The Life & Character of the Seal of Prophets (sa) - Volume I — Page 182
Seal of the Prophets - Volume I 182 I am among the weakest and youngest of all, I shall support you. ” This was the voice of Ḥaḍrat ‘ Alī ra. When the Holy Prophet sa heard these words of Ḥaḍrat ‘Alī ra , he turned to his relatives and advised, “If you but knew, listen to the voice of this child, and believe. ” When the participants saw this spectacle, instead of taking a lesson from it, they burst into laughter and Abū Lahab stared at his elder brother Abū Ṭālib, “Lo! Muḥammad [peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him] orders you to follow your son!” Then these people left mocking at the weakness of Islām and the Holy Prophet sa. 1 Dār-e-Arqam – The First Centre for the Propagation of Islām Perhaps during these days, the Holy Prophet sa thought that a centre for the propagation of Islām be established in Makkah, where Muslims could gather without any hindrance to offer their prayers, etc. , and where the propagation of Islām could formally yet quietly take place with peace and calm. For this purpose, a location was required which could serve as a headquarters. Thus, the Holy Prophet sa selected the house of a new Muslim named Arqam bin Abī Arqam ra , which was situated at the foot of Mount Ṣafā. Thereafter, the Muslims would gather here, and it is here that they would offer their Ṣalāt. It is here that seekers of truth would come and where the Holy Prophet sa would preach the religion of Islām to them. It is for this reason that this house has found reverence in the history of Islām, and is renowned by the name Dārul-Islām. The Holy Prophet sa worked in the Dār-e-Arqam for approximately three years. In other words, the Prophet sa made it his headquarters in the fourth year of his prophethood and worked in it until the end of his sixth year. Historians write that the last person to accept Islām in the Dār-e-Arqam was Ḥaḍrat ‘Umar ra , the acceptance of whom strengthened the Muslims to the extent that they left the Dār-e-Arqam and began to preach openly. 2 Those who accepted Islām in Dār-e-Arqam are included amongst the pioneers. Among these, the most renowned are: Muṣ‘ab bin ‘Umair ra , who was 1 Tārīkhuṭ- Ṭabarī, By Abū Ja‘far Muḥammad bin Al-Jarīr Ṭabarī, Volume 2, p. 229, Bābu Dhikril- Khabri ‘ammā kāna min Amri Nabiyyillāhi sa ‘Inda Ibtidā’illāhi Ta‘ālā. . . . . . , Dārul-Fikr, Beirut, Lebanon, Second Edition (2002) 2 * Sharḥul-‘Allāmatiz-Zarqānī ‘alal-Mawāhibil-Ladunniyyah, By Muḥammad bin ‘Abdul-Bāqī Az- Zarqānī, Volume 2, pp. 8-9, Bābu Islāmil-Fārūq ra , Dārul-Kutubil-‘Ilmiyyah, Beirut, Lebanon, First Edition (1996) * Tārīkhul- Khamīs, By Ḥusain bin Muḥammad bin Ḥasan Dayār Bakrī, Part 1, p. 296, Dhikru Islāmi ‘Umar ra , Muwassasatu Sha‘bān, Beirut