Basics of Religious Education — Page 230
230 230 230 230 230 B ASICS OF R ELIGIOUS E DUCATION - F IFTH E DITION Within a month of the conquest of Mecca, the Holy Prophet sa had to face seventy thousand men of the Hawazin and allied tribes in the valley of Hunain. They had gathered for the last desperate effort to put an end to the spread of Islam. In the beginning, the Muslim forces suffered severe setbacks and the Prophet sa himself was left with only 12 companions. But soon the Muslims rallied together and the battle ended in complete victory (Al-Qur’an, 9:25- 26). In the summer of year 630 A. D. , the Holy Prophet sa had to march towards Syria, with an army of 30,000 men to resist any possible attack from Syria. He camped at Tabook, but did not find any signs of attack from Syria. He decided, therefore to return to Medina. In Medina he spent much of his time in meeting various delegations. They poured in from all parts of Arabia to offer their loyalty to the Holy Prophet sa. As a result of this, nearly the whole of Arabia became Muslim in a short span of time. In the year 632 A. D. , the Holy Prophet sa performed this pilgrimage to Mecca, known as Hajjatul Widaa`. He delivered an address, called the Farewell Address, to a large gathering of Muslims in the valley of `Arafaat. Some historians report that up to 124,000 Muslims were present. It was undoubtedly a magnificent and unique manifestation of the truth of Islam. One can well imagine the days, not long ago, when in the same valley of `Arafaat, no one was ready to even listen to the Holy Prophet sa , who was all alone. But on that day, the same people, in such a great number, felt honoured to be the followers of the Prophet sa and to listen to his sermons. Almost two months after the Farewell Pilgrimage, the Holy Prophet sa fell ill. After some days, he became too weak to lead the prayers in the mosque. He directed Hadrat Abu Bakr ra to lead the prayers. During the last days of his illness, he moved to Hadrat `Aa'ishah’s chamber. One day, the Holy Prophet sa was feeling a bit better. He stood by the window from where he could see the Muslims saying their Fajr prayers behind Hadrat Abu Bakr ra. He was extremely happy to see for himself that the Muslims were performing their duties in accordance with the commandments of God. The same day, after cleaning his teeth with a Miswaak , his condition aggravated, and our beloved the Holy Prophet of Islam sa breathed his last with these words: Battles of Hunain and Tabook (630 A. D. ) Hajjatul Widaa` — The Farewell Pilgrimage (632 A. D. , Dhul- Qa`dah 10 A. H. ) The Holy Prophet’s Demise (June 8, 632 A. D. , 12 Rabi-ul-Awwal, 11 A. H. ) H H H H H OL OL OL OL OLY Y Y Y Y P P P P P ROPHET ROPHET ROPHET ROPHET ROPHET SA SA SA SA SA AND AND AND AND AND S S S S S UCCESSORS UCCESSORS UCCESSORS UCCESSORS UCCESSORS — L — L — L — L — L IFE IFE IFE IFE IFE OF OF OF OF OF H H H H H O L O L O L O L O LY Y Y Y Y P P P P P ROPHET ROPHET ROPHET ROPHET ROPHET SA SA SA SA SA 6. 1 6. 1 6. 1 6. 1 6. 1