Chapter 7

Unlike the trials of the Muslims that Baraka (Allah be pleased with her) also endured, watching the heartbreak of the Prophet ﷺ when he lost both his beloved wife Khadījah (Allah be pleased with her) and Abū Ṭālib uniquely wrenched her soul. She saw in his eyes the same orphan who years ago lost his dear mother and protective grandfather. Sayyidah Khadījah was his support at home, whereas Abū Ṭālib was his support outside. The latter’s passing without accepting Islam was crushing and a poignant reminder. Despite his immense love for the Prophet ﷺ and his tremendous support for the cause, he could not accept his nephew’s calling. Allah, the Exalted, informed the Prophet ﷺ that everything lies in His hands alone, “You cannot give guidance to whomsoever you wish, but Allah gives guidance to whomsoever He wills.” (Surah Al-Qaṣaṣ 56)

However, Allah, the Ḥakīm, destined further formative events for His Messenger until only reliance upon Him remained in his ﷺ heart and the hearts of his followers. Disbelievers, being authors of their own morals, are skillful at dehumanizing those they disagree with and propagandizing the weak as oppressors. Both history and the present bear witness to it. Only the threat of a formidable and influential figure can check their base impulses. Such was the role of Abū Ṭālib. Once he passed, the Disbelievers of Makkah let loose upon the helpless Muslims, including the Prophet ﷺ. By this time, many of the battered Muslims migrated to Abyssinia on the instruction of Allah and His Messenger ﷺ. For Allah said, “O My believing slaves, indeed My earth is spacious, so worship Me alone” (Surah al-‘Ankabūt 56), and the Prophet ﷺ said, “Perhaps you should go to the land of Abyssinia… until Allah provides you with relief from the situation you are presently in.” Included among the migrants were Sayyiduna ‘Uthmān ibn ‘Affān, ‘Abd al-Raḥmān ibn ‘Awf, Zubayr ibn al-‘Awwām, and the Prophet’s ﷺ daughter Ruqayyah (Allah be pleased with them all). Unfortunately, those who remained and could not leave were increasingly brutalized.

The Makkans escalated their merciless abuse by insulting and disparaging Allah’s Beloved ﷺ. The city that fostered him and the people that praised him had now resolved to harm him as Waraqa had warned about a decade prior. Despite his tremendous love for the city of Makkah, he relented to traveling to Ṭā’if, hoping to find some solace and support there. Accompanied by Baraka’s husband and his ﷺ mawlā (freed slave), Zayd ibn Ḥārithah, he met with the leaders of this land of lush foliage. Good people smile with open arms when an honorable man appears at their door, no less one who is broken and in need. Instead, the people of Ṭā’if threw a barrage of the ill-tempered against the two. Oppressors have a way of inciting the mob against victims just as hunters point out the prey to their dogs. Makkah was bad, but Ṭā’if was worse. After leaving the town bleeding, beaten, and exhausted, he ﷺ took refuge in an orchard and raised his hands, beseeching Allah as only a true slave could do:

“O Allah, to You, I complain of my weakness, my lack of resources and humiliation before the people. You are the Most Merciful, the Lord of the weak and my Master. To whom will You confide me? To one estranged, bearing ill will, or an enemy given power over me? If You are not angry with me, I care not, for Your favor is abundant for me. I seek refuge in the light of Your countenance by which all darkness is dispelled and every affair of this world and the next is set right, lest Your anger should descend upon me or Your displeasure light upon me. I need only Your pleasure and satisfaction, for only You enabled me to do good and evade evil. There is no power and no might save in You.”

Comfort & Mercy

Even in dark times, Allah’s mercy abounds for all His creatures. The Quran continued descending upon the Messenger ﷺ and Muslims. As the Quraysh blocked people from guidance, many still found their way to it. Ṭufayl al-Dawsī stuffed his ears with cotton while standing next to the Kaʻbah. The most beautiful speech, i.e., the Quran, coming from the most perfect person, i.e., the Prophet ﷺ, resonated around him until it embraced his heart. Ṭufayl then embraced Islam and brought his entire tribe into its warmth. Not too far away, Abū Bakr set up a muṣalla in front of his house. The Quran flowed from his mouth as tears flowed from his eyes, a sight that struck awe and reverence into the hearts of those who gathered around him. They stood mesmerized, some weeping alongside him, while others felt their hearts soften, as though his recitation washed away the layers of darkness they had carried. The profound sincerity and emotional resonance of his voice were undeniable, leaving an indelible mark on all who were present, inspiring many to embrace the light of Islam. People gathered by this stream of recitation and drank from its sweetness. In Abyssinia, the noble sacrifice of the Muslim migrants presented itself before their king, the Najāshī. The mention of Sayyidah Maryam moved him to Islam. Years later, the Prophet ﷺ would lead a distant janāzah for him, one of the only times such an occurrence took place.

Even cruel Ṭā’if wasn’t spared from His mercy. After his duʻā, the angel of the mountains flanking Ṭā’if presented himself before the Messenger ﷺ requesting permission to press the town into oblivion. He ﷺ refused, hoping Allah would bring about people of tawḥīd from the tribe of Thaqīf located therein. The acceptance of this request reached far out from the town. Not only would the town’s inhabitants accept Islam, but from among their descendants arose one that would bring it to the entire Indian Subcontinent.

However, even these incidents were just a drop in the ocean of mercy that Allah would now awash the Messenger ﷺ and the Muslims.

The Journey & Ascension

To an outsider, and indeed to the disbelieving Arabs, the Prophet ﷺ appeared to be the lowest of the low, as they abused him and mocked him. However, one blessed night, Allah the Exalted placed him ﷺ ahead of all the Prophets in worship to Allah, granted him unheard-of honors, and physically raised him ﷺ to the highest of existent abodes. “Glorious is He Who made his slave travel by night from al-Masjid al-Ḥarām to al-Masjid al-Aqṣā whose surroundings We have blessed so that We let him see some of Our signs.” (Surah al-Isrā’ 1) In Masjid Aqṣā’, he ﷺ became the Imam to all Prophets and their Companion in worship. Thereafter, he was elevated to heights that left angels behind until only his Lord and he remained. The lines between heaven and earth, the Arabs and mankind, and the seen and the unseen were blurred. This was a journey no one had ever taken nor would ever take again, a passage unparalleled in both spiritual and cosmic significance. It bridged the temporal and the eternal, the earthly and the divine, showcasing the unique station of the Prophet ﷺ. As he traversed realms unseen by any before him, it became a testament to the boundless potential of human submission to Allah. This was not merely a journey through physical space but an ascension that illuminated the infinite mercy and majesty of the Creator, leaving an indelible mark on the fabric of existence itself. This was a meeting of the Lover and Beloved, for which time itself stood still as if holding its breath. So honored was he ﷺ that even his followers were lavished the most precious of gifts. Allah, the Exalted, endowed the Muslims with five daily prayers – moments of divine intimacy – equivalent to fifty. From henceforth, each Believer had a lifeline to transcend worldly boundaries and enter the courtyard of the Infinite.

If trials are the cost of blessings, then the Prophet ﷺ is at once the most trialed and the most blessed. Through his sacrifice, we have been connected to our Creator. O Allah, send your highest blessings upon our beloved Muhammad!