Telling of The Unseen

His telling of some incidents in the future does not mean he knows everything that is to take place in the future. Allah the almighty gave him this advantage in knowledge in certain situations. His people disbelieved in him, yet when he tells them that something will happen in the future, they believed him without a doubt. This does not mean that the Prophet peace be upon him could always tell the future or is a fortune-teller.

 

Say (O Muhammad) I possess no power of benefit or hurt to myself except as Allah wills. If I have the knowledge of the Ghaib (unseen), I should have secured for myself an abundance of wealth, and no evil should have touched me. I am but a warner, and bring glad tidings unto people who believe.

 

[Qur'an 7:188]

 

UKAIDIR IN DUMAT AL-JANDAL

 

The Messenger of Allah peace be upon him dispatched Khalid bin Al-Waleed at the head of four hundred and fifty horsemen to Ukaidir in Dumat Al-Jandal and said to him: You will see him hunting oryxes. So when Khalid drew near his castle and was as far as an eye-sight range, he saw the oryxes coming out rubbing their horns against the castle gate. As it was moon light night, Khalid could see Ukaidir come out to hunt them. He captured him, though he was surrounded by his men and brought him back to the Messenger of Allah peace be upon him who spared his life and made peace with him for the payment of two thousand camels, eight hundred heads of cattle, four hundred armours and four hundred lances. Prophet instructed him to recognize the duty of paying tribute and made him responsible for collecting it from Dumat, Tabuk, Ailah and Taima.

 

AN ATTEMPT ON THE LIFE OF THE Prophet

 

The impact of defeat at Badr was so great that the Makkans began to burn with indignation and resentment over their terrible losses. Two of the polytheists volunteered to quench their thirst and eliminate the source of that humiliation i.e. the Prophet peace be upon him. Umair bin Wahab Al-Jumahi, a terrible polytheist and an archenemy Safwan bin Omaiyah sat together lamenting their loss and remembering their dead and captives. Umair expressed a fervent desire to kill the Prophet peace be upon him and release his captured son in Madinah, if it was not for the yoke of debts he was under and the large family he had to support. Safwan, also had his good reasons to see the Prophet peace be upon him killed, so he offered to settle Umairs debts and support his family if he went on with his plan. Umair agreed and asked Safwan to keep the scheme a secret. He left for Madinah, with a sword to which he applied some kind of lethal poison. Umar bin Al-Khattab saw him at the door of the Mosque and understood that he had come with evil intentions. He immediately went into the Mosque and informed the Prophet peace be upon him. He was allowed to enter, looped by the sling of his sword and greeted saying good morning, to which the Prophet peace be upon him replied that Allah had been Gracious and taught them the greeting of the dwellers of Paradise: peace be upon you! To a question raised by the Prophet peace be upon him about his object, Umair said that he had come to see that his captured son was well treated. As for the sword, which the Prophet peace be upon him inquired him, he cursed it and said that it gained them nothing. On exhorting him to tell his real goal, he remained adamant and did not divulge the secret meeting with Safwan. Here the Prophet peace be upon him got impatient and himself revealed to Umair the latters secret mission. Umair was taken by surprise, then an incredible astonishment seized him and he immediately declared the Shahadha. He then began to praise Allahs compassion for having been guided to the Straight Path. The Prophet was pleased, asked his companions to teach Umair the principles of Islam, recite to him the Noble Quran and release his son from captivity. Safwan, meanwhile was still entertaining false illusions as to the approaching redemption of honor and burying the memory of Badr. He was impatiently waiting for Umairs news but to his great surprise he was told that the man had embraced Islam and become a devoted believer. Umair later came back to Makkah where he started to call people unto Islam and actually managed to convert a lot of Makkans to Islam.

 

THE STORY OF THE TRENCH

 

The Muslims were digging the trench during the Battle of the Trench and some supernatural prophetic signs were shown at that time Jabir bin Abdullah, seeing the Prophet peace be upon him starving, slaughtered a sheep, cooked some barley arequested the Prophet peace be upon him and some Companions to accept his invitation. But the Prophet gathered all the thousand people engaged in digging the trench and they started to eat until they were all completely full and yet the shoulder of mutton and dough that was being baked remained and the food was undiminished. A woman brought a handful of dates and passed by the Prophet peace be upon him who took them. He threw them over his cloak and invited his followers to eat. The dates began to increase in number until they dropped over the brim of his robe. Another miracle was when a rock stood out as an immune obstacle in the ditch. The Prophet took the spade and struck, and the rock immediately turned into a loose sand dune. In another version, Al-Bara said: On Al-Khandaq (the trench) Day there stood out a rock too strong for our spades to break up. We therefore went to see the Messenger of Allah peace be upon him for advice. He took the spade, and struck the rock saying In the Name of Allah, Allah is Great, the keys of Ash-Sham (Geographical Syria) are mine. I swear by Allah, I can see its palaces at the moment; on the second strike he said: Allah is Great, Persia is mine, I swear by Allah, I can now see the white palace of Madain. For the third time he struck the rock saying, Allah is Great, I have been given the keys of Yemen, I swear by Allah, I can see the gates of Sana while I am in my place. The rock turned into very small pieces. Ishaq narrated the same version. The northern part of Madinah was the most vulnerable, all the other sides being surrounded by mountains and palm tree orchards. The Prophet as a skillful military expert, understood that the Confederates would march in that direction. So the trench was ordered to be dug on that side. The Muslims went on digging the trench for several days. They used to work during the day and go back home in the evening until it was completed in time and assumed its full dimensions militarily. The huge army of the idolaters which numbered as many as ten thousand fighters, arrived and settled in the vicinity of Madinah in places called Al-Asyal and Uhud.

 

THE STORY OF AL-HIRAH

 

Al-Bukhari narrates that Adi said: While we were with the Prophet peace be upon him a man came and complained to him about poverty. Another man came and complained about highway robbery. The Messenger of Allah peace be upon him then said: O Adi! Have you ever been to Al-Hirah? If you were destined to live a long life, you would be able to see a woman travel from Hirah riding a camel till it circumambulates Al-Kabah fearing none but Allah; and if you were to live long enough you would open the treasures of Kisra. And if you were to live long you would be able to see a man offering a handful of gold or silver to others but no one would accept it. At the end of this Hadith Adi later on says:I have seen a woman riding camel travel from Al-Hirah till it circumambulates the Kabah fearing none but Allah. I have also been one of those who opened the treasures of Kisra bin Hurmuz. If you were to live long life you would witness what the Prophet, Abul Qasim, peace be upon him had already said about offering a handful of.. i.e. the Prophets prophecies did really come true.

 

THE STORY OF UTAIBAH

 

Utaibah bin Abi Lahab once came to the Prophet peace be upon him and most defiantly and brazenly shouted at him, I disbelieve in, By the star when it goes down [53:1] and in Then he (Gabriel) approached and came closer. [53:8] In other words: I do not believe in any of the verses from the Quran. He then became violent and started to deal highhandedly with Muhammad peace be upon him, tore his shirt and spat on the face but it missed the Holy face of the Prophet peace be upon him. Thereupon, the Prophet peace be upon him invoked Allahs wrath on Utaibah and supplicated: O Allah! Set one of Your dogs on him. Allah responded positively to Muhammads supplication, and it happened in the following manner: Once Utaibah with some of his companions from Quraish set out for Syria and took accommodation in Az-Zarqa. There a lion approached the group to the great fear of Utaibah, who at once recalled Muhammads words in supplication, and said: Woe to my brother! This lion will surely devour me just as Muhammad supplicated. He has really killed me in Syria while he is in Makkah,The lion rushed like lightning, snatched Utaibah from amongst his people and crushed his head.

 

THE STORY OF UBAI BIN KHALAF

 

Ibn Ishaq related: One day when the messenger of Allah peace be upon him was going up the hillock, he was followed by Ubai Bin Khalaf who was saying: Where is Muhammad (PBUH)? Either I kill him or I will be killed. The Companions of Mohammad (PBUH) said: O Messenger of Allah, do you mind if one of us combats with him? But the Messenger of Allah peace be upon him said: Leave him! So when he drew nearer, the Messenger of Allah peace be upon him took the spear from Al-Harith bin As-Simma. He shivered violently in such a way that all of them scattered in all directions. The Prophet faced him and observed his throat through a gap between the wide opening of the armour and the part of his neck enclosed by. He speared him in that spot. The effect of the stroke was so strong that it made him roll off his horse over and over. When he returned to Quraish, they found that he had only had a small scratch in his neck. So when blood became clotted he said: By Allah, Muhammad has killed me. Others heard him and replied, By Allah you are afraid to death. By Allah, you are possessed by a devil. But he replied, He already told me when we were in Makkah, I will kill you. By Allah, had he spat on me, he would have killed me. Eventually, the enemy of Allah breathed his last at a place called Sari, while they were taking him back to Makkah.

 

THE STORY OF BILAL'S CALL ON THE KA'BAH

 

After the conquest of Makkah when time for prayer approached, Bilal ascended al-Kabah and called for prayer. Abu Sufyan bin Harb, Itab bin Usaid and Al-Harith bin Hisham were sitting in the yard. Itab bin Usaid commented on the new situation (Bilal ascending Al-Kabah and calling for prayer) saying that Allah honored Usaid (his father) having not heard such words. The Prophet approached and assisted
by Divine Revelation told them that he learnt about what they had spoken of. Al-Harith and Itab, taken by surprise, immediately professed Islam and bore witness that Muhammad peace be upon him is the messenger of Allah, adding that We swear by Allah that none had been with us to inform you.