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The Splendor of the Holy Prophet of
Islam (S.A.W.)
Previous Prophets mentioned
some of the characteristics of the Holy Prophet of Islam in their heavenly
books, giving their followers the glad tidings of his future appearance. As the
Quran says:
"Those to whom We sent books (the Jews and the Christians) know well of
Muhammad(S.A.W.) and his truthfulness, just as they know their own children, but
some of them obstinately hide the truth, although they are well aware of
it." (2:145)
In the troubled world of those days, cultural and moral decline, together with
polytheism and idolatry and all their ramifications had submerged the whole
globe. Even the heavenly religions that had followers in different parts of the
world had undergone radical change in the course of time; not only had they lost
all vitality and ability to guide mankind, but their most creative elements had
fallen prey to decline.
There was no hope of infusing a new spirit of life in them, of making blood
course once again through their hardened arteries. The People of the Book were
therefore waiting for some profound eruption and the emergence of a new heavenly
personality who would bear on his capable shoulders the heavy burden of guiding
mankind, leading them away from decaying systems of thought to a new and
progressive teaching. The world had reached the end of its tether in the midst
of all that confusion and unrest. It longed for a whole new environment,
different from the poisoned one in which it lived, and waited for a hand to
emerge from the sleeve of the unseen which would destroy the crumbling structure
of the old order and build a new one on its ruins. Each of the peoples and
nations that were then dominating the world had in some way fallen prey to
anarchy and confusion. The Arabs who lived at the crossroads of the great powers
of that age and whose broad homeland was traversed by the caravans of
international commerce felt more powerfully each day their weakness and
impotence vis-a-vis their powerful neighbors.
The danger of complete extinction that faced the Arabs because of their lack of
an organized political structure and because of the power of their oppressive
neighbors, was plain to any farsighted person. It was under these circumstances
that the promised deliverer Muhammad, upon whom be peace, was born at dawn on
Friday, the seventeenth day of the month of Rabi' al-Awwal, fifty three years
before the migration (hijra), corresponding to the year 570 of the Christian
era, in the city of Mecca in the Arabian Peninsula. It was a land of stifling
repression, the very symbol of a sick and decadent society where ignorance was
actively cultivated. It was like a swamp where the waters of corruption
stagnated, a pit in which humanity had been buried.
It was in such a place that the Prophet first set eyes on the world and the
light of his splendor first shone on the horizons of human life; it was there
that this quintessence of being who was destined to bring human thought to
maturity generated a new energy and an inexhaustible vitality in mankind. None
could reach his level of excellence in the qualities he possessed, and all
expectations were fulfilled with his coming. He appeared at a time that society
was prepared for him because it needed him. Not only the Arabian peninsula but
the world at large was prepared for his coming, because the whole of the ancient
world was longing with all of its being for the appearance of a man who would
take it by the hand and guide it to its goal.
The sphere of the heavens, in its prolonged and ceaseless rotation had never
been able to bring forth a creature like him whose substance was pure and free
of all defect, who was completely untainted by all imperfection. History bears
witness that this blessed infant, whose splendor shone forth from the arms of
his mother, Aminah, over the whole world, came to establish the most creative of
all faiths and the purest, most profound and pervasive of impetus, for the
cultivation of knowledge and spirituality. By prohibiting flattery and
subservience before the thrones of the emperors and the powerful, he awakened to
new life the dormant minds of human beings and created a suitable environment
for their cultivation. He drove away idols from the threshold of their
veneration, instructing them instead in the mysteries of Divine unity and
teaching them how to live and die with dignity.
As a result of his teachings, idolatry gave way to monotheism and the worship of
the one true God; ignorance yielded to knowledge and science, brotherliness,
compassion, and other human virtues took the place of hostility, hatred and
discord; and those who had been reared in an atmosphere of corruption and
ignorance became the choicest specimens of humanity. Abdullah, the father of the
Prophet, was a descendent of Ishmael. His was a truly human heart, a heart that
overflowed with love, fidelity and mercy. After marrying Aminah, he went trading
in Syria, accompanying a caravan that was leaving Mecca. Aminah was already
pregnant and impatiently awaited the return of her husband. But a severe illness
laid hold of Abdullah, drawing the life out of him so that he died far away from
his homeland. He closed his eyes on the world and its pleasures, full of painful
regret that he would be unable to see Aminah again or the child that she was to
bear him.
After a time, the young mother learned that in the sixteenth year of her life
she had been widowed and left alone with a small infant. Her father-in-law, Abd
al-Mutallib, took her and the infant to his own house, and then decided to send
his newborn grandson to the Banu Sa'd in the desert, to be suckled by them and
to grow up in the pure air of the desert. Four months had passed after the birth
of the Most Noble Prophet when the wetnurses of the Banu Sa'd came to Mecca and
one of them, a woman of pure disposition called Halimah, declared herself ready
to suckle the orphaned Muhammad. Halimah returned to the desert with the child
to take care of him there and he stayed among the Banu Sa'd continuing to grow
until he was weaned. Still, however, his grandfather continued to leave him in
the care of the tribe until he was five years old, and throughout this period
the kindly wetnurse took good care of him and paid attention to his upbringing.
He learned the best and most authentic dialect of Arabic, and imbibed the most
eloquent forms of Arabic speech. Halimah took him to see his mother two or three
times, and on the last of these occasions she turned him over to his mother.
When a year had passed, Aminah left Mecca, taking him with her to show him to
the wetnurses who lived in the villages between Mecca and Yathrib. Full of
joyous satisfaction, she reached the dwelling places of the wetnurses, but she
was not destined to return to Mecca. Aminah died in the course of her return
journey and was buried where she died. Her infant orphaned son, now six years of
age, was left alone at the side of her grave.
He had never seen his father nor had he fully enjoyed the kindness and affection
of his mother for just as he was about to begin benefiting from her upbringing,
fate snatched her away and left him alone in the awesome expanse of the desert.
At the time of the death of his mother, the infant Prophet had reached the age
when intellectual and spiritual characteristics begin to develop. His
grandfather, Abd al-Mutallib, for whom he was the only reminder of his own son,
Abdullah, and a source of consolation for his weary heart, then assumed
responsibility for his care and fulfilled this trust worthily until his death.
This period in which the Prophet enjoyed the care and protection of his
grandfather, which were like a soothing balm placed on his wounds, did not last
long. Just as he reached the age of eight the life of Abd al-Mutallib came to an
end. A new grief assailed the Prophet, lines of sorrow and pain became apparent
in his face, and the powerful spirit that was never troubled by the perils he
faced throughout his life was gripped by the pain of bereavement.
However, Divine favor had bestowed on him the ability to accept and endure these
setbacks. For an orphan who was due to become the father of humanity and the
comforter of all the burdened and oppressed in the world had to become
acquainted, from childhood onward, with all forms of deprivation and affliction;
he had to have a spirit as firm and resistant as a mountain in order to carry on
his shoulders the otherwise unbearable burden of the Divine message. The ability
to resist and withstand all kinds of obstacles and difficulties was essential
for him, and his lofty and expansive spirit was a sign that he possessed
precisely this ability. The orphaned boy next moved to the house of his paternal
uncle, Abu Talib, a great and noble person who was the full brother of his
father.
Although he was surrounded by the kindness of his cousins in his uncle's house,
Muhammad, upon whom be peace, naturally felt lonely. One morning he learned that
his uncle Abu Talib was planning to journey to Syria, leaving him behind.
Muhammad, upon whom be peace, then approached his uncle and asked him for
permission to accompany him, but his uncle refused, since he was still too young
to endure the rigors of travel. When the caravan was about to depart, Muhammad's
eyes filled with tears, and Abu Talib was deeply moved by the sad expression on
his face. He was compelled to take him with him on his journey to Syria, and
thus it was that at the age of twelve he set out on a journey to distant lands.
Before the Quraysh caravan reached its destination, it passed through the city
of Bostra where the party met a monk called Buhayra. Buhayra passed his days
engaged in devotion in his cell, and being a man deeply learned in Christianity,
he was revered by all of the Christians.
As soon as Buhayra caught sight of Abu Talib's nephew, he found himself
profoundly attracted by him. His piercing and mysterious glances seemed to
indicate some secret hidden in his heart. Finally Buhayra broke his silence and
asked to whom this child belonged. The party pointed to his uncle, and Abu Talib
said, "This is my nephew." Buhayra then said: "This child has a
brilliant future in front of him. This is the promised Messenger whose coming
and prophethood have been foretold in the scriptures, and I see in his person
all the signs mentioned in those books. He is that true Prophet whose name and
family I have read of. I know where this great personality will rise to fame and
how the Divine religion he brings will conquer the whole world. However, you
must conceal him from the view of the Jews, because they will destroy him once
they become aware of this."
Historians have clearly discerned in all dimensions of his person great
spiritual energy and power, together with all the other qualities that are
fitting in a great leader sent by heaven. No researcher or scholar can claim
that the Prophet, upon whom be peace, fell prey at any point in his life to
moral or spiritual deviation or to nervous excitement. Although the
characteristics of the Prophet of Islam are more clearly and fully known than
those of other people who have left their mark on history, in the near or
distant past, history cannot point to the slightest rebelliousness, ill-temper
or evil conduct on his part, nor even to a single error or sin. The remarkable
life of the exalted Prophet of Islam is clearly and completely known in all of
its aspects: the period before his birth, his infancy, his youth, his moral
characteristics, his travels, his marriages, his conduct in war and peace.
Recorded history bears witness that the slightest trace of corrupt belief cannot
be found to have clouded his brilliant visage. Although he had no access to any
form of instruction, he had no connection with the Age of Ignorance surrounding
him, and vice was never able to take root in him. The creedal environment in
which he grew up was a compound of polytheism and idolatry, as is shown by the
strong resistance of the Arabs to his summons to monotheism. The entirety of his
early life was spent in the midst of an ignorant, evil-living and oppressive
people and he never left that environment before the beginning of his mission
with the exception of two journeys outside the Arabian Peninsula, once in
childhood, in the company of Abu Talib, in the early part of the second decade
of his life, and once in his mid-thirties when he went trading with the goods of
Khadijah.
Nonetheless, we find not the least affinity between his personality and the
society in which he lived. The aspect of his personality that was particularly
valuable in that corrupt and polluted environment was his honesty,
trustworthiness and unfailing sense of justice, together with his hostility to
all the forms of humiliation from which mankind was suffering. Muhammad, upon
whom be peace, captivated the hearts of his contemporaries with his nobility of
character and his kindness toward the weak and the afflicted. Friend and enemy
are agreed that none of the men of his age even approached him in the perfection
of his attributes and spiritual characteristics.
For example, Zayd b. Haritha, who had been separated from his family at an early
age and was given by Khadijah to the most Noble Messenger, upon whom be peace,
as a slave, spent his entire life with him. After a time, Zayd's father came
looking for him in order to reclaim him. Now Zayd had been emancipated by the
Prophet, upon whom be peace, but he was still a slave to the love the greatness
and the splendor of the Prophet, and captivated by the excellence of his conduct
and behavior. So although he was free to return to his family, he preferred to
remain with the Prophet and serve him. Eloquence and profundity of speech,
fairness in judging, superior intelligence and perception, heavenly disposition
and brilliance of thought - all these were abundantly evident in the being of
this great personage. They shone forth in all the varied scenes of his life, and
he so lived that years before the beginning of his prophetic mission, he was
awarded the title "amin", 'trustworthy', an eloquent description of
his whole mode of conduct.
During one of the religious festivals of the Quraysh, an incident occurred that
struck a blow at the rule of the idolators. In the middle of the festival, while
the people were gathered around an idol and rubbing their foreheads in the dust
in front of it, a few clear-minded and pure-hearted people such as Waraqa b.
Nawfal, who were distressed by the corruption prevailing in Mecca, began to
discuss the situation. They asked themselves how much longer it could continue
and when the time of delivery would come. Why were those people prostrating in
front of objects, and why had they distorted the religion of their forefather
Abraham? One of the things they said was this: "What is that piece of stone
around which they are walking? A thing that neither sees nor hears, that does
not breathe, that can give no benefit and inflict no harm!"
As the Prophet grew into maturity of the body and mind, he became inclined to
periodic retreat and withdrawal. His profound inward thoughts, together with the
unsuitability of his environment, impelled him to seek solitude. In his
evaluation of phenomena he was never hasty nor dependent on his own ideas and
perceptions. He clearly saw a hand that inscribed its will on the pages of
nature, and this was itself an indication of the profundity of his vision and
the exaltation of his thought. He would spend the month of Ramadan alone in the
cave of Hira, on the outskirts of Mecca, benefiting fully from the darkness and
silence. Far removed from men and their corruption, he engaged in supplication
and armed himself with the weapon of faith. He developed his spiritual
personality through humble worship in the presence of the Majestic Creator that
enveloped his whole being, and through cultivating the thoughts that welled up
from the depths of his spirit. In the morning, overflowing with faith and
certainty, with spiritual enthusiasm and vigor, he would leave the cave to
engage in his daily tasks.
Love of God animated his kind and tranquil face, and he was greatly distressed
by the polytheism and foolishness of his people who would prostrate before the
idols they had manufactured themselves. He began to struggle against this
idolatry, remaining steadfast in the truth through all the trials and hardships
he underwent. As his age approached forty, signs of anxiety and distress became
marked in his behavior and speech, and he told his loving wife of sounds that
were continually re-echoing in his ear and of a dazzling light that would
envelop him.
Beginning of the Mission
Finally the appointed moment arrived, the moment which had been foretold by
previous Prophets to their followers. At the age of forty, the orphan son of
Abdullah attained the exalted station of messengerhood. It was he alone that
time had prepared for guiding the world with his message for only this great and
heavy responsibility could call for such qualities and virtues as he possessed.
Only in such a vast enterprise could the energies of that quintessence of all
existence unfold, for the entire being of Muhammad, upon whom be peace, was
prepared to undertake the grave task of prophethood. If he had not been
prepared, in the best possible way, to assume that sacred and fateful
responsibility, there would have been none other in the world capable of
conveying the Divine mission in all its dimensions. It was only the being of
Muhammad, upon whom be peace, that was capable of stilling the thirst of the
world. While engaged in worship in a corner of the cave of Hira in the heart of
the night, the Prophet who had never studied or attended a school, was suddenly
shaken by the summons, "O Muhammad!" followed by the command to
recite, this being the beginning of revelation.
A wave arose from the limitless ocean of Divinity, rent the breast of the
Prophet, bewildered and anxious, and filled to the brim the cup of his spirit.
The shining of a light from the realm of the unseen covered and enveloped his
being and shone forth on his fair features, giving rise to new and bright life
in the darkness of the night. Then, with a painful tumult in his heart and
bearing on his shoulders the heaviest responsibility conceivable, he set out for
home from the cave of Hira, destined to become the teacher of all human beings
and to assume the leadership of humanity on its long march forward. What force
was it that had disquieted him despite his infinite patience, made him anxious
despite all his tranquil courage, and plunged his whole being into painful
turmoil?
Thereafter the envoy of revelation came repeatedly, reciting verses to him,
profound and astounding verses that bore no resemblance from the point of view
of style and content either to the words of the Prophet himself, eloquent as
they were, or to the conventional prose and poetry of the age. Although the
Arabs of the Age of Ignorance knew neither how to read nor how to write and had
no historians, philosophers or scholars, they were famed for the excellence of
their poetry and the eloquence of their speech. The Prophet, however, had never
participated before the beginning of his mission in the cultivation of the arts
of poetry and eloquence. His conduct, on the one hand, and the verses of the
Quran, on the other, both testify that he made no compromises in conveying his
message.
He conveyed the message that he had been ordered to deliver clearly,
unambiguously and in utter contradiction both with the beliefs and inclinations
of the people and with his own immediate interests. He loudly proclaimed the
revelation he had received to the evil and the ignorant, to a people made
degenerate and corrupt by the worship of the idols they had fashioned
themselves, and he informed them that their sole salvation lay in the worship of
the One God. The new factor that appeared at a particular time in the life of
the Prophet and caused him to engage in unprecedented forms of activity was the
wondrous phenomenon of revelation, the heavenly message which he as the most
lofty and qualified of men had been chosen to receive. Before then, no
preliminary effort or particular inclination had been seen on his part that
might have led to the bringing about of the sudden and remarkable transformation
of the world he was now about to accomplish.
The factor that had this profound effect on Muhammad, that changed that quiet
and reflective man into an explosive source of revolutionary energy and enabled
him to bring about such a profound transformation of humanity, from within the
intense darkness of the Arabs' Age of Ignorance, was nothing other than
revelation. It was a call that penetrated the very depths of the souls of human
beings that melted the marrow of their bones, and directed all their strivings
to the attainment of perfection. The command of revelation negated all the false
and lying criteria which human beings had regarded as the measure of goodness
and considered the sole means of evaluating human characteristics and habits,
while, in fact, clothing falsehood in the garment of truth. It brought into
operation new and clear criteria which showed human beings the goals to which
they should strive to advance and brought about creativity in their lives.
The veil of ignorance and silence was torn apart, the human beings' energies
were set to work, the power of thought within them was aroused, and their
spirits were borne aloft toward the infinite summit of being. A people who in
their ignorance and lowliness would tear each apart on account of the most
insignificant things and had lost all virtue, thanks to their various forms of
enslavement, now became, through Islam and its great concept of monotheism - the
true pillar of humanity and the breaker of idols - so elevated of spirit and so
self-sacrificing that they happily abandoned both their lives and their
property. The remarkable stories of self-sacrifice on the part of those early
Muslims will stand eternally as examples of true nobility.
The Prophet of Islam had the vision and belief of a world leader, but he began
to proclaim his Divine summons to monotheism in a relatively restricted sphere,
a closed environment where tribal institutions exercised great influence and
idols were counted as the most sacred and beloved of objects. It was an
environment that was not in any way prepared to accept the message of Divine
unity. The heavenly teachings of Islam and the culture to which they gave rise
were superior not only to the intellectual atmosphere prevailing in the
idolatrous society of the Arabs but also to all the religious doctrines and
cultures of that age. The program for reforming systems of thought and culture
that had become corrupt was laid down by a man who had never studied, who was
unlettered, and who knew nothing of the religious books or the civilization of
his age.
At first he invited his relatives to worship the Creator, and then the people of
Mecca and the Arabian Peninsula. Finally he proclaimed to the entire world his
mission as the last of the Prophets. Ali b. Abi Talib, upon whom be peace, was
the first man to accept his religion, and his wife, Khadijah, was the first
woman to believe in his heavenly mission. Gradually others, too, proclaimed
their belief in the new religion. Ali, upon whom be peace, said: "One day
the Prophet summoned his relatives and addressed them as follows: 'Children of
AW al-Mutallib! I bring you something more excellent than anything the Arabs
have ever brought you. I bring you as a gift the means of your salvation in this
world and the hereafter, a Divine Command to which I invite your submission.
Which among you will help me, so that he will be my brother, my successor and my
legatee among you?' "All remained silent but I, who was younger than all of
them, said: 'O Messenger of God, I will help you!' Muhammad, upon whom be peace,
then said: "This is my brother, my successor and my legatee among you;
listen to this words and accept them.' "
With his extraordinary powers of leadership and mature political sense, the
Prophet began to refashion human beings by concentrating on their inner beings.
He strove to awaken the sense of monotheism that was innate in them by drawing
their attention to the mysteries of creation and acquainting them with the
infiniteness of the universe. The Prophet had been born into an environment
where human beings engaged in empty boasting out of their shortsightedness and
tribal mentality, where privileges were based on unjust social conditions and
prejudices. Now he arose and swept aside all those false privileges. He
established new values and concepts with respect to labor, life and social
relations, in the framework of a series of rules and ordinances, and strove to
concentrate all the goals and thoughts of the human being on a program for
liberating peoples from slavery, and delivering the oppressed from the tyranny
of emperors and kings. Even for those who do not regard these exalted aims as
having a heavenly origin will admit that they are among the most exalted and
previous values observable in human history. The preaching of the Prophet
remained hidden for three years. He established Islam secretly. Throughout the
thirteen years that he concentrated his mission on Mecca, the leaders of the
polytheists, who understood well the gravity of their situation, resisted him
with obstinate hostility, doing their utmost to preserve the beliefs and customs
of the Age of Ignorance and to silence the liberating cry of Islam. They
conducted themselves with extreme ferocity against all who had converted to
Islam.
They fettered and chained those defenseless ones for their crime of having
accepted Islam and left them lying hungry and thirsty on the ground beneath the
burning sun of Mecca. They placed heavy stones on their bare breasts in an
effort to make them forswear the religion of Muhammad. Yasir and Sumayyah, those
two heroes, were subjected to the most barbaric of torturers and every day
endured the weight of the heavy stones the Quraysh used to place on their
breasts beneath the fiery rays of the sun. These were the first martyrs of
Islam: the husband died under torture and the wife was martyred by Abu Jahl.
By applying these methods, the idolaters wanted to stifle Islam while it was
still in the cradle. For it was a life and death struggle: if the call of the
Prophet were to advance, they would lose forever their sovereignty and the empty
privileges they had enjoyed. Envy, too, played an important role in intensifying
their hostility to Islam. The continuation of this unpleasant situation turned
the city of Mecca into a prison and a place of torture for the defenseless
Muslims. The polytheists made it forbidden even to listen to the verses of the
Quran, and they appointed certain people to go out and meet incoming caravans
and warn them not to make contact with the Muslims. Because of the pressure and
cruelty of the Quraysh, a number of Muslims decided to leave Mecca and migrate
to Ethiopia, in order to have there a safe and tranquil environment in which to
practice their religion, and worship the One God, free from harassment by the
unbelievers.
Even then the opponents of Islam did not abandon their persecution of them. The
Quraysh sent two envoys to the ruler of Ethiopia in order to persuade him to
send back the Muslims. But the ruler received the migrants hospitably and
extended his protection to them, so that they were able to carry out their
devotional duties in freedom in the land of Ethiopia. When the envoys of Quraysh
presented gifts to the Emperor in an effort to have the refugees sent back to
Mecca, he answered that since they had chosen him out of all rulers which whom
to seek refuge, he could not expel them without first investigating them. When
Ja'far b. Abi Talib, the spokesman of the migrants, spoke of the beliefs of the
Muslims concerning Jesus, upon whom be peace, the Emperor was much impressed and
said: "I swear by God that Jesus had no station beyond what these Muslim
say." Although the corrupt ministers of the Emperor were displeased by his
words, he praised the beliefs of the Muslims and gave them complete freedom,
turning over to them the gifts that the Qurayshi envoys had brought. He said
that when God had given him power, He had not required any bribe of him, and
that it was therefore inappropriate that he should now benefit from such gifts.
Thus light triumphed over darkness, and the forces of polytheism and ignorance
retreated in defeat and despair.
The Tactics of the Enemy
When the enemies of Islam saw that their power was crumbling in the face of the
new order of monotheism and realized that Islam was felling all their idols,
both material and mental, just like an axe felling trees, they first resorted to
threats. When they saw that threats were useless, they tried by means of
promises and the award of privileges to turn the Prophet back from the path on
which he had embarked. But these efforts, too, proved fruitless as he rejected
with disgust all their promises of power and wealth, with all the firmness
demanded of the bearer of a heavenly mission. He proclaimed: "I swear by
God that if you were to put the sun in my right hand and the moon in my left, I
would never abandon my mission until the religion of God spreads over the globe
or I lose my life in propagating it."
Ya'qubi writes as follows in his history: "The Quraysh told Abu Talib that
his nephew was vilifying their gods, accusing them of insanity and proclaiming
that their ancestors were in error. They asked him to tell the Prophet that they
would give him all of their wealth if he would abandon his preaching. Muhammad,
upon whom be peace, answered: 'God did not raise me up as a Prophet in order
that I might accumulate the wealth of this world; rather, He raised me up to
convey His message to mankind and to call men to Him.'" Then the enemy
changed its tactics once more, and employed every conceivable weapon against
this movement in order to destroy the newly constructed edifice of Islam.
Old enemies made peace with each other in order to destroy the Prophet. By
attempting to blacken the fair name of the Prophet and sully his reputation,
they wished both to quench the fire of hatred they felt in their hearts and to
neutralize his summons and call. Everywhere they proclaimed that he was a
magician, a sorcerer, a madman, a poet, and they stirred up the ignorant against
him. This is the same satanic strategy that the enemies of truth always use in
order to undermine and defeat great personalities. The Quran makes it plain that
this strategy was not peculiar to the Age of the Prophet of Islam. It proclaims:
"Never was a Prophet raised up for earlier peoples without men saying that
he was a sorcerer or mad. Is this a legacy of denial they have transmitted from
one age to the next? No, these people are themselves rebellious and
transgressors." (51:52-53) The Prophet, however, consistently refrained
from adopting an attitude of anger toward his enemies.
Although their fanatical prejudice, their shortsightedness, their blind
traditionalism, and their calumnies increased the difficulties that he was
facing, they were never able to arouse his anger. Instead, he sought always to
bring them to see the truth, by means of spiritual instruction. Neither pressure
nor promises, neither deprivation nor difficulty, were able to shake the
determination of the Prophet. Nor did the spreading of cunning and baseless
accusations yield any result, for the compelling logic of the Quran and its
re-echoing melody were too profound and too exalted not to leave an effect on
the mind of whoever heard it; or to captivate and transform them. Even enemies
were sometimes compelled to admit the truth. Tabarsi writes in his commentary on
the Quran: "When Walid, the celebrated sage of the Arabs, heard the Prophet
recite the verses of Surah Fussilat, he was profoundly affected. The Banu
Makhzum gathered around him and he described the Quran to them as follows: 'It
has a distinctive charm and a unique beauty. Its branches are laden with fruit
and roots are blessed. It is an elevated form of speech, higher than all
others.' Thus he spoke and went on his way, and the Quraysh thought he had
embraced the religion of Muhammad, upon whom be peace."
Although the Prophet had vast resources of patience, he was sometimes distressed
by the foolish conduct of his people. He would go into a corner until Divine
command summoned him back to his grave responsibilities, for to desist for a
single instant in striving toward the sacred goals that had been set for him was
impermissible; he had to shun all rest and retreat. (See 74:1-4) One of the
distinctive factors enabling the Prophets to succeed in the movements they
launched was their steadfastness and power of endurance.
The Quran mentions the method followed by the Prophets in their struggles as
follows: "Ishmael, Idris and Dhu 'l-Kifl were all steadfast and patient in
fulfilling their missions." (21:98) All the envoys of God endured hardship
and suffering when they were faced with denial and rejection, but they remained
steadfast until the aid of God secured them their triumph.
The Beginning of Migration
As a result of the oppressive atmosphere in Mecca and the unbridled persecution
of the Muslims that threatened them constantly with imprisonment, torture and
death, and in recognition of the fact that the Muslim warriors were not yet
ready for battle, the command was given to migrate. The Prophet gave
instructions that the Muslims leave the city one by one and proceed to Yathrib.
The Quraysh understood well the danger this represented, and they stooped to all
kinds of illicit means to prevent the Companions of the Prophet from departing,
even taking their wives hostage. But true to their original decision, the
Muslims began gradually to leave the center of polytheism, ignorance and
oppression, leaving behind their attachments and their families in order to
migrate.
The people of Yathrib took them into their embrace. Most of the Muslims had
left, and Mecca was almost empty. This unusual situation and the disquieting
news arriving from Medina greatly worried the Quraysh. Since the previous ill
conduct of the leaders of unbelief and rejection had not yielded any results,
they arrived at a grave and perilous decision: they planned to kill the Prophet.
It was agreed that as soon as night fell, the designated assassins should go
about their work.
They surrounded the house of the Prophet at night, waiting in front of the door
for the Prophet to emerge at dawn. They kept his room under surveillance
throughout the night and were convinced that the son of Abdullah, who had not a
single protector in the city, would be unable to escape their siege of his house
and that his fate would be sealed at dawn. However, the Messenger of God ordered
Ali, upon whom be peace, to sleep in his bed - Ali whose very spirit had been
formed in Islam and who thought nothing of dying for the sake of God and the
life of the Prophet. The Prophet then left the house secretly, in the company of
Abu Bakr. At this point a man chanced by the house and asked those who were
thirsting for the blood of the Messenger of God whom they were waiting for. When
they replied, "Muhammad," he told them, "he has escaped your
grasp." When dawn rended the breast of the horizons, they were astonished
to see Ali, upon whom be peace, rise up from the bed of the Prophet.
It is not quite clear how the Prophet managed to break through the circle that
had been thrown round his house without arousing attention. What is certain is
that God had willed to deliver His chosen Messenger from the grasp of those vile
and lowly persons. The Prophet left Mecca in the heart of the night and took
refuge in a cave, and then continued on to Medina using back roads. Once he
reached the city, it was clear that the treacherous plan of the Quraysh had
ultimately harmed them and benefited Islam and the Muslims. The powerful hand
that had protected the burning torch of Islam for thirteen years against all
harm was able with ease to bring this conspiracy to naught. Before the migration
of the Prophet, a number of citizens of Medina had come to Mecca to seek the
support of the Quraysh in the tribal wars that for years had pitted the Aws
against the Khazraj. Despite the warnings of the Quraysh, they had listened to
the words of the Prophet, upon whom be peace, and had been deeply affected, even
transformed, by them.
The next time that they came to Mecca in order to perform the pilgrimage, they
had formally accepted the summons of the Messenger of God and embraced Islam.
After leaving Mecca and returning to their native city, they expended great
efforts to enlighten the people of Yathrib and convey the Divine message to all
classes of the population. This represented in itself a massive blow to the
foundations of idolatry. The people of Medina were exhausted by the long tribal
wars, and they saw in the call of the Messenger a message of hope and a means of
deliverance from the consuming fire of civil strife. In order to appreciate the
need of society at that time for the great movement of Islam and to grasp the
role played by Islam in putting an end to corruption and misguidance, we must
understand the situation prevailing in the Arabian Peninsula.
Ali, upon whom be peace, said: "God sent Muhammad, upon whom be peace and
blessings, to warn people away from the path in which they were engaged, and He
appointed him trustee of His heavenly decrees. At that time, O Arabs, you aware
following the worst of beliefs and customs, and you lived in the most deprived
of all lands. You slept in the midst of rough stones and poisonous snakes, drank
foul water, ate no proper food, split each other's blood, disregarded the ties
of kinship. There were idols among you, and sin had rendered you impotent."
The migration of the Most Noble Messenger to Medina, which marked the beginning
of the Islamic era, was the start of a new chapter in the history of Islam.
Thereafter blows rained down continuously on the forces of corruption and
falsehood. The Prophet's cause took root in Medina. His call went from house to
house, and a new society crystallized. The powerful logic and creativity of the
ideas set forth by Muhammad, upon whom be peace and blessings, were such that
the previous cultural, moral and social structures of the people of Medina
thoroughly collapsed, together with all the customs that dominated their lives.
The chains of slavery and the fetters of cruelty and oppression were torn
asunder; the powerful were pulled down from their thrones of arrogance. The
immortal shari'a brought by the Prophet to mankind as a gift of new norms of
justice and elevated culture, and Medina became swiftly transformed into a
religious, social and military base for the Islamic cause.
The experiences they had gone through in Mecca, the continued harassment and
torture of the believers, the sundering of old ties and the forging of new ones,
the continuous deepening of spiritual maturity - all this contributed to the
development of the migrants, so that just as Medina became a center of spiritual
and political power for the whole of Arabia, so, too, it became a base for the
ultimate diffusion of Islam throughout the world. It was from there that the
Prophet of Islam presented his message to the nations of the world. He summoned
all human beings to unite beneath the banner of monotheism and its vital,
life-giving teachings, so that in less than half a century the religion he had
founded brought under its sway the great and prosperous nations of that day. It
fell like a rain of mercy and blessing on souls and hearts that were anxious to
receive it.
Those who fail to grasp the profound causes of events attribute the swift
progress and diffusion of Islam to mere chance. In fact, none of the major
events of the world can be attributed to chance, and this is especially true of
the emergence of the founder of an ethical, philosophical and legal system. Can
it have been a matter of pure accident that the spark of such a phenomenon
should have appeared but once in the history of Arabia, without anything similar
occurring there ever again.
If certain sociological factors caused the emergence in Arabia of such a vast
movement, why should another hero comparable to the Prophet not have arisen in
the same area, because of the same factors? Why should this one particular event
stand forth from all others, as a unique and self-contained instance? If a
revolutionary movement occurs in a given society as the product of certain
social conditions, it is impossible that it should happen suddenly, without any
precedent or connection to prior developments. On the contrary, it is like a
wave that gradually expands, until the conditions become fully ripe for the
emergence of a leader.
When propagating his message, the Prophet of Islam did not represent the latest
in a chain of ideological movements such as occur in every society. No
groundwork had been laid, in the environment where he grew up, for the lofty
concepts, values and ideas that he presented nor did any foundation exist on
which he might have built. The revolutionary wave of Islam derived its force
exclusively from the being of the Prophet; it came about without any
preliminary. It was not a question of the revolutionary movement, comprising the
Companions of the Prophet, serving as a nucleus around which the message grew;
on the contrary, that movement was itself an extension of the person of the
Prophet.
The movement was a part of his person; his person was not part of the movement.
From this point of view, the revolutionary movement of the Prophet of Islam is
utterly different from all other movements in history. In Islam, we encounter a
comprehensive, all-embracing movement that concerns itself with all aspects of
life, for it represents a profound revolution in all human values and concepts.
The teachings of Islam shook the very foundations of tribal society, and so vast
and lofty was the Islamic ideal that it conceived the idea of a world society,
bringing together all human beings under the banner of monotheism.
It is useful to hear these facts as others have expounded them. Nehru, for
example, the well-known Indian statesman, writes as follows: "It is strange
that this Arab race, which for long ages had lived a sleepy existence,
apparently cut off from what was happening elsewhere, should suddenly wake up
and show such tremendous energy as to startle and upset the world. The story of
the Arabs, and of how they spread rapidly over Asia, Europe and Africa, and of
the high culture and civilization which they developed, is one of the wonders of
history.
"Islam was the new force or idea which woke up the Arabs and filled them
with self-confidence and energy. This was a religion started by a new Prophet,
Muhammad. Within seven years of the flight, Muhammad returned to Mecca as its
master. Even before this he sent out from Medina a summons to the kings and
rulers of the world to acknowledge the one God and his Prophet. Heraclius, the
Constantinople Emperor, got it while he was still engaged in his campaign
against the Persians in Syria; the Persian King got it; and it is said that even
Tai-Tsung got it in China. They must have wondered, these kings and rulers, who
this unknown person was who dared to command them! From the sending of these
messages we can form some idea of the supreme confidence in himself and his
mission which Muhammad must have had. And this confidence and faith he managed
to give to this people, and with this to inspire and console them, this desert
people of no great consequence managed to conquer half the known world.
"Confidence and faith in themselves were a great thing. Islam also gave
them a message of brotherhood - of the equality of all those who were Muslims. A
measure of democracy was thus placed before the people. Compared to the corrupt
Christianity of the day, this message of brotherhood must have had a great
appeal, not only for the Arabs, but also for the inhabitants of many countries
where they went."
This profound and amazing transformation in human history was originated with
one man acting entirely alone. He had no material resources at his command, had
never engaged in scientific or technical study, and had never even taken
anything from the learning of others. This cannot be regarded as a natural or
normal occurrence; it is, on the contrary, eloquent testimony to the superhuman
capacities of that outstanding personality. Were his enemies in Arabia not to
have engaged him in internal wars, he would have summoned other peoples to Islam
more swiftly and energetically. But the unrelenting attacks of his enemies
compelled him to devote the major part of his time and resources to the defense
of Islam.
An Answer to the Opponents of Islam
Opponents of Islam make the criticism that Islam relied on military force in
order to secure its progress. However, we see that the Prophet never initiated
hostilities against any group or people, whether it be the Jews or the Quraysh
or the Byzantines. History bears witness that all the wars waged by the Most
Noble Messenger, upon whom be peace and blessings, were defensive in nature: the
purpose was always to respond to the attacks of the enemy, with the exception of
certain cases where the Muslim were convinced that the enemy would persist in
its aggressiveness and treachery and were correspondingly ordered to take the
initiative in defending themselves. In the following verses from the Quran, the
initial reason for legislating jihad - i.e., responding to the attacks of an
aggressive enemy - is clearly laid forth:
"Permission is given to the warriors of Islam to fight against their
enemies, for they have suffered oppression at their hands. God is able to aid
them, and they are people who have been expelled from their homeland without due
reason. Their crime was this, that they said, "God is our Lord."
(22:3940) "Fight in the way of God against those who do battle with you,
but be careful not to transgress the bounds, for God loves not the
transgressors." (2:190) they break their oath after concluding a treaty and
vilify your religion, fight against the leaders of the unbelievers, for they
observe no pledge or treaty; only then may they cease their violations."
(9:12) Were the Muslims carrying weapons at the very dawn of Islam when the
polytheists began turning to Islam in droves?
Did the Muslims start a war in order to diffuse and propagate the religion of
God? Everyone knows that in the very beginning, far from attacking any group or
nation, the Muslims were themselves the victims of aggression. Moreover, if it
be supposed that the early Muslims embraced Islam without understanding its
veracity, later generations were under no compulsion to follow them; it was the
profundity of the Divine teachings that elicited their belief, in accordance
with love, willingness and free choice. If we assumed that Islam was imposed on
people through coercion and threats, a corollary of this assumption would be
that conversion to Islam was compulsory wherever Islam was strong.
We see, however, that Islam gave human beings the choice of either accepting
Islam or simply assenting to its governmental institutions while retaining their
own religion. If Islam did not respect freedom of opinion, it would never have
provided for the second possibility. Islam never took advantage of its position
of strength to force people to accept the religion of God. Apart from all this,
faith and belief are a matter of the heart; they can never come into being
without an inward inclination on the part of the human being, purely through the
exercise of compulsion and force. In order to change the beliefs and ideas of
people, instruction, teaching, deduction and logic are called for; force and
coercion can never remove beliefs that have taken root in people's minds.
Islam had a recourse to military force and began an armed struggle at a time
when people had been deprived of freedom of thought and denied the opportunity
to choose the correct path. Islam issued its proclamation of war in order to
defeat the oppressive tyrants who were preventing the Islamic call from being
preached freely and to put an end to the stifling of thought. Only then would
the masses of humanity be able, in an atmosphere of liberty to choose with
absolute freedom a correct path in life. If Islam had not acted thus, truth
would have been stifled in the cradle. In order for the religion which has human
happiness as its aim and wishes to reform all of human affairs to reach its
lofty goals, and in order for those persons who have the capacity to learn and
assimilate the teachings of that religion to come into contact with it, without
encountering any obstacle, a position of dominance must be attained.
It is obvious, moreover, that power can be defeated only by power. In order to
destroy the forces that were standing in the path of the diffusion of the light
of truth and were fighting against the formation and development of sound and
exalted modes of thought, does any path exist save confrontation and battle
against the agents of corruption? The obstinate chiefs of the Quraysh wished to
exploit the ignorance and weakness of the people, to continue ruling over their
lives, their property and their honor, and to preserve forever the customs of
ignorance that underlie their hereditary rule. They could not tolerate the
influence, still less the prevalence, of a religion that was seizing them by the
throat and dragging them down from their thrones of arrogance and self-worship.
They understood well that the spread of Islam would utterly destroy their
ancient, rotting customs and all their pomp and splendor. Hence they rose up
with all their beings to fight against this religion and the laws it was
bringing, in a struggle the purpose of which was the defense of their ancestral
customs and traditions and their hereditary lordship and rule. Was it possible
for Islam to respond to such ideas and motivations purely with logic and proof?
If a certain group of people tries to place a government in difficulty, drawing
the sword and lighting fires everywhere, can the government in question save
itself without resort to military force? How else can it defeat the miscreants.
Thus the Quran says: "Fight against them until disorder is brought to an
end and the religion of God is established. If they cease causing disorder, do
not fight against them. " (2:190) No one can deny that in such cases it is
a necessary final resort to take up weapons, because disorder, corruption, and
violence will end only when the glint of the sword flashes and the hands of the
miscreants are severed Islam is not, then, a religion of violence and war, nor
was the Prophet of God one who sought to destroy the enemy in battle despite the
availability of other means.
At a time when the Muslims were being harassed and tortured by the polytheists
in Mecca for the crime of having accepted Islam, a Divine command entrusted them
with the duty of delivering the oppressed masses from the grasp of cruel tyrants
and cleansing the surrounding area of all forms of slavery and domination, by
recourse to military force. Only thus could the newly emergent Islamic society
continue to grow and develop in freedom. The Quran says: "Why do you not
rise up in jihad in the path of God and for the sake of delivering the oppressed
? A group of men, women and children in Mecca are prisoners to the cruelty of
the unjust, and they say: 'O Lord, deliver us from this realm of the oppressors
and set us free, and send us one who will lead us and aid us."' (4:75) The
battle implied here is one waged against oppressors who are fighting against
God, freely indulging in the oppression of mankind, and depriving human beings
of their share of the justice and luminosity that is contained in God's
religion.
This is in contrast to the wars waged by the conquerors known to us from
history, of whom it certainly cannot be said that they were fighting for the
sake of justice, equal human rights and happiness for the whole of mankind! If a
people sought to defend its life and dignity and refused to accept humiliation,
did not these world-conquering warriors become infuriated and order massacres
and plundering to take place? Did Muhammad, upon whom be peace and blessings,
have an aim similar to theirs? Did he engage in bloodshed to satisfy his own
whims so that men would bow reverentially before his splendor and might and he
might seize their property for his own use? Did not their conquests augment
their arrogance and self-worship, and did they not use the booty of war to
enhance the opulence of their rule? However ignorant and unjust a person might
be, no one can attribute any of this to the Prophet of Islam.
The war waged by Muhammad, upon whom be peace and blessings, was a war of
monotheism against polytheism. It was a struggle of light against darkness, and
represented the last resort for the destruction of misguidance and the diffusion
of virtue and justice. He was a reformer devoted to advancing the true life of
the human being and he progressed unceasingly toward that lofty goal. When the
Prophet first proclaimed his mission, all the Arab tribes were prepared to
submit to his rule and assign him all kinds of privilege, but he decisively
rejected their proposals. He wished to unite the masses of mankind beneath the
banner of virtue and Divine unity, to establish the government of reason and
piety, and to guide mankind on the path to eternal felicity. Today, after the
passage of more than fourteen centuries, the triumph of the Prophet is fully
apparent.
The book that he brought, which includes within it the essence of all heavenly
scriptures, guarantees the happiness of mankind, and the noble name of this
lofty personage is reverentially mentioned by millions of human beings. His name
resounds from all the minarets in the world with a great spiritual splendor, and
it will always continue to do so, morning and evening, in accordance with a
Divine promise, penetrating the souls of men and illumining their hearts. For
God said in the Quran: " We have elevated and borne on high your goodly
name. " (94:4)
Islam is Completed by the Appointment of Successor
From the viewpoint of Shi'ah scholars khilafat (caliphate) is a Divine office
which is entrusted to the most distinguished, the most appropriate and the
wisest pers on of the ummah (nation). The most clear line of demarcation between
a Prophet and an Imam (Prophet's successor) is that the Prophet lays the
foundation of a religion, receives revelation and possesses a Book. However, as
regards the Imam, though he does not possess any of these positions, yet,
besides possessing the position of a ruler he is one, who explains and conveys
that part of the Divine religion which could not be publicly narrated by the
Prophet on account of lack of opportunity or because of the circumstances being
unfavourable and, therefore, left it to his successors to tell them.
Hence from the Shi'ah point of view the caliph is not only a ruler of the time,
a leader of Islam, the executive authority, the protector of the rights and the
defender of the forts and frontiers of the country, but he is also one, who
explains the knotty problems of the religion and completes that portion of the
orders and laws which could not, for some reasons, be narrated by the founder of
the religion.
According to the scholars of Ahl Sunnat, however, caliphate is a customary and
secular office and the object of its creation is only to protect the worldly
affairs and the material interests of the Muslims. According to them the caliph
is selected, by making a reference to the public opinion, for the administration
of political, judicial and economic matters. As regards disposal of religious
matters including interpretation of laws, which were enacted during the time of
the Prophet but could not be promulgated on account of various reasons, it is
the concern of the scholars of Islam and it is for them to solve such difficult
and knotty problems by means of Ijtihad.
On account of this difference in the views of the Muslims about the reality of
caliphate two different wings appeared in them divided them into two groups This
difference continues even at present.
According to the first view an Imam shares some attributes with the Prophet and
is at par with him in that regard and the conditions, the fulfillment of which
is considered necessary for the Prophet, are also necessary for the Imam. Here
are the conditions which must be fulfilled by the Prophet as well as by the
Imam:
1. The Prophet must be infallible viz. he should not commit any sin throughout
his life and should not make any mistake while narrating the orders and
realities of the religion or replying to the religious queries of the people.
The Imam should also be like-wise and the argument in both the cases is the
same.
2. The Prophet should be the wisest person in the matter of religious law and
none of the points relating to religion should be hidden from him. And as the
Imam is one who completes or narrates that portion of the religious law which
was not narrated during the time of the Prophet of Allah, he (i.e. the Imam) too
should be the most knowledgeable person with regard to the commands, and rules
and regulations of religion.
3. Prophethood is a status which comes through nomination by Allah and not
through selection by the people. A Prophet is introduced by Allah and is
appointed to the office of prophethood by Him, because it is only He who can
distinguish between an infallible and a fallible person and only He can
understand as to who has attained such a position under the auspices of His
blessing that he should be aware of all the details of the religion.
However, according to the second point of view (i.e. of the Sunnis), it is not
necessary that any of the conditions for prophethood should be found in the
Imam. It is not necessary that he should possess infallibility, righteousness,
knowledge or conversance with religious law or should be nominated or should
have relationship with the occult world.
It is sufficient that he should protect the glory and worldly interests of Islam
by making use of his own intelligence as well as by consulting the Muslims and
should ensure the security, of the area by enforcing penal laws and should
endeavour to extend the territories of Islam under the call for jihad.
Prophethood and Imamate are Inter-Related
Besides the logical and philosophical arguments which finally prove the
correctness of the first viewpoint the hadiths and the narrations which have
come down from the Prophet of Islam also confirm the view of Shi'ah Ulema.
During the period of his prophethood the Prophet specified his successor time
and again and excluded the subject of Imamate (successorship) from the purview
of selection or reference to the popular vote. He not only specified his
successor during the last days of his life, but, even at the outset of his
prophethood, when not more than two persons had embraced his religion, he
introduced his successor to the people.
One day he was ordered by Allah to warn his near ones of Divine torture and to
invite them to Islam before extending an invitation to the public. In a meeting
in which forty-five elders of the family of Bani Hashim were present he said:
"The first person amongst you who assists me will be my brother and
successor". When Ali stood up and acknowledged his prophethood he turned to
those present and said: "This young man is my brother and successor."
This hadith is very well known amongst the exegetes and the traditionalists with
the name of hadith Yaumud Dar and hadith Bid'ul Da'wah.
Not only at the commencement of his prophethood but on various other occasions
also the Prophet made declarations about the mastership and the succession of
Ali. However, none of these declarations equals the hadith of Ghadir in its
greatness, clarity decisiveness and universality.
The ceremonies of Haj were over and the Muslims directly learnt the religious
acts connected with Haj from the Prophet. The Prophet decided to leave Makkah
for Madina. Orders for departure were given. When the caravan reached the region
of Rabigh, which is situated at a distance of three miles from Juhfah, the
Archangel Jibreel descended at a place called Ghadir Khum and communicated the
following verse to the Prophet:
O Messenger! Convey what is revealed to you from your Lord, for if you do it
not, it would be as though you have not conveyed His message. Allah will protect
you from the people. (Surah al-Ma'ida, 5:67).
The tone of the verse shows that the Almighty Allah entrusted a very important
task to the Prophet. And what task could be more important than that he should
appoint Ali as his caliph and successor before the very eyes of hundreds of
thousands of people. Hence orders were given to all the persons to halt. People
who had gone forward ceased to move further and those who were left behind
joined them. It was the noon time and the weather was very hot. The people
covered their heads with a part of their cloaks and placed the other part under
their feet. A shade was arranged for the Prophet by means of a cloak which was
thrown on a tree. He offered the noon prayers in congregation. Thereafter, while
the people were encircling him, he took his place on a platform which had been
prepared with the saddles of the camels, and delivered the following sermon in a
loud voice.
Sermon of the Holy Prophet(S.A.W.) at Ghadir Khumm
All glory is specially for Allah. We seek His help and have faith in Him and
rely upon Him. We seek refuge in Him from our evil doings and indecent deeds. He
is the Lord besides whom there is no guide. There will be none to mislead one
whom He guides. I testify that there is no god but Allah and Muhammad is His
servant and His Messenger. Yes, O people! I may soon accept the Divine
invitation and may depart from amongst you. I am responsible and you too are
responsible. What is your opinion about me?" At this stage those present
said loudly: "We testify that you have carried out your mission and made
efforts in this behalf. My Allah reward you for this!"
The Holy Prophet said: "Do you testify that the Lord of the World is one
and Muhammad is His servant and His Messenger and that there is no doubt about
life in the other world?" AII of them said: "lt's correct and we
testify it".
Then the Holy Prophet said: "O my followers! I am leaving behind two
valuable assets as legacies to you and it is to be seen as to how you behave
with these two legacies of mine".
At this moment a person stood
up and said with a loud voice: "What do you mean by the two exquisite
things? To this the Prophet replied; "One of them is the Book of Allah, one
side of which is related to Allah and the other side my progeny.
Updated
Sunday, April 24, 2005
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