old, local Kafir system was equal to apostasy
Sira [Ibn Ishak 360] I have heard that before his repentance Julas together with Mu'attib, Rafi', and Bishr used to make false profession of Islam.' Some Muslims asked them to go to the apostle to settle a matter in dispute between them while they wanted to refer it to the kahins who acted as arbitrators in the pagan era. So God sent down concerning them: 'Hast thou considered those who allege that they believe in what has been sent down to thee and what was sent down before thee who wish to go to idolatry for arbitration when they have been commanded to give up belief in it? Satan wishes to lead them far astray.
(6) Mohammed said that the members of the Islamic community are not to be friends with Kafirs, that those who agree with their ways and opinions are like Kafirs, and that apostates from Islam are to be killed
[Sira: Ibn Ishak 342-345] A believer shall not slay a believer for the sake of an unbeliever, nor shall he aid an unbeliever against a believer ... Believers are friends one to the other to the exclusion of outsiders.
Koran [4, 89-90] They long that ye should disbelieve even as they disbelieve, that ye may be upon a level (with them). So choose not friends from them till they forsake their homes in the way of Allah; if they turn back (to enmity) then take them and kill them wherever ye find them, and choose no friend nor helper from among them, except those who seek refuge with a people between whom and you there is a covenant, or (those who) come unto you because their hearts forbid them to make war on you or make war on their own folk. Had Allah willed He could have given them power over you so that assuredly they would have fought you. So, if they hold aloof from you and wage not war against you and offer you peace, Allah alloweth you no way against them.
(7) One fifth of the war booty goes to support jihad:
Hadith [Bukhari 2,40,53] (…) "Do you know what is meant by believing in Allah Alone?" They replied, "Allah and His Apostle know better." Thereupon the Prophet said, "It means:
- To testify that none has the right to be worshipped but Allah and Muhammad is Allah's Messenger.
- To offer prayers perfectly
- To pay the Zakat (obligatory charity)
- To observe fast during the month of Ramadan.
- And to pay Al-Khumus (one fifth of the booty to be given in Allah's Cause). (...)
(8) In Medina, Mohammed’s followers desecrated Kafir shrines and ritual objects
Sira [Ibn Ishakh 304] Back in Medina, the Muslims now practiced their new religion openly. But most of the Arabs still practiced their ancient tribal religions. The Muslims would desecrate the old shrines and ritual objects. They would even break into houses and steal ritual objects and throw them into the latrines. On one occasion, they killed a dog and tied the dog’s body to a ritual object and threw it into the latrine. Mohammed had been driven out of Mecca and now migrated to Medina for refuge and a new home.
(9) Mohammed forced the Jews of Medina to convert under threat of death
Sira [Ibn Ishak 383] When God smote Quraysh at Badr, the apostle assembled the Jews in the market of the B. Qaynuqa' when he came to Medina and called on them to accept Islam before God should treat them as he had treated Quraysh [kill and enslave].
The Islamic warriors killed their Kafir families, fathers, brothers, and sons at Badr.
Sira [Ibn Ishak 446] Al-'Abbas b. 'Abdullah b. Ma'bad from one of his family from Ibn 'Abbas told me that the latter said that the prophet said to his companions that day, 'I know that some of B. Hashim and others have been forced to come out against their will and have no desire to fight us; so if any of you meet one of B. Hashim or Abu'l-Bakhtari or al- 'Abbas the apostle's uncle do not kill him, for he has been made to come out against his will.' Abu Hudhayfa said: 'Are we to kill our fathers and our sons and our brothers and our families and leave al-Abbas? By God, if I meet him I will flesh my sword in him!'.
Jews and Polytheists in Medina formally converted to Islam to save their lives
Sira [Ibn Ishak 351] About this time the Jewish rabbis showed hostility to the apostle in envy, hatred, and malice, because God had chosen His apostle from the Arabs. They were joined by men from al-Aus and Al-Khazraj who had obstinately clung to their heathen religion. They were hypocrites, clinging to the polytheism of their fathers denying the resurrection; yet when Islam appeared and their people flocked to it they were compelled to pretend to accept it to save their lives. But in secret they were hypocrites whose inclination was towards the Jews because they considered the apostle a liar and strove against Islam.
References:
[1] Pickthall, Marmaduke. 1930. The Meaning of The Glorious Koran, An Explainatory Translation, New York: Alfred A Knopf.
[2] Ishaq, ibn Muhammad. 1967. The Life of Muhammad. Translated by Alfred Guillaume. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
[3] Bukhari, Muhammad ibn Ismail. 1997 Sahiḥ Al-Bukhari. Translated by Muhammad Muhsin Khan. Sahiḥ Al-Bukhari: the Translation of the Meanings of Sahih Al-Bukhari: Arabic-English. Riyadh: Darussalam Pub. & Distr.
[4] Muslim, Al-Qushayri ibn al-Hajjaj. 1990. Sahih Muslim. Translated by Abdul Hameed Siddiqui. Lahore: Sh. Muhammad Ashraf.