Seerah Pt.5 – The birth of Prophet Muhammad and Why Arabia?
This time, the topic is about why Allah choose Arab for the Prophet and Islam to come in.
Interesting facts of Jahiliyah Arab : Same God, Allah. They knew Allah is the originator, the creator, so they don’t make Idol for him because no idol can represent Allah. However they are not Moslem.
Why they are not moselm? Because they worship idol.
Az-Zumar verse 3 : They worship the idol only because to get closer to Allah
Yunus verse 18 : They worship the idol to get the syafa’at in Allah side. They said, they were too sinful and they need intermediaries to get closer to Allah.
It’s the same like you worship prophet/syekh/ustadz because they are closer to Allah to get closer to Allah. Same mentality of Arabian Jahiliyah
Trivia : Famous Idols -> Hubal (From Syria) and Alad
Alad -> a man to use feed to pilgrim with the soup. A man to stand at the road of Makkah, and give soup to every man that walk to Makkah. He was a good man. People want to commemorate him and build structure in his grave. People start to worship it. It become the Alad idol.
You don’t worship another people except directly pray to Allah. Even Rasulullah SAW.
Their syirik is not rejecting Allah, different type of syirik like Hindu, Budha, etc because they worship another god
If the Arabian was so bad and so evil, why Allah choose Arab for the prophet to come in? why He didn’t choose Roman for Mighty civilization or Persian to have an ancient civilization, why he didn’t choose another nation
1. The Arabia were in between two major superpower of the time (The Bizantine -Roman and the Sassanid Empire-Persian) 30-40 years later the Arabian conquered both empire.
2. Arab does not have history of colonialism or aggressive behavior. They never challenge Roman and Persia. When they challeng them, the both empires are laughing
3. The Arab did not have unique Civilization. Benchmark:
- Does not have unified government
- Does not have literature (only poetry), architecture (building)
Allah said in the Qur’an, “we give you a book which give you legacy”
If Islam was in the Roman, it will be problematic. They have entire structure up to running. They have status quo to fight. While in Arab there is vacuum of power (no status quo to fight). So when the Prophet unified the Arab, they only face small war (no big unified government). The first time Arab get united is when the Prophet united them. They has his own civilization, The language, the building, the currency (coin, etc)
4. Internal warfare amongs the Arab, the rise of political force of Arab is not expected. *Underdog
The Persia and roman were unprepared for Arabian force and conquest
5. Makkah is the first house that built by Ibrahim and Islam to worship Allah.
6. Eventhough Arab does not have certain qualities, they had another qualities
- Purity of spirit (simple: Positive : Truth comes, you accept easily)
- So used to hardship, lack of food and water (help the army to win war – Great Stamina)
- Bravery, not coward, having pride
- Honest people, hates lie. Even Abu Sufyan
- Sincere in their oaths (Keep their promises). Abdul Muthalib, made a promise to Allah, and he went to fulfill it
- Has the best horses (Arabian horses). Hadits : The Arabian horses are the best. The rider are also the best.
- Arabian language is Sematic language, powerful language (powerful tools). The same words can derived into 200 roots of meaning
7. The prophet of Ibrahim made a Doah. Made a prophet from progeny (keturunan). He knew that the prophet after Ibrahim will come from Ishaq so he requested to Allah to make a prophet from his other son progeny (Ismail). Hadits : I am the goodnews that Jesus Christ told that will come.
Ismail -> Kinana -> Quraisy -> Bani Hasyim -> Rasulullah (Most noble lineage)
The birth of Prophet Muhammad
Abdullah (Father) and Aminah (Mother) : Few lines about them. They live very short life early 20s (18-19). Both of them died before it was known that Muhammad is prophet, nobody is recording their lives. Nobody is alive to remember what happen 63 +20 years ago when Islam ruled the world. (Makkah 53, Madinah 10). When Islam is stable and peaceful, they remember what happens easily. (If Makkah 1 Volume, Madinah will be three times).
Abdullah was the one whom Abdul Muthalib (The chieftain of Banu Hasyim) was about to sacrifice. Abdul Muthalib choose for Abdullah a bride from Daughter of Banu Zuhrah Chieftain Wahab. (Quraisy is large tribe, many subtribe). The proposal shortly before caravan season. He barely a week with his new bride and ride with the caravan and never met again.
Abdullah has brightness at his face, handsome young man. Every lady will eager to marry him. After he married Aminah, the ladies stop have interest in him (The brightness is left, said the ladies).
He rides the caravan to the Syria, and get ill. When they arrive to yathrib (become Madinah later). They said he will stay in Yathrib because he slows the caravan down. He will stay in Yathrib until he recovers, the caravan go back to Makkah. The relative is his grandmother, Abdul Muthalib Mother. When the caravan went back to Makkah, Aminah want to tell his husband that she is pregnant but Abdullah is not with the caravan (she was sad). The caravan said, he still recovers in Yathrib and will come in the following days. In the following days, the news come that Abdullah died in his sickness and buried somewhere in Yathrib.. Aminah becomes a widow, carrying the son of Abdullah. Rasulullah was born in the famous year of the elephant.
When is the exactly day? Here is the common analysis
A Hadist :
A man ask Rasulullah “Why do you fast in Monday? “ He said, “This is the day i was born on, and this was the day that the revelation began to me, our Iqra came down at Monday”
From this hadist, we know that Rasulullah was born on Monday.
Some Beautiful Narration:
Uthman bin Affan ask one of the oldest Quraisy, Qubath ibn Asyam after the death of Rasulullah SAW, “Are you akbar (older) than Prophet?”. Akbar also mean bigger
Qubath smiled and said, “The prophet is bigger than me but I am older than him”
And then he said, “he was born in the year of elephant. And I remember my mother were taking me outside of Mekkah as a child, and I saw the dried up green dunk that elephant has left”.
From this narration, we know that Rasulullah was born in the year of elephant. Another sahabah also tell story that he was born in the same year with Rasulullah which is the year of elephant.
Until now, we get two things. The year of elephant,and Monday. The year of elephant is approximately in 570 year of Iraq (AD). How about the date and the month?
The most famous Seerah is Ibn Ishaq book. He write that Rasulullah was born on the 12th of Rabiul Awal in the year of elephant. However, the gap of year between Rasulullah are about 200 years, and Ibn Ishaq in the book didn’t explain where he got the dates from and who were narrating it, what does the chain of narrators.
The second earlier famous book, THe tabaqat of Ibn Sa’ad. It says that Rasulullah was born on Monday. Some people say he was born at 10th of Rabiul Awal. Others said, he was born at the 2nd of Rabiul Awal. Two of opinions, neither both confirms to the 12th of Rabiul Awal in Ibn Ishaq book. Ibn Abas also said 10th of rabiul awal. Ibn Kathir in Al Bidayah wa-Nihayah says that the majority opinion is that Rasulullah was born in Rabiul Awal, but other had other months as well. For the date he said that one group opinion is on the 2nd of Rabiul Awal, another opinion is on the 8th of Rabiul Awal, third opinion is on 10th of Rabiul Awal, fourth of opinion is on 12th of Rabiul awal (the Ibn Ishaq) however there is no chain of narrator, fifth opinion on 17th, sixth opinion on 22nd, seventh on Ramadhan.
To summarize, there are more than ten of the exact date. None of them are clear cut and have strong and solid evidence. The opinion of 12th Rabiul Awal have much less weight because it does not have chain of narrator compared to the 2nd, 8th, 10th. So why the 12th of Rabiul Awal is the most famous and popular?
- Ibn Ishaq is the author of the Seerah
- The first time that the prophet birthday is celebrated as a public event. The authority which celebrated it choose the 12th of Rabiul Awal. So the date of 12th spread like a wildfire.
If you really want to celebrate Rasulullah SAW, just simply fast on every Monday because THe Prophet was born on Monday. Real love is to show that love every single day J. However the 12th of Rabiul Awal become the common think of the people eventhough in academically speaking, it is very a weak day. 2nd, 8th, 10th are more authentic because it has evidence.
There are also many legends according to when Rasulullah SAW none of them was academically sound, except for one.
We don’t need to invent lies and fairy tales to praise Rasulullah because Allah has praised him enough. The facts are enough, we don’t have to fabricate things. The amazing thing, the earliest book you go to, has the least information, but as you go on and on, the books are getting bigger, bigger, and bigger. The details get more and more. Where this is come from? We don’t need to invent additional lies to praise Rasulullah.
There is only one hadist that mention the birth of Rasulullah, he himself explain the date of his birth, “When my mother gave birth to me, when my mother was carrying me, my mother saw a light coming from her that cast its light all the way to the city of Busra in the land of Syria” – Hadist narrated by Imam Ahmad which is authentic hadist
Why Syria? What is the significance? Allah knows best but there are some derivatives.
It because that Syria is blessed land based on our religion.
There is Baraqah around Masjidil Aqsa (said in Quran) . Rasulullah predicted that syam will remain fortress of Islam, there will always be people of Islam in Syam. Another interesting fact is that the Syam is the first major country that was conquered. One of the first city is Busra. There is an indication that Rasulullah is gonna challenge status quo. Syam was the right arm of Byzantine empire. Before the coming of Islam, Damascus was the right arm of Byzantine empire (it was the jewel of Romans where everything happens). It was impossible for Arabian to think that the Damascus will be the core of Arab civilization. Back to the hadist, the light that come out from Rasulullah mother which light the city of Busra in Syria was an indication that Islam is gonna conquer that land.
We also believe that Isa bin Maryam is gonna come down to Syam, not in Makkah or Madinah. It was Syam that made him holy by his ancestor, the children of Ishaq. That’s where he will come in and meet the Imam Mahdi so that’s towards the end of time. May Allah helps Syam, free it from the charge of the tyranny, give the people Sabar and patient and bring the back the glory of Syam.
Ibn Ishaq says, Rasulullah was circumsized on the 7th day (nothing wrong with this). His grandfather Abdul Muthalib held a feast for him and named him Muhammad which was uniqe and unusual name. THe name of Muhammad was known, but not common. In Makkah, nobody is named after Muhammad at that time. When people ask Abdul Muthalib, why he named his grandson Muhammad, he said “ I want people on the earth and the heaven to praise him” (Muhammad means the one who is praised). At this time, the news spread, and come to the ear of Abu Lahab (uncle which is become enemy later). A slave girl come running to Abu Lahab to tell this news, and soon Abu Lahab says, “I’m so happy, you’re free” (As an uncle, of course Abu Lahab was happy to hear this news).
Then there is a hadist. Abas saw Abu Lahab in a dream after the death of Abu Lahab. He saw him being punished with the utmost severe punishment. Abas said to him, “did not the relationship between Abu Lahab and Rasulullah benefit you?”. Abu Lahab answers, “ No, except for one thing that I did. That when the good news came when he was born, I freed a slave. Because of this, I’m allowed to drink a few drops of water”.
And then the lecture is finished, you can watch it in the following video
I’m sorry if there are a lot of misspelling of words or name (I’m writing this in English :p), hope you enjoy it.