Boreal
Remembering Uzza
If Islam Was Explained to Me in a Pub
A Man in a Hurry Takes Wife #11
Uzza:
Muhammad would use the breathing space provided by the Treaty of Hudaibiyah to
complete the encirclement of Mecca. Under the Treaty, Mecca must remain neutral
in disputes between the believers and their enemies and that includes the Jews
of Khaybar.
Archie: How could the Meccans be so stupid?
Uzza: One explanation is that Muhammad was an old man, in his late fifties when he signed the treaty. He had already exceeded the life expectancy of people of his time. If he respected the terms of the treaty, Mecca was safe for at least ten years, during which time Muhammad would undoubtedly have passed away and the threat to the city would have receded without a fight.
Gerry: It was obviously a miscalculation.
Uzza: It might have worked if Muhammad's age had not worked against them, not for them as they may have expected.
Bob: I don't understand.
Uzza: Muhammad, probably because of his age and expectations, was a man in a hurry.
Gerry: Are you saying that he had no intention of respecting the terms of the treaty he just signed?
Uzza: Like most doomsday prophets, Muhammad expected that fateful day to occur in his lifetime. Unlike most doomsday prophets, he expected to help bring it about and perhaps avoid spending any time in the grave.
Bob: From what you have told us about life in the grave, I would not want to spend any time as a zombie if I could help it.
Uzza: Avoiding life in the grave is probably the second greatest incentive for suicide bombers to do what they do after the promise of an afterlife of non-stop debauchery for an eternity, and that includes murderers whose last murder was in Allah’s Cause[239].
Bob: Was the Prophet, if he helped bring about Judgment Day, expecting to be raptured or something, and be raised up to heaven before all hell broke loose[240]?
Uzza: That is a Christian belief. Except for Jesus and martyrs, every man, woman and child, even the prophets, must spend time in the grave until Judgment Day.
Gerry: If Islam considers Jesus just another prophet of Allah, and even for the prophets there is no avoiding a zombie-like existence, why the exception?
Uzza: God needed a general, so to speak, to lead the forces of good against the forces of evil during the end-times cataclysmic battles.
Gerry: But that is a Christian belief?
Uzza: And an Islamic one as well, with one key distinction: the forces of good are the believers.
Gerry: That is a big difference!
Archie: No kidding. So, Uzza, how does it feel having a drink with a bunch of evil dudes instead of hanging out with the righteous twosome dressed in original Model T colours who came in earlier?
Uzza: You are not evil.
Archie: Is it because black is not our favourite colour?
Uzza: Do not be silly.
Gerry: You are not losing your religion are you, Uzza?
Uzza: If I did, I would not admit it. I am not that brave.
Gerry: I think you are [touches her hand].
Bob: Getting back to the old guy and his obsession with killing Jews.
Uzza: Muhammad was not obsessed with killing Jews. Yes, he was upset with them for denying his claim to Prophethood because he was not a Jew, but it was his obsession with what he thought was a looming Judgment Day that drove him to fight them, and when necessary, kill them.
Gerry: How was killing Jews helping him to bring about Judgment Day?
Uzza: Muhammad said that "the last hour will not come" until Muslims vanquished the Romans, that is the Byzantines at a place called Dabiq[241] in modern day Syria, a few miles from the Turkish border. He intended to lead the believers in a last battle which would usher in the end-times and Judgment Day.
Archie: Who did he think he was?
Uzza: Like I said before, Muhammad saw himself as the Arab Moses. Moses led his people to the Promised Land; he would lead his people to Dabiq, the last stopover before the Hereafter where he will stand next to God and be praised by his tribesmen for having saved most of them from Hell's fire, and to watch as Allah sentences those who refused to submit to burn in Hell.
Archie: Talk about delusional.
Uzza: He was not crazy. Muhammad had a plan and it involved forging a united Arab nation under God able to field an army capable of defeating the Byzantines. A necessary step was removing the Jewish threat should the Meccans come to their senses and renew their alliance with the Jews of Khaybar.
Archie: Fickle allies the Meccans were.
Bob: Are you imitating Yoda now, Archie?
Archie: Star Wars is a parody of another fight between good and evil, between light and darkness. And the bad guys are all dressed in black.
Bob: No, they don't all wear black. The stormtroopers all wear white armor.
Archie: A sometimes confusing storyteller this Lucas person is.
Gerry: But not Uzza. I have never heard the story of Islam told to me in such an engaging fashion where it all makes sense.
Uzza: You are too kind.
Gerry: Forget this Star Wars nonsense, Uzza. I want to hear more about how we got into the mess we find ourselves in today with Western civilisation on the brink of annihilation.
Uzza: From Islam's point of view, believers are bringing order to chaos; cleaning up the mess you say you find yourselves in today.
Archie: And what has the killing of the Jews of Khaybar got to do with cleaning up a mess, except for one of the Prophet’s own making?
Uzza: Muhammad did not kill all the male Jews of Khaybar with pubic hair like he did at Medina. Medina had taught him that farmers are useful in both war and peace. He allowed the surviving Jews of Khaybar to continue farming the land with him taking fifty percent of the crop[242] to feed his army, mostly.
Archie: I'll bet that is not all he got for his troubles.
Uzza: Yes, he also took a 17-year-old Jewish teenager by the name of Safiyyah bint Huyai as his eleventh wife after allowing a holy warrior to take her as his slave.
Archie: A bit of an Indian-giver was the Prophet, was he?
Uzza: The use of that expression does not become you, Archie, and he was not the type of person you describe. Muhammad was supervising the distribution of the women and girls of his dead and defeated enemy when a holy warrior came forward and asked him for a slave girl from among the captives. He picked the young and beautiful Safiyyah. That was before a companion informed Muhammad of her beauty and status as the widow of a chief among the Jews[243].
Bob: Just like Rayhanah?
Uzza: No. Unlike Rayhanah, Safiyyah was a merry widow, happy to be rid of an abusive husband, it is said, and happy to become the wife of Muhammad even if the customary dowry demanded by the Koran would not be available to ransom herself, as unlikely as that was about to happen.
Bob: Muhammad broke the law?
Uzza: Of course not. She may have been a slave for only a short time. He made her a free woman before he married her and deemed her freedom to be her dowry[244].
Archie: What you’re saying is that his new teenaged acquisition cost him nothing and he again changed the law in the process because it suited him.
Uzza: That is not what I am saying at all.
Bob: What did you mean by ransom herself?
Uzza: The Koran demands that a bride be given a dowry. This is meant to give the wife-to-be some means of looking after herself, if only for a short period, should her husband divorce her, and she must leave his home forthwith. A believing man unhappy with a marital choice need only repeat twice to his wife, “I divorce you” before sending her packing − after ascertaining she is not pregnant with his child[245]. A wife’s dowry is her only possession; everything else, including the family home, is exclusively her husband’s[246]. Her dowry is also one of the few means she has of “ransoming herself”[247], that is, foregoing her dowry to obtain a divorce from, say, an abusive husband.
Gerry: Not providing Safiyyah a “real” dowry makes the Prophet out to be a bit of a scrooge.
Uzza: Muhammad was parsimonious, I will admit. When his daughter Fatima asked her father to give her one of his slave-girls to help with the housework he refused, telling her that more prayers would be just as helpful[248].
Bob: You don't get rich by giving your stuff away, that's for sure.
Uzza: Whatever Muhammad took for himself, he spent most of it in Allah's Cause.
Archie: How do you spend women in Allah's Cause?
Uzza: As a reward. I am sure if giving one or more of his many wives and slave-girls to a holy warrior would have advanced Allah's Cause, Muhammad would have done so.
Archie: If you believe that, I've got a bridge you might be interested in.
Uzza: You are impossible.
Footnotes
[239] The atonement property of killing and dying in Allah Cause includes forgiveness of murders not committed on God’s behalf.
Narrated Abu Huraira:
Allah's Apostle said, "Allah welcomes two men with a smile; one of whom kills the other and both of them enter Paradise. One fights in Allah's Cause and gets killed. Later on Allah forgives the 'killer who also get martyred (in Allah's Cause)."
Bukhari 52.80
In the Christian gospels, Jesus of Nazareth shed his blood to redeem the sins of mankind; in the Islamic variation, it is the shedding of one’s own blood while killing the enemies of Allah that wipes away sins.
There is a man who fights in the path of Allah and does not want to kill or be killed, but is struck by an arrow. The first drop of blood from him is atonement for every sin he has committed; for every drop he sheds, he gains levels in Paradise.
The second type of man is one who fights desiring to kill but not to be killed, and is struck by an arrow. The first drop of blood from him is for every sin; for every drop he sheds he gains a level in Paradise until he bumps Abraham’s knee.
The third type of man is one who fights in the path of Allah desiring to kill and be killed and is struck by an arrow. The first drop of blood from him is atonement for every sin; he will come to the Day of Resurrection with a drawn sword [able to] intercede.
David Cook, cf. Ibn al-Mubarak Understanding Jihad, p.15.
81:1 When the sun shall be coiled up;
81:2 And when the stars shall be scattered about;
81:3 And when the mountains shall be set in motion;
81:4 And when the pregnant camels shall be discarded;
81:5 And when the beasts shall be corralled;
81:6 And when the seas shall rise mightily;
81:7 And when souls shall be paired off;
81:8 And when the buried infant shall be asked:
81:9 “For what sins was she killed?”
81:10 And when the scrolls shall be unrolled;
81:11 And when heaven shall be scraped off;
81:12 And when Hell shall be stoked;
81:13 And when Paradise shall be brought near;
81:14 Then each soul shall know what it had brought forth.
The Syrian town of Dabiq, which Turkish-backed Syrian rebels are seeking to wrest back from so-called Islamic State (IS), has figured heavily in the jihadist group's propaganda since 2014 and is the name of its English-language magazine.
IS has focused on the dusty backwater not because of any strategic importance or the size of its population - the Syrian census of 2004 recorded that little over 3,000 people were living there - but because it holds great symbolic value.
Dabiq, which lies about 10km (6 miles) from the border with Turkey, features in Islamic apocalyptic prophecies as the site of an end-of-times showdown between Muslims and their "Roman" enemies.
The Prophet Muhammad is believed to have said that "the last hour will not come" until Muslims vanquished the Romans at "Dabiq or al-Amaq" - both in the Syria-Turkey border region - on their way to conquer Constantinople (modern-day Istanbul).
IS has been seeking to bring on that battle by goading its enemies to confront it there. And now the Turkish-led force is reportedly closing in.
BBC News Oct 7, 2016
-----
Abu Huraira reported Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying: The Last Hour would not come until the Romans would land at al-A'maq or in dabiq. An army consisting of the best (soldiers) of the people of the earth at that time will come from Medina (to counteract them).
When they will arrange themselves in ranks, the Romans would say: Do not stand between us and those (Muslims) who took prisoners from amongst us. Let us fight with them; and the Muslims would say: Nay, by Allah, we would never get aside from you and from our brethren that you may fight them.
They will then fight and a third (part) of the army would run away, whom Allah will never forgive.
A third (part of the army) which would be constituted of excellent martyrs in Allah's eye, would be killed and the third who would never be put to trial would win and they would be conquerors of Constantinople.
And as they would be busy in distributing the spoils of war (amongst themselves) after hanging their swords by the olive trees, the Satan would cry: The Dajjal has taken your place among your family. They would then come out, but it would be of no avail. And when they would come to Syria, he would come out while they would be still preparing themselves for battle drawing up the ranks.
Certainly, the time of prayer shall come and then Jesus (peace be upon him) son of Mary would descend and would lead them in prayer. When the enemy of Allah would see him, it would (disappear) just as the salt dissolves itself in water and if he (Jesus) were not to confront them at all, even then it would dissolve completely, but Allah would kill them by his hand and he would show them their blood on his lance (the lance of Jesus Christ).
Sahih Muslim 41.6924
Narrated Ibn Umar:
Umar bin Al-Khattab expelled all the Jews and Christians from the land of Hijaz. Allah's Apostle after conquering Khaibar, thought of expelling the Jews from the land which, after he conquered it belonged to Allah, Allah's Apostle and the Muslims.
But the Jews requested Allah's Apostle to leave them there on the condition that they would do the labor and get half of the fruits (the land would yield).
Allah's Apostle said, "We shall keep you on these terms as long as we wish." Thus they stayed till the time of 'Umar's Caliphate when he expelled them to Taima and Ariha.
Bukhari 53.380
Narrated Abdul Aziz:
Anas said, "When Allah's Apostle invaded Khaibar, we offered the Fajr prayer there early in the morning) when it was still dark. The Prophet rode and Abu Talha rode too and I was riding behind Abu Talha. The Prophet passed through the lane of Khaibar quickly and my knee was touching the thigh of the Prophet. He uncovered his thigh and I saw the whiteness of the thigh of the Prophet.
When he entered the town, he said, 'Allahu Akbar! Khaibar is ruined. Whenever we approach near a (hostile) nation (to fight) then evil will be the morning of those who have been warned.' He repeated this thrice.
The people came out for their jobs and some of them said, 'Muhammad (has come).' (Some of our companions added, "With his army.")
We conquered Khaibar, took the captives, and the booty was collected. Dihya came and said, 'O Allah's Prophet! Give me a slave girl from the captives.'
The Prophet said, 'Go and take any slave girl.'
He took Safiya bint Huyai. A man came to the Prophet and said, 'O Allah's Apostles! You gave Safiya bint Huyai to Dihya and she is the chief mistress of the tribes of Quraiza and An-Nadir and she befits none but you.'
So the Prophet said, 'Bring him along with her.'
So Dihya came with her and when the Prophet saw her, he said to Dihya, 'Take any slave girl other than her from the captives.'"
Anas added: "The Prophet then manumitted her and married her."
Thabit asked Anas, "O Abu Hamza! What did the Prophet pay her (as Mahr i.e. dowry)?"
He said, "Herself was her Mahr for he manumitted her and then married her."
Anas added, "While on the way, Um Sulaim dressed her for marriage (ceremony) and at night she sent her as a bride to the Prophet. So the Prophet was a bridegroom and he said, 'Whoever has anything (food) should bring it.'
He spread out a leather sheet (for the food) and some brought dates and others cooking butter. (I think he (Anas) mentioned As-SawTq). So they prepared a dish of Hais (a kind of meal). And that was Walrma (the marriage banquet) of Allah's Apostle."
Bukhari 8.367
Narrated Anas:
Allah's Apostle manumitted Safiyya and then married her, and her Mahr (dowry) was her manumission (freedom), and he gave a wedding banquet with Hais (a sort of sweet dish made from butter, cheese and dates).
Bukhari 62.98
2:229 Divorce may be pronounced twice. Then they (women) are to be retained in a rightful manner or released with kindness. And it is unlawful for you [men] to take back anything of what you have given them, unless both parties fear that they cannot comply with Allah’s Bounds (by obeying His commands). If you fear that they cannot do that, then it is no offence if the woman ransoms herself (pays money to be set free). Those are the bounds set by Allah. Do not transgress them. Those who transgress the bounds set by Allah are the wrongdoers.
[246] A reminder from Muhammad that a believer's wife owns basically nothing except her dowry, not even a share of the family home, and that she must defer to her husband for whatever goes on in his home, from who can visit, to how much or how little she can eat, to what reward points (points for doing good that will be weighted against points for doing bad things on Judgment Day) her husband can expect if she gives some “of his wealth” to charity without his permission.
Narrated Abu Huraira:
Allah's Apostle said, "It is not lawful for a lady to fast (Nawafil) without the permission of her husband when he is at home; and she should not allow anyone to enter his house except with his permission; and if she spends of his wealth (on charitable purposes) without being ordered by him, he will get half of the reward."
Bukhari 62.123
2:231 If you divorce [your] women and they reach the end of their [waiting] period, retain them in an honourable manner or release them in an honourable manner. Do not, however, retain them for the sake of causing them harm and in order to commit aggression (by forcing them to ransom themselves, or by retaining them for a longer period). Whoever does that shall do wrong to himself. Do not make a mockery of Allah’s Revelations; and remember the Grace Allah has bestowed upon you, and the Book (the Koran) and the wisdom He has revealed to you in order to admonish you. Fear Allah and know that He knows everything.
Narrated Ali:
Fatima complained of what she suffered from the hand mill and from grinding, when she got the news that some slave girls of the booty had been brought to Allah's Apostle. She went to him to ask for a maid-servant, but she could not find him, and told Aisha of her need. When the Prophet came, Aisha informed him of that.
The Prophet came to our house when we had gone to our beds. (On seeing the Prophet) we were going to get up, but he said, 'Keep at your places,' I felt the coolness of the Prophet's feet on my chest. Then he said, "Shall I tell you a thing which is better than what you asked me for? When you go to your beds, say: 'Allahu Akbar (i.e. Allah is Greater)' for 34 times, and 'Alhamdu Lillah (i.e. all the praises are for Allah)' for 33 times, and Subhan Allah (i.e. Glorified be Allah) for 33 times. This is better for you than what you have requested."
Bukhari 53.344