type: enemy
sourceFile: Sirah Transcript by Yasir Qadhial-Walid b. al-Mughirah
Now they are wondering, "Should we destroy the House of Allah?" i.e., to rebuild a whole new structure. And according to one report in Ibn Ishaq, when they were debating what to do, a large snake came out of the Well of Zamzam, and whenever they approached, it hissed at them. But then Allah sent a big bird to pick up the snake and remove it. So they took this as a sign that they should approach the Kabah. But of course, the thought of destroying the House of Allah was still considered sacrilegious to them, so they were hesitant to take action, and were nudging each other, "Why don't you go first." Until finally, al-Walid b. al-Mughirah (الوليد بن المغيرة) (the nobleman of the Quraysh mentioned in the Quran, who will become one of the enemies of the Prophet ﷺ later on), said, "I will do it," and he took an ax, went in front of the Kabah, and said, "O Allah, don't get alarmed or angry — we are just trying to help rebuild the Kabah," and he began breaking down one of the walls. And everybody just watched and nobody lifted a finger to help. They then started talking among themselves, "Why don't we use al-Walid as the 'litmus test.' If he survives the night, we will join him the next day." So they basically didn't help him until the next morning al-Walid b. al-Mughirah woke up just fine.
So the next day, everyone helped him tear the Kabah down and rebuild it. The task was divided among the subtribes of the Quraysh: they divided the subtribes into four groups, and each group took responsibility for one of the four walls. The Banu Abd Manaf (بنو عبد مناف), the prominent subtribe of the Quraysh which included the Banu Hashim, the tribe of Abd al-Muttalib who was the legend among the Arabs, was assigned the most prestigious wall. And the second most prestigious was given to the Banu Makhzum which had al-Walid b. al-Mughirah, Abu Jahl (أبو جهل), et al.
When the people heard that he tried and failed, they went back to Abu Talib, but this time with the whole delegation of the Quraysh. So not just Banu Hashim, but all the tribes. This is the stepping stone - the next step of course is the boycott (which we will talk in episode 18). So for now they say to him, "We have a proposition - we have chosen the most noble young man, the son of al-Walid b. al-Mughirah; and one son for one son: we'll hand over al-Umara b. al-Walid to you, and he will become yours (your son), and in return you hand over your nephew to us and we do as we please." At this Abu Talib became very angry and said, "What an evil, treacherous bargain! What kind of foolish bargain is this? You want me to take care of one of your own so that I fatten him (with my food) while you take my son and you kill him?"
The main story [that illustrates this point] that we all should know is the story of al-Walid b. al-Mughirah, the father of Khalid b. al-Walid. Again, the Qur'an was completely unprecedented. Its tone, style, language etc. is completely unique and on another level. Imagine the Qur'an being recited to the masters of the Arabic language. And the biggest master was al-Walid b. al-Mughirah who was the chief of the Banu Makhzum (the tribe of Abu Jahl). He was the Shakespeare of Makkah - the best poet of Makkah. Once the Prophet ﷺ was reciting the Qur'an and al-Walid b. al-Mughirah managed to listen uninterrupted for the first time. And he is mesmerized - he stops in his tracks and listen until the Prophet ﷺ finishes, and he goes away a changed man. He muttered something as he walks away and it spread in the people of Makkah - again, the people of Makkah were few and it's a very small village, so everything spreads - gossip was rampant. As he walks away, he says a beautiful prose, describing the beauty of the Qur'an as a pagan:
"By Allah, I have heard a speech from Muhammad right now that is neither from the speech of men nor jinn; It has a rhythm, the top of it is fertile, the height of it is beautiful, and it surpasses everything I've heard, and nothing can surpass it." The people panicked that their greatest poet has admitted defeat. When the news reached Abu Jahl, he went to al-Walid b. al-Mughirah. He said, "Your people have heard your praise of the Qur'an, and they will not be satisfied with you until you say something against it." al-Walid b. al-Mughirah said, "What do you want me to say? Tell me, I'll say it." (Compare this to Abu Talib - he stood his ground and said, "Do what you want.") Abu Jahl says, "Call him a madman." But al-Walid b. al-Mughirah said, "But he is not a madman, and everybody knows he is not a madman. We have seen crazy people, but he has no symptoms of a crazy man." Then Abu Jahl said, "Say he is a fortune teller." But al-Walid b. al-Mughirah says, "He isn't a fortune teller - he doesn't have the dandana or the mazmara of the fortune tellers." So Abu Jahl said, "Call him a magician." But again al-Walid b. al-Mughirah said, "He isn't a magician." Then he said, "Say he is a poet." But al-Walid b. al-Mughirah said, "By Allah, I am the best poet amongst you. And I am telling you that this is not the type of poetry that we are used to." So Abu Jahl then said, "You need to say something and we won't be satisfied with you until you say something." So al-Walid b. al-Mughirah said, "Leave me alone for a few days."
This is the version reported in Sahih Bukhari, thus the most authentic. And it says in this hadith, that in the month of Ramadan (the month is not mentioned in Bukhari, but we learn this from Ibn Ishaq), in the 5th year of the dawah, the Prophet ﷺ recited Surah al-Najm in its entirety. It's a very powerful and eloquent surah. The momentum and the excitement builds up especially towards the end. The power of the Quran affected the entire congregation, Muslim and non-Muslim, such that when the Prophet ﷺ recited the last verse, "Prostrate to Allah and worship Him," the Muslims fell into sajdah, and the Quraysh were so emotional that they too fell into sajdah. For the first time, Muslim and non-Muslim ALL united behind the Prophet ﷺ. Except for al-Walid b. al-Mughirah (or in another version Umayyah b. Khalaf) who put sand to his head and said, "This is good enough for me." By the time this news reached the 15 sahaba in Abyssinia, the rumor had been exaggerated.
Imagine the Prophet ﷺ reciting this so powerfully. And it's truly a powerful surah with constant rhetorical questions - so when the Prophet ﷺ reaches the end and falls down in sajdah, the Muslims fall down, and even the Quraysh fall down. And so version 1, the Bukhari version is the authentic version. There is no need for a far fetched tale to explain it. It was narrated by Ibn Abbas, "The Prophet ﷺ recited Surah al-Najm, and he prostrated, and all of the Muslims and the mushriks, and even the jinn, prostrated with him - except for al-Walid b. al-Mughirah (or in another version Umayyah b. Khalaf), he took sand and he put it on his head and said, 'This is sufficient for me.'"
Uthman b. Mazun (famous sahaba) reached out to al-Walid b. al-Mughirah, because he had some friendship with him, and he agreed, and they publicly announced, "I've given my protection to Uthman b. Mazun." Recall al-Walid b. al-Mughirah was one of the most powerful men in Makkah. (He is the one whom Allah spoke about in Surah al-Muddaththir.) So not a hair on the head of Uthman was touched. Ibn Ishaq said: When Uthman saw his Muslim brothers being persecuted, his guilt got the better of him and he said, "How come they are suffering and I am in safety?" So he went to al-Walid and said, "Please take your protection back. I cannot bear to see my fellow brothers suffer while I have this freedom." Subhan'Allah. Even though Islamically speaking there is nothing wrong about him having the freedom, but he voluntarily returned his protection because of his strong conscience. So al-Walid announced that, "Uthman has asked his protection be returned."
So as explained, by walking out of Makkah and disappearing for 10 days, the Prophet's ﷺ fate is sealed. He is officially cut off from Makkah. So now he is basically in limbo. Zayd asked him, "Ya Rasulullah, how are we going to enter Makkah now that you have been 'expelled' from it?" The Prophet ﷺ said, "Allah will make a way out for us. And Allah will help his prophet and make the truth supreme." Subhan'Allah! There is no Makkah or Ta'if - he is literally camped in the desert but he has ultimate tawakkul. This is where tawakkul comes into play - he did everything he could, didn't fall short in anything, so now it's up to Allah. So the Prophet ﷺ sent emissaries to two/three allies in the Quraysh that he thought could help. Obviously he didn't even bother with Banu Makhzum since Abu Jahl and al-Walid b. al-Mughirah were the ones in charge. The first man he approached was al-Akhnas b. Shurayq, but he sent a message back saying, "I am not in a position to give you protection." The Prophet ﷺ then sent the request to Suhayl b. Amr's tribe. (Note both Suhayl and al-Akhnas eventually accept Islam. This shows that the Prophet ﷺ is not sending it to random people. These are people he knows they sympathize with him unlike Abu Lahab, Abu Jahl, etc.) Suhayl b. Amr then sent a message back basically saying he too cannot give protection. The excuses they gave were flimsy excuses, not true excuses - the Prophet ﷺ knows what he's doing. If they wanted to, they could have given him protection. (Note as well the fact that they gave flimsy excuses shows that their animosity towards Islam is not the same as the animosity of Abu Jahl and others.)
Abu Bakr RA narrates the details of the journey. (Note: The Cave of Thawr is a very small cave. Its entrance is more on the top, you have to wiggle your way into it. It's more like a crevice. Over time it's increased in size, so in our times it's like a small chamber. But back then it's said there was only space literally for two people.) When the Prophet ﷺ and Abu Bakr were in the cave, one time they saw the Quraysh walking up and down the cave. Question arises: how did the Quraysh get there? Answer (found in al-Baladhuri, etc.): When the Quraysh figured out the Prophet ﷺ had not gone on the usual roads, they hired an expert scout to figure out the traces of the camel from the house of Abu Bakr. And this scout managed to, despite all of the precautions, lead them to the base of the Cave of Thawr. "This is where I can trace it. From here it's a mountain, so I can't follow anymore." Although it's a bit iffy, this is the first lead/hint they've got, so all the big names come: Abu Jahl, al-Walid b. al-Mughirah, etc.
(Note: Sh. YQ counted al-Asma bint al-Harith [العصماء بنت الحارث] a.k.a. Lubaba al-Sughra [لبابة الصغرى] who was married to al-Walid b. al-Mughirah as one of Hind bint Awf's daughters, but this was a mistake. Lubaba al-Sughra's mother is Fakhitah bint Amir [فاختة بنت عامر]. Lubaba al-Sughra and Lubaba al-Kubra are half-sisters.)
Recall Khalid b. al-Walid's (خالد بن الوليد) father, al-Walid b. al-Mughirah was the chieftain of Abu Jahl's tribe, the Banu Makhzum. And they are the statesmen, the ones who had the most rivalry and jealousy of the Prophet's ﷺ tribe, the Banu Hashim. Recall the Quraysh were composed of several tribes, and three of them were considered to be major tribes; and others, such as Umar b. al-Khattab's tribe, the Banu Adi, were considered to be small tribes. Being a Qureshi, you are already honored, but within the Quraysh, they had their own hierarchy, and the three at the top were the Banu Hashim, the Banu Umayyah, and the Banu Makhzum. Post-Islam, the Banu Makhzum basically died out, but in the days of Jahiliyyah, these three were at the top. And al-Walid b. al-Mughirah was the chieftain of the Banu Makhzum, just like Abu Talib was the chieftain of the Banu Hashim. So al-Walid b. al-Mughirah was one of the most famous Qureshi, and he was also the official poet of the Quraysh. And this is why when the Quran was revealed, the Quraysh came to him, and he plotted and planned to say bad things about the Quran, and Allah revealed Surah al-Muddaththir in response [see episode 13]. And Khalid is referenced in the Surah, in verse [74:13], as one of the children of al-Walid.
When the Prophet ﷺ encircled the tribe of Thaqif in the 8th year and put a siege on them, a certain member of the tribe embraced Islam. In fact, it was one of their most respected leaders, Urwah b. Mas'ud al-Thaqafi. He has a central story in the Sirah. What did he say that was *so* famous? [See episode 64: "O people, I have visited the kings and entered the palace of Caesar of Rome, Kisra of Persia, and Najashi of Abyssinia, but by Allah, I have never seen any king being shown respect the way that the companions of Muhammad show respect to him. Wallahi, he didn't spit except one of his companions caught that spit before it touched the ground and rubbed it on his face and body. And never did he wash himself (with wudu) except it is as if they were fighting one another to catch the drops of water coming from him. If he wanted to command them something, he only needed to raise his face and look, and they would race to do it. When he spoke, they all lowered their heads and voices in front of him, and none of them would look at him directly out of respect." Further, Urwah is referenced in the Qur'an directly when Allah SWT quoted al-Walid b. al-Mughirah in Surah al-Zukhruf [43], verse 31, "They said, 'Why isn't this Qur'an revealed to one of the two great men in the two cities?'"—and the two cities here are Makkah and Ta'if, and the two great men are al-Walid b. al-Mughirah and Urwah b. Mas'ud. This shows the level and status Urwah b. Mas'ud had amongst the people. He is also mentioned in the hadith of Bukhari and Muslim: The Prophet ﷺ said he saw all the prophets, "And Musa (Moses) looks like a person from the tribe of Shanu'ah" —they are known for their sharp features (i.e. pointed noses) and their skin color is brownish— and he said, "I saw Isa (Jesus) the son of Maryam (Mary), and the one who resembles him the most is Urwah b. Mas'ud al-Thaqafi." And the Prophet ﷺ described Isa AS as having broad shoulders with glistening hair as if he's come out of a shower, and he is on the lighter complexion. (Side note: In modern movies, they portray Jesus as a Western man, but this is ridiculous and they know it. Everybody knows that Jesus was a Middle Easterner, a Bani Israel.)