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As an example of the level of awareness of the first Muslims we will reflect on the story of Jafar ibn Abi Talib.
Jafar ibn Abi Talib was a cousin of Prophet Muhammad (?) , peace be upon him, and brother of Ali, the fourth caliph of Islam. He was among the first people to convert to Islam and experienced firsthand the persecution that the pagan Meccans doled out to the tiny community of Muslims.
Hence, when the opportunity arose to migrate to Abyssinia, present-day Ethiopia, he accompanied his wife and a small band of believers. Soon they settled down in the new land under the care and protection of the Negus (King of Ethiopia), the just and righteous ruler of Abyssinia. For the first time since they became Muslims, they savored the taste of freedom and security and enjoyed the sweetness of worship undisturbed.
Meccans Seek Extradition Of Muslims
When their fellow Meccans learned of the departure of these Muslims, they made plans to secure their return. They sent two of their most formidable men, Amr ibn al-Aas and Abdullah ibn Abi Rabiah, to accomplish this task and provided them with valuable gifts for the Negus (King of Ethiopia) and his bishops. In Abyssinia, the two Meccan emissaries first presented their gifts to the bishops and asked for their support when they approach the King.
Amr and Abdullah then went to the Negus (King of Ethiopia) himself and presented him with gifts which he greatly admired. They said to him, “O King, there is a group of evil persons from among our youth who have escaped to your kingdom. They practice a religion which neither we nor you know. They have forsaken our religion and have not entered into your religion. The respected leaders of their people – from among their own parents and uncles and from their own clans – have sent us to you to request you to return them. They know best what trouble they have caused.” The Negus (King of Ethiopia) looked towards his bishops who said, “They speak the truth, O King. Their own people know them better and are better acquainted with what they have done. Send them back so that they themselves might judge them.”
The Interfaith Dialogue With The Negus (King Of Ethiopia)
The Negus (King of Ethiopia) was not pleased with this suggestion and said, “No. By Allah, I won’t surrender them to anyone until I myself call them and question them about what they have been accused. If what these two men have said is true, then I will hand them over to you. If however it is not so, then I shall protect them so long as they desire to remain under my protection.” The Negus (King of Ethiopia) then summoned the Muslims to meet him. Before going, they consulted with one another as a group and agreed that Jafar ibn Abi Talib will speak on their behalf.
In the court, the Negus (King of Ethiopia) turned to them and asked, “What is this religion which you have taken for yourselves and which has served to cut you off from the religion of your people? You also did not enter my religion or the religion of any other community.”
A Clear Way To Make A Presentation Of Islam
Jafar ibn Abi Talib then advanced and made a speech that was moving and eloquent and which is still one of the most compelling descriptions of Islam, the appeal of the noble Prophet, and the depravity of Meccan society at the time. He said:
“O King, we were a people in a state of ignorance and immorality, worshipping idols and eating the flesh of dead animals, committing all sorts of abomination and shameful deeds, breaking the ties of kinship, treating guests badly, and the strong among us exploited the weak. We remained in this state until Allah sent us a Prophet, one of our own people whose lineage, truthfulness, trustworthiness, and integrity were well-known to us. He called us to worship Allah alone and to renounce the stones and the idols which we and our ancestors used to worship besides Allah.”
Jafar continued, “He commanded us to speak the truth, to honor our promises, to be kind to our relations, to be helpful to our neighbors; to cease all forbidden acts, to abstain from bloodshed, to avoid obscenities and false witness; to not appropriate an orphan’s property nor slander chaste women. He ordered us to worship Allah alone and not to associate anything with Him, to uphold prayer, to give charity and to fast in the month of Ramadan. We believed in him and what he brought to us from Allah and we follow him in what he has asked us to do and we keep away from what he forbade us from doing. Thereupon, O King, our people attacked us, visited the severest punishment on us to make us renounce our religion and take us back to the old immorality and the worship of idols. They oppressed us, made life intolerable for us and obstructed us from observing our religion. So we left for your country, choosing you before anyone else, desiring your protection and hoping to live in Justice and peace in your midst.”
The Negus (King of Ethiopia) was impressed and was eager to hear more. He asked Jafar, “Do you have with you something of what your Prophet brought concerning Allah?” Jafar replied that he did. “Then read it to me,” requested the Negus (King of Ethiopia).
In his rich, melodious voice, Jafar recited the first portion of the Quranic chapter titled Mary, which deals with the story of Jesus and his mother Mary. On hearing the words of the Quran, the Negus (King of Ethiopia) was moved to tears. To the Muslims, he said, “The message of your Prophet and that of Jesus came from the same source…” To Amr and his companion, he said, “Go. For, by Allah, I will never surrender them to you.”
The Meccans Incite Animosity
That, however, was not the end of the matter. The wily Amr made up his mind to go to the King the following day “to mention something about the Muslims’ belief which will certainly fill his heart with anger and make him detest them.” The next day, Amr went to the Negus (King of Ethiopia) and said, “O King, these people to whom you have given refuge and whom you protect say something terrible about Jesus the son of Mary. Send for them and ask them what they say about him.” The Negus (King of Ethiopia) summoned the Muslims and Jafar acted as their spokesman once more.
The Negus (King of Ethiopia) asked, “What do you say about Jesus, the son of Mary?” Jafar replied, “Regarding him, we only say what has been revealed to our Prophet.” “And what is that?” enquired the Negus (King of Ethiopia). “Our Prophet says that Jesus is the servant of Allah and His Prophet, His spirit and His word which He cast into Mary the Virgin.” The Negus (King of Ethiopia) exclaimed, “By Allah, Jesus the son of Mary was exactly as your Prophet has described him.”
Justice Prevails
The Negus (King of Ethiopia) told the Muslims to continue to live in security and instructed his attendants to return the gifts the Meccans had brought, who then departed, having failed in their mission.
The Muslims stayed on in the land of the Negus (King of Ethiopia) who proved to be most generous and kind to his guests. Jafar and his wife Asma spent about ten years in Abyssinia before migrating to Medina with their three children, where Prophet Muhammad (?) and his community of Muslims had found a safe haven.
If you know the nature and essence of the message and what it calls to, and the character and qualities of the messenger accepting the owner and sender of the call becomes easy.
Responding To Islamophobia.
We see from the story of Jafar ibn Abi Talib that anti Islam propaganda dates from the time of the Prophet Muhammad.
In a calculated opposite way the Medias propaganda depicts Muslims as violent, unjust, unfair, ignorant backward people. Their goal with this is to drive people away from learning about Islam and the Creator.
Likewise the medias also in a planned and related way depicts Islam as unfair, discriminating, oblivious, a regressive religion unfit for modern advanced civilization.
We the Muslim Muslim Nation (Ummah) have to be aware and assume the responsibility that befell us after the death of the Prophet and the first generation of Muslims.
Until and unless we return to a wholesome inclusive approach to Da’wah (invitation to Allah) our condition will not change as a Muslim Nation (Ummah).
Being silent when we witness all the evil that is being said and done against Islam and Muslims is not acceptable. A quiet Muslim is not a better Muslim. We must denounce all lies and any other forms of injustice that is being perpetrated against Muslims and Islam worldwide.
Proof Is At List In This One Hadith
On the authority of Abu Sa’id al-Khudri, radiyallahu ‘anhu, who said: I heard the Messenger of Allah, sallallahu ‘alayhi wasallam, say:
"When any one of you sees anything that is disapproved (of by Allah), let him change it with his hand. If he is not able to do so, then let him change it with his tongue. And if he is not able to do so, then let him change it with his heart, though that is the weakest (kind of) faith.”
Source: [Muslim]
Explanation Of The Hadith
The essence of the Islamic Da’wah (invitation to Allah) is enjoining the good and forbidding the evil, since whenever a person conveys the Message, he is enjoining good and forbidding evil. Therefore, it is a mistake to consider these two as separate matters, since they are actually performed concurrently and are synonymous.The main objective in fulfilling this obligation is to attain and maximize benefits, and to eliminate or minimize harm.
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Islam guarantees religious freedom for non-Muslims and prohibits forced conversion and spreading the religion by violence. This teaching is established in numerous verses of the Quran and in the Prophet’s practice.
Allah said:
لَا إِكْرَاهَ فِي الدِّينِ قَد تَّبَيَّنَ الرُّشْدُ مِنَ الْغَيِّ
There is no compulsion in religion. The truth is distinct from error. [Surah Al-Baqarah 2:256]
And Allah said:
وَقُلِ الْحَقُّ مِن رَّبِّكُمْ فَمَن شَاءَ فَلْيُؤْمِن وَمَن شَاءَ فَلْيَكْفُرْ
Say: The truth is from your Lord. So whoever wills let him believe, and whoever wills let him disbelieve. [Surah Al-Kahf 18:29]
The Prophet (ﷺ) would peacefully call people to the religion with beautiful preaching and sound arguments.
Anas ibn Malik reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said to a man:
أَسْلِمْ
Embrace Islam
The man said, “I find that I dislike it.” The Prophet said:
وَإِنْ كُنْتَ كَارِهًا
Even if you dislike it.
Source: Musnad Ahmad 11650, Grade: Sahih (authentic)
In this tradition, the Prophet (ﷺ) did not call the man to Islam using threats or intimidation, but rather by telling him that Islam is good for him even if he disliked it.
Rashid Rida writes:
قَاعِدَةٌ كُبْرَى مِنْ قَوَاعِدِ دِينِ الْإِسْلَامِ وَرَكْنٌ عَظِيمٌ مِنْ أَرْكَانِ سِيَاسَتِهِ فَهُوَ لَا يُجِيزُ إِكْرَاهَ أَحَدٍ عَلَى الدُّخُولِ فِيهِ وَلَا يَسْمَحُ لِأَحَدٍ أَنَّ يُكْرِهَ أَحَدًا مِنْ أَهْلِهِ عَلَى الْخُرُوجِ مِنْهُ
This is a major rule among the principles of the religion of Islam and a great pillar among the pillars of administration. It is not permissible to force anyone to enter the religion and it is not allowed to expel anyone among his people from his religion.
Source: Tafseer Al-Manar 2:256
The Prophet (ﷺ) never forced anyone into Islam and neither would he fight them because they followed a different religion. He only fought people who declared war against the Muslim community or violated people’s rights.
Ibn Al-Qayyim writes:
وَلَمْ يُكْرِهْ أَحَدًا قَطُّ عَلَى الدِّينِ وَإِنَّمَا كَانَ يُقَاتِلُ مَنْ يُحَارِبُهُ وَيُقَاتِلُهُ وَأَمَّا مَنْ سَالَمَهُ وَهَادَنَهُ فَلَمْ يُقَاتِلْهُ وَلَمْ يُكْرِهْهُ عَلَى الدُّخُولِ فِي دِينِهِ
The Prophet never forced the religion upon anyone, but rather he only fought those who waged war against him and fought him first. As for those who made peace with him or conducted a truce, then he never fought them and he never compelled them to enter his religion.
Source: Hidayat Al-Hayara 237
The many verses of the Quran that declare freedom of religion must be understood as the general rule.
Our purpose is to inform, to correct misunderstanding, to answer questions to facilitate the comprehension of the essentials of faith and primarily to awaken the hearts to belief in our Creator.
To achieve this we need to have a common ground and focus at one point on the awareness about the beauty of creation and all of its intricacies. Likewise it is important to use the pronoun “we” instead of you . Because it is we who have been lost, who had been in the wrong understanding correspondingly to the speech of Jafar . It is important to show that the guidance of Islam is a gift bestowed by Allah on whoever He chooses and we are inviters to embrace that same path. The invitee a priori is not our enemy he or she is in need of guidance and we should make it easy for him or her to embrace the right path.
We need to be gentle and at first to listen attentively to our invitee.
Indeed, Allah sent Moses and Aaron, peace be upon them, to Pharaoh and He commanded them to speak mildly to him and to begin their invitation to Islam with gentleness.
Allah said:
فَقُولَا لَهُ قَوْلًا لَّيِّنًا لَّعَلَّهُ يَتَذَكَّرُ أَوْ يَخْشَىٰ
Speak to him mildly that perhaps he may remember or fear Allah. [Surat Ta Ha 20:44]
If this is how Allah commanded the prophets to speak to the greatest of oppressors, then how much more deserving of kindness are those lesser than him?
Al-Baghawi reported:
وقرأ رجل عند يحيـى بن معاذ هذه الآية (فَقُولاَ لَهُ قَوْلاً لَّيِّناً) فبكى يحيى وقال إلهي هذا رفقك بمن يقول أنا الإِله فكيف رفقك بمن يقول أنت الإِله
A man recited this verse in front of Yahya ibn Mu’adh and he began to weep. Yahya said: My God, this is Your gentleness with one who claims to be God, then how is Your gentleness with one who says You are God?
Source: Tafseer Al-Baghawi 20:44
Likewise, Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) was commanded to begin inviting the unbelievers of Mecca to Islam with gentleness, even though they were plotting against him and the Muslims.
Allah said:
إِنَّهُمْ يَكِيدُونَ كَيْدًا(15) وَأَكِيدُ كَيْدًا (16) فَمَهِّلِ الْكَافِرِينَ أَمْهِلْهُمْ رُوَيْدًا (17)
Verily, they are planning a plan and I am planning a plan. So give respite to the unbelievers, deal gently with them for a while. [Surat At-Tariq 86:15-17]
For this reason, the Prophet (ﷺ) was patient and forbearing with their abuse for more than twenty years. Only after the persecution became so intense was he allowed to fight back in self-defense. Even so, the Prophet (ﷺ) was given clear instructions to accept their repentance or at least accept their offer of peace.
Allah said:
فَإِنْ تَابُوا وَأَقَامُوا الصَّلَاةَ وَآتَوُا الزَّكَاةَ فَخَلُّوا سَبِيلَهُمْ إِنَّ اللَّهَ غَفُورٌ رَحِيمٌ (5) وَإِنْ أَحَدٌ مِنَ الْمُشْرِكِينَ اسْتَجَارَكَ فَأَجِرْهُ حَتَّى يَسْمَعَ كَلَامَ اللَّهِ ثُمَّ أَبْلِغْهُ مَأْمَنَهُ ذَلِكَ بِأَنَّهُمْ قَوْمٌ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ (6)
If they repent, establish prayer, and give charity, let them go their way. Verily, Allah is Forgiving and Merciful. If any one of the idolaters seeks your protection, then grant him protection so that he may hear the words of Allah. Then deliver him to his place of safety. That is because they are a people who do not know. [Surat At-Tawba 9:5-6]
Thus, the door of mercy and gentleness is never closed, as even the worst of criminals are given the opportunity to repent and make amends.
Furthermore, kindness and gentleness should be shown to the animals and indeed all of creation.
Aisha reported: I was upon a camel which was misbehaving so I began to beat it. The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said:
عَلَيْكِ بِالرِّفْقِ فَإِنَّ الرِّفْقَ لَا يَكُونُ فِي شَيْءٍ إِلَّا زَانَهُ وَلَا يُنْزَعُ مِنْ شَيْءٍ إِلَّا شَانَهُ
You must be gentle. Verily, gentleness is not in anything except that it beautifies it, and it is not removed from anything except that it disgraces it.
Source: Musnad Ahmad 24417, Grade: Sahih (authentic)
Small acts of kindness, although it might be trivial in the eyes of people, are an important means for us to be saved from Hellfire and admitted into Paradise.
Ibn Mas’ud reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said:
أَلَا أُخْبِرُكُمْ بِمَنْ يَحْرُمُ عَلَى النَّارِ أَوْ بِمَنْ تَحْرُمُ عَلَيْهِ النَّارُ عَلَى كُلِّ قَرِيبٍ هَيِّنٍ سَهْلٍ
Shall I not tell you for whom the Hellfire is forbidden? It is every person accessible, polite, and mild.
Source: Sunan At-Tirmidhi 2488, Grade: Hasan
Therefore, we should train ourselves and our children to be kind and gentle in all matters, among the Muslims, among unbelievers, and even with the animals. We should resist the temptation to indulge in cruelty and savagery. Times will come when must apply justice to criminals, but we have to remember that the opportunity for repentance will remain and even a great tyrant like Pharaoh should be given his portion of kindness.
We ask Allah to beautify our manners with kindness and to protect us from falling into harshness.
Most of the time when we engage in a discussion with the intention of Da’wah (invitation to Allah) we have the advantage that our invitee knows that we are Muslims so the art of the discussion is to have him or her ask questions. And certainly if they ask questions they want to know the answers. Also if we let our invitee talk he or she will talk about himself and that will give clues about what is their personality. Different invitee’s belief background. Christians Buddhi Hindus Atheist etc.
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