Article Surah 85 · Ayah 8
Subjected to merciless torture for being faithful to Allah taala -
Subjected to merciless torture for being faithful to Allah taala -
-In numerous places in the Qur'aan, Allah speaks about incidents about people who lived in ancient times. One such people are a group commonly known as 'The People of the Ditch'. They are referred to in the following aayaat of the Qur'aan, in Sooratul-Burooj:
Cursed were the People Of the Ditch. Fire supplied [abundantly] with fuel, When they sat by it [the Fire]. And they witnessed what they were doing against the Believers [i.e.burning them]. They had nothing against them except that they believed in Allaah, the Almighty, Worthy of all praise! The One to Whom belongs the dominion of the Heavens and the earth. And Allaah is Witness over everything. Verily those who put to trial the believing men and the believing women [by torturing them and burning them] and then do not turn in Repentance [to Allah will have the torment of Hell and they will have the Punishment of the Burning Fire. [85:4-10]
Further detail regarding the People of the Ditch and on explanation of these aayahs can be found in the following ahadeeth of the Prophet (sallallahu 'alaihi wa sallam). He said: Among the people before you, there was a king and he had a sorcerer When the sorcerer become old, he said to the king, 'I have now become an old man; get me a boy so that I may teach him sorcery" So the king sent him a boy to teach him sorcery. Whenever the boy proceeded to the sorcerer he sat with a monk who was on the way and he listened to his talks and used to admire them. So when he went to the sorcerer he passed by the monk and sat there with him and on visiting the sorcerer the latter thrashed him, So the boy complained about that to the monk. The monk said to him, "Whenever you are afraid of the sorcerer soy to him; My people kept me busy And whenever you are afraid of your people, say to them; The sorcerer kept me busy" So the boy carried on like that (For a period].
(Then one day) there come [on the main road] a huge creature (animal), and the people were unable to pass by. The boy said, "Today I will know whether the sorcerer is better or the monk is better." So he took a stone and said, "0 Allah! If the deeds and actions of the monk are more liked by You better than those of the sorcerer then kill this creature so that the people can, cross [the road)." Then he hit (it) with the stone and it was killed, and the people passed [the road). The boy come to the monk and informed him about it. The monk said to him, "0 my son! Today you are better than I, you have achieved what I see! And you wit be put to trial And in case you are put to trial, do not inform [them) about me." The boy used to treat the people suffering from born-blindness, leprosy leucodermia and other diseases. A blind courtier of the King heard about the boy. He came and brought a number of gifts for the boy and said, "All these gifts are for you on condition that you cure me." The boy said, "I do not cure anybody; it is Allaah [alone) who cures people. So if you believe in Allah and invoke Allah, He will cure you." He then believed in Allah and Allah cured him.
Later the courtier come to the king and sat at the place where he used to sit before. The king asked him, "Who has given you bock your sight?' The courtier said, "My Lord, Allah!" The king said, "Do you have another Lord besides me?" The courtier sold, "My Lord and your Lord is Allah I" The king got hold of him and kept on tormenting him until he informed him about the boy. So the boy was brought. The king said to the boy, '0 boy! Has your [knowledge of) sorcery reached to the extent that you can cure born-blinds, lepers, leucodermic patients and do such and such?" The boy replied, "I do not cure anybody it is only Allah who cures." Then the king got hold of him and kept on tormenting him till he informed him about the monk. And the monk was brought and it was said to him, "Give up your Religion" The monk refused to turn apostate. Then the king ordered a sow and it was put in the middle of his (the monk's) scalp and was sawn, till he fell, cut in two pieces. Then that courtier was brought and it was said to him, "Give up your religion I" The courtier refused to turn apostate. So the saw was put in the middle of his scalp and was sawn, till he fell cut in two pieces. Then the boy was brought, and it was said to him, "Give up your religion!" The boy refused to turn apostate. So the King ordered some of his courtiers to take the boy to such and such a mountain, saying, "Then ascend up the mountain with him till you reach its top. Then see if he turns apostate, otherwise throw him down from its top." They took him, ascended up the mountain, and the boy said, "0 Allaah Save me from them by anything You wish" So the mountain shook and all of them tell down and the boy came walking to the king. The king asked him, "What did your companions do?" The boy said, 'Allah saved me from them."
The King then ordered some of his courtiers to take the boy on board a boat into the middle of the sea, saying, "Then if he turns apostate [all well and good], otherwise toss him into the sea." So they took him and he said, "0 Allah! Save me from them by anything You wish." So the boat capsized and all the courtiers) were drowned. The boy then came walking to the king. The King said, "What did your companions do?" The boy replied, 'Allaah saved me ham them." And he further said to the king, "You cannot kill me till you do what I command" The King said, "What is that (command)?" The boy said, "Gather all the people in an upland place, and fasten me aver the trunk of a tree. Then take an arrow from my quiver and fix it in the bow and say: 'In the Name of Allah, the Lord of the boy' and shoot (at me). If you do that, you will kill me." So the king gathered the people in an upland place and fastened the boy over a tree-trunk, took on arrow from his quiver, fixed it in the bow and said, "'In the Name of Allah, the Lord of the boy', and shot the arrow. The arrow hit over the temple of the boy, and the boy put his hand over the temple at the point where the arrow hit and then died. The people proclaimed, "We hove believed in the Lord of the boy! We have believed in the Lord of the boy! We have believed in the Lord of the boy!" The king came and it was said to him, "That is the thing which you were afraid of, by Allah! The thing which you were afraid of has befallen you: the people have believed [in Allah]!"
So he ordered for deep ditches to be dug at the entrances of the roads and it was done. Then fire was kindled in those ditches, and the king ordered that whoever did not turn apostate be cast into the ditches, and it was done. Then there came a woman with her babe. She nearly retreated back from the ditch [i.e. turned apostate] but the babe [spoke and] said, "0 mother! Be patient, you are on the Truth!" (So she threw herself in the ditch of the fire along with her child, to be with the martyrs in Al-Jannah)." [Saheeh Muslim]
https://islamhouse.com/en/articles/52941/
Completely reminiscent of the abuse faced by the people of the trench , was the story of the torture many of the slaves of the Quraysh had to undergo simply on account of their faith in Allah. One such person was Khabbab Al Arat -
Link
Similarly , extremely tortured was Bilal Ibn Rabah for accepting Islam , and he was one of most famous companions of the Prophet saws -
Bilal was a black slave, almost certainly the son of slaves, and is believed to have been from Abyssinia (now known as Ethiopia). Being born into servitude, he probably never expected life to offer him more than hard work, pain and drudgery.
However Bilal walked the earth at a very momentous time. He was a slave in the
city of Mecca when an unlettered man began to call the people to worship One God. This man was Muhammad, the Messenger of God, may God praise him, and his message was for all of humanity. When a person is poor or destitute, hungry or afraid, or beaten bruised and broken, a message infused with the concepts of mercy,forgiveness and justice is very appealing. The downtrodden were just the sort of people who flocked to the side of Prophet Muhammad, eager to take comfort in his words, and deeds. Bilal, possibly the first African to convert to Islam accepted the message wholeheartedly. Life for Bilal was about to get a great deal worse. Like a drowning man holding the rope that will drag him to safety, Bilal clung to the words of the One God and they were essential in saving his life.
Bilal heard the message of Muhammad, that God is One, the Almighty, All Merciful but he also heard the words of his owner. Umayya ibn Khalaf, a wealthy Meccan, was worried that his livelihood based around idol worship would be disrupted by Muhammad’s message. He spoke to others also concerned about the changes to the political and religious landscape of Mecca saying, “Muhammad was never a liar, magician, or mad, but we have to describe him this way until we turn away from him those who rush to his religion.”
According to biographer Ibn Ishaq and others, Bilal suffered terribly for his immediate acceptance of Muhammad’s message. It is said that he was beaten mercilessly, dragged around the streets and hills of Mecca by his neck, and subjected to long periods without food or water. His owner Umayya ibn Khalaf reportedly, “would bring him out at the hottest part of the day and throw him on his back in the open valley and have a great rock put on his chest; then he would say to him, ‘You will stay here till you die or deny Muhammad and worship al -Lat and al-’Uzza”. Bilal would not renounce Islam, and amidst his suffering he uttered only one word–Ahadun Ahad (meaning One God)
News of the slave who cried out ‘God is One!’ even in the midst of torture soon reached Prophet Muhammad and his companions.Abu Bakr, Prophet Muhammad’s closest friend and a wealthy trader of equal status to Umaya was sent to investigate. He came upon the open field where Bilal was being tortured for amusement. Abu Bakr did not lose his temper, for that was not his way, but he remonstrated with the torturers. He said to Umaya, “Have you no fear of God that you treat this poor man like this?” He replied saying: “You are the one who corrupted him, so you save him from his plight!” Abu Bakr replied : “Then sell him to me, name your price.” Umaya, was a businessman and could not give up making a profit, so he sold Bilal for a good price. To humiliate Bilal, he added: “I would have sold him to you even if you had offered me only an ounce of gold.”
Abu Bakr answered: “I would have bought him even if you had asked for one hundred ounces.
An idea of the extreme torture meted out by the Quraysh of Mecca during the lifetime of the Prophet saws can be derived from the following article and was strongly reminiscent of the torture faced by the people of the trench for the only reason, that they believed in Allah the Almighty -
The first emigration to the land of Abyssinia – I
Reasons for the emigration to Abyssinia
The disbelievers were subjecting the Companions of the Prophet to severe torment that varied between imprisonment and torture by means of beating, deprivation of food and drink, burning, and exposure to the scorching heat of Makkah in order to coerce them into giving up their religion. Some of the Companions responded to their demands under severe torture, but their hearts remained full of faith. Others were firmly committed to their religion and were saved by Allah The Almighty. Witnessing this ordeal that was experienced by the Companions and the welfare that he enjoyed thanks to the protection that he received from Allah The Almighty then from his uncle Abu Taalib, and being unable to terminate the new Muslims’ misery, the Prophet proposed that they: “Set out to the land of Abyssinia. There is a king there by whom no one is wronged, and it is a land of honesty. [Stay there] until Allah makes a way for you out from what you are suffering.” Hence, some Companions of the Messenger of Allah left for the land of Abyssinia in fear of tribulation and in protection of their religion. This was the first emigration in Islam.
In addition to this, researchers have mentioned many reasons behind the Muslims’ emigration to Abyssinia including the following:
⦁ The Emergence of Faith
The Muslims emigrated to Abyssinia when the number of converts to Islam had increased and news of the faith had circulated among the people. In his reported citation on the authority of ‘Urwah, may Allah have mercy on him, concerning the emigration to Abyssinia, Az-Zuhri, may Allah have mercy on him, said, “When the number of Muslims increased, faith emerged and people spoke about it, and the disbelievers of Quraysh placed their believing tribes under torture and imprisonment trying to make them leave their religion. When the Prophet learnt about this, he said to the believers:‘Spread out in the world.’ They asked, ‘Where should we go, Messenger of Allah?’ He said, ‘There,’ pointing to the land of Abyssinia.”
⦁ Fleeing to Save Their Religion
Fleeing to save their religion in the fear of being enticed away from it was an important reason behind the Muslims’ emigration to Abyssinia. In this regard, Ibn Is’haaq, may Allah have mercy on him, said, “At that time, some of the Companions of the Messenger set out to the land of Abyssinia in fear of enticement, and to flee to Allah The Almighty to protect their religion.”
⦁ Spreading the Da‘wah (call) Outside Makkah
Sayyid Qutb said
The Messenger searched for a base, other than Makkah, from which the creed would be protected, freedom guaranteed, and where the Da’wah would be rid of its immobile state that it had been suffering from in Makkah. He wanted a base for the freedom of the Da‘wah and the protection of the Muslims against oppression and enticement. This, in my estimation, was the primary and most important reason behind the emigration.
Many of the early believers emigrated to Abyssinia and the opinion that they had emigrated to it simply to save their own lives is not based on strong evidence. If that was the case then the Muslims of the lowest esteem, power and protection would have emigrated, but that did not happen. The weak Muslims who were slaves and who were subjected to extreme oppression, torment and intimidation did not emigrate. Rather, those who belonged to renowned tribes and were able to secure them against harm and intimidation emigrated to Abyssinia. Moreover, the Qurayshis formed the majority of the emigrants.
Muneer Al-Ghadhbaan agrees with Qutb, saying
This great view of Qutb’s, may Allah have mercy on him, is supported by evidence from the prophetic biography. This view is most definite, in my opinion, due to the ultimate overall situation of the emigrants to Abyssinia. It is not known that the Messenger did not call for the emigrants to Abyssinia to return until after the emigration to Yathrib [Madinah], [after all] the battles of Badr, Uhud, Al-Khandaq and the pact of Al-Hudaybiyah. For five years, Yathrib [Madeenah] was vulnerable to a sweeping invasion by Quraysh, with the attack of Al-Khandaq [the Trench] marking the last of them. When the Prophet was sure that Madeenah was a safe base for the Muslims and that it was no longer being attacked by the disbelievers, he called for the Muslim emigrants in Abyssinia to return. There was no further need for the reserve base to which the Prophet would have resorted if Yathrib [Madeenah] fell into the hands of the enemies.
Darwazeh sees that opening a domain for Da‘wah in Abyssinia was a reason behind the emigration to it, saying, “One of the reasons that would cross one’s mind for choosing Christian Abyssinia is the hope to find a domain for Da‘wah there, and the reason for deputizing Ja’far, may Allah be pleased with him, was associated with that hope.”
This view is also held by Dr. Sulaymaan bin Hamad Al-‘Awdah
Confirmation of the opinion stating that calling to the new religion in the land of Abyssinia was a reason behind the emigration is that the Negus and other Abyssinian people had embraced Islam. Also, Muslims emigrated to Abyssinia based on consultation with and guidance from the Prophet . They remained in Abyssinia until the time of the conquest of Khaybar under the orders and guidance of the Prophet . In Saheeh Al-Bukhari, it is narrated that Ja‘far, may Allah be pleased with him, said to (part of the tribe of al-Qahtaan from Yemen), when he met them in Abyssinia “The Messenger has sent us here and ordered us to stay here, so you also should stay with us.” [Al-Bukhari]
This means that the Muslims emigrated for a certain purpose – noting that nothing is more noble than making Da‘wah for the religion of Allah The Almighty – and emigration was terminated when the emigrants were told to go to Madeenah.
⦁ Searching for a Safe Haven for Muslims
The security plan of the Messenger aimed at preserving the cream of the believers. That was why the Messenger considered Abyssinia to be a safe haven for Muslims until Islam would be strong and the tempest would abate. The emigrants found in Abyssinia what made them feel assured and secure. In this regard, Umm Salamah, may Allah be pleased with her, said, “When we stayed in Abyssinia, we were under the protection of the best guardian, the Negus. We had our religion secured and we worshipped Allah The Almighty without being harmed.”
Why Abyssinia?
There are many reasons that help answer this question.
a) The Just Negus
The Prophet referred to the fairness of the Negus, saying to his Companions: “Set out to the land of Abyssinia. There is a king there by whom no one is wronged.”
b) The Righteous Negus
The Prophet was reported to have commended the king of Abyssinia, saying: “In Abyssinia, there is a righteous king in whose land no one is wronged.” This attribute of the Negus was well-known and his righteousness was proven thanks to the protection that he gave the Muslims, and to the way he was touched by the Quran when he listened to it as it was recited by Ja‘far, may Allah be pleased with him. Moreover, he had a sound creed concerning ‘Eesaa (Jesus), may Allah exalt his mention.
c) Abyssinia Was a Trade Destination of the Quraysh
Trade was the pillar of the Quraysh’s economy, and Abyssinia was the Peninsula’s trade destination. Perhaps some Muslims knew it when they went there for trading or it was mentioned to them by those who had been there before them. At-Tabari, may Allah have mercy on him, mentioned, in the context of the reasons behind the emigration to Abyssinia, “The land of Abyssinia was a trade destination for Quraysh where they traded their goods. They found it to be a good source of provisions and security and a dynamic market.”
d) Abyssinia the Secure Country
Outside the Arabian Peninsula, there was no country safer than Abyssinia which was beyond the dominance of Quraysh and, unlike other tribes, it was not subjected to Quraysh. Ibn Is’haaq, may Allah have mercy on him, said about the reasons behind choosing Abyssinia for emigration, “It was a land of truthfulness, and it was ruled by a just King by whom no one was wronged, and these are the most important features of a secure country.”
e) The Messenger Loved Abyssinia and Knew It Well
In a tradition by Az-Zuhri, may Allah have mercy on him, the Prophet favored Abyssinia, for the following reasons:
⦁ The just rule of the Negus
⦁ The Abyssinians’ adherence to Christianity, which is closer to Islam than paganism.
⦁ The Messenger being aware of the news of Abyssinia through his nurse, Umm Ayman, may Allah be pleased with her, who was proved to be Abyssinian. [Muslim] Likewise, the Prophet was well-versed in the nature and conditions of the other lands of his time.
The sheer physical trials the Prophet saws had to undergo due to his firm belief in Allah Azza Wajjal -
The Harm and Torture to Which the Messenger was Subjected-I
The polytheists continued harming the Messenger of Allah, , from the time he declared his Da‘wah (call) until he emigrated and Allah The Almighty granted him victory over them. Many verses revealed to him in that period ordered him to adhere to patience, guided him to the means of patience, forbade him from being despondent and gave him examples of the harm that befell the previous prophets to clearly indicate the extent of this harm. Allah The Almighty Says (what means):
⦁ {And be patient over what they say and avoid them with a gracious avoidance.}[Quran 73:10]
⦁ {So be patient for the decision of your Lord and do not obey from among them a sinner or ungrateful [disbeliever].}[Quran 76:24]
⦁ {And grieve not over them or be in distress from what they conspire.}[Quran 27:70]
⦁ {Nothing is said to you, [O Muhammad], except what was already said to the messengers before you. Indeed, your Lord is a possessor of forgiveness and a possessor of painful penalty.}[Quran 41:43]
Here are some examples that indicate the harm that was experienced by Prophet Muhammad, :
1- Abu Jahl once asked people whether Muhammad, , placed his face on the ground (performed Sujood) in their presence. The people replied in the affirmative. Hence, he said, “By Al-Laat and ‘Uzza, if I were to see him doing that, I would trample on his neck, or I would smear his face with dust.” He then went to the Messenger of Allah, , as he was engaged in prayer and contemplated trampling on his neck and drew close to him, but all of a sudden he turned upon his heels and tried to repulse something with his hands. He was asked, “What is the matter with you?” He said, “Between me and him there was a ditch of fire, terror and wings.” Thereupon the Messenger of Allah, , said:“If he were to have come nearer to me, the angels would have torn him to pieces.”[Muslim] In aHadeeth on the authority of Ibn ‘Abbaas, may Allah be pleased with him, he said,
The Prophet was once praying when Abu Jahl came and said to him, “Have I not forbidden you from doing this? Have I not forbidden you from doing this? Have I not forbidden you from doing this?” The Prophet chided him. Then, Abu Jahl said, “You know that there is not anyone who has more associates than me.” Allah The Almighty then revealed the verses (which mean) {Then let him call his associates. We will call the angels of Hell.}[Quran 96:17-18]” Ibn ‘Abbaas, may Allah be pleased with him, commented that had he called his associates, the angels of Hell would have taken him there and then. [At-Tirmithi]
2- In a Hadeeth on the authority of ‘Abdullaah bin Mas‘ood, may Allah be pleased with him, he said,
While the Messenger of Allah, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, was once praying at the Ka‘bah, there were some Qurayshi people present sitting in a gathering. One of them said, “Do you not see him [who does good deeds simply to show off]? Who amongst you can go and bring the dung, blood and the abdominal contents [intestines, etc.] of the slaughtered camels of the family of so-and-so and then wait until he prostrates and put that between his shoulders?” The most wretched amongst them [‘Uqbah bin Abu Mu’ayt] went [and brought them], and when the Messenger of Allah prostrated, he put them between his shoulders. The Prophet remained in prostration and they laughed so much that they fell onto one another. A passer-by went to Faatimah, may Allah be pleased with her, who was a just a young girl at that time. She came running and found the Prophet who was still in prostration. She removed them and cursed the Qurayshi people who had done this. When the Messenger of Allah completed his prayer, he said: “O Allah, take revenge on the Quraysh!”He said this thrice and then added:“O Allah, take revenge on ‘Amr bin Hishaam, ‘Utbah bin Rabee‘ah, Shaybah bin Rabee‘ah, Al-Waleed bin ‘Utbah, Umayyah bin Khalaf, ‘Uqbah bin Abu Mu’ayt and ‘Umaarah bin Al-Waleed.” ‘Abdullaah bin Mas’ood added, “By Allah, I saw all of them dead on the battlefield on the Day of Badr and they were dragged and thrown in the open well of Badr. The Messenger of Allah then said, ‘The curse of Allah has descended upon the people of the open well.’”[Al-Bukhari] The narration of this incident by Muslim specifies that the one who threw the dung and excretion of the camel was ‘Uqbah bin Abu Mu‘ayt, who was incited to do so by Abu Jahl. The polytheists were then gravely troubled by the supplication of the Prophet, , because they knew that a supplication in Makkah is answered.
3- A group from the people of the Quraysh gathered and beat the Messenger of Allah, : The noble people of the Quraysh gathered one day at Al-Hijr (part of the Ka’bah) and said, “We cannot bear this man any more for he discredited our minds, cursed our ancestors, criticized our religion, disunited our group and abused our gods. We have borne a very difficult matter.”All of a sudden, the Prophet, , appeared while they were talking about him. At once they leaped at him as if it was the leap of one man. They surrounded him saying,“Are you saying such-and-such [namely, what they knew about him criticizing their gods and religion]?”He replied: “Yes, it is I who is saying so.”A man then gripped the garment of the Messenger of Allah, , squeezing his neck. Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, then defended him while sobbing and reciting the verse in which Allah The Almighty Says (what means):{Do you kill a man [merely] because he says, ‘My Lord is Allah’?}[Quran 40:28]
4- Abu Lahab, the uncle of the Prophet, , and his wife, Umm Jameel, were the staunchest adversaries of the Prophet, . Umm Jameel would drive wedges between the Prophet, , and the people through her tale-bearing. She would also place thorns in his path and throw rubbish at his door. Little wonder then that a chapter of the Quran was revealed regarding these two: Allah The Almighty Says (what means): {May the hands of Abu Lahab be ruined, and ruined is he. His wealth will not avail him or that which he gained. He will [enter to] burn in a Fire of [blazing] flame. And his wife [as well] - the carrier of firewood. Around her neck is a rope of [twisted] fiber.}[Quran 111:1-5] When she heard the revealed verses concerning her and her husband, she went to the Messenger of Allah, , while he was sitting at the Ka‘bah beside Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him. She was carrying a stone in her hand and when she reached them, she asked Abu Bakr, “Where is your companion? I was informed that he is satirizing me. By Allah, if I had found him, I would have struck his mouth with this stone.”Then, she went away. Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, said, “O Messenger of Allah, did she not see you?” The Messenger of Allah, , replied: “Allah had caused her not to see me.”
She then recited some poetic verses dispraising the Prophet, , indicating her utter rejection of him and dubbing him as “Muthammam” [which means ‘dispraised’; this was the Arabic opposite of the real name of the Prophet, which was Muhammad – ‘the praised one’]. The Messenger of Allah, , would in fact rejoice at the polytheists cursing Muthammam; He said: “Does it not astonish you how Allah protects me from the abuse and curses of the Quraysh? They abuse Muthammam and curse Muthammam while I am Muhammad [and not Muthammam]!”[Al-Bukhari]
Also, Abu Lahab would follow the Messenger of Allah, , around in the markets, gatherings of people and during the seasons of Hajj and accuse him of lying.
Link
The Harm and Torture to Which the Messenger was Subjected-II
What was mentioned in the last article was only part of the harm that the Messenger of Allah, , experienced and faced at the hands of the polytheists. The polytheists’ ultimate attempt to harm him was an attempt to kill him at the end of the Makkan phase. The Messenger of Allah, , would mention the harm of the Quraysh before the harm that touched any of his followers saying: “I was intimidated in the path of Allah when no one was intimidated like me. I was harmed in the path of Allah when no one was harmed like me - thirty nights and days passed when Bilaal and I had no food which a living being could eat, except something that was kept under Bilaal's armpit.”[At-Tirmithi, Al-Albaani - Saheeh]
In spite of the great rank and high nobility of the Prophet, , he suffered tremendously and underwent great afflictions from the very first day that he declared his Da‘wah (call). He faced much harm from the foolish people of the Quraysh. When he passed by their gatherings, they would mock him, saying “This is the son of Abu Kabshah (the Prophet’s father through suckling relation) who receives revelation from heaven.” Some of them would pass by the Prophet, , and ask him sarcastically, “Has anybody talked to you today from heaven?”
The harm was not restricted to mockery, sarcastic comments and psychological harm; rather, it also took the form of physical harm. The enemy of Allah, Umayyah bin Khalaf spat in the face of the Prophet, . Even after his migration to Madeenah, the pressure of affliction and harm did not stop. Rather, it took a new form because after the enmity was confined to the people of the Quraysh, new hostile groups appeared in Madeenah such as the hypocrites of Madeenah, the Jews, the Persians, the Romans and their allies. After leaving the harm in Makkah, which was in the form of mockery, insults, blockade and beating; the new harm took the form of military and armed confrontations including pursuit and killing. Hence, this was an affliction regarding lives and property. Throughout the period of his mission and his life were continuous series of ordeals and afflictions. He never weakened in the face of these trials; rather, he was patient and sought the reward for this from Allah The Almighty until he died.
The Messenger of Allah, , faced much harm and many trials that one cannot begin to imagine and in many situations. His affliction was in proportion to the status of the message that he carried; hence, he deserved the highest degree in Paradise and the highest rank before His Lord. He was very patient out of mercy for his people and in the fear that they would be afflicted with a widespread torment like the previous nations, and in order to be a good example for Islamic callers and reformers.
If depraved aggression befell even the Messenger of Allah, , then, none— due to the honor of the Prophet, – would rise above the trial and ordeal. This is the norm of Allah The Almighty regarding such missions. In a Hadeethon the authority of Abu Sa‘eed Al-Khudri, may Allah be pleased with him, he said, “’I said, ‘O Messenger of Allah, who suffers most among people?’ He replied:‘The prophets, then those who come next to them, then those who come next to them. A man is afflicted according to [the degree of his adherence to] his religion. If he is firm in his religion, his trial is severe, but if there is weakness in his religion, it [the affliction] is made lighter for him, and it continues like that until he walks on earth having no sin.’” [Ibn Maajah]
Modern day examples of believers being tortured more often than not for being who they are - that is , Muslims who strive to remain on the right path, for the sake of Allah alone -
Just Five Minutes | Nine Years in the Prisons of Syria -
“This heartrending memoir unravels the most perilous period in Syria’s modern history, a time when President Asad’s notorious secret service agents, the Mukhabarat, hunted down and imprisoned anyone even remotely associated with political opposition. When a “wanted criminal” fled from the Mukhabarat’s clutches, they were held hostage, like in the case of Heba Dabbagh.
Heba Dabbagh’s story begins when Mukhabarat agents storm into her apartment and ask for “just five minutes” of her time. They drag her to a military interrogation unit where a long list of fabricated allegations awaits her. From there, Dabbagh takes us on a journey through the prisons of Syria and reveals the nightmares that come to life in the Mukhabarat interrogation and torture chambers. During her nine year imprisonment, Dabbagh shares cells and stories with members of the political opposition, communists, spies, children and even members of her own family.
In this candid chronicle, Dabbagh exposes the oppresion that thousands have lived but few dare to voice.”
Just five minutes : nine years in the prisons of Syria - Kalamullah.Com
The Guantanamo Files -
'An important book. If you care about our Government's complicity in these illegal and horrific acts then this book provides the evidence.' - Ken Loach
'Guantánamo Bay is a legal black hole. ... This book is the closest many of the prisoners will come to a fair trial. Andy Worthington [uses] the US government's own documents to prove that innocent people were swept up in the post-9/11 panic. This is important work, impressively written.' - Clive Stafford Smith, Legal Director of Reprieve, and author of Bad Men: Guantánamo Bay and the Secret Prisons
'Extraordinary rendition, false imprisonment, inhumane treatment - including torture and death in secretive detention sites - has forever destroyed the lives of hundreds of men, of whom I was one. This book is the first of its kind to collate accounts from the prisoners themselves.' - Moazzam Begg, former Guantanamo detainee and spokesman for CagePrisoners
In 2006, four years after the illegal prison in Guantánamo Bay first opened, the Pentagon finally released the names of the 773 men held there, as well as 7,000 pages of transcripts from tribunals assessing their status as 'enemy combatants'. Andy Worthington is the only person to have analysed every page of these transcripts. Drawing on these documents, as well as news reports and interviews with lawyers and released detainees, this book reveals, for the first time, the stories of all those imprisoned in Guantánamo. This book does not make for easy reading. Deprived of the safeguards of the Geneva Conventions, and, for the most part, sold to the Americans by their allies in Afghanistan and Pakistan, the detainees have struggled for five years to have their stories heard. Looking in detail at the circumstances of their capture, and at the coercive interrogations and unsubstantiated allegations that have been used to justify their detention, 'The Guantánamo Files' reveals that the majority of those captured were either Taliban foot soldiers or humanitarian aid workers, religious teachers and economic migrants, who were caught in the wrong place at the wrong time. The book also uncovers stories of torture in Afghanistan and Guantánamo, and contains new information about the process of 'extraordinary rendition' that underpins the US administration's 'war on terror'. Who will speak for the 773 men who have been held in Guantánamo? This passionate and brilliantly detailed book brings their stories to the world for the first time.
Article -The people of the ditch and present day oppressors -
Link : Link
Much to our utter grief and dismay , on a daily we get countless narrations of how across the world today, Muslims are ruthlessly persecuted for no reason other than their pure faith in Allah. Be it the Rohingya muslims in Burma, the Wygyur Muslims in China, Muslims at the mercy of American and western troops, Muslims in India, the Muslims in Jerusalem and Gaza ,the sunni muslims at the mercy of the shia forces of Bashar Al Assad - their suffering mirrors that of the suffering borne by the people of the ditch many centuries ago. La hawla wala quwwata illa billah - All might is from Allah Azza Wajjal alone and He indeed does bear witness to all of this and we can take heart from His promise that He surely shall avenge all of this in shaa Allah aameen.