Martyrdom of the Prophet Muhammad (SAWA)

Part 1

Previously in this site: kindfather.com  an article titled: Another Month of Safar departs while thought-provoking words regarding MARTYRDOM of the Prophet Mohammad (PBUH & HP) remain, was presented; this article is a completed version of that article which is being presented in remembrance of the heart-breaking martyrdom of Hazrat Fatima (SBUH), the crushed flower from the garden of Mohammad (SBUT) …

Other revised articles related to the issue of Allah-serving, rightfulness-realizing, heart-attaching, Truth-preserving, Appearance-seeking … mourning, along with this writing, are also being presented in the E-book “Mourning …” in this site: kindfather.com

Let us ponder about the following verse of Qur’an:

Qur'an 3:144 And Muhammad is but a messenger; surely before him, messengers have passed away; if then he DIES OR IS KILLED will you turn back upon your heels? And whoever turns back upon his heels, he will by no means does harm to Allah in the least, and Allah will reward the grateful. 

The possibility of martyrdom of the Prophet Mohammad (SAWA) is clearly mentioned in this verse; i.e. the issue of the martyrdom of the Prophet (SAWA) is absolutely not in contrast with the Holy Qur’an. Another possibility which this verse has presented is the return of some so called muslims to non-Islamic beliefs …

Status of Revelation of this verse was at the time of the outer defeat of Muslims during the battle of Uhud. In the battle of Uhud the pagans (polytheists, disbelievers) rumored that the Prophet (SAWA) was killed; this rumor caused fear, hesitation and retreat among both Muslims with fragile beliefs and also the hypocrites, including AbuBakr, ‘Umar and Uthman*. Allah SWT Revealed this verse to rebuke them.

*According to Sunni documents AbuBakr, ‘Umar and ‘Uthman ran away from the battle of Uhud: Tarikh al-Islam of Dhahabi, kitab al-Maghazi, p. 191; Tabaqat of ibn Sa’d, vol. 3, p. 155; Tafsir Rooh al-Ma’ani of Aaloosi, vol. 4, p. 99; Sharh of Nahj al-Balaghah of ibn al-Hadid, vol. 13, p. 293 & vol. 15, p. 22.

It is also noteworthy to mention that in the Arabic syntax science three possible types of meanings for the conjunction “or” has been stated;

The first type includes meanings such as discretionary, permissible, doubt and ambiguity. The only meaning of this type which may be applicable in this verse is ambiguity, meaning that while the All-Knowing and the All-Wise God surely knew what was going to happen, at time of revelation of this verse He put the issue in ambiguity …

The second type has circumstances that are not existent in this verse.

The third type is “Ezrab” which means “nay but”, “but even”, in this case the meaning of the verse becomes: “So if he dies, nay but is killed.” This possibility also seems applicable in this verse especially that “or” with the meaning “nay but” and “but even” appears on several occasions in the Qur’an, such as:

1. “and we sent him (Jonah) to a hundred thousand people or (but even) more.”(Al Saffat (37), verse 147)

2. “Then your hearts became hardened after that, so they were like rock or (nay but) harder.”(Al-Baqarah (2), verse 74)

3.”So when you did your ceremonies (rites-rituals) then reminisce God the way that you reminisce your fathers, or (nay but, but even) higher than that.”(Al-Baqarah (2), verse 200)

Now let us first examine Sunni documents related to the very important issue of the martyrdom of the Prophet (SAWA):

Once when Lady Zaynab, daughter of Ali and Fatimah (PBUT), was about five years old, had a horrible dream; she then ran crying to her grandfather's loving arms. The Prophet (PBUH & HP) seated her on his lap, kissed her repeatedly, and asked her to tell her dream. She said that she had seen a violent wind which had made every body and every thing look black and dark, and thus she ran towards a huge tree and held tight to it, so that the violent wind would not take her away. But the wind was so violent that it uprooted that tree. Then she caught hold of a branch but that same wind broke it off. So she held to another, but the wind broke that too. She then grabbed two twigs from that same tree, but the stormy wind also broke them. Then she woke up terrified. As he heard the dream, the Prophet Mohammad (PBUH & HP) burst into tears and wept bitterly and told her that the tree was he, her grandfather and the first branch was her mother Fatemah, and the other was her father ‘Ali (PBUT). The Prophet (PBUH & HP) continued and said that the two twigs were her brothers, Hasan and Hosain (PBUT). He (PBUH & HP) then told her that the violent storm around them would take them away and the world would be blackened when they'd leave it, and that she would suffer and put on mourning clothes. (SUNNI al-Sahih of al-Termedhi, vol. 2, p. 308) 

Let us pay attention that the Lady Zaynab's (PBUH) dream, which was confirmed as truthful by the Prophet Mohammad (PBUH & HP), was depicting a dark and satanic Fitnah which was all around them and had started while the Prophet (PBUH & HP) was still alive and it was going to UPROOT THE TREE, then that same Fitnah WAS GOING TO BREAK THE BRANCHES AND THE TWIGS. I.E. THE PROPHET AS WELL AS ‘ALI, FATIMAH, HASAN AND HOSAIN … (PBUT) WERE GOING TO BE VIOLENTLY REMOVED FROM THIS WORLD …

And as indicated above, documents highly trusted by the Sunni such as Sahih of al-Termedhi, have confirmed this painful fact, including the dark fact that the Prophet (SAWA) was physically uprooted …

In different occasions such as, once the Prophet Mohammad (PBUH & HP), regarding ’Aayeshah’s  (Aisha’s) house, repeated three times that the Fitnah (conspiracy, trouble, treason, wickedness, …) was there, and that the horn of Shaitan would come out from there … (Sunni Sahih al-Bukhari, vol. 4, pp. 46, 100)

Al-Beyhaqqi said that Abdullah Ebn Mas'ood had said that if he swore nine times that the Prophet was killed, that would be more pleasing to him than swearing once that he was not killed, because Allah had made him to be a Prophet and a martyr. (Sunni documents: al-Sirat al-Nabawi of ibn Kathir Dameshqi, vol. 4, p. 449; Musnad of Ahmad ibn Hanbal, vol. 1, p. 408; al-Mo’jam al-Kabir, Tabarani, vol. 10, p. 109; Mosnaf, Sanaani, vol. 5, p. 268)

The Sunni Haakem Neyshaaboori has confirmed in the al-Mostadrak, vol. 3, p. 60, h. 99/4395, al-maghazi wa al-saraya section, that the Rasool of Allah was killed; he said that Sho'abi swore by Allah that the Rasool of Allah was killed by poison, … . 

Ali ibn Abi Talib and Usamah entered next to the grave of the Prophet (PBUH) then a man from the Ansar who was called ibn-e-Khuli said: “You know that I used to enter unto the graves of all the martyrs, and the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) is the most virtuous martyr, so he entered unto the grave with them.” (Sunni Ansab al-Ashraf, al-Beladhuri, vol. 1, p. 576)

Abdullah Ebn Mas'ood confirmed the killing of the Prophet in year 11 A.H. (Sunni al-Badaaya wa al-Nahaayah, vol. 6, p. 319 & 322) 

Ibn Sa’d said: in a hadith it is stated: “And he (the Prophet) died poisoned when he was sixty-three years old. This is the word of Ibn Abdeh.” (Al-MajdifiAlansab, Muhammad ibn Muhammad al-Alawi, p. 6)

What we have presented here as a sample, are few narrations from highly accepted Sunni documents indicating the common point that the Prophet (SAWA) was martyred … killed by poison …

But the question is: who poisoned the Prophet Mohammad (PBUH & HP)? The main answer of those of the Sunni who have not been able to deny the fact that the Rasool of Allah was killed based on their own documents, has been that the poison given to the Prophet (PBUH & HP) was at Khaybar in the year 7 AH which killed the Prophet (PBUH & HP) some four years later in the year 11 AH!

So firstly, let us look at what the Sunni themselves say regarding the poison given to the Prophet (PBUH & HP) at Khaybar, year 7 AH: 

Anas reported that a Jewess came to Allah's Messenger with poisoned mutton and he took of that which had been brought to him; he then called for her and asked her about that, whereupon she said: I had determined to kill you. Thereupon he said: "ALLAH WILL NEVER GIVE YOU THE POWER TO DO IT." … (Sunni al-Sahih al-Muslim, Book 026, Number 5430) 

Let us pay attention that the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH & HP) regarding whether that Jewess' poison was going to kill him, has been narrated to have said: " ALLAH WILL NEVER GIVE YOU THE POWER TO DO IT" This is the Prophet of Allah (PBUH & HP) speaking, he whom Allah SWT in regard to his statements has said: 

Qur'an 53:3 And he (the Prophet) does not speak of (his own) desire;

Qur'an 53:4 It is naught but revelation that is revealed. 

Let us look at another Sunni narration: 

Muhammad ibn Amr said that a Jewess presented him (the Prophet) at Khaybar with a roasted sheep which she had poisoned. The Apostle of Allah ate of it and the people also ate. He (the Prophet) then said: TAKE AWAY YOUR HANDS (from the food), FOR IT HAS INFORMED ME THAT IT IS POISONED. Bishr ibn al-Bara' ibn Ma'rur al-Ansari died … (the Sunni Sunan Abu Dawud, Book 39, number 4498)

Here let us firstly pay attention to the point that miraculously the food spoke to the Prophet of Allah: " IT HAS INFORMED ME THAT IT IS POISONED"; secondly while the poison was strong enough to kill that other person right away, but even if the Prophet ate of it as this narration states, it did not kill the Prophet (PBUH & HP); as indicated in the previous narration, Allah SWT did not allow it, and history confirms that the Prophet Mohammad (PBUH & HP) was alive some four years after the Khaybar poisoning incident. 

It is noteworthy to mention that there have been some Sunni researchers themselves who have not accepted that the Khaybar poison killed the Prophet Mohammad (PBUH & HP); for instance:  

"Yet the biographies of Muhammad are clear that he lived for many years after consuming the poison. The Prophet displayed tremendous energy after eating the poison, showing that the poison had no effect on him. The Prophet detected the poison whereas the companions failed to detect it." (Abdullah Smith) 

It is also essential to realize that  there are some Sunni Hadiths which say that the Prophet (PBUH & HP) did not eat the aforementioned poison at all and let the woman go:

Abu Dawud and Beyhaqi quoted from Abu Hurayra that he said: “A Jewish woman brought a poisoned lamb for the Prophet as a gift. He said to his companions: Hold on, this lamb is poisoned. Then the Prophet asked her: Why did you do this? She said: I thought if you are the Messenger of God He will warn you that this food is poisoned, and if you are a liar, then I will rescue the people from you! The narrator said that The Prophet did not offend her. (al-Sirah al-Nabawiah, ibn Kathir, vol. 3, p. 396; History of Baghdad, vol. 7, p. 384)

Tabari has narrated: “Then the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) laughed and left her alone.” (Tahdhib al-Athar, Tabari, vol. 6, p. 381)

And also it is said: “That woman embraced Islam, so the Prophet left her alone.” (Mosnaf, Sanaani, vol. 11, p. 28; Sirah Ibn Kathir, vol. 3, P.398; and al-Asaabah fi Tamyiz al-Sahabah, ibn Hajar Asqalani, vol. 8, p. 155)

The Sunni al-Bukhari and al-Daarimi have quoted from Abu Hurayrah that he said: “When Khaybar was conquered, the Prophet (PBUH) was brought a roasted lamb as a gift that was poisoned. The Prophet said: Gather the Jews who are here. They were gathered together. The Prophet said to them: will you be honest if I ask a question? They said: Yes, O AbulQasem! The Prophet asked them who their fathers were, and They stated some names. The Prophet  informed them that they had lied, and that their fathers were such and such. They said: you are right. The Prophet asked again: if I ask you a question, will you tell the truth? They said: Yes, O AbulQasem! And if we lie, you will know, as you did about our fathers. The Prophet asked: Who will be in the Fire? They said: We will be in the Fire and you will come behind us. The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said: You will be in the Fire; by Allah, we will not come after you in the Fire. Then he said to them: Will you be truthful if I ask a question? They said: Yes. The Prophet asked: Did you poison this food? They said: Yes. Then he asked: What was your reason for this? They said: we wanted to rescue the people from you if you were a liar, and if you were a Prophet, then it would not hurt you.” (Sahih Bukhari, vol. 4, p. 66; Sunan al-Darimi, vol. 1, p. 33)

In any case … whether the Prophet ate any poison at Khaybar or not … even the Sunni history has indicated that the Prophet (PBUH & HP) was quite strong in the last years of his life in this world. As an example, it has not only been reported that he (PBUH & HP) fasted all the months of Ramadan in the last years of his life, but also he observed additional fasting …

Here let us look at a Sunni narration in which it is stated that when the Prophet (PBUH & HP) conquered Mecca- an event which was after Khaybar- he (SAWA) was fasting. AbuBakr ibn Abd al-Rahman reported on the authority of a Companion of the Prophet: I saw the Prophet commanding the people while he was traveling on the occasion of the conquest of Mecca not to observe fast. He said: Be strong for your enemy. The Apostle of Allah (pbuh) fasted himself. (Sunni Sunan Abu-Dawud, Book 13, Number 2358) 

Ultimately … before the Prophet Mohammad's (PBUH & HP) "Farewell Hajj" (Hajjat-Ol-Wedaa'), the angel Jabra'el (Gabriel) informed him that the end of his life in this world was drawing near; thus he (PBUH & HP)- according to the Sunnah of all previous Prophets (PBUT)- was commanded by Allah SWT to officially and publicly install Hazrat ‘Ali (PBUH) as his Caliph and Successor after him (Qur'an 5:3 & 67, …) in an unforgettable and undeniable event called "Ghadir". (Ehtejaaj of Shaikh Tabresi; …) Please for more information in this regard refer to the E-book Ghadir: Declaration of the Truth, from creation to eternity, in this site: kindfather.com

Sunni documents such as al-Maghazi of Waqedi, vol. 1, p. 126, al-Tabaqat of ibn Sa’d, vol. 6, Sirah of ibn Hesham, ansab al-Ashraf, vol. 1, ‘oyun al-Athar, vol. 2, and …, verify that about 12 to 14 days after the Prophet’s (SAWA) command to muslims to attack Shaam  under the leadership of Osamah, the Prophet (SAWA) passed away …

So: Let us keep in mind that  Allah SWT after the Farewell Hajj through Revelation had confirmed that the life of the Prophet (SAWA) was in danger and that He SWT was going to protect him (SAWA) for the completion of the Religion at Ghadir, where Allah in the last part of the verse Qur’an 5:67 promised His Prophet to protect him (SAWA) for delivering the command in regard to ‘Ali (SBUH) … and let us remember that the Prophet  (SAWA) gave the news to the people at the Farewell Hajj and at Ghadir that he (SAWWA) was not going to be alive for much longer … at Ghadir, as commanded by Allah, the Prophet (SAWA) sought allegiance for Hazrat ‘Ali (PBUH), placing him (PBUH), by Allah’s command, above all men and women including AbuBakr, ‘Umar, Aisha and Hafsah … let us also not forget that the command for joining Osamah was shortly after Ghadir … and let us never forget that AbuBakr and ‘Umar, despite the Prophet’s direct orders and insistence, disobeyed the Prophet )SAWA) and did not join Osamah and did not leave Medina … and shortly after that the Prophet (SAWA) was no longer living on this earth …

What exactly happened in the last few days of the Prophet’s life … may Allah hasten Imam Mahdi's (PBUH) Appearance so that every one may know the whole truth, AAMEEN. But for now, placing the above Sunni narrations next to the following Sunni narrations and similar ones, are certainly thought-provoking:

To be continued …