THE COVENANT OF AQABAH
THE FIRST ‘AQABAH PLEDGE
We have already spoken about six Madinese who embraced Islam in the pilgrimage season in the eleventh year of Prophethood. They promised to communicate the Message of Islam to their townsfolk. The following year, on the occasion of the pilgrimage, there came a group of twelve disciples ready to acknowledge Muhammad as their Prophet. The group of men comprised five of the six who had met Rasulullahﷺ the year before, the sixth who stayed away was Jabir bin ‘Abdullah bin Reyab, and the other seven were:
- As'ad bin Zurarah رضي الله عنه
- Awf Bin Harith رضي الله عنه
- Mu'adh bin Harith رضي الله عنه
- Rafi bin Malik رضي الله عنه,
- Zakhwan Bin Qaith رضي الله عنه
- Ubadah bin Samit رضي الله عنه
- Yazid bin Sa'laba رضي الله عنه
- Abas bin Ubada رضي الله عنه
- Qutba bin Amir رضي الله عنه
- Uqba bin Amir رضي الله عنه
- Uwwam bin Saida رضي الله عنه
- Abu Hatham Malik Bin A Tahiyyan رضي الله عنه
- They avowed their faith in Rasulullahﷺ as a Prophet and swore: “We will not worship anyone but one Allah; we will not steal; neither will we commit adultery, nor kill our children; we will not utter slander, intentionally forging falsehood and we will not disobey you in any just matter.” When they had taken the pledge, Rasulullahﷺ said: “He who carries it out, Allâh will reward him; and who neglects anything and is afflicted in this world, it may prove redemption for him in the Hereafter; and if the sin remains hidden from the eyes of the men and no grief comes to him, then his affair is with Allâh. He may forgive him or He may not.”
- THE MUSLIM ENVOY IN MADINAH
- After the Pledge (in the form of an oath had been taken) Rasulullahﷺ sent to Yathrib (Madinah) Mus‘ab bin ‘Umair Al-‘Abdari, رضي الله عنه the first Muslim ‘ambassador’ to teach the people there the doctrines of Islam, give them practical guidance and make attempts at propagating the Islam among those who still professed polytheism.
As‘ad bin Zurarah رضي الله عنه hosted him in Madinah. So prepared was the ground, and so zealous the propagation that Islam spread rapidly from house to house and from tribe to tribe. There were various cheerful and promising aspects of success that characterized Mus‘ab’s task. One day Mus‘ab رضي الله عنه and As‘ad رضي الله عنه were on their way to the habitations of Bani ‘Abd Al-Ashhal and Bani Zafar, when they went into the premises of the latter clan. There they sat near a well conversing with some new converts. Sa‘d bin Mu‘adh and Usaid bin Hudair, chiefs of the two clans heard of this meeting, so Usaid approached the Muslims armed with his lance while the other Sa‘d excused himself on grounds that As‘ad رضي الله عنه was his maternal cousin.
Usaid came closer cursing and swearing and accused the two men of befooling people weak of heart, and ordered that they stop it altogether. Mus‘ab رضي الله عنه calmly invited him to sit saying, “If you are pleased with our talk, you can accept it; should you hold it in abhorrence, you could freely immunize yourself against what you hate.” “That’s fair,” said Usaid, pierced his lance in the sand, listened to Mus‘ab رضي الله عنه, and then heard some verses of the Noble Qur’ân. His face bespoke satisfaction and pleasure before uttering any words of approval. He asked the two men about the procedures pertinent to embracing Islam.
They asked him to observe washing, purge his garment, bear witness to the Truth and then perform two Rak‘a. He responded and did exactly what he was asked to do, and then said there was a man (Sa‘d bin Mu‘adh رضي الله عنه ) whose people would never hang back if he followed Islam. He then left to see Sa‘d and his people. Sa‘d رضي الله عنه immediately understand that Usaid had changed. To a question posed by Sa‘d رضي الله عنه, Usaid said that two men were ready to comply with whatever orders they received. He then managed a certain situation that provided the two men with a chance to talk with Sa‘d رضي الله عنه privately.
The previous scene with Usaid recurred and Sa‘d رضي الله عنه embraced Islam, and directly turned to his people swearing that he would never talk with them until they had believed in Allâh, and in His Messenger. Hardly did the evening of that day arrive when all the men and women of that sept of Arabians embraced Islam with the exception of one, Al-Usairim, who hung back until the Day of Uhud. On that day he embraced Islam and fought the polytheists but was eventually killed before observing any prostration in the way of prayer. Rasulullahﷺ commented saying: “He has done a little but his reward is great.”
Mus‘ab stayed in Madinah carrying out his mission diligently and successfully until all the houses of Al-Ansar (the future Helpers) had Muslim elements, men and women. One family only stood obdurate to the Islamic Da‘wah (Call). They were under the influence of the poet Qais bin Al-Aslat, who managed to hold them at bay and screen off the Call of Islam from their ears until the year 5 A.H. Shortly before the approach of the following pilgrimage season, i.e. the thirteenth year of Prophethood, Mus‘ab bin ‘Umair رض الله عنه returned to Makkah carrying to Rasulullahﷺ glad tidings about the new fertile soil of Islam in Madinah, and its environment rich in the prospects of good, and the power and immunity that that city was bound to provide to the cause of Islam.
At the end of the eleventh year of Nubuwwat, the forty-year war between the tribes of Aus and Khazraj of Madinah (Yathrib), had virtually ended and many tribes converged on Makkah for the pilgrimage, annually.
Rasulullahﷺ used these opportune moments to go out of Makkah and into the camps of the visiting tribes to preach Islam, Abu Jahl and Abu Lahab continued their wicked campaign to defeat every effort of Rasulullahﷺ.
But Rasulullahﷺ avoided them and always slipped out in the dark towards the camps of the pilgrims.
It was here that the first six persons of the Khazraj tribe became Muslims at the
valley of Aqaba and, the place which, later became the secret gathering place of
Rasulullahﷺ and
the prospective Muslims of Madinah (Yathrib).
The following year twelve more people of the Khazraj tribe became Muslims and
the First Pledge of Aqaba was taken.
They pledged that:
1. We
will not worship anyone but Allah.
2. We
will not steal or commit adultery.
3. We
will not kill our little girls.
4. We
will not defame anyone.
5. We will not backbite anyone.
6. In our every deed, we will honor and submit to the word of Rasulullahﷺ.
Rasulullahﷺ was requested to send one of his own companions to preach Islam in
Madinah. Mus'ab- bin -Umayr رضي الله عنه was debuted for this purpose. Islam took root in Madinah and spread rapidly. Madinah was originally known as 'Yathrib' after an idol, but, after the arrival of Rasulullahﷺ, it was called ' Madinatun-Nabee', the city of the Nabee (Prophet).
[1] Ibn Hisham, ibid, V. 2, p. 75-76; Tabari, Tarikh, V. 2, p. 235.
[2] Ibn Hisham, ibid, V. 2, p. 75-76; Ibn Sa’d, ibid, V. 2, p. 220; Tabari, ibid, V. 2, p. 235.
[3] Doç. Dr. Sâlih Tuğ, İslam Vergi Hukukunun Ortaya Çıkışı, p. 27 (Ank. 1963).
[4] Ibn Hisham, ibid, V. 2, p. 73; Ibn Sa’d, ibid, V. 1, p. 220.
[5] Ibn Hisham, ibid, V. 2, p. 76; Ibn Sa’d, ibid, V. 1, p. 220.
[6] Ibn Hisham, Sirah, V. 2, p. 77-78; Ibn Sa’d, Tabaqat, V. 3, p. 420; Tabari, Tarikh, V. 2, p. 236.
[7] Ibn Hisham, ibid, V. 2, p. 78-79; Ibn Sa’d, ibid, V. 3, p. 420; Tabari, ibid, V. 2, p. 236-237; Ibn Sayyid, Uyunu’l-Athar, V. 1, p. 160; Halabi, Insanu’l-Uyun, V. 2, p. 170-171.
[8] Ibn Hisham, Sirah, V. 2, p. 83-84; Ibn Sa’d, Tabaqat, V. 1, p. 221; Tabari, Tarikh, V. 2, p. 228.
[9] Ibn Hisham, Sirah, V. 2, p. 84; Ibn Sa’d, Tabaqat, V. 1, p. 222; Tabari, ibid, V. 2, p. 238; Ibn Sayyid, Uyunu’l-Athar, V. 1, p. 163; Halabi, Insanu’l-Uyun, V. 2, p. 174-175.
[10] Tabari, Tarikh, V. 2, p. 239; Halabi, ibid, V. 2, p. 175.
[11] Ibn Hisham, ibid, V. 2, p. 97; Halabi, ibid, V. 2, p. 175.
[12] Ibn Hisham, ibid, V. 2, p. 85; Ibn Sa’d, ibid, V. 1, p. 222; Tabari, Tarikh, V. 2, p. 239; Ibn Sayyid, Uyunu’l-Athar, V. 1, p. 164; Halabi, Insanu’l-Uyun, V. 2, p. 176-177.
[13] Ibn Hisham, ibid, V. 2, p. 86-87; Ibn Sayyid, ibid, V. 1, p. 164.
[14] Ibn Hisham, ibid, V. 2, p. 88; Ibn Sa’d, ibid, V. 1, p. 223.
[15] Ibn Hisham, ibid, V. 2, p. 90; Ibn Sa’d, Tabaqat, V. 1, p. 223.
Allahﷻ
Rasulullahﷺ
Rasulullahﷺ
Allahﷻ
Rasulullahﷺ
Rasulullahﷺ
رضي الله عنه
سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى
رضياللهعنه
