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Significance Behind Prophet Mohammad`s Birth in the Year of the Elephant
Author : An Article by the Secretary General Dr. Ahmad Al-Hassanat
Date Added : 10-11-2019

Significance Behind Prophet Mohammad`s Birth in the Year of the Elephant

 

 

The birth of Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) has opened a new page in the history of humanity and the world as his divine message illuminated the darkness of the universe.

 

Humanity was stumbling in darkness and injustice where polytheism and apostasy prevailed, random killing spread, prosecution, and ignorance reached their peak. Therefore, a major event had to happen to change the course of history and end the violation of human dignity, so Allah The Almighty sent Prophet Mohammad (PBUH).

 

Usually, major events are introduced by other major events that make them stand out. I will refer to one particular event that paved the way for the emergence of this great Prophet (PBUH). It is known as the event of the elephant in which Abraha, the Abyssinian, Christian ruler of Yemen, marched upon the Ka'bah in Mecca with a large army, which included one or more war elephants, intending to demolish it. The Ka`bah wasn`t for the Arabs of the peninsula alone. Rather, it was for all the followers of Prophets Ibrahim and Ismail (PBUT). The miracle, here, is that Allah the Almighty defended His House. 'Abdul-Muttalib said to Abraha: "The Owner of this House is its Defender, and I am sure He will save it from the attack of the adversaries and will not dishonor the servants of His House." Abraha advanced with his army. Seeing the walls of the Ka'bah, he ordered its demolition. No sooner had the army reached near the Ka'bah than an army of Allah appeared from the western side. A dark cloud of small birds (known in Arabic as Ababil) overshadowed the entire army of Abraha. Each bird had three pebbles: two in its claws and one in its beak. A rain of the pebbles poured down from the birds, and in a few minutes, the whole army was destroyed. Abraha himself was seriously wounded; he fled towards Yemen but died on the way. It is to this important event that Allah refers in Chapter 105 "Have you not seen how your Lord dealt with the companions of the Elephant? Did He not make their treacherous plan go astray? And He sent against them birds in flocks, striking them with stones of baked clay, so He rendered them like straw eaten up."

 

Was that event a mere coincidence or did it have a certain significance? From my point of view, I believe that Allah The Almighty wanted to associate the birth of the Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) with that event. Had that event not taken place, none would have known the time the Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) was born. Before his birth, the Arabs used to date with major events, so Allah the Almighty wanted the year in which the Prophet (PBUH) was born to be marked with a major event to be remembered by all people afterwards, and this is the first aim behind the above miracle. 

 

As for the event of the elephant, Allah wanted to show the Arabs in particular and the people in general that it is  a prelude to a greater event; namely, the birth of Prophet Mohammad (PBUH). In addition, Allah the Exalted wanted the people to go back to His righteous path, search for the secret of existence and the truth about the creation. When the Arabs failed to fight the army of Abraha, the pagans gave up on their idols, the world was almost certain that they will be defeated and the Ka'bah destroyed, they turned to Allah alone in supplication.

 

All those miracles brought the glad tidings of Prophet Mohammad`s birth. He conveyed the true religion of Allah The Almighty to humanity, so that they have no excuse to deny his Prophethood. Just as Allah saved His Ancient House from the army of Abraha and his elephants, He the Almighty saved humanity by sending Mohammad (PBUH) as bringer of glad tidings and warner.

 

His birth (PBUH) has marked the birth of a new era and the revival of a new nation. A nation distinguished for its knowledge, scientific and cultural advancement, mercy, pride and dignity.

 

Allah, The Most Exalted Said ?(What means): "It is He Who has sent His Apostle with Guidance and the Religion of Truth, that he may proclaim it over all religion, even though the Pagans may detest (it)." [As-Saf/9]. Indeed, Allah Will Proclaim His religion over all religion regardless of enemies` countless attempts to destroy it and distort its luminous image. Once we unite and hold on to the rope of Allah, as the Arabs did at the time of Abraha`s attempt to destroy the Ka`bah, He the Exalted will bless us with defeating our enemies

 

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Summarized Fatawaa

What is the ruling on swearing an oath by the Prophet ﷺ, and does such an oath take effect according to Imām Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal, requiring expiation upon its breach?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
Swearing an oath by a created being is disliked (makrūh) in our Shāfiʿī school. Shaykh al-Islām Imām al-Nawawī, may Allah have mercy upon him, states: "Swearing by a created being is disliked — such as swearing by the Prophet, the Kaʿbah, Jibrīl, the Companions, or the Prophet's family. Al-Shāfiʿī, may Allah have mercy upon him, said: 'I fear that swearing by other than Allah the Almighty may constitute an act of disobedience.' The scholars of the school explained this to mean: that is, something forbidden and sinful — indicating that he had some hesitation in the matter. Al-Imām stated: the established position of the school is that it is categorically not forbidden, but rather disliked. Furthermore, whoever swears by a created being, his oath does not take effect and no expiation (kaffārah) is required if he breaks it." [Rawḍat al-Ṭālibīn wa ʿUmdat al-Muftīn, Vol. 11/P.6]
According to the Ḥanbalī school, however, expiation becomes obligatory upon one who swears by our master the Prophet ﷺ and then breaks his oath. Imām al-Bahūtī al-Ḥanbalī, may Allah have mercy upon him, states: "No expiation is required for swearing by other than Allah the Almighty, even if the oath is broken — because expiation was made obligatory for swearing by Allah and His attributes, out of reverence for His names, and nothing else is equal to Him in this regard... except in the case of swearing by our Prophet Muḥammad ﷺ, for expiation becomes obligatory when one swears by him and then breaks the oath. This was explicitly stated in the narration of Abū Ṭālib, because he is one of the two conditions of the two testimonies of faith by which a disbeliever becomes a Muslim. Ibn ʿAqīl held the view that swearing by any of the other prophets, peace and blessings be upon them all, carries the same ruling." [Sharḥ Muntahā al-Irādāt, Vol. 3/P.441]. And Allah the Almighty knows best.

How should I deal with the whispers of the devil with regard to ablution and purity?

Whispers in ablution are from the devil, and so you should take refuge in Allah from the devil`s evil suggestions that aim to distort the religion. Thus, once an organ is completely pure, don`t question its purity since having whispers doesn`t mean that the purity is invalid as it has already been established.

What is the Sharia basis of the Udhiyah?

Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our Master, the Messenger of Allah.
The Sharia basis of the Udhiyah (sacrificial offering) is firmly established through the Quran, the Sunnah, and the Consensus (Ijma') of the Muslims:
1. Evidence from the Holy Quran
Allah the Exalted says {what means}: "And the camels and cattle We have appointed for you as among the symbols of Allah; for you therein is good." [Al-Hajj/36]. He also says {what means}: "So pray to your Lord and sacrifice [to Him alone]" [Al-Kawthar/2]. According to the most well-known scholarly interpretations of this verse, "prayer" refers to the Eid prayer, and "sacrifice" refers to the slaughtering of the Udhiyah.
2. Evidence from the Sunnah
Al-Bara' bin 'Azib (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Prophet ﷺ said: "The first thing we start with on this day of ours is to pray, then we return and sacrifice. Whoever does that has followed our Sunnah, and whoever slaughters before [the prayer], it is merely meat he has provided for his family; it is not part of the ritual sacrifice in any way" [Reported by Bukhari & Muslim].
Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated: "The Prophet ﷺ sacrificed two white rams with horns. He slaughtered them with his own hand, mentioned the name of Allah (Tasmiyah), and said the Takbir" [Reported by Bukhari & Muslim].
3. Evidence from Scholarly Consensus (Ijma')
The Muslims have reached a unanimous consensus on the Sharia basis of the Udhiyah, and no one among the scholars has disagreed with this. [Al-Sherbini, Mughni al-Muhtaj, Vol.6/P.122].And Allah the Exalted knows best.

What is the ruling of Islamic Law on following the actions of the imam in prayer and how this following is achieved?

Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master, the Messenger of Allah.
The follower (ma'mum) is required to follow his imam in the actions of the prayer. This "following" (mutaba'ah) means that the follower performs each action of the prayer after the imam has begun it but before he has finished it. For example, the follower bows (in ruku') after the imam has reached the position of bowing, then rises after the imam has risen. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: "The imam is only appointed to be followed, so when he says the takbir, say the takbir; and when he bows, then bow; and when he prostrates, then prostrate" (agreed upon, i.e., reported by both al-Bukhari and Muslim).
It is stated in Mughni al-Muhtaj (1/505): "Among the conditions of valid congregational prayer (iqtida') is following the imam in the actions of the prayer... meaning that following the imam is obligatory in the physical actions of the prayer, not in its verbal utterances... Complete following (kamal al-mutaba'ah) is achieved when the follower's beginning of an action comes after the imam's beginning of that same action, while the follower's beginning of the action precedes the imam's completion of it" — end of quote, with slight paraphrasing.
And Allah, the Exalted, knows best.

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