life of prophet muhammad peace be upon him before prophethood Before Prophethood Makkah and the Quraysh After a long journey, Ibrahim approached Makkah, Which lies in the valley between desolated mountains. As there was no water, crops would not grow and human life could not be sustained there. Accompanied by his wife Hajar and his son Ismail, Ibrahim was fleeing from the cult of idol-worship which had spread throughout the world. He wanted to establish a centre in which Allah alone would be worshipped and to which people could be called. It would be a beacon of guidance and sanctuary of peace, radiating true faith and righteousness. Allah accepted Ibrahims intention and blessed the spot. After Ibrahim had left the inhospitable territory, water flowed from a spring to provide his small family with the means to survive. Hajar and Isma‘il dwelt in this arid place other people. Allah blessed the spring of Zamzam and, to this day, people continue to drink its water and to take it with them to all corners of the globe. While Isma‘il was growing up, Ibrahim visited his family. He wanted to sacrifice Isma‘il, who was still only a child, in order to show that his love of Allah was greater than his love for his son, just as Allah had commanded him to in a dream. Isma‘il also agreed to Allahs command that he should be sacrificed. But Allah saved him and provided a ram from Paradise as a ransom to be sacrificed instead. Isma‘ils survival meant that he would be able to help his father in calling people to Allah and to become the ancestor of the last Prophet of Allah, His exalted Messenger. On a later visit to Makkah, Ibrahim and his son together constructed the Ka‘bah, the House of Allah. They prayed to Allah to accept the House and to bless their action. They also beseeched Allah to allow them to live and die in Islam and for Islam to continue after their death. They asked Allah to send a Prophet from among their descendants to renew the call of his ancestor Ibrahim and to complete what he had begun. When Ibrahim and Isma‘il raised the foundations of the House, praying; Our Lord, accept this from us. You are the Hearing; the Knowing. Our Lord, and make us surrender to You, and make of our descendants a nation that surrenders to You. Show us our rites and turn to us; You are the One who turns, the Compassionate. Our Lord and send among them a Messenger from among them who will recite to them Your signs and teach them the Book and the Wisdom and purify them. You are the Mighty, the Wise., QURAN (2: 126-9) Allah blessed their descendants and the family multiplied in that barren valley. Adnan, a descendant of Isma‘il (peace be upon him) had many children. Among Adnans descendants Fihr ibn Malik, in particular, was a distinguished chief of the tribe. From Fihrs descendants Qusayy ibn Kilab emerged. He ruled Makkah and held the keys to the Kabah. He inspired obedience, was the guardian of the waters of Zamzam and was responsible for feeding the pilgrims. He also presided at the assemblies where the nobles of Makkah gathered for consultation and he held the banner for war. He alone controlled the affairs of Makkah. Among his sons, Abd Manaf was the most illustrious, while his eldest son, Hashim became a great man of the people. He provided food and water for the pilgrims coming to Makkah. He was the father of Abdul-Muttalib, the Messenger of Allahs grandfather, who was also in charge of feeding and giving water to the pilgrims. He was honoured and held in high esteem by his people and his popularity outstripped that of his ancestors. His people loved him. The descendants of Fihr ibn Malik were called Quraysh. This name came to predominate over all others and the tribe adopted it. All the Arabs recognized the excellent lineage and nobility of the Quraysh. Their eloquence, civility, gallantry and high mindedness were unanimously accepted.
Posted on: Thu, 03 Jul 2014 20:44:50 +0000
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