Message for Muslims

Here we survey the final conquest of Islam over idolatry, Judaism and Christianity in the lands Muhammad conquered.

The Bani Hawazin and the Battle of Honein

Although the city of Mecca had cheerfully accepted his authority, all its inhabitants had not yet embraced the new religion, nor formerly acknowledged his prophetical claim. Muhammad now had to deal with a new threat so he had to withdraw from Mecca after little more than a fortnight’s stay. Modaz ibn Jabal, a young citizen of Medina, well skilled in the Quran and in all questions of religious practice, was left behind to instruct the citizens of Mecca in the tenets and requirements of Islam. The new threat came from the great Bedouin stock of the Bani Hawazin who occupied the ranges and slopes of the hill country to the south and east of Mecca. They felt their only chance of safety lay in an early offensive movement so they sent an urgent summons to all the branches of the Hawazin race, in order to check Muhammad’s scheme of conquest and universal supremacy. They appointed a rendezvous at Autas, a valley in the mountain range north-east of Tayif, where they began rapidly to assemble.

Muhammad marched out of Mecca at the head of 12,000 men now swelled by the additional 2,000 auxiliaries from Mecca. The Battle of Honein occurred on February 1st A. D 630 and was a total success to the Muslims. 6,000 prisoners were taken; and the spoil included 24,000 camels, 40,000 sheep and goats and 4,000 thousand ounces of silver. During the first part of the battle Muhammad’s army were surprised and driven back; yet they rallied and their success is recorded in the Quran:

> “Verily God hath assisted you in many battlefields; and on the day of Honein when indeed ye rejoiced in the multitude of your host. But their great number did not in any wise benefit you: the earth became too strait for you with all its spaciousness. Then ye turned your backs and fled. Afterwards the lord sent down His peace upon His Prophet and upon the believers, and sent down hosts which ye saw not, and punished them that disbelieved; and that is the end of the unbelievers. Then God will be turned hereafter unto whom He pleaseth; for God is gracious and merciful.” (At-Taubah 9:25-27)

 

Muhammd’s last campaign

The campaign to Tabuk was the last expedition undertaken during the Prophet’s lifetime. It was conducted in 630 in response to rumours of a Roman invasion as disaffected clans, nominally Muslim, gathered on the Syrian frontier. Having reached Tabuk they found that the rumours of the invasion had melted away and there was no threat at the present time to the border. He therefore contented himself with sending a strong detachment under Khalid to Duma, where he accepted treaties from the Jewish and Christian tribes on the shores of the Atlantic Gulf, towards the east of which he was encamped. Muhammad’s authority was now unquestioned northwards to the Syrian confine and in the south as far as the still resistant Taif.

War to be carried on by Islam until Antichrist appear

The following tradition shows how little the real spirit of Islam, as aggressive and tending necessarily to universal conquest, had not yet dawned upon the understanding of the people. Looking around them and seeing no enemy remaining the followers of the Prophet began to sell their arms, saying: ’The wars for religion now are ended.’ But Muhammad saw into the future and when he heard their proposal he forbade it saying: ‘There shall not cease from the midst of my people a party engaged in fighting for the truth, even until Antichrist appear.

 

The annihilation of idolatry now declared as the mission of Islam

The sacred season of pilgrimage now again drew near and Muhammad had up to the present abstained from being present because the great masses of pilgrims were heathens, and idolatrous practices mingled with the holy rites. But he resolved that A. H. 9 should be the last time in which the pilgrimage was dishonoured by unworthy customs. He was now strong enough to banish heathenism entirely and forever from his native city.

Towards the close of the pilgrimage, on the great day of sacrifice, at the place of casting stones near Mina the following important revelation was committed to Ali to read aloud in reference to those of the idolaters with whom ye have entered into treaty:

> “Go to and fro in the earth securely four months. And know that ye cannot hinder God, and that verily God will bring disgrace upon the unbelievers. And an announcement from God and his Apostle unto the people, on the day of the greater pilgrimage, that God is discharged from the idolaters, – and his Prophet like – wise. Now if ye repent, that will be better for you ; but if ye turn your backs, know that ye cannot hinder God ; and acquaint those who disbelieve with the tidings of a grievous punishment  Excepting those of the idolaters with whom ye have entered into treaty, and who thereafter have not failed you in any thing, and have not helped any one against you. Fulfil unto these their treaty, until the expiration of their term ; for God loveth the pious. And when the forbidden months have lapsed, then fight against the idolaters, whosesoever ye find them ; take them captive, besiege them, and lay in wait for them in every ambush; but if they repent and establish prayer, and give the tithes leave them alone, for God is gracious and merciful. And if any of the idolaters ask a guarantee of thee, give it unto him, until he shall have heard the Word of God ; then convey him back unto his place of security. This because they are a people that do not understand.” (At-Taubah 9:2-6)

Having finished the recitation of this passage, Ali continued: ’I have been commanded to declare unto you that no unbeliever shall enter Paradise. No idolater shall after this year perform the pilgrimage; and no one shall make the circuit of the Holy house naked. Whosoever hath a treaty with the Prophet; it shall be respected till its termination. Four months are permitted to every tribe to return to their territories in security. After that the obligation of the Prophet ceaseth. ’

The passage just quoted completed the system of Muhammad so far as concerned its relations with idolatrous tribes and races. The few cases of truce excepted, uncompromising warfare was declared against them all. No trace of idolatry was to survive within the expanding circle of the influence of Islam. And as Islam was the universal faith intended for all mankind, so its mission was now plainly set forth to be absolute annihilation of idolatry throughout the world.

 

Reduction of Judaism and Christianity to a dependent position

In juxtaposition with this passage, though evidently revealed in an altogether different connection we find the following verses declaratory of the final principles on which those that professed Judaism or Christianity were to be treated. After long neglect and silence, the Quran in Sura 9 now notices Jews and Christians, only to condemn them to a perpetual vassalage :

> “Fight against those who do not believe in God nor in the last day, and who forbid not that which God hath forbidden, and profess not the true religion, those namely, who have received the scriptures (that is both Jews and Christians) until they pay tribute with the hand, and are humbled. The Jews say that Ezra is the Son of God, and the Christians that the Messiah is the Son of God. This is their saying, with their mouths. They imitate the saying of the unbelievers before them. God destroy them! How have they devised lying vanities! They have taken their priests and their monks as lords beside God, and also the Messiah the son of Mary. Yet they were not bidden but to worship the one God; There is no God but he, far exalted above that with which they associate Him! They seek to extinguish the light of God with their mouths. But God refuseth to do otherwise than make His light perfect, even though the unbelievers be averse therefrom. He it is that hath sent His Apostle with the true guidance, and the religion of truth, that He may make it superior to all other religions, even though the idolaters be averse therefrom. O ye that believe! Verily many of the priests and monks devour the wealth of the people in vanity, and obstruct the way of God. And those that treasure up gold and silver, and spend it not in the way of God, announce unto them a grievous punishment; On the day on which it (i. e. gold and silver) shall be heated in the fire of Hell, and their foreheads and their sides and their backs shall be seared therewith, This is that which ye have treasured up for yourselves, wherefore taste that which ye have treasured up!” (At-Taubah 9:29-34)

Therefore, with threats of abasement and with bitter curses, Muhammad parted finally from the Jews and Christians, whom he had so long deceived with vain professions of attachment to their Scriptures, and from whose teaching he had borrowed that which was most valuable in his own. Having reached the pinnacle of prosperity and power, he cast contemptuously aside the supports to which he so greatly owed his elevation.

More and more tribes submit to Islam

Now, in A.H. 9 and 10 (A. D. 630 and 631), from all quarters of Arabia a stream of submissive embassies flowed towards Me dina. Many of the chiefs and princes of Yemen and Mahra of Oman, Bahrein, and Yemama, had signified by letter or by embassy their conversion to Islam and submission to the Prophet.

 

The Farewell Pilgrimage

The idolatrous influences associated with the pilgrimage had now been cleared away and now, in A.H. 10, (A.D. 630) Muhammad resolved to go to perform the Greater pilgrimage, something he had not done since his flight from Mecca. Five days before the opening of Dzul Hijj, the month of pilgrimage the Prophet assumed the pilgrim’s garb and set out to Mecca. One hundred camels, marked by his own hands as victims, were led in solemn procession. Along the road, mosques had already sprung up at various halting places; at each people prayed. Muhammad rested at Sarif for the night. The following day he mounted his camel and entered t he upper suburbs then he performed the prescribed circuits and other rites and afterwards retired to a tent pitched for him in the valley.

On the 7th of Dzul Hijj, the day preceding the opening of the Greater pilgrimage, Muhammad, after the mid-day prayer, preached to those assembled at the Kaa’ba. Next day, followed by the whole multitude of pilgrims, he proceeded to Mina, where he performed the ordinary prayers, and passed the night in a tent. The following morning at sunrise, he moved onwards and passing Mozdalifa, reached Arafat, an abrupt conical hill, about two hundred feet high, in the middle of the valley. On the summit of the sacred mount, the Prophet standing erect on his camel, said: ‘The entire valley of Arafat is the holy station for pilgrimage, excepting only the vale of Urana.’ After he had bowed himself in prayer, he recited certain passages of the Quran, regarding the ceremonies of pilgrimage, and concluded with the verse:

> “This day have I perfected your religion unto you, and fulfilled my mercy upon you, and appointed Islam for you to be your religion.’”

Retracing his steps he returned to Mozdalifa where he said the sunset and evening prayers both together: in this and every other point, his example has been closely imitated by all pilgrims to the present day.

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