CULTURE OF ISLAM

86 The Buzz in Mecca & Madinah

Imtiaz Muhsin 13-Jul-12

The main objective of these talks (and therefore the scripts of these talks), is to stimulate thinking. Sensible, rational and logical thinking. So, my message, think, think & think! Be sensible, be rational and be logical.

86 The Buzz in Mecca & Madinah

Please Note
1. I have had the great privilege, (since Aug 2010), of presenting talks on the weekly Radio Program Culture of Islam [Every Friday 8 to 8.30 pm, Radio Sri Lanka - FM 97.4] 2. Since these are Radio Talks, I refer to, or address the audience as listeners 3. I am well aware that the audience to these talks would consist of people belonging to a variety of faiths. So as to make people of all faiths feel included, I very often use words and names that are common to all religions. 4. For these reasons, I use the name GOD, as well as Abraham, Moses, Jesus etc as well as the names Allah, Ibrahim (Alaihis Salaam), Moosa (Alaihis Salaam), Easa (Alaihis Salaam) etc 5. Muslims by habit usually say Sallallahu Alaihiwasallam, when the name of Prophet Muhammad is mentioned, and Alaihis Salaam' when the name of a Prophet is mentioned. However, in these series of talks I have reduced the use of these prayers & sayings to the bare minimum. 6. Muslims, also by habit, use a number of Arabic prayers or sayings, such as Alhamdulillah, Insha Allah and so on. Again, I have reduced the use of these prayers or sayings to the bare minimum. 7. Sometimes I have to write Arabic words in the English script. I have devised my own way of writing Arabic in English, as follows;

th TH

s Ss SW

DHL DHZ

H h

Gh GH

Information on these talks along with all download links can be found on my on my Blog (http://imtiazm.wordpress.com/) The dates or the schedules of these talks can be viewed on the Facebook Page (http://www.facebook.com/ImtiazMuhsin786) The Scripts of these talks can be downloaded from www.ScribD.com (www.ScribD.com Author Imtiaz Muhsin) The audio files of these talks can be downloaded from YouTube (YouTube Channel Imtiaz Muhsin) The YouTube Link to this talk is at

All Praise and Thanks is due to Allah and Allah alone Alhamdulillah! P.S. The picture on the cover shows the interior of the Nintavur Grand Jummah Mosque, located in the Ampara District Eastern Province of Sri Lanka

86 The Buzz in Mecca & Madinah

86 The Buzz in Mecca & Madinah

Dear Friends, Assalamu Alaikum, Alhamdulillah! I like to look upon these weekly talks as thought stimulators rather than as instruction. It is nice to be able to stimulate or to even to provoke thought that, I think would be a wonderful exercise, and it would give me a warm sense of accomplishment or even achievement if I get feedback that people have begun to think out the puzzles that I have made them notice Insha Allah. When we open the Quran, at the very beginning we see the Surah Fathiha, it is just seven Aayaths. We then have Surah Baqara, the longest Surah or chapter in the Quran. This Chapter begins with the words A L M Zaalikal Kitaab laa Raiyba FeeHi Hudhal lil MuttaQeen, which means, In that book, without any doubt there is guidance for the God fearing now I used to wonder why Zaalikal Kitaab and not Haazal Kitaab, why in that book and not in this book People used to tell me that in this case Zaalikal means Haazal, in that means in this It did not make sense to me. Well the answer came from an unexpected quarter, let me explain. Recently when I went to the Wellawatte Mosque, a good friend approached me and he conveyed to me a thought that had been on his mind, on and off for quite a few years, and his query actually began to make me think on those lines too. Now that is what I would call stimulating the thought processes. What did my friend ask me? I often wonder what would have been the main topic of conversation between our Prophet Muhammad (Sal) and his companions, or to put it another way what would have been the main topics of conversation amongst the Muslims or the believers in Mecca and Medinah during the time of Prophet Muhammad (Sal) I would like to describe that question as What would have been the buzz, amongst the Believers or amongst the Muslims during the time of Prophet Muhammad (Sal)? Interesting question, no? So, I began to think. This is how my thought processes worked. I asked myself the question, What was the Prophet doing? I looked for the answer in the Quran, actually there are many Aayaths that describe his mission, but for purposes of answering this query I quote Aayath No 2 from Surah Jumma (S 62) which informs us as follows;

86 The Buzz in Mecca & Madinah

(62:2) He is the One who raised amidst the unlettered people a messenger from among themselves who recites to them His Aayath,

Allah Taaalah is informing us that the people from whom the Prophet was raised were unlettered or illiterate, that is, they could not read and write scripts, and this also means that the Prophet himself was illiterate. Now what does this Ummi Prophet or this illiterate Prophet do? He recites the Aayath or the Signs of Allah to them. Now in English, this word Aayath is erroneously translated to mean Verses its actual meaning is Signs or the Signs of Allah. Now I ask this question, how many Aayaths are there in the Holy Quran and how long did it take to reveal all of them? Most of us know this answer, there are 6,236 Aayaths in the Holy Quran and these were revealed over a period of 23 years. Now assuming that this was a complete 23 years and each year had 365 days, we find that these 6,236 Aayaths were revealed over 8,395 days. Now that works out to approx 5.2 Aayaths every 7 days, or I could say 5 Aayaths every week. Now every Muslim would know that in working out these numbers, I am making a number of approximations and assumptions. However, in the quest to seek out what were the main topics of conversation amongst the believers during the time of the Prophet, I am sure such assumptions and approximations are justified. For us to really understand the answer to the main question it is necessary that we must also try to understand what the word Quran meant to the believers of those days as well as what was meant by the word Aayath or Aayaths. It is very different to how we understand these two words. How do we understand it? To all of us the Quran or the Holy Quran is the printed book that we read. It is in Arabic and many of us Muslims in Sri Lanka can read the Quran in Arabic, and Alhamdulillah read it very fluently, however, most unfortunately most of us do not understand Arabic. What we read in this book or this book which we refer to as the Holy Quran are the Aayaths of the Holy Quran I prefer to say what we refer to as the Aayaths of the Holy Quran. These Aayaths are arranged in Chapters or Surahs and the Aayaths are also numbered. So if we want to refer to an Aayath we refer to it by the Chapter number and the Aayath number. For example we say Surah 2 Aayath number 155, which would mean the 155th numbered verse in the chapter 2 or Surah No 2. These Chapters too are given names. The name of Surah No 2 or Chapter No 2 is Surah Baqarah. So again we may say Aayath No 155 in Surah Baqarah.

86 The Buzz in Mecca & Madinah

Now did the Prophet or his companions refer to these Aayaths by chapter number and verse number? They did not. Why do I say that? Because the Quran was not in the form of a printed book as we know it nor were the Aayaths numbered and neatly slotted in to that particular place in the Quran. Listeners would also be surprised to hear that the Surahs and the Aayaths that we now read in the Quran were not revealed in the order as arranged in the book. Even in a Surah, the Aayaths were not necessarily revealed in the order that is shown in the printed Quran. It is only after the death of Prophet Muhammad (Sal) and during the reign of Caliph Abu Bakr that the Aayaths of the Holy Quran were arranged in to Surahs and written out in book form. We find Meccan Surahs and Madinah Surahs. What this means is that the Meccan Surahs were revealed during the 1st 10 years of Prophet hood, whilst the Prophet was in Mecca. Similarly, the Madinah Surahs were those revealed from the 11th to 23rd year (really 24th year) of Prophet hood whilst Prophet Muhammad was residing in Madinah. We would notice that in the printed Quran many of the Surahs at the end of the book are Meccan Surahs. If they were in chronological order or in order of revelation they should have appeared at the beginning of the printed book. The longest Surah in the Quran is Surah Baqarah, which is Surah No 2 and is therefore placed at almost the very beginning of the printed Holy Quran. Surah Baqarah is placed at almost the beginning of the printed Quran, but it is a Madinah Surah. Listeners may also find it interesting to know that some Aayaths in Surah Baqarah had been revealed in Mecca. So we do find that the Surahs or the Aayaths in the printed Quran are not arranged in chronological order nor in the order of revelation. So now here comes a perplexing question, if there was no printed Quran, then what did the believers at the time of the Prophet read? Then there arises another question, if they were illiterate how could they read? So we get two perplexing answers. The Quran was not in printed form, so there was no Quran to read as we understand reading. The Prophet as well as his people were illiterate, so they could not read as we understand the concept of reading. So even if there was a printed or a written Quran they would not have been able to read it. So, what did they do? What did the Prophet do? What did the believers, his close companions do? There are many Aayaths that describe what they did, but for the purposes of this talk, let me describe to you a few of them.

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We just read that that the Prophet would recite to them the Aayaths 63:2 (Surah Jummah Part) - who recites to them His Aayath,

Now Allah is also instructing those who are listening to this recitation, He says in S al Araaf;

(7:204) S Araaf - When the Qurn is recited listen to it and be silent, so that you may be blessed.

Again in Surah Qiyaamah (S 75 Aayath Nos 16 to 19) Allah informs us through the Prophet.

(75:16) (O Prophet,) do not move your tongue (during revelation) for (reciting) it (the Qurn) to receive it in a hurry. (75:17) Indeed upon us is its collection and its recitation (75:18) and when we have recited it, then follow its recitation (75:19) Then, indeed it is upon us to explain

An obvious meaning that can be derived from these Aayaths would be When it is recited listen to it, follow it, Allah assures us that He would explain it or make it clear to us So now imagine the situation; The Aayaths are being revealed to the Prophet. The Prophet is reciting these Aayath, his companions are listening, they are not reading it of a book, they are moved by the eloquence and the power of the message enshrined in these words, and they are anxious to inscribe it in their memories, to understand it and to act upon it, as well as to convey it to everyone especially their near and dear. Just imagine that setting. Surely after the recitation, there would have been quite a few questions to the Prophet. Surely these Aayaths, the questions and the answers would have moved as well as inspired those present. Would not those present keep on repeating these Aayaths again and again and would they not look for these signs or recognize these signs in Allahs creation, in themselves, in the other Mumins the believers and even in the rejecters or the Kaafir?

86 The Buzz in Mecca & Madinah

Now, does not the Aayath Nos 190 and 191 from Surah Aal E Imran make more sense to us?

(3:190) Surely, in the creation of the heavens and the earth, and in the alternation of night and day, there are signs for the people of wisdom,

(3:191) who remember Allah standing and sitting, and (lying) on their sides, and ponder on the creation of the heavens and the earth (and say) Our Lord, You have not created all this in vain. We proclaim Your purity. So, save us from the punishment of Fire.

So the companions of the Prophet listened to the Aayaths being recited, memorized these Aayaths, contemplated on their meanings and read these Aayaths in or from the creation of Allah They read these Aayaths so well, that they were able to make some wonderful deductions. They worked out or extrapolated what they were seeing, and came to the conclusion that there has to be a reckoning, and that day would be after our death, and those who are guilty of misconduct on this earth would face hell fire. So they prayed;

(3:191) Our Rabb, You have not created all this in vain. We proclaim Your purity. So, save us from the punishment of Fire.

When these companions of the Prophet went home and met their home folks, I am sure those at home would have inquired, What did the Prophet say? Did he recite to you any new Aayaths? and I am sure that with great elation and emotion, these companions of the Prophet would have in turn recited these Aayaths to their near and dear and the process would have continued. So the topic of conversation in Mecca and Medina, especially in the company of, or in the society of Prophet Muhammad (Sal) and his companions would have been the revelations, listening to these revelations, reading these signs in Allahs creation and conveying these Aayath to others. Let us see this Aayath in Surah Az Zumar Aayaths Nos 17 and 18 (39:17)Az Zumar - Part - So, give the good news to My servants

86 The Buzz in Mecca & Madinah

(39:18) who listen to what is said, then, follow the best of it. Those are the ones whom Allah has guided, and those are the ones who possess understanding.

Now, for further understanding let us look at an Aayath that describes an objective of the Holy Quran, S Saad (38:29) (38:29) This is a blessed Book We have revealed to you, so that they deliberate in its verses, and so that the men of understanding may heed to advice.

. Now let us go back to Surah Jummah Aayath No 2 & 3 (62:2) He is the One who raised amidst the unlettered people a messenger from among themselves who recites to them His verses, and purifies them, and teaches them the Book and the wisdom, while they were earlier in open error.

So Allah is explaining to us as to what happens, the whole process. Firstly the Aayaths are recited, Those who listen properly, with the proper attitudes, get involved in a process where they get purified, Then Allah teaches them the book now remember there is a difference between the words Aayath and the book (Kitaab). The book is the collection of all the Aayaths, So now we realize those who listen, obey the Aayaths, thus they get purified, and then Allah teaches them the book the Kitaab, and teaches them wisdom, Hikmah! Now, we can ask the question, we can ask it with great worry with great concern What about us? The Prophet is not amongst us? Allah answers this query in the very next Aayath;

86 The Buzz in Mecca & Madinah

(62:3) And (this Messenger is sent also) to others from them who did not join them so far, and He is the All-Mighty, the All-Wise. So the Aayaths that this Rasool recited is for us too.

Now remember the average number of Aayaths being revealed per week is just 5, and this revelation is going on for 23 years. So those fortunate companions would have really spent much of their time listening to these Aayaths, thinking about these Aayaths, trying to understand these Aayaths, trying to recognize the signs that Allah is pointing out through these Aayaths, discussing these Aayaths with the others and so on. Surely this is what would have been the topics of conversation or the buzz as it were, in Mecca and Madinah during the time of the Holy Prophet (Sal) Now let us see how we read or recite the Holy Quran. We read the Arabic script of a printed book. We see letters of the Arabic Alphabet. We are very particular that these letters should be pronounced correctly and we talk about the Makhraj, the tajweed the qiraath and so on. We see the dhammah, the kasrah, the fatha the tanween and the ghunna and we are very particular that these should be pronounced properly. Today we even have color coded Qurans where the letters are highlighted. Here is the color coding; Blue Ikhfa Pink Meem Saakin Red Qalqala Purple Qalb Dark Green Idghaam Light Green Idghaam Meem Saakin Orange Gunna Now think, from where do we read this Aayath and from where would the companions of the Prophet have read this Aayath

(3:190) Surely, in the creation of the heavens and the earth, and in the alternation of night and day, there are signs for the people of wisdom,

Now again think, what would the companions of the Prophet try to learn from this Aayath and what are we trying to learn. Are we not ignoring the message and only concentrating on the tajweed. It is important, no doubt, but what would be more important.

86 The Buzz in Mecca & Madinah

[This picture (shown below) is a page of a printed Quran (a Mushaf) where color codes have been applied to the words to indicate the Tajweed Rules]

I am reminded of a famous English saying; We cannot see the woods, because of the trees So the Companions had (maybe) just 5 Aayaths a week to listen to, to memorize and to follow. They read the Quran through the signs in the creation of Allah. Is there not a big message in this for all of us? Now I know why it is Zaalikal Kitaab and not Haazal Kitaab May Allah Taaalah guide us all and accept us all.

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86 The Buzz in Mecca & Madinah

Jazza Kalla Khairan Assalamu Alaikum!

Imtiaz Muhsin Colombo Sri Lanka crescent786@hotmail.com

You Tube Channel - HaneefanMusliman

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86 The Buzz in Mecca & Madinah