Al-'Abbaas Ibn 'Abdul-Muttalib

Equality and brotherhood of man in Allaah are two of the major
principles of the Islamic faith. We read in the Qur'an what may be
translated as:"O mankind! Indeed, We have created you from male and
female and made you Peoples and tribes that you may know one another.
Indeed, the most noble of you in the sight of Allaah is the most
righteous of you. Indeed, Allaah is Knowing and Acquainted."]Quran,
49: 13[. Whenever we read the glorious history of Islam we are
reminded again and again of these principles, especially that of
equality. An interesting illustration of this involved Al-'Abbaas Ibn
'Abdul-Muttalibwho was not only a beloved uncle of Prophet Muhammadbut
also a playmate )since they were only a couple of years apart in age(.
In the Battle of Badr, the first major battle in Islamic history, some
leaders of the Makkah community were forced to join the army of the
pagan enemies of Islam mainly through moral pressure. These included
Al-'Abbaas and another prominent leader of Quraysh, who was known for
his sympathetic attitude and conduct towards the Companions of
Muhammad. Realizing this fact, Prophet Muhammadgave orders to his
followers not to kill such people, pointing out that they were not
real enemies who deserved death. Later, when Al-'Abbaas Ibn
'Abdul-Muttalibwas taken captive to Al-Madeenah, the Companions found
the Prophet sleepless. So they asked him: "Why are you restless, O
Messenger of Allaah?" He Answered, "I heard the moaning of Al-'Abbaas,
due to the tightness of the ropes with which he is being tied." A
little while later the Prophet asked, "Why is Al-'Abbaas quiet now?"
He was told that someone loosened the fetters for him. The Prophet
ordered that the same be done with the other prisoners.
The second incident occurred when ransom was collected from the
prisoners of war. When asked to pay ransom for himself and some
followers of his, Al-'Abbaas said, "But I am a Muslim and I was forced
to join the Makkah army." The Prophet's answer was, "Allaah knows
about your Islam. If it be true, then He will reward you and return to
you whatever you pay. According to what appears to us, you have to pay
the ransom." Al-'Abbaas Ibn 'Abdul Muttalibdespite his relationship
with the Prophetwas treated on equal footing like any other prisoner
of war, and was freed only upon payment of his ransom.
The supporting spirit of Al-'Abbaas to Islam and its Prophet explains
his attendance of the secret meeting at Al-'Aqabah where seventy-three
Medinites gave their oath of allegiance to Prophet Muhammadto protect
him whenever he migrated to Al-Madeenah. It was Al-'Abbaas who checked
the sincerity of the Medinites for the Prophet.
After the Prophet'svictorious re-entry to Makkah, the pagan tribes in
the neighbourhood of Makkah joined forces to fight the Muslims. For
the first time the Muslim army exceeded twelve thousand in number. So
many of the fighters had a sense of self-assurance, an attitude that
leads to defeat. Some Muslims said, "Never will we be defeated due to
paucity." However, it was Allaah's will that His soldiers be properly
trained for the battles they were to enter at various places and times
on this earth. The Muslim army in the battle of Hunayn was surrounded
by the enemy )being ambushed and taken by surprise(. The Messenger of
Allaah turned to the right and said: "O people! I am the Messenger of
Allaah. I am Muhammad, the son of Abdullah." Those who stoodfast by
him were only a few emigrants and some of his kinsmen and Al 'Abbaas
was one of them. The matchless bravery of the Prophetwas then brought
to light. He went on and on in his attempts to make his mule steadfast
in the face of the disbelievers while saying loudly:
"Truly saying, I am the Prophet
I am the )grand( son of Abdul Muttalib."
However, Abu Sufyan Ibn Al-Haarithwho was then holding the rein of the
Prophet's mule, and Al-'Abbaas, who was holding its stirrup; were
endeavoring to make it halt. The Messenger of Allaah dismounted and
asked his Lord to render him help.
"O, Allaah, send down Your Help!"
The Messenger of Allaahordered his uncle Al-'Abbaas — who was a
sonorous voiced man — to call out on the companions. As loudly as he
could, Al-'Abbaasshouted: "Where are the lancers?" Al-'Abbaas said,
"By Allaah, upon hearing my voice calling them back, they turned round
to the battlefield as if they had been oryxes )wild cows( tending
towards their calves."
It was the Prophet's strong and firm faith in Allaah and his courage
as well as the heroic nature and behavior of people like Al-'Abbaas
Ibn 'Abdul-Muttalib that saved the day in that battle, known as 'the
Battle of Hunayn.' At those critical moments, it was Al-'Abbaas who
stayed all the time with the Prophetalong with a handful of
companions. The battle took a new turn, the enemy was defeated, and
the Muslim army came out victorious.
Al-'Abbaasas pointed out earlier, was an uncle of Prophet Muhammadand
a dear one for that. Besides this, he is remembered for being the
father of the well-known authority 'Abdullah Ibn Al-'Abbaas on matters
of the Quran and the teachings of the faith. He passed away in
Al-Madeenah in 32 AH during the reign of 'Uthmaan Ibn Affaan.

Khadeejah bint Khuwaylid

Khadeejahwas the first wife of the Prophet,, the mother of his
children, the best of his wives and the first to believe in him. Her
name wasUmmHind Khadeejah bint Khuwaylid ibn Asad ibn 'Abd Al-'Uzzaa
ibn Qusayy. She was fromBanu Asad, a branch ofQuraysh, and her mother
wasFaatimah bint Zaa'idah, fromBanu'Aamir ibn Lu'ayy, a branch of
theQuraysh.
She was born inMakkah, and grew up in a noble home. Her father died
during theAl-Fijaarwar.
Before marrying the Prophet,, she was married to two Arab leaders. The
first wasAbu Haalah ibn Zuraarah ibn An-NabbaashfromBanu Tameem, who
was the father of her daughtersHindandHaalah. The second was'Ateeq ibn
'Aa'ith ibn 'Umar ibn Makhzoom, who was the father of her daughterHind
bint 'Ateeq.
Khadeejahhad a successful business and her commercial caravans
travelled betweenMakkahandMadeenah. She would also hire men and give
them money to invest it for her in trade. The Prophet,, was one of
those who dealt with her in such a manner. She sent him in the company
of her slaveMaysarahto Ash-Shaam)greater Syria( on a business trip.
When they came back,Maysarahtold her about the manners of the
Prophet,, and his honesty and purity. He also told her of the
blessings which Allaah The Almighty caused to appear at his hands so
that her business multiplied in profit. As a result, she wanted to
marry him.
Soon afterwards,Hamzah ibn 'Abd Al-Muttalibmet her uncle'Amr ibn Asad
ibn 'Abd Al-'Uzzaaasking for her hand to his nephewMuhammad,. Their
marriage was consummated fifteen years before he was commissioned as a
Prophet, when he,, was twenty five years old andKhadeejahwas forty.
The couple were blessed with six children:Al-Qaasim, 'Abdullaah,
Zaynab, Ruqayyah, Umm KulthoomandFaatimah.
Khadeejahloved the Prophet,, very much and would do whatever pleased
him. She even gave him her servantZayd ibnHaarithahwhen she saw his
fondness for him.
One of the first examples of her support for the Prophet,, was when he
sawJibreel)Gabriel(for the first time. He was terrified and went
toKhadeejahand said:"Cover me! Cover me!"When his fear had subsided,
he said:"I feared that something terrible would happen to
me."Khadeejahreplied,"Never! By Allaah, Allaah will never fail you.
You maintain the ties of kinship, you speak the truth, you help the
poor and the destitute, you serve your guests generously, and you
assist those who are afflicted with misfortune."]Al-Bukhaari[
She then took him to her cousin,Waraqah ibn Nawfal, who assured him
that Allaah The Almighty had chosen him to be the final of the
Messengers.
She did not hesitate for a moment to accept hisDa'wah)call(, thus
becoming the first person to have faith in and believe in him. She
supported him in the course of hisDa'wahand consequently, the
Prophet,, gave her the glad tidings of a house in Paradise built of
pearls wherein there will be neither noise nor fatigue.
]Al-BukhaariandMuslim[
As a sign of his gratitude to her, the Prophet,, never married another
wife during her lifetime. When she died, he grieved greatly for her.
He would mention her name frequently and compliment her generously,
saying:"I have been endowed with her love."]Muslim[
The Prophet,, was very faithful to her to the extent that he would be
extremely generous and kind to her friends, even after her death.
He,, also said thatKhadeejahwas the best woman on earth during her
time when he said:"Maryam the daughter of 'Imraan was the best among
the women ]of the world at her time[ and Khadeejah bint Khuwaylid is
the best amongst the women ]of the world during her
time[."]Al-BukhaariandMuslim[
Khadeejahdied three years before theHijrah)emigration( and the
ascension of the Prophet,, to the heavens, at sixty five years of age.
She was buried inAl-Hajoon, leaving behind a great legacy and an
eventful life which history could never forget.

'Aa'ishah: the mother of the believers

When the Prophetemigrated from Makkah to Al-Madeenah he was
accompanied by Abu Bakr)'Aa'ishah's father( who had the most knowledge
about the Quraysh -- both the good and bad aspects. He was a
well-known honorable merchant to whom people came to seek and gain
more knowledge.
'Aa'ishah's motherwas called Umm Rummaan bint 'Umayr bin 'Amer coming
from the sons of Al-Haarith bin Ghanam bin Ka'ab, and she was among
the first group who embraced Islam. She had been married to 'Abdullaah
bin 'Abdul-Asad before she married Abu Bakr, and she had a son from
her first husband called At-Tufayl, and she gave birth to 'Aa'ishah
and 'Abdur-Rahmaan from Abu Bakr. She emigrated to Al-Madeenah after
the establishment of Islam there. When she died, Abu Bakrsaid: "O
Allaah! You know best how Umm Rummaan was hurt for Your sake and the
sake of Your Prophet."
The Prophetused to entrust 'Aa'ishahto Umm Rummaan's charge and say:"O
Umm Rummaan, be kind to 'Aa'ishah and be mindful of me by this
kindness."
In fact, the Prophetused to love the clean and pure household of Abu
Bakrbecause the man of the house -- Abu Bakr -- was a man who needed
no introduction; his character and lineage were not something to
inquire about.
The Messenger of Allaahthought about proposing to 'Aa'ishahfor
marriage when Khawlah bint Haakim Al-Aslamiahsaid to him: "What do you
say about marrying 'Aa'ishah the daughter of Abu Bakr?"; he,
sallallaahu 'alayhi wasallam then moved his head in the affirmative,
saying yes. Then Khawlah went to Umm Rummaan to tell her the news and
said: "O Umm Rummaan, you cannot imagine how Allaah has blessed your
house!"
Khawlahsaid: "The Messenger of Allaahsent me to seek 'Aa'ishah for
marriage." Umm Rummaansaid: "Wait for Abu Bakr, he is coming soon."
When Abu Bakrcame back, Khawlah told him the news and he said: "Is she
suitable for him? She is his niece." Khawlah then went back to the
Prophetand told him what Abu Bakr had told her, and hesaid: "Go back
and tell Abu Bakr that he is my brother in Islam and I am his, and his
daughter is good enough for me."
Abu Bakr thought deeply about this and then went to Mut'am bin 'Uday,
who had proposed 'Aa'ishahfor marriage to his son Jubayr. These people
were still disbelievers. When Abu Bakrentered their house, they said:
"O son of Abu Quhaafah, we fear that if our son married your daughter
'Aa'ishah, then she would convince him of Islam and we do not want
this to happen."
Abu Bakrdid not answer, but on the contrary he was very pleased with
that. In this way he was freed of their promise and he could give his
full agreement for the blessed marriage.
'Aa'ishahnarrated how she became married to the Messenger of Allaah,
sallallaahu ''alayhi wa sallam, and said: "The Prophetcame to our
house, and many people gathered there to meet him. Then my mother came
to me while I was playing, she took me to the door where the
Prophetwas sitting. I was so embarrassed and I melted in shyness. Then
my mother put me beside the Prophetand said: "This is your wife, may
Allaah bless her for you, and bless you for her." People then left the
room, and at that night nothing was slaughtered for me and I was nine
years old at that time." Although she was young, she was a mature girl
who had reached puberty. People described 'Aa'ishah on her wedding day
and said: "She was a nimble, wide-eyed bride, with curly hair and a
shiny face."
Whereas Khadeejahwas already a wise and mature woman when she married
the Prophet Muhammad'Aa'ishahwas a spirited young girl who still had a
great deal to learn when she married the Prophet. However, she was
very quick to learn, for she had a clear heart, a quick mind and an
accurate memory. She was not afraid to talk back in order to find out
the truth or make it known, and whenever she beat someone else in
argument, the Prophetwould smile and say: "She is the daughter of Abu
Bakr!"
Moosaa bin Talhahonce said: "I have not seen anyone more eloquent than
'Aa'ishah." 'Aa'ishahbecame so wise that one of her contemporaries
used to say that if the knowledge of 'Aa'ishah were placed on one side
of the scales and that of all other women on the other, 'Aa'ishah's
side would outweigh the others. She used to sit with the other women
and pass on the knowledge that she had received from the Prophet. She
was a source of knowledge and wisdom for both women and men long after
the Prophetdied and as long as she lived. Abu Moosaaonce said:
"Whenever a report appeared doubtful to us )the Companions of the
Prophet( and we asked 'Aa'ishah about it, we always learned something
from her about it."
In addition to being extremely intelligent, 'Aa'ishahbecame a very
graceful young woman. When she first came to live in the Prophet's
household as a young girl, a strong and lasting friendship grew up
between her and Sawdah, and Sawdahtook care of her along with the rest
of the household. When 'Aa'ishahgrew up, Sawdah, who was by then an
old woman, gave up her share of the Prophet's time in favor of
'Aa'ishah and was content to manage his household and be Umm al
Mu'mineen 'The Mother of the Believers' -- a title of respect that
was given to all the wives of the Prophetwhich confirmed what the
Quran clearly states that no man could marry any of them after they
had been married to the Prophet:
}The Prophet is more worthy of the believers than themselves, and his
wives are )in the position of( their mothers.{]Quran 33:6[
During the nine years that 'Aa'ishahwas married to Prophet Muhammadshe
witnessed many of the great events that shaped the destiny of the
first Muslim community of Al-Madeenah al Munawarra: It was during the
course of their marriage that the direction of the Qiblah was changed
from Jerusalem to Makkah, thereby distinguishing the Muslims more
clearly from Jews and Christians. It was during the course of their
marriage that she must have listened to many of the Jews, Christians
and idol worshippers who came not to listen to the Prophetbut to argue
with him, in the hope that they could find a plausible excuse to
justify their rejection of him. It was through exchanges such as these
that 'Aa'ishahlearned to distinguish what was true from what was
false.
As the prophetic guidance continued to be revealed through the Prophet
Muhammad, sallallaahu ''alayhi wa sallam, 'Aa'ishah's way of life,
along with that of all the Muslims, was gradually reshaped and
refined. It was during the course of their marriage that drinking
alcohol was finally forbidden, it was made clear what food was allowed
)Halaal( and what was prohibited )Haraam(, it became necessary for
women to wear the Hijaab in public and while praying, guidance
regarding how to fast was revealed, paying the Zakaat became
obligatory on all Muslims and all rites of Hajj were purified and
clarified.
In fact, every aspect of life -- from birth to death and everything
that happens in between -- was illuminated by the way in which the
Prophetbehaved. It was this way of behavior )the Sunnah(, that
'Aa'ishahhelped to preserve and protect, not only by embodying it
herself, but also by teaching it to others.
The life of 'Aa'ishahis proof that a woman can be far more learned
than men and that she can be the teacher of scholars and experts. Her
life is also a proof that a woman can exert influence over men and
women and provide them with inspiration and leadership . Her life is
also proof that the same woman can retain her feminity and be a source
of pleasure, joy and comfort to her husband.
'Aa'ishahspent her life with the Prophetuntil he died in her lap,
whereupon she said: "Hedied between my chest and my neck, then I put
his head on a pillow when people became very quiet while I was
mourning and suffering deep sadness."

Dought & clear, - She cannot move her head because of severe pain; how should she pray?.

A sister is asking that she has a very strong pain in her head that
makes her vomit. When this happens she cannot pray in any position, as
she cannot raise her head. How shall she pray when prayer time comes?.
Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly:
We ask Allaah to grant our sister healing and well being in her
religious and worldly affairs.
Secondly:
If the time for prayer comes and she feels pain, then she may delay
the prayer until the end of its preferred time, in the hope that she
may be able to offer the prayer in the proper manner. But if the pain
persists, then she may pray in the manner that she is able to, even if
she is lying on her back.
The basic principle concerning that is the verse in which Allaah says
(interpretation of the meaning):
"Allaah burdens not a person beyond his scope"
[al-Baqarah 2:286].
And the Prophet(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said to
'Imraan ibn Husayn: "Pray standing, and if you cannot, then sitting,
and if you cannot, then (lying) on your side." Narrated by al-Bukhaari
(1117) and Abu Dawood (952).
If a person prays sitting, then he should lean forward for rukoo'
(bowing) and sujood (prostration), and he should lean forward more for
prostration than for bowing.
If a person prays lying on his right or left side, then he should tilt
his head towards his chest for bowing and prostration. If a person
prays lying on his back, he should put his feet towards the qiblah and
tilt his head towards his chest for bowing and prostration. If he is
unable – when sitting or lying – to move his head, then the actions
are waived in his case, because that is the thing that he is unable to
do, but the words are not waived because he is able to say them, and
Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):"So keep your duty to
Allaah and fear Him as much as you can"[al-Taghaabun 64:16]. So he
should say takbeer and recite Qur'aan, and intend to bow and say
takbeer and recite the tasbeeh of bowing, then he should intend to
stand up and saySami'aAllaahu liman hamidah, rabbana wa
laka'l-hamd(Allaah hears the one who praises Him, our Lord to You be
praise) etc. Then he should intend to prostrate and say takbeer and
the tasbeeh of prostration, because this is what is implied by the
shar'i principle,"So keep your duty to Allaah and fear Him as much as
you can".
End quote fromal-Sharh al-Mumti'(4/332).
And Allaah knows best.