The Life & Character of the Seal of Prophets (sa) - Volume II — Page 108
Seal of the Prophets - Volume II 108 bounds, when during the era of the Treaty of Ḥudaibiyyah, despite there being a firm covenant and agreement, the disbelievers of Makkah and their allies took up the sword against an ally tribe of the Muslims, in the area of the Ḥaram. And then, when the Muslims set out in support of this tribe, they fought against them as well in the very region of the Ḥaram. Hence, it was only natural for the Muslims to find comfort in this response, but the Quraish were also brought to level. During this time, two of their men arrived in Madīnah in order to have their two captives released. However, until now, Sa‘d bin Abī Waqqāṣ ra and ‘Utbah ra had not returned. On their account, the Holy Prophet sa greatly feared that if the Quraish happened to seize them, they would not release them alive. Hence, for this reason, the Holy Prophet sa refused to release the captives until they returned and said, “When my men safely reach Madīnah, I will release yours. ” Therefore, when they both reached Madīnah, the Holy Prophet sa released both captives for a ransom. However, from among these two captives, one individual was so deeply impressed by the high moral qualities of the Holy Prophet sa and the truth of the Islāmic teaching during his stay at Madīnah, that even after his release, he refused to return, and joined the servants of the Holy Prophet sa. He was finally martyred at Bi‘r-e-Ma‘ūnah. His name was Ḥakam bin Kaisān ra. 1 Alteration of the Qiblah 2 Despite the endless engagements of war and conflict, the task of the perfection and establishment of religion could not come to a halt, because this was the primary cause of the prophetic commission. The Ṣalāt had already been instituted in Makkah. In Madīnah, the obligation of the Ṣalāt in congregation made apparent the need for an Adhān and this was arranged. However, until now, the Qiblah of the Muslims was set to Jerusalem, and even in Makkah the Holy Prophet sa and his Companions would face Jerusalem when offering their Ṣalāt. In the early era of Madīnah, this practice continued. However, it was always a desire of the Holy Prophet sa for the Ka‘bah in Makkah to be appointed as the Qiblah of the Muslims, because this was the first house for the worship of God which was built on earth. Moreover, the memory of the Father of Prophets, Ḥaḍrat Abraham as , Khalīlullāh 3 and the patriarch of the 1 Tārīkhur-Rusuli Wal-Mulūk (Tārīkhuṭ-Ṭabarī), By Abū Ja‘far Muḥammad bin Jarīr Aṭ-Ṭabarī, Volume 3, p. 15, Sariyyatu ‘Abdillāhibni Jaḥsh, Dārul-Fikr, Beirut, Lebanon, Second Edition (2002) 2 Direction to be faced during the Ṣalāt [Publishers] 3 The friend of Allāh [Publishers]