The Hardship That Has To Be Faced

The call for the Truth, to establish the sovereignty for Islam will, if practised in the manner of the prophet Mohammad (p.b.u.h), be met with the most severe opposition. This cannot be avoided. Struggle between truth and falsehood is inevi table and characterises the call for Islam. Thus, all available weapons will be used against the group that calls for it. If anyone feels that this call can be done without struggle, conflict, hardship and injury, need only reflect on the following to erase this fallacy.

In the ninth year after the Hijrah there arose from the highlands of Najd an impostor Musaylamah ibn Habib, who claimed himself to be the messenger of Allah. In the face of the evil influence of Musaylamah the Prophet (p.b.u.h) considered it necessary to send a letter to Musaylamah inviting him to leave his misguided way. The Prophet chose Habib ibn Zayd (r.a) for the task of taking the letter. When Musaylamah received the letter he was outraged and ordered that Habib should be chained and brought to him.

Musaylamah asked Habib "Do you testify that Mohammad is the Messenger of Allah?"

"Yes." Habib replied.

Musaylamah, very angry said "And do you testify that I am the Messenger of Allah?" Habib replied "My ears have been blocked against hearing what you claim."

Musaylamah now enraged ordered his executioner to "cut off a piece of his body" and so he did, cutting off one of his limbs. Musaylamah then put the same question to him and Habib replied the same. Musaylamah thereupon ordered his henchman to cut off another part of Habib's body. As his henchman continued to hack away Habib kept on repeating:

"I testify that Mohammad is the Messenger of Allah."

With this on his lips he died.

Another companion, Khabbab ibn al-Aratt was inflicted with the-most severe torture imaginable, red hot irons from the furnace would be placed on his head and he was regularly taken to the open area of Mecca when the sun was at its highest and the ground was baking hot. He would be stripped of his clothes and dressed in iron armour and placed on the floor wherein they would place a large hot stone on his back.

Thus the enemies of Allah and Muslims, will deploy all means to subdue the Call for Islam, this can be seen today in the action of the rulers and tyrants. See how they hang our noble youth, torture and imprison male and female of our Ummah. The atrocities carried out upon Muslims is witnessed everyday by our own eyes and so they will continue for this is a characteristic of the Call. But this should not stop our work to establish Islam, moreover it should not induce thoughts of compromise with these regimes in order to secure some relief from their hostilities. This is surely not the way of the Prophet (p.b.u.h) as Khabbab relates:

"We complained to the Prophet of the increasing persecution inflicted upon us by the disbelievers of Mecca. He was reclining in the shade of the Ka'aba, having made a pillow of his cloak. We submitted: 'Why do you not supplicate for help for us? Why do you not pray for us?'

The Prophet (p.b.u.h) answered:

'From among those who have gone before you a man would be caught and held in a pit dug for him in the earth and he would then be sawn in two with a saw placed over his head, or his flesh would be combed away from his bones with iron combs but none of this would wean him away from his faith. Allah will surely bring this matter to its consummation till a rider will proceed from Sana'a to Hadhramant fearing nothing save Allah and the hazard of the wolf concerning his sheep. But you are in too much of a hurry.” (Bokhari).

The Messenger of Allah and his companions, and all the Prophets of Allah have faced this hostility and opposition with the utmost resilience. Quraysh tortured Muslims to death, they boycotted them for three years and lied insistently against them. Yet they met all that was thrown against them with patience and firm resort in Allah, who did not disappoint them. Allah honoured them in this life by the decisive victory against their enemies. Allah satisfied them as they satisfied Him, and so they deserved his promised gardens in paradise. Allahu Akbar.

Al-Fajr Magazine