Seerah | Lecture 9 | Sayyiduna Umar accepts Islam

The early years of the propagation of Islam were marked by intense persecution of the sabiqinal-awwalin (the first Muslims) by the mushrikin of Makkah. This oppression targeted both poor servants and wealthy individuals who had embraced the faith. Despite physical abuse, such as being lashed or tied to pillars without food or drink, these early believers remained steadfast and refused to denounce their religion. The Messenger of Allah, sallallahu alaihi wasallam, also endured severe trials, including the forced divorce of his daughters from their husbands by the people of Makkah. While he possessed the power to destroy his persecutors through the assistance of Jibril alaihis-salam, he chose to remain merciful and patient to ensure the continued propagation of the faith.

The work details how the Prophet’s supplications against those who committed extreme disrespect resulted in their destruction, such as the fate of Utaibah, the son of Abu Lahab, who was killed by a lion after the Prophet prayed for wild animals to be set upon him. Furthermore, it addresses the role of Sayyiduna Abu Bakr Siddiq in purchasing and freeing enslaved Muslims, such as Sayyiduna Bilal, to protect them from torture. It emphasizes that Islam did not encourage slavery but rather sought to eradicate it through gradual means, such as mandating the freeing of slaves as kaffarat (compensation for sins). As the persecution reached its limits in the fifth year of the nubuwwah, the Prophet granted permission for the first hijrah to Abyssinia, leading a group of Sahaba to seek refuge in Ethiopia.

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Key topics & takeaways

Persecution of the early Muslims

• Nature of the trials — the early Muslims faced torture, transgression, and persecution from the mushrikin of Makkah for the first five years of the propagation of Islam ▸1:35
• Targeting of the wealthy — persecution was not limited to slaves; wealthy converts like Sayyiduna Uthman-e-Ghani, Sayyiduna Zubair ibn al-Awwam, and Sayyiduna Sa'id ibn Zayd were also subjected to abuse ▸2:29
• Methods of torture — Sayyiduna Uthman was tied to a pillar, denied food and drink, and lashed with a stick for his faith ▸3:30
• Steadfastness of the Sahaba — despite the severity of the trials, not a single person who had accepted Islam at that time committed irtidad (denouncing the faith) to escape punishment ▸4:23

The Prophet’s mercy and trials

• Treatment of the Prophet’s family — the people of Makkah pressured the sons-in-law of the Prophet to divorce his daughters, and Utaibah, the son of Abu Lahab, physically mistreated and spat upon the Prophet before divorcing his daughter ▸5:39
• The Prophet’s restraint — although Jibril alaihis-salam offered to destroy the people of Makkah, the Prophet declined, choosing to endure hardship to allow others the opportunity to accept the religion ▸6:31
• Divine response to disrespect — the Prophet made a dua against Utaibah, asking that wild animals be set upon him, which resulted in Utaibah being killed by a lion during a business trip to Syria ▸7:13
• Divine punishment of persecutors — on another occasion, Jibril alaihis-salam touched three men who were swearing at the Prophet, causing them to bleed and die ▸10:59

Conversion and the People of the Book

• Motivations for conversion — people accepted Islam by listening to the Quran, observing the Prophet’s character, or through prior knowledge of his prophethood held by Jews and Christians ▸12:09
• Alteration of scriptures — Jewish and Christian scholars, fearing the loss of their status and wealth, altered the descriptions of the final Prophet in their books to discourage their followers from accepting him ▸13:06
• Secret conversions — despite the public stance of their leaders, many Jews and Christians were told in secret by their relatives to go to Makkah and accept the Prophet’s faith to attain salvation ▸14:00

Slavery and the first Hijrah

• Abu Bakr’s efforts — Sayyiduna Abu Bakr Siddiq used his wealth to purchase and free enslaved Muslims, including Sayyiduna Bilal, regardless of the high prices demanded by their masters ▸14:48
• Islamic stance on slavery — Islam did not establish slavery but came to eradicate it by encouraging the freeing of slaves as a virtuous act and as kaffarat for sins ▸16:37
• Permission for Hijrah — in the fifth year of the nubuwwah, the Prophet permitted the Sahaba to migrate to Abyssinia (modern-day Ethiopia) to escape persecution ▸18:31
• The first group of migrants — the first group to migrate to Ethiopia included fewer than 20 people, among them Sayyiduna Uthman-e-Ghani, his wife (the daughter of the Prophet), Sayyiduna Abu Hudhayfah, Sayyiduna Abdur-Rahman ibn Awf, and Sayyiduna Zubair ibn al-Awwam ▸19:13