AS'AD BIN ZURARAH MEETS THE HOLY PROPHET
For quite a long time a furious war had been raging between the tribes of 'Aws' and 'Khazraj' (of Yathrib). During this time As'ad bin Zurarah one of the chiefs of Khazraj made a journey to Makkah for strengthening the power of his tribe. His intention was to seek military and financial assistance from Quraysh to subdue his one hundred years old enemy (i.e. the tribe of Aws). Owing to his old relations with 'Atbah bin Rabiyyah he stayed with him. He told him the purpose of his visit and requested him for help. His old friend ('Atbah) however replied in these words: "Just at present we cannot accede to your request because we ourselves are in a strange fix. A man has risen from amongst ourselves. He insults our gods considers our ancestors to have been frivolous and stupid. With his sweet words he has attracted some of our young men and has thus created a deep cleavage amongst us. Except the Haj period he spends most of his time in Sha'b (Mountain Pass) of Abu Talib. During Haj period however he emerges from there and takes his place in Hajar-i Isma'il. There he invites people to his faith.
As'ad decided to return home without contacting other chiefs of Quraysh. However in keeping with the old Arab custom he decided to perform the pilgrimage of the House of Allah (the Ka'bah) before his departure. But 'Atbah warned him lest while he was going round the Ka'bah he should hear the bewitching words of the new Prophet and be attracted to him. To solve this problem 'Atbah suggested to As'ad to thrust cotton in his ears so that he might not hear the Prophet.
As'ad slowly stepped into Masjidul Haram and began going round the Ka'bah. During the first round he glanced at the Holy Prophet and saw him sitting in Hajar-i Isma'il while a number of Hashimites were guarding him. Fearing the magic of the Prophet's words he (As'ad) did not go to him. Eventually however while going round the Ka'bah he reflected within himself and felt that he was doing a very foolish thing in avoiding the Prophet because people might question him about this affair on his return to Yathrib and it would be necessary for him to give them a satisfactory reply. He therefore decided to obtain first-hand information about the new religion without any further delay.
He came forward and saluted the Prophet with the words An'am Sabahan (Good Morning) according to the custom prevalent in the Age of Ignorance. The Holy Prophet however said to him in reply that Allah had prescribed a better form of salutation. He said that when two persons meet each other they should say Salamun Alaykum. Then As'ad requested the Holy Prophet to explain and clarify to him the aims and objects of his religion. In reply the Holy Prophet recited for him two verses: Muhamad say Let me tell you about what your Lord has commanded: Don't consider anything equal to God; Be kind to your parents; Don't murder your children out of fear of poverty (for We give sustenance to everyone) Don't even approach indecency either in public or in private. Don't murder for no reason anyone whom God has considered respectable. Thus your Lord guides you so that you may think. Don't handle the property of the orphans except with a good reason until they become mature and strong. Maintain equality in your dealings by the means of measurement and balance. (No soul is responsible for what is beyond it's ability). Be just in your words even if the party involved is one of your relatives; and keep your promise with God. Thus does your Lord guide you so that you may take heed. (Surah An'am 6 152 - 153) which in fact draws a true picture of the mentality and ways of life of the Arabs of the age of ignorance. These two verses which mention the ailment as well as the remedy for a people who had been at logger-heads with one another for as many as one hundred and twenty years made a very deep impression on As'ad. He embraced Islam immediately and requested the Holy Prophet to send some one to Yathrib in the capacity of a missionary of Islam.
We feel that if we go deep into these two verses it will be sufficient to make us dispense with discussions and studies about the conditions of the Arabs of the Age of Ignorance for they abundantly clarify the extent to which chronic moral ailments were threatening the very existence of those people. We give below the contents of those verses with very brief explanation:
1. I have been sent on my Prophetic Mission to obliterate polytheism and idol-worship.
2. Goodness to parents occupies the top-most place in my message.
3. According to my sacred law killing of children due to fear of poverty is the worst possible deed.
4. I have been appointed to restrain human beings from doing bad deeds and to keep them away from every uncleanliness whether it be open or hidden.
5. My law provides that man-slaughter and bloodshed without just cause are absolutely forbidden.
6. Misappropriation of property belonging to orphans is prohibited.
7. My law is based on justice. Hence according to it selling under-weight is unlawful.
8. I do not charge anyone with more than he can bear.
9. The tongue and speech of man which are a resplendent mirror reflecting his mentality should be utilised in support of truth and reality and a person should speak nothing but the truth even though it may cause him loss.
10. Be true to the covenants which you have made with Allah. This has been ordained by your Lord and it is essential for you to follow it.[4]
From the contents of these two verses and the manner in which the Holy Prophet conversed with As'ad it can very well be realised that the Arabs had developed all these base qualities and for this very reason the Holy Prophet read but at the very outset these two verses for As'ad as the aim of his mission. In the circumstances is it possible to agree to the claim made by some persons that an expansive civilisation existed for ages in all parts of Arabia?
RELIGION IN ARABIA
When Prophet Ibrahim hoisted the standard of the worship of Almighty Allah and raised the foundations of the Holy Ka'bah with the assistance of his son Isma'il some people gathered round him and the rays of his sun-like personality illuminated their hearts. However the extent to which this great soul could combat with idol-worship and form compressed rows of the worshippers of Allah is not known for certain.
During many periods and especially amongst the Arabs belief in the worship of God was mostly accompanied by polytheism and by the faith that idols were manifestations of the Deity. Out of their various beliefs the Holy Qur'an has mentioned one such belief saying If you ask them who created the heavens and the earth they are bound to answer: "The Almighty the All-knowing created them (Surah al-Zukhruf, 43:9). We serve them (i.e. idols etc.) only that they may bring us nearer to God. (Surah al-Zumar, 39:3 ) .
Ali, the Commander of the Faithful, describes the religious conditions of the Arab peoples in the following words:
People of those days possessed various creeds and different heresies and were divided into many sects. One group likened Allah to His creatures (and believed that He possessed limbs). Others brought about changes in His names (for example the idol-worshippers who had adopted 'Lat' from Allah and 'Uzza' from Aziz). There was also a group who pointed to those other than Him. Later He guided them through the Holy Prophet and made them conversant with the knowledge of Divinity"[5]
The enlightened people amongst the Arabs worshipped the sun and the moon. The renowned Arab historian Kalbi who died in the year 206 A.H. writes thus: "The tribe named Bani Malih worshipped the genii and the tribes of Humayr Kananah Tamim Lakham Tai Qays and Asad worshipped the sun the moon the Dabran (a star in the sign of the zodiac named Taurus) the Jupiter the Canopus the Dog-star and the Mercury respectively. However the degraded section of the society which formed majority of the inhabitants of Arabia besides worshipping the idols of their own families and tribes worshipped another 360 idols and ascribed the daily happenings to one of them".
The reasons for the birth of idol-worship in the areas of Makkah after the passing away of the Holy Prophet Ibrahim will be discussed later. However it is an admitted fact that in the early days this practice was not so perfect. In the beginning the Arabs considered the idols to be mere interceders and gradually imagined them to be possessing power. The idols arranged round the Ka'bah were entitled to affection and respect by all tribes but the idols of the tribes were adored by a particular group only. Every tribe allocated a specified place to its idols to ensure their safety. The office of custodian of the keys of the temples in which idols were installed was hereditary and was handed down from one person to another.
Family idols were worshipped by the members of a family every day and night. While proceeding on journey they rubbed them with their bodies. While travelling they worshipped the desert stones. When they reached a halting place they selected four stones. Out of these they worshipped the most beautiful one and used the remaining three as a stand for the fire-place to cook food.
The people of Makkah had great attachment for the sanctuary. While proceeding on a journey they picked up stones from its precincts and installed and worshipped them whenever they broke the journey. Possibly these were the very 'ansab' (the installed ones) which have been interpreted as smooth and amorphous stones. As opposed to these were the 'awthan' which meant well shaped and painted idols made from hewn stones.
As regards 'asnam' however they were idols made with moulded gold or silver or carved out of wood.
Humility of Arabs before the idols was really surprising. They believed that by offering sacrifices they could win their good-will. And after offering sacrifice of an animal they rubbed its blood on the head and the face of the idol. They also consulted the idols in big and important matters. This consultation was through sticks on one of which they wrote 'Do' and on the other 'Don't do'. Then they stretched their hand picked up one of the sticks and acted according to the writing on it.
