He is not a believer whose stomach is full while his
neighbor is hungry.
Ibn Abbas reported: The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon
him, said, "He is not a believer whose stomach is filled
while the neighbor to his side goes hungry."
Source: Sunan Al-Kubra 19049 of Baihaqi
Comment by
Kaukab Siddique:
Neighbors have extraordinary rights in Islam. Take care of
your neighbors especially if they are poor, without food, in
debt or in bad health.
Spotlights
by Br.Badi
No Lesser Evil in this Election Race
In my opinion, in this election year there is no lesser evil
in this race. Both Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump are
evil.
The best argument against the American democracy is that we
only have two bad choices (Donald and Hillary) to pick
from.
Politics aside, do you think that the success of Hillary
Clinton is good for all women? Or that the success of
Donald Trump is good for the US? Be honest.
The election in America will not succeed unless those who
express their choice are prepared to choose wisely. The real
safeguard of Election, therefore, is education.
Presidents are selected by rich gangs and powerful lobbies
and not elected by the people.
Every election is determined by Media Gimmicks and by who is
willing to go far in acting and telling people what they
want to hear.
We need a leader who will invest in building bridges, not
walls. Colleges, not weapons. Freedom and justice for All.
Peace, not chaos and hate. Tolerance, not
discrimination.
The system is complicated and cruel and the people in
America are not mature enough to vote for someone like
Bernie Sanders.
- Br. Badi Ali leads a large Muslim community in Greensboro,
NC.
PAKISTAN
Jamaate Islami Brings About United Islamic Front across
Pakistan to Support Kashmir
by Qaiser Sharif
LAHORE, July 29; Ameer, Jamaat e Islami, Pakistan, Senator
Sirajul Haq, has called upon the government to start
diplomatic initiative against India on the Kashmir issue as
the Kashmiris' spirit for liberation had forced India to be
on the defensive.
Winding up the APC on Kashmir in Islamabad, he demanded that
parliamentary delegations be sent to different counties and
talks with India be made conditional with discussion on
Kashmir. He stressed that practical efforts be started to
give a shape to Syed Ali Gilani's four point formula. In
this respect.
He also called for an international moot for the solution of
the Kashmir issue, discussing the Kashmir in the Parliament,
and convening emergent meetings of the UN Security Council
and the OIC to discuss the latest situation in Kashmir.
The political leaders who addressed the APC included PML(N)
Chairman, Senator Raja Zafarul Haq, PML(Q) leader Ch.
Shujaat Husain, Kashmir Committee Chairman Maulana Fazlur
Rahman, Federal Minister Khwaja Saad Rafique, prominent
politician, Makhdoom Javed Hashmi, former Chairman Senate
Nayyer Husain Bukhari, PPP's Faizal Karim Kundi, Ejazul Haq,
Jamat Al Dawa' chief Hafiz Muhammad Saeed, PTI's Naeemul
Haq, Sheikh Rashid Ahmed, JUP's Sahibzada Abul hair, Hurriat
Conference Syed Ali Gilani;s representative Ghulam Muhammad
Safi, Maulana Muhammad Ahmed Ludhianvi and JI's Liaqat
Baloch and Sahibzada Tariqullalh.
Sirajul Haq said that Kashmir was not the issue of the
Kashmiris, it was the issue of two hundred million
Pakistanis.
Speaking on the occasion, Ch. Shujat Husain said that
expecting anything from the government was befooling one
self.
Raja Zafarul Haq appreciated the JI efforts to hold the APC.
He said it should be made clear to India that the path to
the ties with India passed through Kashmir, and if India did
not come forward for the solution of the Kashmir issue,
Pakistan should not be keen to have ties with New Delhi.
Maulana Fazlur Rahman said that such a grand moot in support
of the Kashmiris was a proof that the hearts of the
Pakistani nation throbbed with those of the Kashmiris. He
said the Kashmiris had offered unparalleled sacrifices for
liberation and the UN resolutions promised them the right of
self- determination.
He said that a joint Kashmir policy should be evolved
through the parliament. Besides, there was need for lobbying
at the international level.
Hafiz Muhammad Saeed advised New Delhi to stop thinking that
it could keep the Kashmiris its slaves through brute force.
He said that the hearts of the Kashmiris were with the
Pakistanis but unfortunately, the rulers in Islamabad were
keen to make friends with Indian rulers.
Former Chief Justice, Pakistan, Iftekhar Muhammad Chaudhry,
said that the Kashmiris had been laying down their lives for
liberation for the last seventy years and they were fighting
the war of Pakistan's completion. He said that during the
last three weeks, India had perpetrated untold brutalities
on the Kashmiris but Pakistan had so far failed to ensure
the implementation of the UN resolutions on Kashmir.
Milli Yakjehti Council chairman Sahibzada Abul Khair Zubair
said that as long as the situation in the country was not
stable, the nation could not fight the Kashmiris case
effectively. As such, there was need to solve domestic
issues including lawlessness, poverty, unemployment and load
shedding.
Work Around the Net
from Br.Kris
Wachovia Bank Laundered 378.4 BILLION USD for Mexican drug
cartels and not a single person went to jail. Wachovia was
fined 50 million which is equal to 0.2% of their profits.
Most drug dealers get at least 20 years for laundering
money.
TheGuardian.com/world/2011/apr/03/us-bank-mexico-drug-gangs
American Killed fighting for Kurdish Communists in
Syria.
"DENVER (AP) - A Colorado man who joined Kurdish
forces in their fight against the Islamic State group was
killed in combat in Syria, his mother said Thursday."
Reports indicate that YPG , a Kurdish communist group
supported by the US air force, openly tries to recruit
westerners to fight against ISIS.
Another American from Massachusetts was killed there
earlier. A whole group of westerners has joined YPG.
[Anyone who tries to join the Islamic State faces arrest in
USA and other western countries.]
Afghanistan's Children "Captured" by USA.
Human Rights Watch reported on July 28: "In some countries,
children are more likely to be tortured. Interviews carried
out by the UN in Afghanistan found that a higher percentage
of children reported abuses compared to adults.
According to the report, US forces also detained children in
Afghanistan, wih the US authorities claiming that the
children were "captured engaging in anti-coalition
activity".
The US also detained minors in Guantanamo Bay for up to 10
years. The report states that the children were allegedly
subjected to torture. Currently, US forces would turn
children over to Afghan authorities after detaining them for
a few hours or days."
9 University Students killed by Bangladesh Police in Fake
Encounter. 1 Wounded.
On July 26, in the Kalyanpur area of Dhaka, heavily armed
police killed nine university students. Police claimed there
was an hour long "battle" during which the students were
killed. It seems to be a fake encounter because no policeman
was injured.
The first few sentences of the police statement indicate
what really happened:
"Nine suspected gunmen were killed by police in an
early-morning operation in Bangladesh's capital city of
Dhaka, according to police.
Police said they stormed the fourth floor of a rented block
of flats in the Kallyanpur area at 5am on Tuesday morning,
where they killed nine men who were wearing black clothes
and white turbans.
The operation, which the police named Storm 26, lasted an
hour. A tenth man who was shot by police survived and was
taken to hospital."
TURKEY
Erdogan to West: Mind your own Business. You cry over a few
losses. We lost more than 200 in one night.
Should Muslims Participate in the Presidential Elections?
Without Violence or breaking the Law, How should Muslim
Americans Struggle for Islam?
On July 29, Br. Kaukab Siddique gave the Juma Khutba at
Masjid Jamaat al-Muslimeen in central Baltimore. The masjid
was packed but as it is a small masjid, the outline of the
khutba is given here for distribution on line.
[Br. Kaukab always begins his khutba with praise for Allah
Almighty and salutations to all the prophets and messengers
including Abraham, Moses, Jesus and Muhammad, [peace be on
them all] as well as salutations to the family, companions
and wives of the Prophet, pbuh.]
[A special dua was made for a donor who has paid the entire
electricity bill of the masjid for three months
anonymously.]
Text #1: [Sura 109]
Say: "Oh, you who disbelieve!
"I do not worship that which you worship,
"Nor do you worship That Which I worship.
"Nor will I worship that which you have been
worshipping,
"Neither will you worship That Which I worship.
"To you your religion and to me mine."
Text #2. 11;113
And do not incline toward those who oppress, lest you be
touched by the Fire, and you would not have other than Allah
any protectors; then you would not be helped.
Text #3: Sura 26: 165-167
{Prophet Lot, pbuh,said] "What! do you come to the males
from among all creatures! and leave what your Lord has
created for you of your wives? Nay, you are a people
exceeding limits." They said: If you desist not, O Lot, you
shall surely be of those who are expelled.
We Muslims must examine our understanding of :
Iman [faith]. Are we keeping it pure or are we mixing it
with shirk?
Salat [obligatory prayer]. Are we focused on Allah and
are we organized and disciplined?
Saum [Fasting]. We asked for Allah's forgiveness during
Ramadan. Are we sticking to our repentance?
Zakat [charity & Giving]. How much of our wealth goes
into sadaqat and how much into indulgence & pleasure?
Hajj [Pilgrimage to Makka]. Are we thinking of ONE UMMAH
& do we follow the pilgrims spiritually if we can't go?
Jihad [Struggle against oppression]. This is where we are
totally lost although almost every large sura of the Qur'an
teaches it and makes it obligatory.
We have undertaken not to break the laws and not to be
violent towards the people among whom we live. Here is how
it is to be undertaken in America, InshaAllah.
No assimilation. No mixing Islam with other religions.
They are separate and distinct from us. We do not accept the
religion of Israel which is racial and supports occupation
of Palestine. We do not accept Christianity because they
take Jesus as "God" or as son of "God." They say Jesus,
pbuh, was crucified. Hindus have many gods None of them
accept Muhammad, pbuh. [We do not fight them but we do not
believe in religious unity with them.]
We do not accept cooperation with oppressors. Not the
slightest cooperation is allowed. The words in the Quran are
"do not incline." So even a mental sense of accepting the
oppressors is HARAM. All oppressors must be rejected even if
they claim to be Muslims.
Both Trump and Hillary are leaders of oppression or
preparing to be such. They support Israel without
reservations. They oppose Sharia. They oppose Islamic rule
and khilafa. They support "Muslim" tyrants.
We are not against anyone's civil rights but
homosexuality is being presented as an ideology, as a way of
life equal to and even better than Islam and
Christianity.
Allah destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah. The wife of the
Prophet, pbuh, had some kind of very slight inclination
towards the people who were being destroyed. She just turned
around and looked and she was turned into a pillar of salt.
So the question of any compromise over homosex does not
arise. Remember the biggest "Gay" parade is in Israel.
Not only is the self-aggrandizement and massive spending
on presidential conventions not acceptable, the bringing
forth of soldiers with Muslim names who fought for the
unbelievers against Muslims is outright KUFR and HARAM.
Kareem Abdul Jabbar revealed that he is a sell-out. The
Pakistani man they brought could not even pronounce his own
name correctly. This is how brainwashed they are.
Non-violent jihad includes not spending our money on any
business or products which support Israel in any way. Do
your research. The way to al-Jannah is not easy.
Hadith of Muhammad, pbuh. "The greatest jihad is to say
the word of truth to a tyrant ruler,:
These kuffar are not civilized. Look at how they treat
prisoners. The prisoners are humiliated on the point of
arrest and if convicted are degraded, abused, treated worse
than dogs, turned into non-humans. Look at Guantanamo Bay .
Can a civilized nation do this to prisoners? Tying them foot
to head and leaving them like that for days. See what they
did in Abu Ghraib and Bagram. How proud they are of turning
all of Gaza into a concentration camp. How shamelessly proud
they are of bombing people who have no anti-air defenses!
Shameless savages!
O Allah! Heal those who are unwell, give jobs to those who
are unemployed , give halal achievement to those who have
jobs. O Allah give us compassion and empathy for the weak,
the oppressed, the downtrodden, the poor. Give us spouses
and children who will stand with us in Islam.
O Allah help us to study the Qur'an and the hadith. Ameen,
Summa Ameen.
Jamaat al-Muslimeen National Islamic Shoora Resolutions
Palestine, Africa and Political Prisoners are Central to our
Concern.
Muslims must evaluate themselves objectively to
understand theit loyalty to Islam and the direction they are
going.
Police brutality widespread in America and unless strict
restraints are placed, it will only get worse.
Israeli brutalities against Palestinians and Police
brutalities against poor Black Americans are similar in
important ways and should be studied.
Muslim political prisoners have been abandoned by the
Muslims of America. The cases of Ziyad Yaghi and Aafia
Siddiqui have highlighted the innocence of these prisoners
and the unjust sentences imposed on them.
Muslims should continue with and mobilize for the boycott
of businesses which support Israel. This is an effective
peaceful way of opposing Israel.
Africa is important for Muslims. Help Jamaat to support
families in Ethiopia, Ghana, Gambia and Uganda.
Immigrants from Africa, particularly Somalia and South
Sudan are pouring into America. Steps should be taken to
help them and the current situation in which they are being
ignored is not accdeptable.
Syria
Russia & Regime Bombing Aleppo, Idlib, Darayya, Damascus
Suburbs. US Air force bombing Manbig and Surrounding
areas.
July 25-30: Aleppo is under severe pressure. Its food supply
has been cut by Assad regime's artillery hitting the
Costello road and Hizbullah commandos infiltrating the area.
Within the city, the Alawite enclave is directing long range
artillery and air strikes against the city areas controlled
by the FSA.
Civilians are being targeted by the regime and Russian air
strikes and the fregime is urging the population to leave
but the people are still not leaving in spite of daily
terror attacks.
Hospitals and bakeries in Aleppo have been wiped out in air
strikes by Russia.
The massacre of civilians by the Assad Air Force and the
Russians in Aleppo has been summed up in this press release
by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights:
"About 60 killed by massacre by regime warplanes in
Aleppo
Aerial bombardment continue around the Syrian provinces,
regime warplane and helicopters continue targeting areas of
al-Atarib in the western countryside of Aleppo, committing
massacres against civilians, SOHR documented the death of 58
civilians including 14 children and 3 women by aerial
bombardment on al-Atarib since the 16th of July until today,
the aerial bombardment also led to material damages and
injuries between civilians."
After 50 days of bombing and assault, the Communist Kurds
have failed to capture Manbig though they have entered the
city.
In the latest massacre, the US air force killed 28 civilians
in al-Ghandour village north of Manbig . The people support
IS.
On the fronts of Homs, Hama and Damascus, the Islamic State
is pressing Hizbullah back.
Same story in Deir ez Zour.
Pakistan
Pakistan's General Raheel Shareef Meets Egypt's General
Sissi.. Two Tyrants Using the military to Crush Islamic
People.
What Do these Two Mean when they use the Word
"Terrorists.?"
Amnesty International Rafeequl Rehman's mother, Mamana Bibi,
was killed in a U.S. drone strike in the village of Ghundi
Kala, North Waziristan, Pakistan, on Oct. 24, 2012. Rehman
is a teacher in Pakistan and the son of Mamana Bibi, who was
killed in a U.S. drone strike in 2012
My family deserves an apology-and justiceMy story isn't much
different from so many sons all over the world: I lost my
mother too soon. But unlike many sons, I am still waiting
for an explanation for why my mother was killed. Since the
day that a U.S. drone struck and killed my mother as she
stood in our family fields, I have waited for an
acknowledgement or apology from the U.S. government. I'm
still waiting to this day.
My children - Mamana's grandchildren - watched it
happen. It was a sunny October afternoon in 2012, and she
was gathering okra in our family's mostly vacant fields in
Ghundi Kala village, North Waziristan, intending to cook it
that evening. My children were home, standing about a
hundred feet from her. They watched as she was struck by two
Hellfire missiles, blown to bits before their eyes. My
daughters and sons felt the explosion and were covered with
the smoke and dust. Some were struck by shrapnel. My
3-year-old son Safdar, who had been standing on the roof,
fell 10 feet from the blast's shockwave, fracturing bones in
his shoulders and chest.
Afterward my daughter Nabeela, then 8-years-old, went to the
place her grandmother had been standing. She found her
grandmother's shoes. Our family gathered as many of her body
parts as we could find and wrapped them in a cloth.
A year after her death, I traveled to the United States and
told members of Congress about the drone strike and how it
had devastated us. I saw with my own eyes how saddened they
were. But no one in the U.S. government promised to
investigate what happened.
President Obama recently ordered the government to start
disclosing the numbers of civilian casualties to the public.
We welcome that, but we are in the same position we were in
four years ago. No U.S. official has ever acknowledged what
happened to my mother, or apologized to us. We are still
waiting for justice. Without the help of organizations like
Amnesty International, which documented my mother's death in
a 2013 report on drones, we might still be suffering in
silence.
We aren't asking for money, just that all victims of
violence be treated the same. The same month my daughter
Nabeela was injured in the drone strike that took my
mother's life, Pakistani schoolgirl and education campaigner
Malala Yousafzai narrowly survived the Taliban's attempt on
her life. We are proud of Malala's bravery, and the actions
of all those who stand up for human rights in our
country.
But there is a double standard here: While President Obama
invited Malala to speak at the White House and offered his
support, there are no words of sympathy for my daughter. I
wonder if the president even knows my daughter's name.
After the strike, we fled our village in Waziristan. My
children had suffered not just from witnessing the death of
their grandmother, but from losing their friends and from
the ongoing war. They lost years of education, too. Because
Safdar did not receive immediate specialist medical care
after the drone strike, he continues to suffer complications
from his injuries. When we go back to the village, the kids
are still scared. It's not just the drone strikes; it's the
Taliban and bombardment by Pakistani forces.
My children still ache from missing their grandmother. We
feel deeply that the U.S. government has committed an
injustice. We must have the truth about why my mother, my
children's grandmother, was killed so brutally. We deserve
an apology and justice for what happened that October
afternoon.
Serious Fighting Erupts in Mali. Nampala on July 17 and
Kidal on July 22-23
On July 17 there was a coordinated attack by Islamic groupa
on a Malian military base in Nampala [central Mali].
Al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb [AQIM] and Nasir Dine with a
third smaller group swept into the base. The regime admitted
17 of its troops killed and 35 wounded. The Islamic fighters
took away weapons and supplies from the base. Mali announced
ten days of mourning.
[Mali is a secular regime supported by France including
French troops.]
On July 22, fighting began between a government-organized
militia and a groups supported by the Touraeg tribes.
Fighting with heavy weapons continued into July 23.
Women's "Rights" in America. Rape is not a Capital Crime
[sometimes hardly a crime].
Bus driver admits to raping student, walks free
A 35-year-old former school bus driver won't serve time in
jail after pleading guilty to raping a 15-year-old student
in Hamilton County, Tenn.
On Thursday, Judge Barry Steelman accepted Alexander
Rodriquez's plea deal for aggravated statutory rape, which
included a four-year suspended sentence, though he
questioned why prosecutors didn't want to put the man behind
bars. "We did point out that [Rodriquez] had already served
100 days," his defense lawyer tells the Chattanooga Times
Free Press, adding there were "credibility issues" with the
victim.
Rodriquez will now be placed on supervised sex offender
probation for 10 years and must wear a GPS monitor. But the
victim's father - who's suing Rodriquez and the
Hamilton County Board of Education for $10 million, per the
Free Press - says it's not enough.
"We were immediately turned off by the fact that there was
no jail time," he says. "I'm disappointed that somebody that
commits a crime sexually, especially against a child, gets
treated like a DUI [offender]," he adds.
"For me and my family, this has been an absolutely
heartbreaking experience," The victim told authorities that
Rodriquez drove her from Sale Creek High School to a bus
loading station last March, then took her to a Super 8,
where he forced her to perform oral sex and raped her,
saying, "I'm trying to make it hurt," per the
Chattanoogan.
After authorities called Rodriquez looking for the girl, she
said he dropped her off an hour's walk from her house and
told her to tell her parents she had been with a friend.
(In Missouri, police say a man kept a teenage girl captive
in his home for weeks.)
Boston
Police Car Chase Policies Kill People without Guns.
Question: Dear Scholars, I have the following question: A
Christian missionary by the name of Jay Smith during a
debate with Brother Shabir Aly claimed that the Quran which
we have today is from the period of 740-750 AD. The Quran
compiled by the third caliph, Uthman (may Allah be pleased
with him) and present in Topkapi Museum in Turkey and in
Tashkent, Russia, does not reflect the period of Uthman but
the period of 740-750 AD. He based his views on the coins he
had of the period from 740 AD onwards.He further adds,
quoting the archeology work of Patricia Crone, that Makkah
was not discovered until the ninth century. In other words,
he claims that we don't have any record of Makkah and our
Prophet (peace be upon him) in the seventh century. What is
your view regarding this accusation?
Consultant: Shahul Hameed
Answer:
Salam Mohsin,
Thank you for your question and for contacting Ask About
Islam.
The arguments of Jay Smith based on the so-called historical
research of persons like Patricia Crone and Michael Cook
betray only their bankruptcy in attempting to discredit
Islam. This can be understood by anyone who has a cursory
knowledge of the wonderful transformation of the Arabs of
the Jahiliyyah time (pre-Quranic period) brought about by
Islam.
The Islamic scholar Abdur-Raheem Green has copiously
answered the questions raised by Smith and others. You may
read his scholarly reply in detail by clickinghere.
The fundamentalist missionaries, such as the likes of Jay
Smith, are masters in confusing and deceiving through
spurious scholarship. Smith adopts the position of rejecting
Muslim sources as regards Islam, and accepting only hostile
non-Muslim sources.
I confine this answer only to the two points you have raised
in your mail:
Quran Manuscripts
First, Smith's charge against the original copies of the
Quran:
According to him, the earliest available manuscript of the
Quran belongs to a period much later than that of its
revelation. Even if it were true, it does not necessarily
mean that the extant manuscript is not the original Qur'an
revealed to the Prophet.
In fact, Muslims believe that the Quran revealed to the
Prophet (peace be upon him) has been handed down intact from
generation to generation for two reasons:
It has been clearly guaranteed by Allah Almighty Himself
in the Quran that He will preserve the Quran from corruption
or loss:
{We have, without doubt, sent down the Message; and We will
assuredly guard it.} (Al-Hijr 15:9)
From the day the Quran was originally recited to the
people, it has been with the people. As soon as a few verses
were revealed, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)
taught them to the Muslims and they learned them by
heart.
The Quran is also the only scripture that has been memorized
by the people from the time of its revelation to the
present. At any point in history after the Prophet's time,
there lived a large section of believers who could recite
the whole of the Quran from beginning to end.
Five times a day Muslims recite portions of it in their
prayers, apart from reading at least part of it daily in the
morning. This has been continuing from day one to the
present and so there was no question of any portion of the
Quran being changed or lost.
Referring to this Islamic tradition of keeping the scripture
vibrant and well-preserved, Dr. Kenneth Cragg wrote the
following:
This phenomenon of Quranic recital means that the text has
traversed the centuries in an unbroken living sequence of
devotion. It cannot, therefore, be handled as an antiquarian
thing, nor as a historical document out of a distant past.
The fact of hifz has made the Quran a present possession
through all the lapse of Muslim time and given it a human
currency in every generation never allowing its relegation
to a bare authority for reference alone. (The Mind of the
Qur'an, George Allen & Unwin, 1973, p.26.)
It is true that most of the early Quran manuscripts with us
now date after the second century Hijrah. But there are a
number of fragments of Quranic papyri that date from the
first century. There is also a complete Quran in the
Egyptian National Library on parchment made from gazelle
skin that has been dated AH 68 (688 CE).
We have differing accounts of the number of copies directly
ordered and sent out by the Caliph Uthman. Two of these are
extant: one at Topkapi in Istanbul and the other in
Tashkent.
Smith's arbitrary dating of the origins of the Kufic script,
in which these manuscripts were written, actually
contradicts early coin and rock inscriptions. Even Western
scholars have noted this.
His argument is that the city of Kufah became a major center
much after the Prophet, and so the Kufic script is also of a
later origin. This, according to him, means that the
manuscript in Kufic script is also of a later date.
There is, however, historical evidence to prove that what
came to be called Kufic script was in existence much before
the origin of the city of Kufah.
What is more important is that there is no deviation in
these manuscripts from the Qur'an we have today. Thus the
claims of Crone, Crook, and Smith about the Quran do not
stand scrutiny in the light of the research findings of
recognized scholars.
John B. Taylor, Director of Dialogue With People of Living
Faiths and Ideologies, World Council of Churches, wrote the
following:
Thus we can feel confident that the Qur'an which we have
today is as far as is humanly possible the text which was
established within a few years of the Prophet's death.
(Thinking about Islam, quoted in Mission
Islam:http://www.missionislam.com/quran/Authenticity.htm)
Makkah
The second point you have is Jay Smith's claim that Makkah
was not discovered until the ninth century and that there is
no record of Makkah or the Prophet (peace be upon him) in
the seventh century.
By claiming that Makkah was not discovered until the ninth
century, they might mean that the city was little known
outside Arabia. Anyway, one can see what historians have to
say on this topic.
Here is one account from an outsider's point of view, quoted
from the website of the World History Project:
The Hejaz rises from the western coastal plain from Yemen in
the south to the Sinai peninsula in the north. One of the
oases in the Hejaz is Mecca, set among the barren hills
fifty miles inland from the sea. This site had several
advantages: Mecca possessed a well (the Zemzem) of great
depth, and two ancient caravan routes met there. An
east-to-west route ran from Africa through the peninsula to
Iran and Central Asia, and a northwest-southeast route
brought the spices of India to the Mediterranean world.
Another significant advantage of Mecca was its importance as
a religious sanctuary. An ancient temple, an almost square
structure built of granite blocks, stood near the well of
Mecca. Known as the Kaaba (cube), this square temple
contained the sacred Black Stone, which was said to have
been brought to Abraham and his son Ishmael by the Angel
Gabriel. According to tradition, the stone, probably a
meteorite, was originally white but had become blackened by
the sins of those touching it.
For centuries the Kaaba had been a holy place of annual
pilgrimage for the Arabic tribes and a focal point of Arabic
cultural and linguistic unity. The Kaaba itself was draped
with the pelts of sacrificial animals, and supposedly held
the images and shrines of 360 gods and goddesses.
By the sixth century, Mecca was controlled by the Koraysh
tribe, whose rulers organized themselves into syndicates of
merchants and wealthy businessmen. The Koraysh held
lucrative trading agreements with Byzantine and Persian
contacts, as well as with the southern Arabian tribes and
the Abyssinians (Ethiopians) across the Red Sea. In
addition, a number of neighboring merchant fairs, such as
one usually held at Ukaz, were taken over by the Koraysh to
extend the economic influence of Mecca. The Koraysh were
also concerned with protecting the religious shrine of the
Kaaba, in addition to ensuring that the annual pilgrimage of
tribes to the holy place would continue as a source of
revenue for the merchants of the city.
(http://history-world.org/islam.htm)
This was Makkah before Islam.
By suggesting that there are no records of the connection
between Muhammad (peace be upon him) and Makkah, Smith
simply denies the reliability of not only the Quran, the
Hadith and the seerah (the Prophet's biography), but also of
all the historians who base their books on those original
sources.
I hope this answers your questions, Mohsin. Please keep in
touch and do not hesitate to contact us again if you have
further queries.
