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The Sacrifices of Muhammad for Islam
Great aims, to be achieved, call for great
sacrifices, and success in making a reality out of them comes at high cost. The greater
the aim, the higher is the price one has to pay to realize it. Man's struggle to free
himself from the chains of slavery and tyranny is thousands of years old, and it has taken
countless lives. The struggle goes on today as it did in the past, and its story is
endless because the struggle itself is endless. Three of the most important landmarks in man's
struggle for freedom are the French Revolution of 1789, the Russian Revolution of 1917,
and the Chinese Revolution of 1949. They are also three of the most momentous events in
world history. Tides of blood rose in the wake of these revolutions, and as they receded,
they carried away the old systems and symbols of oppression and exploitation with them.
These revolutions generated new forces which are, even today, churning the whole world.
They were the price man had to pay to buy his political and economic freedom. (The Russian Revolution and the Soviet Empire
collapsed from within, after 73years – in 1990. They did not prove to be viable.) Many centuries earlier, i.e., in the seventh
century, another revolution had changed the course of history. It was one of the greatest
revolutions of all time but the remarkable thing about it was that it was peaceful. It did
not whip up any tides of blood, and in fact, ought to be called a "bloodless"
revolution. It was a message of peace. Peace was its insignia, and peace or Islam was its
name. Though Islam upheld peace in the world, it did not
become viable without a struggle. It was, in fact, locked up, for 23 years, in a
sanguinary struggle for survival, and just like the other great movements of emancipation,
it also called for sacrifice. It is remarkable that Muhammad – the Messenger of God
and the Prophet of Islam – did not imitate other leaders who push their followers
into the flames of war in the name of "sacrifice" for an ideal. He himself was
the first one to offer sacrifices for Islam. Webster's definition of a sacrifice is to suffer
loss for an ideal. Parting with one's most highly treasured possessions for the sake of an
ideal, constitutes sacrifice. Most of the apostles and prophets lived lives of sacrifice.
Abraham offered his son, Ismael, as a sacrifice; and John the Baptist, offered his own
life as a sacrifice. Ismael might have been killed but was replaced just in time by an
ibex. John the Baptist, however, was executed, and his head was presented to a wanton to
soothe her vanity. He is one of the greatest martyrs of all time. These are two out of many examples of sacrifice that
called for great courage and great faith. But both from the qualitative and quantitative
points of view, the sacrifices which Muhammad offered for Islam, remain unparalleled in
history. A distinction must be made here between material
sacrifices and the sacrifices of life. Muhammad made both. He sacrificed all his personal
comforts, and all his material possessions for the sake of Islam. This, of course,
everyone knows. What is perhaps not so well-known, is the fact that some of his nearest
and dearest kinsfolk were killed in the defense of Islam. The relatives of Muhammad who
made their lives an oblation for Islam, are as follows: 1.Al-Harith ibn Abi Hala, adopted son, and nephew of
Khadija. He was killed in Makkah. 2.Obaida ibn al-Harith ibn Abdul-Muttalib, cousin.
He was killed in the battle of Badr. 3.Hamza ibn Abdul-Muttalib, uncle. He was killed in
the battle of Uhud. 4.Mas'ab ibn Umayr, uncle. He was killed in the
battle of Uhud. 5.Abdullah ibn Jahash, cousin. He was killed in
Uhud. 6. Zayd ibn Haritha, adopted son and friend. He was
killed in the battle of Mootah. 7.Jaafer Tayyar ibn Abi Talib, cousin. He was killed
in the battle of Mootah. 8.Aymen ibn Ubayd, foster-brother. He was killed in
the battle of Hunayn. This is a roster of some of the most distinguished
names in all Islam, and it includes two uncles, three cousins, two adopted sons, and one
foster-brother of Muhammad. It was through such sacrifices that he made Islam invulnerable
and indestructible. Muhammad never made any attempt to be protective to
his own loved ones. It were, in fact, his loved ones who were the foremost in taking up
the challenge of an enemy. There was no one he loved more than Ali, and yet, the position
of the greatest danger in every confrontation with the pagans – in Makkah or in
Medina – was invariably reserved for him. The greatest sacrifices for Islam were all made by
Muhammad and Ali. On the other hand, Abu Bakr and Umar did not make
any sacrifice. As for sacrifice for Islam is concerned, they have nothing to show.
Whenever a challenge came from the pagans, as it did in the battles of Badr, Uhud and
Khandaq, they (Abu Bakr and Umar), did not accept it; and no member of their families was
killed in the defense of Islam at any time. The only relative that Umar ever lost in the
struggle of Islam and paganism, was his maternal uncle, Abu Jahl, who was killed in the
battle of Badr. The crown of martyrdom is the greatest honor and the
greatest glory that Islam can bestow upon a Muslim in this world. The loved ones of
Muhammad and Ali won eight of them in the lifetime of the former, and they were destined
to win many more after his death. May God bless them all.
