The Holy Prophet’s Universal Mission
Although the faith of Islam appeared in the Arabian peninsula among the Arab
nation and the Holy Prophet was an Arab, Islam was not a local faith that is
restricted to the Arab nation. To prove, the Holy Qur'an addressed neither
Quraysh nor the Arab nation; Rather, it addresses all people. In some verses
that order Muslims to perform certain tasks and responsibilities, the Holy
Qur'an addresses them as believers. From the very beginning of his mission
throughout his invitation to Islam in Mecca, the Holy Prophet declared that
his mission was a universal issue. Besides, the Holy Qur'an is dealing with
universal issues on many occasions, such as the following:
Say: O people! Surly I am the Apostle of Allah to you all. (7:158)
And We have not sent you but to all the men as a bearer of good news.
(34:28)
And it is naught but a reminder to the nations. (68:52)
It is nothing but a reminder and a plain Qur'an that it may warn him who is
alive. (36:69-70)
He it is Who sent His Apostle with guidance and the religion of truth, that
he might cause it to prevail over all religions. (9:33)
And We have not sent you but as a mercy to the worlds. (21:107)
All these holy verses were revealed in Mecca; a fact demonstrating that the
general invitation to Islam took place from the very initial stages.
However, despite these authentic reasons, some European scholars, such as
Goldziher, have claimed that Muhammad’s widespread faith only took place
later on and that his very initial instructions did not go farther than the
needs of the ignorant Arabs of his time.
[1]
This claim is too worthless to require evidence.
The Start of the Universal Invitation
If the Holy Prophet did not take any step for the spread of Islam outside
the Arabian Peninsula during his stay in Mecca and several years after his
Hegira, this was due to the enmity and aggression leveled at him by Meccan
unbelievers, the Jews and other enemies. However, after the convention of
Hudaybiyah Truce that brought about a temporary relief from the aggressions
of Quraysh and a relative calm over Mecca, the Holy Prophet wrote several
letters to the kings and governors of different countries inviting them to
his Faith. In one day only, he wrote six letters to al-Najashi, the king of
Abyssinia, Caesar of Rome; Khosrow Parviz of Iran, al-Muqawqas of Egypt,
Harith ibn Abi-Shimr al-Ghassani of Damascus, and Hawdhah Ibn `Ali of
Yamamah, as well as many other kings and governors.
[2]
These letters were written in Dhu’l-Hijjah of the sixth year of Hegira or
Muharram of the seventh. Of course, this was just the beginning of the
universal invitation to Islam. Moreover, from that day on and up to his last
day of life, the Holy Prophet continued writing letters to the different
countries of the world.
[3]
The content of all these letters was identical and all of them were written
in a simple, explicit and decisive style. However, reactions of the world
leaders were not identical.
Conquest of Khaybar
Khaybar consisted of several castles. Its people were engaged in agriculture
and animal husbandry. Due to its good agricultural capacities, it was
referred to as the wheat store of Hijaz.
[4]
Its people also enjoyed good economic prosperity. The great goods and
ammunitions which fell in the hands of Muslims after the collapse of the
castles witness to this issue. The very structure of the castles was strong
and enduring and the number of their troops was in thousands.
[5]
For this reason, they considered themselves strong enough to stop the
attacks of Muslims.
[6]
The Jews of Khaybar made use of any chance available to try to destroy the
newly built Islamic government as their city was turned into a permanent
center for conspiracies against Islam. Having been defeated in Medina, the
chiefs of Banu’l-Nazir joined Khaybar to cooperate with them against Islam.
In the sixth year of Hegira, Sallam ibn Abi’l-Huqayq, one of Banu’l-Nazir's
chiefs who had obtained the leadership of the Jews of Khaybar through
cooperation with the tribe of Ghatafan and other infidel tribes, gathered a
great troop to fight against Muslims. After he was killed by Muslims due to
plotting conspiracies against them, people of Khaybar appointed Usayr ibn
Zarim as their leader.
[7]
This man, too, engaged himself in aggression and provocation of tribes
against Muslims.
[8]
To eradicate the previous signs of enmity, the Holy Prophet dispatched a
group under the supervision of `Abdullah ibn Rawahah to the newly appointed
leader to secure his consent for peace. The new leader, together with
`Abdullah and a group of Jews, was on his way to Medina to talk to the Holy
Prophet. However, on the way, he changed his mind and tried to kill
`Abdullah. Due to this confrontation, he and his company all were killed.
[9]
In this way, the Holy Prophet’s peaceful plans became null and void.
A contemporary historian states that in addition to these conspiracies,
Muslims anticipated that the Jews of Khaybar who had already incurred the
hostility of Muslims might be used by the Iranian or Roman empires to
prepare for an attack against Islam as a compensation for the defeat and
failure of Banu-Qaynuqa`, Banu’l-Nazir, and Banu-Qurayzah.
[10]
After the convention of the Hudaybiyah Truce through which the Holy Prophet
was at ease regarding the dangers from the south, he, together with fourteen
Muslim warriors, headed to the north to disarm the Jews of Khaybar. That was
in the beginning of the seventh year of Hegira. He chose such a direction
for his involvement as to cut the relations of Ghatafan, the powerful ally
of Khaybar, with the people of Khaybar depriving them of any cooperation
with each other.
[11]
Using the tactic of surprise, all the castles and strongholds of Khaybar
fell to Muslims and the Jewish chiefs presumed predicament with dawn.
The encounter was unequal; warriors of Khaybar were in their stronghold,
they had the doors firmly closed and through their guards on the towers and
high walls hindered any Muslim approach. In one attack, fifty Muslim
warriors were wounded.
[12]
Besides, the warriors of Khaybar had sufficient supplies, but Muslims felt
short of supplies as the war continued. Finally, with great hardships on the
part of Muslims, the castes fell one after another. However, the last
castle, called Qamus, which was supervised by the famous Jewish hero named
Marhab, continued to defend itself and Muslim warriors were unable to
capture.
One day, the Holy Prophet gave the banner to Abu-Bakr and the next day to
`Umar with some troops to attack the castle, but they both failed.
[13]
Seeing this, the Holy Prophet declared:
“Tomorrow, I will hand this banner to one who, with God's support, will
capture this castle; one who is loved by God and His Apostle and God and His
Apostle love; he is not a quitter.”
That night, every Muslim desired that he would be given the banner. When
dawn came, the Holy Prophet asked, “Where is `Ali?” They replied, “He is
suffering a severe eye-ache and he is now at rest.” The Holy Prophet
summoned `Ali and cured his eyes. Submitting the banner to `Ali, the Holy
Prophet ordered him,
“Move towards them; as soon as you arrive at their castle, invite them to
Islam and remind them of their rights. I swear to God that to conduct one
person to the truth is better for you than having red-haired camels.”[14]
Imam `Ali headed for the mission; he could kill Marhab through a heroic
encounter in which Imam `Ali showed a unique bravery. He then could conquer
that castle.
Attacking the castles of Khaybar, which were centers of conspiracy against
Islam, shows a number of important matters some of which are as follows:
(1) This shows that the Holy Prophet enjoyed an effective management when he
chose the quite suitable person to this mission.
(2) He used effective military tactics, such as the principle of surprise
and the gathering of information.
(3) Imam `Ali showed such a unique bravery that none else had.
Imam `Ali's self-sacrifice and bravery in this war was so great that the
Holy Prophet appreciated it and praised him for his vigor and stamina,
declaring his precedence before all other Muslims.
Muslims also remembered this praise on many occasions. For instance, when he
came to power, Mu`awiyah ordered everybody to curse Imam `Ali openly. Sa`d
ibn Abi-Waqqas abstain from carrying out this order. When Mu`awiyah asked
for the reason, Sa`d answered,
“I will never curse him, because I remember that the Holy Prophet mentioned
three of his virtues, which I wished I could have only one of them. (1) In
one of the wars [i.e. Tabuk], the Holy Prophet appointed him as his
successor in Medina. `Ali asked, ‘Do you leave me with women and children in
town?’ The Prophet answered, ‘Do you not like to be my successor in the same
way as (Prophet) Aaron was the successor of (Prophet) Moses, except that
there will be no prophet after me?’ (2) In the war of Khaybar, the Prophet
declared, ‘I will submit the banner to a person who loves God and His
Apostle and God and His Apostle love him.’ On that day, every one of us
wished to gain such a prestige. The Prophet then ordered his men to summon
`Ali. `Ali came, while he was suffering from a bad eye-ache. The Prophet
rubbed his eyes with his own saliva. Suddenly, `Ali's pain drove off and he
received the banner from the Holy Prophet. God caused the castle to be
conquered through `Ali. (3) When it was arranged for the Holy Prophet to
enter into Mubahalah [mutual cursing] with the Christian priests of
Najran, this verse was revealed to him: ‘Say: Let us call our sons and your
sons and our women and your women. (3:61)’
The prophet thus called `Ali, Fatimah, Hasan and Husayn and declared, ‘O
God, these are my Household.’”[15]
Referring to that epoch-making war, Imam `Ali says,
“We were faced with a mountain of men and military ammunitions; their
castles were invincible and their number was huge. Their heroes left the
castles each day, asking for warriors. Any one of us who arrived at the
battlefield was killed. When the fire of war was blazing and the enemy was
asking for warriors to duel with; and when our troops were suffering from
fright and fear; and they were looking at one another in a timid way, I was
asked to go on the scene. The Prophet asked me to rise and attack the
castle. I went forward and confronted their hero, killing him on the spot; I
did the same thing with others. I made many of them retreat. Then, like a
lion chasing the prey, I followed them until they took shelter inside the
castle. Then they closed down the gates. I tore off the gate and entered the
castle alone… I had nobody to help except for God…”[16]
The people of Khaybar surrendered after the fall of the last castle and the
war terminated. The casualties of the troops of Khaybar reportedly were
forty-three[17]
and the number of the martyrs was twenty-eight.
[18]
The Fate of the Jews of Khaybar
Upon their surrender, the Jews of Khaybar asked the Holy Prophet to permit
them to stay on their lands for cultivation. He agreed on condition that
they should yield half of their yearly produce to the Islamic government[19]
and that they should leave when the Holy Prophet wished so.
[20]
This treaty was in effect until the reign of `Umar when they took part in
some conspiracies against Muslims. For this reason, `Umar banished them to
Damascus.
[21]
Fadak
After the fall of Khaybar, the Jews of Fadak surrendered with no resistance
and entered into a treaty with the Holy Prophet like the one with Khaybar.
Since Fadak was captured with no fight, half of its revenue went to the Holy
Prophet.
[22]
