The Pledge of Aqabah

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Summary

In the tenth or eleventh year after the advent of Islam, six people from Yathrib met with the Holy Prophet and accepted Islam. Thus, the call of Islam echoed around the city of Yathrib and the following year (the twelfth year after the advent of Islam), twelve people from Yathrib met the Holy Prophet in a place called Aqabah and made a pledge with him. Due to the activities and propagation of these twelve people, the number of Muslims grew and the year after, seventy-five people met with the Holy Prophet in Aqabah and made a pledge to defend him. These two pledges are known as the first and second pledges of Aqabah and set the foundation for immigration to Madinah.

Islam in Yathrib

There is conflict among the historians regarding the first Muslims of Yathrib and when the people of this city became inclined towards Islam, but it is clear that the religion of Islam infiltrated Yathrib in several stages. Also, there is great conflict regarding the names and amount of people in several meetings and pledges with the Holy Prophet, but this isn’t the correct place to assess all of the reports. Therefore, merely mentioning what happened and mentioning the names regarding which the historians do not have a conflict on will suffice.

The first Muslim of Yathrib

It is mentioned in some reports that Asad ibn Zurarah and Dhakwan ibn Abd al-Qays accepted Islam during the era of siege in Shib Abi Talib (seven-ten years after the advent of Islam). [1] [2]

It is mentioned that Asad ibn Zurarah and Dhakwan ibn Abd al-Qays from the Khazraj tribe came to Makkah during the Hajj season when the Bani Hashim were under siege to convince Utbah ibn Rabiah to support them against the Aws. Utbah rejected their request, saying,

“Your city is far from us and in addition, we are in our own problems and won’t be able to do anything else.”

When they asked about their problems, Utbah told them about the advent of the Holy Prophet and that he had ruined the Qurayshi youth and disunited them. While saying this, he warned them about communicating with the Holy Prophet as he was a sorcerer who would put people under a trance with his words! He advised Asad to put cotton in his ears while performing tawaf (circumambulation of the Kaabah) so that he wouldn’t hear Muhammad’s words. At that time, the Holy Prophet was sitting in Hajar Ismail with a group of the Bani Hashim. They had left Shib Abi Talib to observe the rites of Hajj. Asad came to do tawaf of the Kaabah. The Holy Prophet saw him from the Hajar. Asad thought to himself,

“I don’t know of anyone more ignorant than myself! Can there be such a person by the Kaabah and I don’t hear of it to inform my people upon my return?”

He took the cotton out of his ears, went to the Holy Prophet, greeted him and started speaking with him. The Holy Prophet informed him of his message and Asad accepted Islam. Dhakwan accepted Islam after him. It is mentioned in another narration that when the Holy Prophet met Asad ibn Zurarah and Dhakwan ibn Abd al-Qays, Asad said,

“O’ Messenger of Allah! May my father and mother be your sacrifice! I am from Yathrib and am one of the people of the tribe of Khazraj. The relations between us and our Awsi brothers have been cut off. I pray that Allah would bring us back together. I haven’t seen anyone more respected than you. There is a man from my people with me. If he accepts this religion, I will be hopeful that Allah would fulfil our prayers. I swear to God that I have constantly heard of your advent from the Jews. They gave us glad tidings of your advent and praised you. I wish that you would immigrate to our city. The Jews have also informed us about this. All praise is to Allah who guided me to you. I swear to God that I didn’t come to Makkah except to find a confederate against my own people, but Allah gave me greater than this.”

He then turned to Dhakwan and said,

“This is the same Messenger of Allah about whom the Jews have given us glad tidings and told us about his characteristics. Come forth and accept Islam.”

Dhakwan then accepted Islam. [3] [4] However, Ibn Ishaq and Waqidi have rejected this narration and consider the group of six people, including Asad and Dhakwan, who met with the Holy Prophet in the Hajj season of the tenth year after the advent of Islam (one year before the first Aqabah) as the first Muslims of Yathrib and that there were no other meetings. In this event, there are also mentions of the conflict between the Aws and the Khazraj and the prayer for the end of the fighting through the presence of the Holy Prophet. [1] [5] After these people accepted Islam and they returned to Yathrib, Islam infiltrated the various branches of the Aws and Khazraj. Ibn Ishaq has stated,

“There was no house in which the Holy Prophet had not been discussed.” [6] [7] [8] [9] [10]

The first pledge of Aqabah

Thus, the call of Islam reached Yathrib and the following year (the twelfth year after the advent of Islam), twelve people from Yathrib (ten Khazraji people and two Awsi people) met the Holy Prophet in Aqabah. Aqabah refers to Jamarah Aqabah in Mina where Masjid al-Bayah is located. [11] [12] In addition to accepting Islam, this group made a pledge with the Holy Prophet that they wouldn’t attribute partners to Allah, steal, commit adultery, kill their children, accuse one another of adultery or disobey the Holy Prophet’s orders. [13] [14] After observing the rites of Hajj, these twelve people returned to Yathrib with Musab ibn Umayr. Musab’s mission was to teach Islam and recite the Quran. [15] [16] [17] It is narrated by Ibn Ishaq that after the twelve people returned to Yathrib, they sent a letter to the Holy Prophet and asked him to send someone to their land to teach them Islam and the Quran, and he sent Musab for this reason. [18] In reality, the bases of this pledge were natural and innate. Adultery was looked down upon by the Arabs (and every other people) and theft, killing children and lying were also looked down upon more severely. Therefore, one can say that the new Muslims made a pledge with the Holy Prophet on innate bases. [19]

The second pledge of Aqabah

The pledgers

Due to the propagation of these twelve people and also Musab ibn Umayr’s activity in Yathrib, the number of Muslims grew in such a manner that the following year (the thirteenth year after the advent of Islam), seventy-five people (there is conflict between 2-5 people in various reports) made a pledge with the Holy Prophet on the twelfth of Dhu al-Hijjah in Aqabah. One of the peculiarities of this pledge was the presence of two women among the pledgers. One of the motives of this group was to free the Holy Prophet from the pressure and difficulty in Makkah. They said among themselves,

“How long must we let the Holy Prophet wander in the mountains of Makkah fearfully?” [20]

These seventy-five people entered Makkah as part of a five-hundred-person caravan. On the promised night, at first, the Muslims in the caravan were with the Yathribi pilgrims but after a little of the night passed when they were out of view from their compatriots, they moved towards Aqabah one by one to a valley which was there. Apparently, Ali was guarding the valley at one end and Abu Bakr was guarding at the other end. [21] [22] [23]

The bases of the pledge

After one of those present spoke about Islam (there is conflict regarding whether this person was Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib or Abbas ibn Ubadah ibn Nadlah Ansari but as the tone of the words are as if they are coming from a true believer, it is incompatible with Abbas’s past as he was still a polytheist at that time because in the narration which mentions this person as Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib, it mentions that he ‘was with the religion of his people’ and the religion of his people was polytheism, not Islam. [24] It is possible that the name of Abbas, the uncle of the Holy Prophet, was mentioned for other purposes such as pleasing the Abbasid caliphs. [25]), the Holy Prophet arose, recited some verses and called the people towards Allah and encouraged them to accept Islam. The Holy Prophet then laid the bases of the pledge, announcing,

“I will make a pledge with you on the basis that you will protect me the same way that you protect your women and children.”

Bara ibn Marur replied,

“We are the children or war and weapons, we will protect you as we protect our families!”

Ibn Tayyihan mentioned regarding the bases of the pledge,

“We have ties with the Jews in Yathrib which we must sever from now onwards. If we do so, after your victory over your own people, will you come to free us?”

The Holy Prophet smiled and answered,

“My obligation is your obligation and my prohibition is your prohibition. You are from me and I am from you; I shall fight your enemies and build ties with your allies.” [26]

In a narration regarding the bases of the pledge narrated by Ubadah ibn Samit, other points have also been mentioned,

“The Holy Prophet made a pledge with us on the basis that we would listen to his orders and obey them in difficulty, ease, displeasure and joy.” [27] [28] [29]

That night, the Ansar made an important decision and it must be said that some of them knew well how important a decision it was. They stood against two important groups, the Jews and the Quraysh, with this pledge. Abbas ibn Ubadah Ansari who was martyred in Uhud arose and said to the Ansar,

“Are you aware of what you have pledged with this man? You have pledged to him on the basis that you will fight against the red and yellow (i.e. all groups). If you imagine that you will surrender him despite losing your wealth and the killing of your elders, think carefully as in that moment, you will be stricken with loss in this world and the next. If you can see yourself being loyal to your oaths even in these circumstances, make this pledge with him!”

The people replied,

“O’ Messenger of Allah! If we make such a pledge with you despite the loss in our wealth and life, what will we get in return?”

The Holy Prophet replied,

“Paradise!”

Thus, the Ansar paid allegiance to the Holy Prophet one by one. [30] [31]

Appointment of the naqibs (chiefs)

In order to establish discipline among and also nurture the new Muslims, the Holy Prophet chose twelve people from the Ansar as naqibs. The duty of these people was to control the Muslims and be the connection between them and the Holy Prophet. In reality, they were the carers of those under their control. The Holy Prophet emphasised that this number (twelve) was chosen with due attention to the naqibs of Bani Israil. [32] [33] He likened them to the disciples of Prophet Jesus and said,

“Take care of your people as the disciples of Jesus took care of their people.” [27] [34]

Returning to Madinah

The day after, when the Quraysh heard what happened, they went to the Aws and Khazraj and objected to their pledge to bring the Holy Prophet out of Makkah and to protect him in war against the Quraysh. The Muslims of Yathrib took the polytheists of the Aws and Khazraj as their witnesses that they had heard incorrect reports. The Quraysh then went to Abdullah ibn Ubay who held a lofty status in the eyes of both parties and asked him about what happened. He was unaware of the happenings and said,

“I don’t think my people would do such a thing without informing myself.”

Despite this, the Quraysh arrested Sad ibn Ubadah and harassed him, but Jubayr ibn Mutim [35] ordered for his release due to Sad’s connection to the Quraysh’s business in Yathrib. [36] [32] [35]

When Sad came back, the Muslims returned to Yathrib and thus, Islam grew officially in that city.

The importance of the second pledge of Aqabah

The second pledge of Aqabah had a great role in establishing the Islamic government and held great importance. This pledge had a great difference to the first pledge. The first pledge included religious commitments and was a one-way pledge from the Muslims. However, the second pledge and the issues surrounding it, such as the appointment of naqibs, were completely political issues and showed that there was commitment both from the Ansar and the Holy Prophet. With this pledge, the Ansar swore that they would protect the Holy Prophet which in reality, meant protecting the whole of Islam. This meant that they were not permitted to establish any kinds of ties or plot with the Jews or the Quraysh and this would have dear consequences. In return, the Holy Prophet swore to support them as the centre of power for the Islamic society and to stay by their sides by making allies with their allies and enemies with their enemies. Yathrib required political and military power to oppose Makkah and the Jews as they were establishing a central government. Appointing the naqibs resolved a fundamental problem for the central government. This problem was that the tribes were still coherent. In this situation, how could one bring them under the shade of one rule and government? Through this, the naqib acted as a mediator; on one hand, he was considered part of a tribe and one of its chiefs and on the other, he had a position in the government. [37]

Reasons behind Yathrib’s rapid inclination towards Islam

  1. Yathrib had been suffering for years due to the tribal clashes between the Aws and Khazraj caused by the trickeries of the Jews. The Aws and Khazraj were tired of war and were looking for a way to resolve the crisis, but with the prejudice and war-mongering attitude of the Bedouins on one hand and the provocations of the Jews and the Meccan polytheists on the other as they were benefitting from the war between these two brothers kept the flame of war alive, because the Jews were a wealthy minority who would earn a good income by making swords, spears and arrows. [38] Also, if Yathrib was constantly in a state of war, Makkah would continue to be the economic axis of Hejaz and thus, the polytheists would continue to benefit. This was because due to the special development of Yathrib in contrast to the stony and dry environment of Makkah, it was extremely likely for Yathrib to become the economic centre of Hejaz. [39] [40] [41]. An example of these bloody clashes between the Aws and Khazraj is the Battle of Buath which took place five years prior to Hijra and caused the deaths of many of the chiefs of the Aws and Khazraj. By accepting Islam and the leadership of the Holy Prophet as a divine guide and a neutral party in this conflict, a perfect opportunity for peace arose. Aishah considered the Battle of Buath and the deaths of many chiefs of both tribes as the turning point for the emergence of Islam in Yathrib.
  2. A while prior to this, the Jews were aware of the emergence of the last prophet in Hejaz and were even aware of his migration to Yathrib. When they fell into an argument with the Bedouins, they even said to them,

    “A prophet will emerge who we will follow, and we will kill you like the people of Ad and Iram!” [42] [43]

    It was for this reason that when the Ansar were first invited to Islam, they said among each other,

    “This is the same prophet whom the Jews have given us glad tidings of his emergence; don’t let them get to him first!” [44] [45] [46]

    In this manner, the mental foundation was laid for the people of Yathrib to accept the emergence of a prophet from Hejaz.
  3. In the meantime, one cannot overlook the allure of Islam as a religion which is clear, simple and based on man’s innate nature and also, the Holy Prophet’s personal and family-related attributes which made the people of Yathrib inclined towards Islam. Also, the Quran had such an effect on the people of Madinah that it has been said, “Madinah was conquered by the Quran.” [47] [48]


References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Ṭabaqāt ‘al-Kubrá, vol. 1, p. 219
  2. ↑ Wafā’ ‘al-Wafā’, vol. 1, p. 223
  3. ↑ Biḥār ‘al-‘Anwār, vol. 19, p. 9
  4. ↑ I`lām ‘al-Wará, p. 57
  5. ↑ Subul ‘al-Hudá wa ‘al-Rashād, vol. 3, p. 268
  6. ↑ `Uyūn ‘al-Tawārīkh, vol. 1, p. 90
  7. ↑ Tārīkh Ṭabarī, vol. 2, p. 234
  8. ↑ ‘al-Sīraḧ ‘al-Nabawiyyaḧ (Ibn Hisham), vol. 2, p. 70
  9. ↑ Dalā’il ‘al-Nubuwwaḧ, vol. 2, p. 128
  10. ↑ Biḥār ‘al-‘Anwār, vol. 19, p. 25
  11. ↑ Subul ‘al-Hudá wa ‘al-Rashād, vol. 3, p. 269
  12. ↑ Mu`jam ‘al-Buldān, vol. 4, p. 134
  13. ↑ Majma` ‘al-Bayān, vol. 9, p. 414
  14. ↑ ‘al-Sīraḧ ‘al-Ḥalabiyyaḧ, vol. 2, p. 7
  15. ↑ ‘al-Sīraḧ ‘al-Nabawiyyaḧ (Ibn Hisham), vol. 2, p. 434
  16. ↑ Tārīkh Ṭabarī, vol. 2, p. 357
  17. ↑ `Uyūn ‘al-‘Athar, vol. 1, p. 208
  18. ↑ Dalā’il ‘al-Nubuwwaḧ, vol. 2, p. 437
  19. ↑ Extract from Tārīkh Siyāsī ‘Islām, vol. 1, p. 381
  20. ↑ ‘al-Sīraḧ ‘al-Nabawiyyaḧ (Dhahabī), p. 298
  21. ↑ I`lām ‘al-Wará, p. 60-1
  22. ↑ Biḥār ‘al-‘Anwār, vol. 19, p. 13
  23. ↑ ‘al-Sīraḧ ‘al-Ḥalabiyyaḧ, vol. 2, p. 16
  24. ↑ ‘al-Sīraḧ ‘al-Nabawiyyaḧ (‘Ibn Hishām), vol. 2, p. 441 narrated by ‘Ibn ‘Isḥāq
  25. ↑ ‘al-Ṣaḥīḥ min Sīraḧ ‘al-Nabī ‘al-‘A`ẓam, vol. 2, p. 207-8
  26. ↑ ‘al-Sīraḧ ‘al-Nabawiyyaḧ (‘Ibn Hishām), vol. 2, p. 442-3
  27. ↑ 27.0 27.1 ‘Ansāb ‘al-‘Ashrāf, vol. 1, p. 253
  28. ↑ ‘al-Muwaṭṭa’, vol. 2, p. 4
  29. ↑ Tanwīr ‘al-Ḥawālik, vol. 2, p. 175-7
  30. ↑ ‘al-Sīraḧ ‘al-Nabawiyyaḧ (‘Ibn Hishām), vol. 2, p. 444
  31. ↑ Tārīkh Ṭabarī, vol. 2, p. 363-4
  32. ↑ 32.0 32.1 ‘Ansāb ‘al-‘Ashrāf, vol. 1, p. 254
  33. ↑ Refer to the Holy Quran, Surah Mā’idaḧ: verse 12
  34. ↑ ‘al-Sīraḧ ‘al-Nabawiyyaḧ (‘Ibn Hishām), vol. 2, p. 446
  35. ↑ 35.0 35.1 Ṭabaqāt ‘al-Kubrá, vol. 1, p. 223
  36. ↑ ‘al-Sīraḧ ‘al-Nabawiyyaḧ (‘Ibn Hishām), vol. 2, p. 449-50
  37. ↑ Extract from Tārīkh Siyāsī ‘Islām, vol. 1, p. 393
  38. ↑ ‘al-Mafṣal, vol. 4, p. 140-1
  39. ↑ Wafā’ ‘al-Wafā’, vol. 3, p. 970
  40. ↑ ‘al-Ṣaḥīḥ min Sīraḧ ‘al-Nabī ‘al-‘A`ẓam, vol. 3, p. 113-9
  41. ↑ Extract from Tārīkh Siyāsī ‘Islām, vol. 1, p. 374-5
  42. ↑ ‘al-Sīraḧ ‘al-Nabawiyyaḧ (‘Ibn Hishām), vol. 2, p. 428-9
  43. ↑ Tārīkh Ṭabarī, vol. 2, p. 353-4
  44. ↑ Dalā’il ‘al-Nubuwwaḧ, vol. 2, p. 434
  45. ↑ Jawāmi` ‘al-Sīraḧ ‘al-Nabawiyyaḧ, p. 56
  46. ↑ Wafā’ ‘al-Wafā’, vol. 1, p. 221-3
  47. ↑ Futūḥ ‘al-Buldān, p. 21
  48. ↑ Rabī` ‘al-‘Abrār, vol. 1, p. 302
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