Explanation of The Forty Makkan Narrations pdf

Explanation of the forty Makkan narrations

EXPLANATION OF THE FORTY MAKKAN NARRATIONS

The First Masjid on Earth 

After Ibraaheem (Abraham), may Allaah exalt his mention, left his wife Haajar (Hajar) and his son Ismaa‘eel (Ishmael), may Allaah exalt his mention, in an uncultivated valley, he continued visiting them from time to time.

During one of his visits, he, may Allaah exalt his mention, said to his son Ismaa‘eel, may Allaah exalt his mention, “My son, Allaah The Almighty has ordered me to build a house for His worship and remembrance at this spot of land,” then he asked his son to help him perform this task.

The son started tirelessly gathering stones for his father, who used them in building the House, until Allaah. The Almighty helped them complete its construction.¹ And thus, the Sacred House was built, the first Masjid established on earth.

Abu Tharr, may Allaah be pleased with him, said,

 “I asked the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, ‘O Messenger of Allaah! Which Masjid was first established on the surface of the earth?’ He, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said: “Al-Masjid Al-Haraam (the

Ka’bah in Makkah)” I then asked: ‘Which was established next?’ He, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, replied: “Al-Masjid Al-Aqsa (the Masjid of Jerusalem),” I inquired, ‘How long was the period between (building) each of them?’ He, sallallaahu‘alayhi wa sallam, said: “Forty years.” He, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, then added: “Wherever (you may be, and) the prayer time becomes due, perform the prayer there, for the best thing is to do so (to offer the prayers in time).” [Al-Bukhaari]² 

The narrator:

The former name of Abu Tharr Al-Ghifaari, may Allaah be pleased with him, was Jundub ibn Junaadah. He embraced Islam early, but his emigration to Madeenah was delayed for a while. He emigrated to the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, and remained in his company until he, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, passed away. He died during the Caliphate of ‘Uthmaan, may Allaah be pleased with him, exactly in the year 32 A.H.³ 

Commentary: 

When an object is granted primacy, it is a source of honor and merit for it, as the same status will not be given to whatever comes after it. Thus, Abu Tharr, may Allaah be pleased with him, enquired about the first Masjid that was established on the earth.

The Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, clarified that the Sacred Masjid in Makkah is the first, and Al-Masjid Al-Aqsa in Jerusalem followed it in construction, and not in honor and position. This is because the Masjid of the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, in Madeenah is more honored and glorified than that of Jerusalem.

Moreover, the mention of prayer after answering the questions indicates that it is the greatest purpose ever for building mosques on the earth.

Additionally, the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said in this Hadeeth: “Wherever (you may be, and) the prayer time becomes due, perform the prayer there, for the best thing is to do so (to offer the prayers in time),” which draws our attention to an important priority that should not be absent from the minds of the believers.

This priority is called by some scholars “Worship at its due time“. This means that the person attains the excellence of worship by performing it in the beginning of its due time, not in a certain place. However, the above-mentioned three sacred Masjids are excluded from this rule.

Lessons and Instructions: 

This Hadeeth contains several instructions and lessons, and we will mention the following out of them:

1. The Sacred Masjid in Makkah is the first Masjid that was established on earth for worshipping Allaah The Almighty, and Al-Masjid Al-Aqsa in Jerusalem was built after it.
2. Prayer is permitted at any place on earth except for what is excluded by jurisprudential proofs.
3. This previous point is considered a distinct quality for the Muslim nation. This is because the whole earth has been made a pure place for praying for the Muslim nation, unlike the previous nations who used to pray in specified places.
4. The Hadeeth emphasizes the significance of prayer, as it urges people to perform it at the beginning of its due time. ⁴ 

Ever since the Sacred House came into existence, people have taken care of it by glorifying it and rectifying any damage to its building.

Such restorations have continued unabated over the ages, including the renewal of the building itself or expansion of the porticos of the Masjid. Some examples of these efforts are the accomplishments of the Caliphs ‘Umar ibn Al Khattaab and ‘Uthmaan ibn ‘Affaan, may Allaah be pleased with them, in increasing the area of the Sacred Masjid.⁵ The efforts of taking care of the Masjid continued to be exerted by the Muslim caliphs and rulers until our present time. 

The largest two expansions of the Sacred Masjid in history were made by the Saudi government.

The first expansion was completed during the reign of the Custodian of the Two Sacred Masjids, King Fahd ibn ‘Abd Al-‘Azeez, may Allaah have mercy upon him, and the second is being done by the present Custodian of the Two Sacred Masjids, King ‘Abdullaah ibn ‘Abd Al-‘Azeez, may Allaah protect him.⁶

The Hajj Of The Prophets, may Allaah exalt their mention

When Prophet Ibraaheem (Abraham), may Allaah exalt his mention, called for Hajj after he built the House of Allaah The Almighty, his call was answered by a countless number of people, and the noble prophets were naturally at the head of them. Therefore, Ibraaheem, Ismaa‘eel (Ishmael), Moosa 

(Moses), Yoonus (Jonah), and other prophets, may Allaah exalt their mention all, hastened to perform the rituals of Hajj.

The one prophet whose Hajj incidents are completely recorded is Prophet Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, in his farewell Hajj. So, every Muslim should be keen to follow the example of the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, by making their Hajj identical to his.

Ibn ‘Abbaas, may Allaah be pleased with him, reported, 

“The Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, passed through the valley of Al-Azraq and he, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said: “Which mountain trail is this?” The people said, ‘This is the valley of Al-Azraq.’

 Thereupon he, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, observed: “(I perceive) It is as if I am looking at Moosa, may Allaah exalt his mention, descending from the mountain trail uttering Talbiyah loudly (i.e. saying what means), ‘Here I am, O Allaah, at your service!”

Then he, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, came to the mountain trail of Harsha and said: “Which is this mountain trail?” They said, ‘It is the mountain trail of Harsha.’ He, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, observed: 

“It is as If I am seeing Yoonus, may Allaah exalt his mention, the son of Matta on a well-built red dromedary, with a cloak of wool around him and the rein of his dromedary is made of the fibers of date 

palm, and he is also uttering Talbiyah loudly.” [Muslim]¹ 

The narrator:

The narrator of this Hadeeth is ‘Abdullaah ibn ‘Abbaas ibn ‘Abdil Muttalib Al-Qurashi Al-Haashimi, may Allaah be pleased with him, the cousin of the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam. He was a scholar, and was called “The Sea” of this nation because of the depth of his knowledge, and he died in Taa’if in the year 68 A.H.² 

Commentary:

Al-Azraq is a valley behind Amaj and it is a mile away from Makkah³. Harsha is a mountain on the way to Shaam and Madeenah near Al-Juhfah.⁴ 

Lessons and Instructions: 

This narration is a lesson from the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, teaching us to honor Makkah, and about Tawheed (monotheism) to Allaah The Almighty, being sincere to Him in religion, and glorifying, revering and loving the prophets, may Allaah exalt their mention.

It also shows the high position of the prophets, may Allaah exalt their mention, and their sincere worship to Allaah The Almighty, which is clear in their response to the call of their father Prophet Ibraaheem, may Allaah exalt his mention. 

 This narration also shows the permissibility of teaching in certain places of historical importance. The Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, did not mention anything about the Hajj of Moosa, may Allaah exalt his mention, until he came to the valley of Al-Azraq, and he did not tell them more until he reached Harsha, where he told them about the Hajj of Yoonus, may Allaah exalt his mention.

We can also notice that the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, kept refreshing the memories of his Companions by asking them about the place both times.

The following are more benefits that can be extracted from this Hadeeth: 

• The previous prophets performed the rituals of Al-Hajj to Makkah.⁵ 
• It urges people to perform Hajj and to show humility in it to follow the example of the prophets of Allaah.⁶ 
• It is recommended to raise your voice in Talbiyah.⁷ 
• Teaching about an event at the place where it occurred is recommended.

It is worth mentioning that the Hajj of ‘Eesa (Jesus), may Allaah exalt his mention, to Makkah at the end of the world is considered another aspect of the prophets honoring it.

Abu Hurayrah, may Allaah be pleased with him reported that the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said: “I swear by Him in Whose Hand is my life, Ibn Maryam (Jesus, son of Mary) would certainly pronounce Talbiyah for Hajj or for ‘Umrah or for both (simultaneously as a Qiraan type of Hajj) in the valley of Ar-Rawha.” ⁸An-Nawawi, may Allaah have mercy upon him said, “This will be at the end of the world, after the descent of ‘Eesa, may Allaah exalt his mention, from heaven.” ⁹ 

Moreover, Makkah is also glorified by the farewell Hajj of the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, in which he showed great reverence to Makkah, and by the honor that Allaah The Almighty conferred upon His Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, in this Hajj.

The first of this is he started his rituals with Tawheed by saying: “Labbayka Allaahumma labbayk, Labbayka laa shareeka laka labbaik, Inna al-Hamda wan Ni‘mata laka wal-Mulk, laa shareeka lak,” which means, “Here I am, O Allaah, at your service, no partner to You exists, all perfect praise is due to You, every favor is from You, no partner to You exists.” ¹⁰ 

He, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, also contradicted the rituals of the polytheists, as he, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, stayed at ‘Arafah until sunset, and departed from Muzdalifah after dawn and immediately before sunrise.

Furthermore, it is in Makkah that Allaah The Almighty completed His favor by perfecting the religion on the Day of ‘Arafah. He, The Almighty, Says (what means): {This day I have perfected for you your religion and completed My favor upon you and have approved for you Islam as religion.} [Qur’aan 4:3].¹¹ The Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, also gave a sermon to the people on the Day of Nahr (the Day of Sacrifice) in which he said:

“Which day is this? Which month is this? Which city is this? Verily, your blood and your properties are sacred to one another like the sanctity of this day of yours, in this month of yours, in this town of yours, till the day you meet your Lord. No doubt! Have I not conveyed Allaah’s message to you?

 They said, “Yes.” He said: “O Allaah! Be witness! So it is incumbent upon those who are present to convey it (this information) to those who are absent because the informed one might comprehend it (what I have said) better than the present audience, who will convey it to him. Beware! Do not renegade (as) disbelievers after me by striking the necks of (killing) one another.” ¹² 

The scholars said that the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, emphasized in this speech the necessity of honoring the Day of Nahr, the month of Thul-Hijjah and the sacred city.¹³