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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

Is it permissible to pray for mercy for deceased non-Muslims?

 

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master, the Messenger of Allah.
 
Yes, it is permissible to pray for mercy upon them.
 
And Allah Almighty knows best.

How to perform the witr prayer in terms of connection (wasl) and separation (fasl)?

 
Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our Master, the Messenger of Allah.
 
The Witr prayer has several forms that vary in terms of virtue:
 
The First Form: Separating every two units (rak‘ah) with a Tashahhud and a Taslim (salutation). This is superior to connecting the units, even if it is only a single rak‘ah. This is based on the Hadith of ‘Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her): 'The Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to pray eleven units between the end of the ‘Isha prayer and dawn, performing the Taslim after every two units and performing Witr with a single unit.' (Related by al-Bukhari & Muslim).
 
The Second Form: Connecting the units with only one final Tashahhud at the very end.
 
The Third Form: Connecting with two Tashahhuds—meaning reciting the Tashahhud before the final unit without performing the Taslim, then standing to complete the final unit. This form is considered the lowest in rank so that the Witr prayer remains distinct from the obligatory Maghrib prayer, as stated in the Hadith: 'Do not make the Witr resemble the Maghrib prayer.' (Narrated by Al-Daraqutni, who stated its narrators are trustworthy).
 
It is stated in Bushra al-Karim Sharh al-Muqaddimah al-Hadramiyyah: 'It is permissible to connect [the Witr] with one Tashahhud in the final unit—which is better—or with two Tashahhuds in the last two units, as both methods are established in Sahih Muslim from the actions of the Prophet ﷺ. In the connected method, more than two Tashahhuds are prohibited. Furthermore, separating (al-Fasl) is better than connecting (al-Wasl) if the number of units is the same, because the Hadiths supporting it are more numerous and it involves more devotional actions.' And Allah the Exalted knows best."

A man led the people in prayer as imam, and at the end of the prayer he performed a prostration of forgetfulness (*sujūd al-sahw*) because he had omitted a short *sūrah* after al-Fātiḥah. What is the ruling on his prayer and that of those praying behind him?

 

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master, the Messenger of Allah.
According to the Shāfiʿī school, it is sunnah to recite a sūrah after al-Fātiḥah in the prayer. One who omits it has a valid prayer, and no prostration of forgetfulness (sujūd al-sahw) is prescribed for omitting it. If someone performs sujūd al-sahw for its omission while knowing the ruling and remembering it, his prayer is invalidated. But one who is ignorant of the ruling, or who did so out of forgetfulness, his prayer is not invalidated, because this is among the matters that are obscure to people, and ignorance of it is not restricted to those who recently entered Islam.
Shaykh al-Islām al-Shams al-Ramlī said in Nihāyat al-Muḥtāj ilā Sharḥ al-Minhāj (Vol.2/p.70): “The remaining sunnahs are not compensated for by prostration, such as the remembrances (adhkār) of bowing and prostration, that is, the opening supplication (duʿāʾ al-iftitāḥ) and the sūrah, in accordance with the base rule, because they are not of the same nature as what has been reported [as compensable]. If one prostrates for any of them deliberately, his prayer is invalidated, unless he is excused due to ignorance. As for the objection raised that the ignorant person does not know that sujūd al-sahw is prescribed, and whoever knows it knows its place, this is refuted by denying such a necessary connection, for the ignorant person may hear only that sujūd al-sahw is prescribed before the salām, and so assume that it applies to every sunnah and is not restricted to its prescribed place.”
This is among the matters that are obscure, in which the mukallaf is excused for ignorance, as stated by al-Shabrāmallisī in his Ḥāshiyah ʿalā Nihāyat al-Muḥtāj (Vol.2/p.70).
However, if the imam prostrates, and the follower (maʾmūm) presumes that his imam’s prostration is for a reason for which one does not prostrate, it is not permissible to follow him in it, so long as the follower knows the ruling.
Accordingly, the prayer of one who did not recite a sūrah after al-Fātiḥah is valid, and sujūd al-sahw is not prescribed for it. Whoever prostrates out of ignorance or forgetfulness, his prayer is valid, because this is among the issues hidden from the general public. But whoever prostrates while knowing the ruling and remembering it, his prayer is invalidated. And Allah Almighty knows best.

What is the ruling on praying alone (munfaridan) in a row, and what should I do if I enter the mosque together with another person, and there is only a single gap in the first row with no second row present — should I fill that gap in the first row, or should I stand together with him in a new second row?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
If a person enters [the congregation] and finds no space available in the row, it is recommended for him — after making his opening takbīr for the prayer — to gently pull someone from the row in front of him to pray alongside him, provided he senses that this person would be agreeable to it. If that person does not agree, then he prays alone, and there is no dislike attached to his doing so in that case.
If he ends up praying alone [behind the row], it is sunnah for him to stand directly behind the imam. Then, if someone else arrives, that person stands to his right; and whoever comes after them stands to his left — and so on — such that the imam remains centered in the middle of the row. This is done so that everyone attains the reward of congregational prayer.
As for the case where two people enter the prayer together, and there is a gap in the row wide enough for only one person, then the two of them should pray together in a new row [of their own], and whoever arrives after them should fill that original gap. This is because if only one of the two fills the gap, the other would end up praying alone [which is to be avoided when it can easily be prevented].
Al-Khaṭīb ash-Shirbīnī (raḥimahullāh) said in Mughnī al-Muḥtāj (Vol.1/P.494): "If he does not find space, then it is recommended for him, while still standing, to gently pull a single person from the row toward himself after making his opening takbīr — out of caution, so as to avoid the position held by some scholars that a person's prayer standing alone behind the row is not valid.
Az-Zarkashī and others said: this should only be done if it seems he would agree to it; otherwise, he should not pull anyone — indeed, doing so becomes impermissible, out of fear of causing discord (fitnah). It is recommended for the person being pulled to cooperate and agree, so that he may attain the reward of assisting in righteousness and piety (al-birr wat-taqwā). However, he should not pull one of two people [praying together] from the row, since this would cause one of them to end up praying alone. This is why the 'pulling' described here takes place only after the opening takbīr [i.e., once the person doing the pulling has already validly begun his own prayer]."
Accordingly: it is sunnah for you to pray alongside the person praying alone, and then, if someone else arrives afterward, you may go and fill the gap in the original row. And Allah, the Exalted, knows best.

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