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Significance Behind Prophet Mohammad`s Birth in the Year of the Elephant
Author : An Article by the Secretary General Dr. Ahmad Al-Hassanat
Date Added : 10-11-2019

Significance Behind Prophet Mohammad`s Birth in the Year of the Elephant

 

 

The birth of Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) has opened a new page in the history of humanity and the world as his divine message illuminated the darkness of the universe.

 

Humanity was stumbling in darkness and injustice where polytheism and apostasy prevailed, random killing spread, prosecution, and ignorance reached their peak. Therefore, a major event had to happen to change the course of history and end the violation of human dignity, so Allah The Almighty sent Prophet Mohammad (PBUH).

 

Usually, major events are introduced by other major events that make them stand out. I will refer to one particular event that paved the way for the emergence of this great Prophet (PBUH). It is known as the event of the elephant in which Abraha, the Abyssinian, Christian ruler of Yemen, marched upon the Ka'bah in Mecca with a large army, which included one or more war elephants, intending to demolish it. The Ka`bah wasn`t for the Arabs of the peninsula alone. Rather, it was for all the followers of Prophets Ibrahim and Ismail (PBUT). The miracle, here, is that Allah the Almighty defended His House. 'Abdul-Muttalib said to Abraha: "The Owner of this House is its Defender, and I am sure He will save it from the attack of the adversaries and will not dishonor the servants of His House." Abraha advanced with his army. Seeing the walls of the Ka'bah, he ordered its demolition. No sooner had the army reached near the Ka'bah than an army of Allah appeared from the western side. A dark cloud of small birds (known in Arabic as Ababil) overshadowed the entire army of Abraha. Each bird had three pebbles: two in its claws and one in its beak. A rain of the pebbles poured down from the birds, and in a few minutes, the whole army was destroyed. Abraha himself was seriously wounded; he fled towards Yemen but died on the way. It is to this important event that Allah refers in Chapter 105 "Have you not seen how your Lord dealt with the companions of the Elephant? Did He not make their treacherous plan go astray? And He sent against them birds in flocks, striking them with stones of baked clay, so He rendered them like straw eaten up."

 

Was that event a mere coincidence or did it have a certain significance? From my point of view, I believe that Allah The Almighty wanted to associate the birth of the Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) with that event. Had that event not taken place, none would have known the time the Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) was born. Before his birth, the Arabs used to date with major events, so Allah the Almighty wanted the year in which the Prophet (PBUH) was born to be marked with a major event to be remembered by all people afterwards, and this is the first aim behind the above miracle. 

 

As for the event of the elephant, Allah wanted to show the Arabs in particular and the people in general that it is  a prelude to a greater event; namely, the birth of Prophet Mohammad (PBUH). In addition, Allah the Exalted wanted the people to go back to His righteous path, search for the secret of existence and the truth about the creation. When the Arabs failed to fight the army of Abraha, the pagans gave up on their idols, the world was almost certain that they will be defeated and the Ka'bah destroyed, they turned to Allah alone in supplication.

 

All those miracles brought the glad tidings of Prophet Mohammad`s birth. He conveyed the true religion of Allah The Almighty to humanity, so that they have no excuse to deny his Prophethood. Just as Allah saved His Ancient House from the army of Abraha and his elephants, He the Almighty saved humanity by sending Mohammad (PBUH) as bringer of glad tidings and warner.

 

His birth (PBUH) has marked the birth of a new era and the revival of a new nation. A nation distinguished for its knowledge, scientific and cultural advancement, mercy, pride and dignity.

 

Allah, The Most Exalted Said ?(What means): "It is He Who has sent His Apostle with Guidance and the Religion of Truth, that he may proclaim it over all religion, even though the Pagans may detest (it)." [As-Saf/9]. Indeed, Allah Will Proclaim His religion over all religion regardless of enemies` countless attempts to destroy it and distort its luminous image. Once we unite and hold on to the rope of Allah, as the Arabs did at the time of Abraha`s attempt to destroy the Ka`bah, He the Exalted will bless us with defeating our enemies

 

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Summarized Fatawaa

What is the ruling on discharging one's zakāh obligation through the provision of a specific benefit (manfa‘ah) — such as performing a surgical operation for a patient, or providing housing to a tenant, and counting the value of this service as zakāh?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
It is obligatory to pay zakāh from the actual asset (‘ayn al-māl) upon which zakāh is due, except in the case of zakāh on trade goods ('urūḍ at-tijārah), which is paid based on their monetary value. In all cases, zakāh must be given in the form of tamlīk (a full transfer of ownership), based on the words of Allah, the Mighty and Majestic (which mean): "Zakāh expenditures are only for the poor and for the needy, and for those employed to collect [zakāh], and for bringing hearts together [for Islam], and for freeing captives [or slaves], and for those in debt, and for the cause of Allah, and for the [stranded] traveler — an obligation [imposed] by Allah. And Allah is Knowing and Wise" [at-Tawbah/60]. The letter "lām" (لِ) in this verse — as in "lil-fuqarā'" ("for the poor") — indicates possession/ownership (lām al-milk).
It is not permissible to fulfill one's zakāh obligation by providing a benefit or service (manfa‘ah) — such as housing, education, or medical treatment — in place of the zakāh itself. This is because zakāh must be paid as wealth (māl) that is transferred into the ownership of the poor recipient, whereas such services are intangible benefits that are not, in themselves, capable of being formally transferred in ownership (ghayr qābilah lit-tamlīk). And Allah, the Exalted, knows best.

I`m infatuated with a man, is it permissible for me to make supplication that he falls in love with me and becomes my husband?

Islam has honored women by being proposed to by men, and not the other way around, so it is inappropriate for a woman to propose to a man since one who hastens in asking for a thing prematurely shall be punished by deprivation. In fact, such a phenomenon is the result of unlawful mixing between the two sexes.

My father has debts and asked me to repay them years ago, and I promised him I would do so upon his death — is it permissible for me to go back on my promise given that I am unable to repay them, especially since he refuses to contribute to repayment on the grounds that the debt has become my responsibility by virtue of my promise?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
The established principle is that a father's debt is to be repaid from his own wealth, if he possesses sufficient means. As for the promise made by the son to repay it on his father's behalf, fulfilling such a promise is strongly recommended, and breaking it is considerably disliked. Shaykh al-Islām Imām al-Nawawī, may Allah have mercy upon him, states: "Fulfilling a promise is emphatically recommended, and breaking it is severely disliked. The evidences for this from the Qurʾān and the Sunnah are well known." [Rawḍat al-Ṭālibīn,Vol. 2/P.278] Shaykh al-Islām Imām Zakariyyā al-Anṣārī, may Allah have mercy upon him, further states: "The reason fulfilling a promise is not obligatory and breaking it is not forbidden is that a promise is in the nature of a gift, and a gift does not become binding except upon receipt." [Asnā al-Maṭālib fī Sharḥ Rawḍ al-Ṭālib,Vol. 2/P.487]
Given that the son does not possess the financial means to fulfil his promise to his father, breaking this promise falls beyond his capacity — and Allah does not burden a soul beyond what it can bear. Since the father himself possesses sufficient wealth to settle his own debt, repayment must be made from his own funds. Should he pass away before doing so, the debt is to be settled from his estate. And Allah the Almighty knows best.

What is the ruling of Islamic Law on participating in the prize draws (raffles) that commercial stores hold for their customers?

Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings upon our master, the Messenger of Allah.
There is no objection to participating in the prize draws (raffles) that commercial stores hold for their customers, provided that the buyer's intention in purchasing is not merely to enter the competition without any need for what is bought — rather, the purchase must be genuinely intended for the item itself, and one must not pay more than the item's fair market price. This is because paying an amount above the market price would effectively be paying a fee to enter the prize draw, which would render it a form of gambling (qimār).
These prizes are, in essence, gifts that businesses offer through a random drawing (qur'ah) to those who purchase from them, as a means of encouraging sales, without the customer bearing any additional monetary cost for participation. So long as the aforementioned conditions are met, there is no objection to benefiting from the prize offered by the store, as it is considered a lawful prize from the viewpoint of Islamic Law.
It is stated in the resolutions of the "Jordanian Iftaa' Board" (Resolution No. 47), in the context of outlining the conditions for permissible prizes: "The price of the ticket [or item purchased] for the sake of the prize must not exceed its original price, so that there is no payment of money in exchange for participation in the draw." And Allah, the Most High, knows best.

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