Book: Dalail an-Nubuwwah by Bayhaqi

الرسول صلى الله عليه وسلم في الطائف:

Chapter: The Prophet, peace be upon him, in Ta'if:

Volume: intro (Page:66)

English:

Request and Response

He then sent for the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, and said, "O son of my brother, your people have come to me saying such and such, relating what they had told him. Spare me and yourself and do not burden me with things I cannot bear." The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, assumed it seemed to his uncle that he was being put in harm's way and that he had forsaken him, surrendered him and distanced himself from supporting him and standing by him.

The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, replied, "O my uncle, by Allah, if they place the sun in my right hand and the moon in my left hand on the condition that I abandon this cause, until Allah makes it manifest or I perish therein, I would not abandon it." He added: Then the Messenger of Allah, having expressed these things, cried and then stood up. As he turned to leave, Abu Talib called out to him, "Come back, O son of my brother," and the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, returned. He then said, "Go, O son of my brother, say what you wish to say, for by Allah, I will never give you up to any cause."

The Messenger in Ta’if

After the death of Abu Talib, the Quraysh became bold facing the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, and they inflicted harm upon him. Thus, he left for Ta'if along with Zaid bin Haritha in the remaining days of Shawwal, ten years since the Prophet's call, and he stayed there for ten days. There was no significant person amongst them to whom he did not go and speak with.

Muhammad invited three brothers, the masters and nobles of Thaqif, to Islam: 'Abd-Yalil, Mas'ud, and Habib, sons of Amr ibn Umayr ibn 'Awf. He sat with them and invited them to Allah, telling them that he had come for their support in spreading Islam and standing up against those of his people who opposed him.

One of them said, "If Allah has sent you, I would rather tear the cover of the Ka'bah," another said, "Could Allah find no one better than you to send?" And the third said, "By Allah, I will never speak to you… If you truly are a Messenger from Allah - as you claim - then you are of too much danger for me to respond to you. And if you are lying against Allah, you do not deserve to be talked to."

Arabic:

فَبَعَثَ إِلَى رَسُولِ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، فَقَالَ لَهُ: يَا ابْنَ أَخِي، إِنَّ قَوْمَكَ قَدْ جاءُونِي، فقالوا لي كذا وكذا، للذي كانوا قالوا له، فَأَبْقِ عَلَيَّ، وَعَلَى نَفْسِكَ، وَلَا تُحَمِّلْنِي مِنَ الْأَمْرِ ما لا أطيق.فَظَنَّ رَسُولُ اللهِ صَلَّى الله عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، إِنَّهُ قَدْ بَدَا لِعَمِّهِ فِيهِ فدو، وأنه خاذله ومسلمه، وأنه قد ضعف عن نصرته والقيام معه. قَالَ رَسُولُ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: «يَا عم، والله، لو وضعوا الشَّمْسُ فِي يَمِينِي، وَالْقَمَرُ في يساري، على أن أترك هَذَا الْأَمْرَ- حَتَّى يُظْهِرَهُ الله أو أهلك فيه- ما تركته» .قال: ثُمَّ اسْتَعْبَرَ رَسُولُ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وسلم، فبكى، ثم قام. فلما ولّى، ناداه أبو طالب، فقال: أقبل يا ابن أخي، قال: فَأَقْبَلَ عَلَيْهِ رَسُولُ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ. فَقَالَ:اذهب يا ابن أخي، فقل ما أحببت، فو الله، لَا أُسْلِمُكَ لِشَيْءٍ أَبَدًا.الرسول صلى الله عليه وسلّم في الطائف:لما توفي أبو طالب، اجترأت قريش علي رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلّم، ونالت منه.فخرج إلى الطائف ومعه زيد بن حارثة، وذلك في ليال بقية من شوال سنة عشر من حين نبئ رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلّم، فأقام بالطائف عشرة أيام لا يدع أحدا من أشرافهم إلا جاءه وكلمه. ومحمد دعاهم إلى الإسلام أخوة ثلاثة، وهم سادة ثقيف وأشرافهم، وهم عبد يا ليل، ومسعود وحبيب بنو عمرو بن عمير بن عوف.فجلس إليهم فدعاهم إلى الله، وكلمهم لما جاءهم له من نصرته على الإسلام والقيام معه على من خالفه من قومه، فقال أحدهم: هو- يعني نفسه- بمرط ثياب الْكَعْبَةِ إِنْ كَانَ اللهُ أرسلك، وقال الآخر: أما وجد الله أحدا أرسله غيرك؟وقال الثالث: والله، لا أكلمك أبدا ... لئن كنت رسولا من الله- كما تقول- لأنت أعظم خطرا من أن أرد عليك الكلام. وَلَئِنْ كُنْتَ تَكْذِبُ عَلَى الله، ما ينبغي لي أن أكلمك.

Volume: intro (Page:67)

English:

The Prophet's Encounter in Ta'if

The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, left their presence, having despaired of any good from Thaqif, who had incited their thoughtless ones and their servants against him. They reviled and yelled at him, until people gathered around and drove him towards a wall belonging to 'Utba bin Rabiah and Shaybah bin Rabiah, both of whom were present there. Those foolish ones from Thaqif who had been following him subsequently left him.

He then sought refuge under the shade of a vine, sat there while the sons of Rabiah- 'Utba and Shaybah observed him and noted the difficulties he was facing from the foolish people of Taif. Once settled, he was reported to have prayed, "O Allah! I complain to You of my weakness, my lack of resource, and my insignificance in the people's eyes. O Most Merciful of the merciful, You are the Lord of the oppressed, and You are my Lord. To whom do you entrust me? To an unsympathetic distant one who will frown at me, or to an enemy to whom You have granted authority over my affair? If You are not angry with me, I do not care. But Your favor would be more comfortable for me. I seek refuge in the light of Your Face that illuminates all darkness and on which all matters of this world and the next are rightly guided, from incurring Your wrath or Your displeasure falling upon me. Your reproach is until You are pleased, and there is no power and no might except in You."

The Kindness of 'Adas

When the sons of Rabiah – 'Utba and Shaybah saw what he was going through, they called their Christian servant ‘Adas. They said to him: "Take these clusters of grapes, put them in this dish, then go to that man and tell him to eat them." He did as told, approached until he placed it before the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him. When the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, extended his hand to eat, he said, "In the name of Allah," and took a bite.

'Adas looked at his face and then said: "By Allah, this speech is not of the people of this town." The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him asked him: "So from which land are you, and what is your religion?" ‘Adas replied, "I am a Christian, and I am from Nineveh." The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said to him, "From the village of the righteous man, Jonah son of Matta?"

Arabic:

فَقَامَ رَسُولُ اللهِ صَلَّى الله عليه وسلم من عندهم، وقد يئس من خير ثقيف ... وأغروا به سفهاءهم وعبيدهم: يسبونه ويصيحون به. حتى اجتمع عليه الناس وألجئوه الى حائط لعتبة بن ربيعة وشيبة بن ربيعة وهما فيه، ورجع عنه من سفهاء ثقيف من كان يتبعه.فعمد الى ظل حبلة من عنب فجلس فيه، وابنا ربيعة ينظران اليه، ويريان ما يلقى من سفهاء أهل الطائف.فلما اطمأن قال فيما ذكر: «اللهم إليك أشكو ضعف قوّتي، وقلة حيلتي، وهواني على الناس، يا أرحم الراحمين، أنت رب المستضعفين، وأنت ربي، إلى من تكلني، إلى بعيد يتجهمني، أم إلى عدو ملّكته أمري؟إن لم يكن بك غضب عليّ فلا أبالي.. ولكنّ عافيتك هي أوسع لي، أعوذ بنور وجهك الذي أشرقت له الظلمات، وصلح عليه أمر الدنيا والآخرة، من أن تنزل بي غضبك أو يحلّ عليّ سخطك، لك العتبى حتى ترضى، وَلَا حَوْلَ وَلَا قُوَّةَ إلا بك» .فلما رأى ابنا ربيعة عتبة وشيبة ما لقى، دعوا غلاما لهما نصرانيا يقال له:عدّاس فقالا له: خذ قطفا من هذا العنب، فضعه في ذلك الطبق، ثم اذهب به إلى ذلك الرجل، فقل له يأكل منه. ففعل، ثُمَّ أَقْبَلَ بِهِ حَتَّى وضعه بَيْنَ يَدَيْ رَسُولِ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وسلم، فلما وضع رسول الله صلى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَدَهُ، قال: بسم الله، ثم أكل.فنظر عدّاس الى وَجْهُهُ. ثُمَّ قَالَ: وَاللهِ، إِنَّ هذا الكلام ما يقوله أهل هذا البلد.فَقَالَ لَهُ رَسُولُ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وسلم: ومن أي البلاد أنت؟ وما دينك؟قال: أنا نصراني، وأنا رجل مِنْ أَهْلِ نِينَوَى.فَقَالَ لَهُ رَسُولُ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وسلم: من قرية الرَّجُلِ الصَّالِحِ يُونُسَ بْنِ متّى؟

Vols: Intro, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7

Chapters