The perseverance of the Prophet -upon him blessings and peace- in inviting to islam under all circumstances…
In spite of all the terror unleashed by his tribesmen, the Messenger of Allah -upon him blessings and peace- did not take a even a single step back in calling to the truth. He made use of the slightest opportunity to invite, using differing methods suiting the person in question.
Rukanah, perhaps the strongest wrestler among Quraysh, one day came across the Prophet -upon him blessings and peace- in one of the nearby valleys of Mecca. The Noble Messenger -upon him blessings and peace- called out to him:
“Rukanah! How long more are you going to stand against Islam and live without fearing Allah? Come…be a Muslim!”
“Only if you beat me in wrestling”, Rukanah challenged.
“If I beat you, will you accept the truth of what I say?” the Prophet -upon him blessings and peace- asked.
“Yes. If you beat me, I will either accept Islam or give these sheep to you! But if I beat you, then you will give up your claim to prophethood!”
They began wrestling. The moment the Blessed Prophet -upon him blessings and peace- grabbed Rukanah, the Meccan wrestler found himself thrown on the ground. He could not even make a move.
“Let’s have another go”, he said enthusiastically to the Messenger of Allah -upon him blessings and peace-.
They did but he was again defeated.
“Let’s go again”, he told the Prophet -upon him blessings and peace-.
He was beaten again for the third time.
“I swear to God you are better, a nobler man than I”, Rukanah admitted as he left.
Even though he did not remain true to his promise then, Rukanah did eventually become a Muslim following the Conquest of Mecca, after which he went to Medina to settle. (Ibn Hisham, I, 418; Ibn Athir, Usd’ul-Ghabah, II, 236)
Dimad ibn Thalabah, from the tribe Azd Shanuah, arrived in Mecca one day for pilgrimage. A man with an interest in medicine, and known to treat the mentally ill, once he heard that the idolaters call the Prophet -upon him blessings and peace- ‘mad’, he said to himself:
“I ought to go and visit this man. I might perhaps be a means of curing him.” So getting up, he went to the Messenger of Allah -upon him blessings and peace- and said:
“I can cure madness, Muhammad; so if you wish I can treat you. It could just be that God will cure you through me!”
The Noble Prophet -upon him blessings and peace- had the following to say:
“All praises are due to Allah. Only Him do we thank and from Him do we seek help and forgiveness. It is His protection we seek from the evils of our souls. Nobody shall guide whom Allah has deviated. And nobody shall deviate whom Allah has guided. I bear witness that there is no god but Allah. He is One. There is no being alike Him; He has no partners. I again bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and messenger.”
Dimad was very much taken in by the words of the Blessed Prophet -upon him blessings and peace-. “I have never heard such beautiful words in my life. Can you please repeat what you just said?”
The Gracious Messenger -upon him blessings and peace- repeated his words. Dimad made him repeat them another two times, after which he remarked, “I have heard soothsayers, magicians, poets and all kinds of people, I swear…but never have I heard them say anything like your words. They are like the most precious pearls of the ocean of eloquence. Give me your hand so I can pledge allegiance.”
Thus Dimad –Allah be well-pleased with him- became a Muslim.
“Can you pledge allegiance also on behalf of your tribe?” the Messenger of Allah -upon him blessings and peace- asked.
“Certainly…I pledge allegiance on behalf of them too”, he replied. (Muslim, Juma, 46; Ahmed, I, 302; Ibn Saad, IV, 241)
By making Dimad –Allah be well-pleased with him- pledge allegiance on behalf of his tribe as soon as he became Muslim, the Prophet -upon him blessings and peace- had effectively appointed Dimad a teacher and a representative of Islam for his tribe.
Source: Osman Nuri Topbaş, The Prophet Muhammed Mustafa the Elect, Erkam Publications
SIMILAR ARTICLES
- WHAT IS ISLAM?
- THE FAMİLY TREE OF PROPHET MUHAMMAD SAW
- THE ESSENTIALS OF ISLAMIC FAITH
- FREE İSLAMİC BOOKS READ AND DOWNLOAD PDF
- MORALITY IN ISLAM
