HISTORY - ~ CALLING UNTO ISLAM BEYOND MAKKAH

In Shawwal (in the last of May or in the beginning of June 619 A.D.),
ten years after receiving his mission from his Lord, the Prophet
(Peace be upon him) set out towards At-Ta'if, about 60 kilometres from
Makkah, in the company of his freed slave Zaid bin Haritha inviting
people to Islam. But contrary to his expectations, the general
atmosphere was terribly hostile. He approached the family of 'Umair,
who were reckoned amongst the nobility of the town.But, to his
disappointment, all of them turned deaf ear to his message and used
abusive language as regards the noble cause he had been striving for.
Three brothers from the chieftains of Thaqeef —'Abd Yaleel, Mas'ud and
Habeeb — sons of 'Amr bin 'Umair Ath-Thaqafy met the Prophet (Peace be
upon him) , who invited them to embrace Islam and worship Allâh, but
they impudently jeered at him and refused his invitation. "He is
tearing the cloths of Al-Ka'bah; is it true that Allâh has sent you as
a Messenger?" said one of them. "Has not Allâh found someone else to
entrust him with His Message?" said the second. "I swear by Allâh that
I will never have any contact with you. If you are really the
Messenger of Allâh, then you are too serious to retortback; and if you
are belying Allâh,then I feel it is imperative not to speak to." said
the third. The Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him) , finding that
they were hopeless cases, stood up and left them saying: "Should
youindulge in these practices of yours, never divulge them to me."
For ten days he stayed there delivering his message to several people,
one after another, but all to no purpose. Stirred up to hasten the
departure of the unwelcome visitor, the people hooted him through the
alley-ways, pelted him with stones andobliged him to flee from the
city pursued by a relentless rabble. Blood flowed down both his legs;
and Zaid, endeavouring to shield him, was wounded in the head. The mob
did not desist until they had chased him two orthree miles across the
sandy plains to the foot of the surrounding hills. There, weariedand
exhausted, he took refuge inone of the numerous orchards, and rested
against the wall of a vineyard. At a time when the whole world seemed
to have turned against him, Muhammad (Peace be upon him) turned to his
Lord and betook himself to prayer and the following touching words are
still preserved as those through which his oppressed soul gave vent to
its distress. He was wearyand wounded but confident of the help of his
Lord:
*. "O Allâh! To You alone I make complaint of my helplessness, the
paucity of my resources and my insignificance before mankind. You are
the most Merciful of the mercifuls. You are the Lord of the helpless
andthe weak, O Lord of mine! Into whose hands would You abandon me:
into the hands of an unsympathetic distant relative who would sullenly
frown at me, or to the enemy who has been given control over my
affairs? But if Your wrath does not fall on me, there is nothing for
me to worry about."
"I seek protection in the light ofYour Countenance, which illuminates
the heavens and dispels darkness, and which controls all affairs in
this world as well as in the Hereafter. May it never be that I should
incur Your wrath, or that You should be wrathful to me. And there is
no power nor resource, but Yours alone."
Seeing him in this helpless situation, Rabi'a's two sons, wealthy
Makkans, were moved on grounds of kinship and compassion, and sent to
him oneof their Christian servants with a tray of grapes. The Prophet
(Peace be upon him) accepted the fruit with pious invocation: "In the
Name of the Allâh." The Christian servant 'Addas was greatly impressed
by these words and said: "These are words which people in this land do
not generally use." The Prophet (Peace be upon him) inquired of him
whence he cameand what religion he professed. 'Addas replied: "I am a
Christian by faith and come from Nineveh."The Prophet (Peace be upon
him)then said: "You belong to the cityof the righteous Jonah, son of
Matta." 'Addas asked him anxiously if he knew anything about Jonah.
The Prophet (Peace be upon him) significantly remarked: "He is my
brother. He was a Prophet and so am I." Thereupon 'Addas paid homage
to Muhammad (Peace be upon him) and kissed his hands. His masters
admonished him at this act but he replied: "None on the earth is
better than he is. He has revealed to me a truth which onlya Prophet
can do." They again reprimanded him and said: "We forewarn you against
the consequences of abandoning thefaith of your forefathers. The
religion which you profess is far better than the one you feel
inclined to."

REBUILDING AL-KA'BAH AND THE ARBITRATION ISSUE:

When the Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him) was thirty five,
Quraish started rebuilding Al-Ka'bah. That was because it was a low
building of white stones no more than 6.30 metreshigh, from the days
of Ishmael. It was also roofless and that gave the thieves easy access
to its treasures inside. It was also exposed to the wearing factors of
nature — because it was built a long time ago — that weakened and
cracked its walls. Five years before Prophethood, there was a great
flood in Makkah that swept towards Al-Ka'bah and almost demolished it.
Quraish was obliged to rebuildit to safeguard its holiness and
position. The chiefs of Quraish decided to use only licit money
inrebuilding Al-Ka'bah, so all moneythat derived from harlotry, usury
or unjust practices was excluded.They were, at first, too awed to
knock down the wall, but Al-Waleed bin Al-Mugheerah Al-Mukhzumi
started the work. Seeing that no harm had happened to him, the others
participated in demolishing the walls until they reached the basislaid
by Abraham. When they started rebuilding its walls, they divided the
work among the tribes. Each tribe was responsiblefor rebuilding a part
of it. The tribes collected stones and startwork. The man who laid the
stones was a Roman mason called Baqum. The work went on in harmony
till the time came to put the sacred Black Stone in its proper place.
Then strife broke out among the chiefs, and lasted for four or five
days, each contesting for the honour of placing the stone in its
position. Daggers were on the point of being drawn and great bloodshed
seemed imminent. Luckily, the oldest among the chiefs Abu Omaiyah bin
Mugheerah Al-Makhzumi made a proposal which was accepted by all. He
said: "Let him, who enters the Sanctuary first of all, decide on the
point." It was then Allâh's Will that the Messenger of Allâh (Peace be
upon him) should be the first to enter the Mosque. On seeing him, all
the people on the scene, cried with one voice: " Al-Ameen (the
trustworthy) has come. We are content to abide byhis decision." Calm
and self-possessed, Muhammad (Peace be upon him) received
thecommission and at once resolvedupon an expedient which was
toconciliate them all. He asked for amantle which he spread on the
ground and placed the stone in its centre. He then asked the
representatives of the different clans among them, to lift the stone
all together. When it had reached the proper place, Muhammad (Peace be
upon him) laid it in the proper position withhis own hands. This is
how a very tense situation was eased and a grave danger averted by the
wisdom of the Prophet (Peace be upon him).
Quraish ran short of the licit money, they collected, so they
eliminated six yards area on the northern side of Al-Ka'bah which is
called Al-Hijr or Al-Hateem. Theyraised its door two metres from the
level ground to let in only the people whom they desired. Whenthe
structure was fifteen yards high they erected the roof which rested on
six columns.
When the building of Al-Ka'bah had finished, it assumed a square form
fifteen metres high. The side with the Black Stone and the one
opposite were ten metres long each. The Black Stone was 1.50 metre
from the circumambulation level ground. The two other sides were
twelve metres long each. The door was two metres high from the level
ground. A building structure of 0.25 metre high and 0.30 metre wide on
the average surroundedAl-Ka'bah. It was called Ash-Shadherwan,
originally an integral part of the Sacred Sanctuary, but Quraish left
it out.

HISTORY - ~ Location and Nature of Arab Tribes

Beyond a shadow of doubt, the biography of Prophet Muhammad (Peace be
upon him) manifestedly represents an exhaustive embodiment of the
sublime Divine Message that he communicated in order to deliverthe
human race from the swamp of darkness and polytheism to the paradise
of light and monotheism. An image, authenticas well as comprehensive,
of this Message is therefore only attainable through careful study and
profound analysis of both backgrounds and issues of such a biography.
In view of this, a whole chapter is here introducedabout the nature
and development of Arab tribes prior to Islam as well as the
circumstantial environment that enwrapped the Prophet's mission.
LOCATION OF THE ARABS:
Linguistically, the word "Arab" means deserts and waste barren land
well-nigh waterless and treeless. Ever since the dawn of history, the
Arabian Peninsula and its people have been called as such.
The Arabian Peninsula is enclosed in the west by the Red Sea and
Sinai, in the east by the Arabian Gulf, in the south by the Arabian
Sea, which is an extension of the Indian Ocean, and in the north by
old Syria and part of Iraq. The area is estimated between a million
and a million and a quarter square miles.
Thanks to its geographical position, the peninsula has always
maintained great importance.. Considering its internal setting, it is
mostly deserts and sandy places, which has rendered it inaccessible to
foreigners and invaders, and allowed its people complete liberty and
independence through the ages, despite the presence of two
neighbouring great empires.
Its external setting, on the other hand, caused it to be the centre of
the old world and provided it with sea and land links with most
nations at the time. Thanks to this strategic position the Arabian
Peninsula had become the centre for trade, culture, religion and art.
ARAB TRIBES:
Arab kinfolks have been divided according to lineage into three groups:
Perishing Arabs: The ancient Arabs, of whose history little is known,
and of whom were 'Ad, Thamûd, Tasam, Jadis, Emlaq, andothers.
Pure Arabs: Who originated fromthe progeny of Ya'rub bin Yashjub bin
Qahtan. They were also called Qahtanian Arabs.
Arabized Arabs: Who originated from the progeny of Ishmael. They were
also called 'Adnanian Arabs.
The pure Arabs – the people of Qahtan – originally lived in Yemen and
comprised many tribes, two of which were very famous:
1. Himyar: The most famous of whose septs were Zaid Al-Jamhur, Quda'a
and Sakasic.
2. Kahlan: The most famous of whose septs were Hamdan, Anmar, Tai',
Mudhhij, Kinda, Lakhm, Judham, Azd, Aws, Khazraj and the descendants
ofJafna — the kings of old Syria.
Kahlan septs emigrated from Yemen to dwell in the different parts of
the Arabian Peninsula prior to the Great Flood (Sail Al-'Arim of
Ma'rib Dam), due to the failure of trade under the Roman pressure and
domain on both sea and land trade routes following Roman occupation of
Egypt and Syria.
Naturally enough, the competition between Kahlan andHimyar led to the
evacuation of the first and the settlement of thesecond in Yemen.
THE EMIGRATING SEPTS OF KAHLAN CAN BE INTO FOUR GROUPS:
1. Azd: Who, under the leadershipof 'Imran bin 'Amr Muzaiqbâ',
wandered in Yemen, sent pioneers and finally headed northwards.
Details of their emigration can be summed up as follows:
2. Tha'labah bin 'Amr left his tribe Al-Azd for Hijaz and dwelt
between Tha'labiyah and Dhi Qar. When he gained strength, he headed
for Madinah where he stayed. Of his seed are Aws and Khazraj, sons of
Haritha binTha'labah.
Haritha bin 'Amr, known as Khuza'a, wandered with his folks in Hijaz
until they came to Mar Az-Zahran. Later, they conquered the Haram, and
settled in Makkah after having driven away its people, the tribe of
Jurhum.
'Imran bin 'Amr and his folks went to 'Oman where they established the
tribe of Azd whose children inhabited Tihama and were known as
Azd-of-Shanu'a.
Jafna bin 'Amr and his family, headed for Syria where he settled and
initiated the kingdom of Ghassan who was so named after a spring of
water, in Hijaz, where they stopped on their way to Syria.
3. Lakhm and Judham: Of whom was Nasr bin Rabi'a, father of Manadhira,
Kings of Heerah.
4. Banu Tai': Who also emigrated northwards to settle by the so-
called Aja and Salma Mountains which were consequently named as Tai'
Mountains.
5. Kinda: Who dwelt in Bahrain but were expelled to Hadramout and Najd
where they instituted a powerful government but not for long , for the
whole tribe soon faded away.
*. Another tribe of Himyar, knownas Quda'a, also left Yemen and dwelt
in Samawa semi-desert on the borders of Iraq

NEWS - ~ New 'massacre' reported in Syria's Hama province

At least 86 people, including many women and children, have been
killed by Syrian pro-government forces inHama province, opposition
activists say.
More than 20 children and 20 women were reportedlyamong those who died
in the villages of Qubair and Maarzaf, in what the activists called
a"massacre".
Syrian State TV said troops found some bodies after attacking "terrorists".
Neither account could be confirmed, but it comes less than two weeks
after 108 people were killed in Houla.
Witnesses on Wednesday blamed pro-government militiamen, while the
government of President Bashar al-Assad accused"armed groups" seeking
to trigger foreign military intervention.
'Heinous crime'
Activist groups reported that Qubair and Maarzaf, about 20km (12
miles) north-west of the city of Hama, had come under heavy
bombardment from security forces backed by tanks.
But they said much of the killing in Qubair was done by accompanying
groups of pro-government militiamen known as"shabiha", who had come
from nearby pro-government villages.
The activists said they shot at close range and stabbed many people,
including women and children underthe age of two, and that some of the
bodies were later burnt in houses whichwere set on fire. Others were
taken away by the shabiha, they added.
"They executed [nearly] every person in the village. Very few numbers
could flee. They majority were slaughtered with knives and in a
horrible and ugly way," one activist in Hama told the BBC's World
Tonight.
"[They] are failing to save the lives of the wounded because they are
very poorpeople - usually they are Bedouin who... have no kind of
healthcare," he added.
Analysis
Barbara Plett
BBC UN correspondent
Kofi Annan's plan calls for aceasefire, followed by a dialogue between
the government and the opposition that would leadto a political
transition. Instead there's been an upsurge in violence, with the
regime accused of carrying out massacres, and the rebels stepping up
deadly attacks on soldiers.
There is unity in the Security Council behind the idea in Mr Annan's
plan, now it seems he'll be seeking unity of action.
Diplomats say he's expected to propose the creation of a contact group
made up of world and regional powers - some, such as Russia and Iran,
with influence on the government; others, such as Western and Arab
states,with influence on the opposition.
The idea would be to increase pressure on both, but especially the
regime, to end the violence and begin negotiations.
If this is what Mr Annan is planning to suggest, he's already been met
with objections from Britain andAmerica, who don't want Iran to
participate.
"The small number of villagers who fled were theonly people remaining
who could tell the world about this horrible massacre."
One of Qubair's residents, who told the BBC that the when the army and
militia left the village he had discovered about 40 bodies: most were
women and children who had beenstabbed to death.
Among the victims were four members of his family,the villager said.
He added that he saw a burned corpse of a three-month-old baby.
The Local Co-ordination Committees, an activist network, said 78
people had died in Qubair, including 35 members of one family.
Later on Wednesday, Syrian state TV quoted an official source as
saying that security forces, responding to appeals from citizens, had
launchedan attack on an "armed terrorist stronghold" in Qubair.
The security forces came across the bodies of two women and a number
of children, bound hand and foot, in the village, who thecoroner said
had been killed at 10:00, when the"armed terrorist groups" were still
in the village, theofficial added.
In a statement on state TV quoted by AFP news agency, the government
said that "a terrorist group has committed a heinous crime".
"The reports by the media are contributing to spilling the blood of
Syrians," the statement added.
The LCC said the Qubair killings had brought the total number of
people killed nationwide by security forces on Wednesday to 140.
Annan appeal
The BBC's Jim Muir in Beirutsays there has been no independent
confirmation of these latest reports and no video has surfaced on the
internet to back them up.
But the news of the Houla massacre emerged in a similar way and the
details given by activists were later confirmed by UN ceasefire
observers on the ground, our correspondent adds.