In the early days of Islam, Najran
was a big center of learning whose inhabitants were idol-worshipers.
Subsequently, they accepted Christianity as their religion. Najran is
in the modern Saudi Arabia, south of Jeddah. The Noble Messenger
(s.a.w.a.s.) had sent letters to the heads of different countries inviting them
to Islam. One such letter was also sent to the bishop of Najran.
It read as follows:
In the name of the God of Ibrahim,
Ishaaq and Yaqoob. This letter is from Muhammad, the Prophet, and Messenger of
Allah to the Bishop of Najran.
Praise be to the God of Ibrahim,
Ishaaq, and Yaqoob. I invite you to worship Allah instead of His servants. I
invite you to come out of the rule of servants of Allah and into the rule of
Allah Himself.
It is also stated that the Noble
Messenger (s.a.w.a.s.) included the following Ayah of the Glorious Qur’an:
“Say, (O’Muhammad) O People of the
Book (Bible), come to an agreement between us and you; that we shall worship
none but Allah and that we shall claim no partner to Him, and that none of us
shall take others for Lords besides Allah” And if they turn away, then say,
“Bear witness that we are Muslims (those who have surrendered to Allah).
This was the event of 10 A.H.
Sixty learned priests headed by their chief monk priest, Abdul Masih, came to
Madinah and went straight to meet the Noble Messenger (s.a.w.a.s.) wearing
golden ornaments and dressed in silken clothes. The Messenger did not like
their attire and turned his face away from them. They inquired from a few
influential Muslims for the reason, but they did not know the state of his
(s.a.w.a.s.)’s mind. The Commander of the faithful, Maula Mushkil-Kusha, Imam
Ali (a.s.) came to their rescue and advised them to dress in simple clothes.
When they returned wearing simple clothes, the Messenger warmly welcomed them.
It may be concluded that appearances and attires show the thinking of the
person. They wanted to show pride and high status.
Following conversation
followed:
The Messenger: I invite you to the belief of
Tauheed and the worship of one God and submission to His will. (Then he recited
Ayah 64 of Surah Aale Imran.)
Abdul Masih: If Islam means faith in one God
of the universe, we already believe in Him and follow His commands.
The Messenger: Islam has a few other signs and
some of your actions show that you have not accepted true Islam. How do you
claim worship of one God when you worship the cross and do not abstain from
eating pork and believe that God has a son?
Abdul Masih: Certainly, he [I’sa (a.s.)] was
the son of God because his mother Mary [Mariyam (s.a.)] had given birth to him
without marrying anyone in the world. Therefore, obviously his father is the
God of this universe. And, because he used to bring the dead back to life, cure
the sick and create birds from clay and make them fly. It shows that he is God.
The Messenger: No, he was the servant and
creature of God, and placed in the womb of his mother Mariyam (s.a.). All his
power and strength were granted to him by God.
At this time, Archangel Jibra’eel
brought the following Ayah 59 of Surah Ale Imran:
“Surely, the example of I’sa to
Allah is like that of Adam; He created him from dust and then said to him, “Be”
and he was”
It means that if Isa (a.s.) could
be called the son of God because he was born without father, then Adam (a.s.)
deserves this title more because he was born without a father and a mother. The
priests could not reply to this argument and continued to argue out of
obstinacy.
Then the following Ayah 61 of
Surah Ale Imran was revealed:
“And
whoever argue with you in this matter after what has come to you of knowledge
then say, come, let us call our sons and your sons, and our women and your
women, ourselves, and yourselves, then let us humbly pray (to our Lord) and
invoke the curse of Allah upon the liars”
The Noble Messenger (s.a.w.a.s.)
produced this verse before the priests and challenged for “Mubahilah.” The
priests consulted each other and accepted the challenge. It was agreed that the
two parties' contest would take place the next day in the open desert outside
Madinah. On 24th Zilhajj, the Noble Messenger (s.a.w.a.s.) came
out for Mubahilah. He was holding Imam Husayn (a.s.) in his arms and held Imam
Hasan (a.s.) by his hand; Lady of Paradise Sayyida Fatima Zahra (s.a.) was
behind him, while the Lion of Allah, Imam Ali (a.s.) was behind her. The Noble
Messenger (s.a.w.a.s.) said to them, “When I pray for curse of Allah, you
should say Ameen.”
In compliance of the Ayah of Mubahilah,
the Noble Messenger (s.a.w.a.s.) brought Imam Hasan and Imam Husayn (a.s.) as
his “SONS,” Sayyida Fatima Zahra (s.a.) in place of “WOMEN” while he
could have brought three or more women, and Imam Ali (a.s.) as his “SELF “while
the Ayah had the accommodation for three or more.
The priests, after seeing these
shining faces emitting light, were spellbound. Their hearts trembled and they
began to shake on seeing the light radiating from the faces of The Sacred
Panjetan (a.s.).
Their leader asked: “who are these
persons who have come with Muhammad?”
A man told their names and their
relationship with the Noble Messenger (s.a.w.a.s.). He could no longer hold his
patience and cried out:
“By God, I am seeing such faces
that if they were to pray to God to move the mountain, God Almighty would move
the mountain for them. O You People of Najran, if you contest with Muhammad in
this prayer of invoking curses on the liars, then I warn you that all of you
will be destroyed and not a single soul will remain on this earth. I feel that
it would be better to surrender to them and obey them”
After the Noble Messenger
(s.a.w.a.s.) heard these words, he later remarked:
“By God, had the Christians of
Najran contested with us, they would have been transformed into monkeys and
swine. Fire would have rained over them”
It is a historic event of a unique
triumph of Islam. This event unquestionably established the truth about Islam
and the spiritual purity of the Ahlul Bayt (a.s.). It proved beyond
doubt as to who were the members of The House of the Noble Messenger
(s.a.w.a.s.) and their “unquestionable Truthfulness!”
There is a point to be remembered
here that in Arabic language the plural tense is used for more than three
persons. Allah had provided
the place for three or more than three persons in the categories of “SONS,”
“WOMEN,” and “SELVES.” But the Noble Messenger (s.a.w.a.s.) had to
decide as to who were the persons who were “TRUTHFUL” and
never lied in their lifetime, because Mubahilah would bring up
Allah’s wrath on the “LIARS.” It was a crucial test for Islam. Hence,
he picked-up Imam Hasan (a.s.) and Imam Husayn (a.s.); only two persons for the
place in “SONS.” While in the place of “WOMEN,” he picked-up only his daughter,
The Lady of Paradise, Sayyida Fatima Zahra (s.a.). Similarly, in the place
of “SELVES,” he picked up The Conqueror of Khyber, Imam Ali (a.s.).
After the sad demise of the Noble
Messenger (s.a.w.a.s.), when Sayyida Fatima Zahra (s.a.) claimed her gifted
property of Fadak, which was given to her by her father, the Noble Messenger
(s.a.w.a.s.), the Caliph did not accept her testimony, that of Imam Ali (a.s.)
nor Imam Hasan (a.s.) and Imam Husayn (a.s.). These were the same Panjetan,
whose Truthfulness was accepted by Allah on the eve of Mubahilah!
Sources:
Duas.org, al-islam.org
