| A Abbottabad 0992 Adda Chhabell 0471 Abdul Hakim 06901 Agra 0756 Ahmad Nagar 04340 Ahmed Pur East 0698 Ahmad Pur Sial 0475 Ajnian Wala 04931 Akbarpur 0521-091 Akhtarabad 0442 Alipur 06511 Alipur Chatta 04346 Alizai 0925 Amin Pur 041 Arifwala 0446 Attock 0597 B Badah 07448 Badomalhi 04368 Badin 0227 Bagh 0599 Baghwal 0573 Bahawalnagar 0631 Bahawalpur 0621 Bahrain 0536-0937 Bakhshu 0442 Bala Kot 0985 Balkasar 0573 Banda Dawood Shah 0522-922 Bandhi 0241 Bannu 0528-0928 Bara 0521-091 Bari Kot 0536-0936 Barian 0593 Basal 0597 Batgram 0598-0986 Batkhela 05323-0932 Basirpur 04449 Bela 08288 Bewal 05798 Bhagowal 0573 Bhagtanwala 0451 Bhai Pheru 04943 Bhakkar 04653 Bhalot 0596 Bhalwal 0455 Bhan Saeedabad 02298 Bhaun 0573 Bhawana 04619 Bhera 04521 Bheriya Road 07095 Bhirya City 02425 Bhit Shah 02289 Billi Tong 0522-0922 Birote 0593 Bonga Saleh 0444 Bongh Sharif 0702 Bucheki 0496 Buffa 05923 Buleda 08618 Bungla Dero 074119 Burewala 0447 C Chagharmatti 0521-091 Chak Jhumra 04610 Chak No.273Jb 0411-041 Chak No.318 0462 Chak No.10/3-R 0442 Chak No.15 Sb 04532 Chak No.24/Gb 0442 Chak No.330 04622 Chak No.47/2-L 0422 Chakdara 0536-0936 Chakwal 0573 Chaman 0826 Changa Manga 04951 Charsadda 0525-0921 Chawinda 04364 Chichawatni 0445 Chichoki Mallian 049316 Chiniot 0466 Chistian 0695 Chitral 0533-0933 Choa Saiden Shah 0573 Choa Lahore 053723-09383 Choti 06418 Chowk Azam 06519 Chowk Munda 0677 Chowk Pandori 0571 Chunian 04946 Company Bagh 0593 D Dera Ghazi Khan 0641 Dera Ismael Khan 0529-0961 Dadu 0229 Daggar 0939 Dharanwala 0632 Dal Bandin 08125 Damba 02073 Darra Adam Khail 05241-0927 Daraban 0966 Darsamand 05242 Darya Khan 04654 Daska 04341 Daulat Nagar 04331 Daulatpur Saffan 02424 Daur 024181 Depalpur 04441 Dera Allahyar(Nasirabad) 08289 Dera Bugti 08327 Dera Murad Jamali 07050 Dewal Sharif 0593 Dhabeji 0206 Dhadar 08285 Dharki 07059 Dhudial 0573 Digikot 04692 Digree 023221 Dina 0541 Dinga 043317 Diplo 02341 Dir 05343-0934 Dobian 05372-0938 Dokri 07443 Domail 0528-0923 Drosh 05333-09333 Dukki 08291 Dunyapur 06518 E Ellahabad 04449 Eminabad 0431 F Faisalabad 0411-041 Faqir Wali 0691 Farooqabad 04945 Fateh Jang 05775 Fateh Pur 06903 Fazil Pur 06418 Feroz Wattan 0496 Ferozwala 0431 Fort Abbas 04445 Fort Munro 06418 G Gadap 02075 Gadani 0278 Gadoon Amazai 05372-0932 Gaggo Mandi 0446 Gakkar 0431 Galanai 0920 Gambat 07056 Garhi Kapura 0531-0931 Garhi Mori 07928 Garhi Nori 07929 Garhi Yasin 0761 Gawadar 0204 Ghazni Khel 052409-09699 Ghotki 0703 Ghour Gashti 05799 Gilgit 0572 Gojra 04651 Gomal University(DIK) 05299-09619 Gujar Khan 0571 Gujranwala 0431 Gujrat 04331 Gularchi 0227 Gulshan-e-Hadeed 0201 H Hafizabad 0438 Haiderabad Thall 0453 Hala 0228 Hangu 05242 Haram Zai 0894 Harrapa City 0441 Haripur 0595-0995 Harnai 0834 Haroon Abad 0691 Hasan Adbal 05772 Hasil Pur 0696 Hattar-HRP 0595-0995 Hattian 0597 Haveli Lakhan 04442 Havelian 05773 Hazro 05779 Hawana 04612 Hazrat Sultan Bahu 0475 Hub 0202 Hujra Shah Muqeem 04449 Hunak 051 Hyderabad 0221  | I Isakhel 045203 Islamabad 051 J Jaccobabad 0721 Jahangira 05249 Jahanian 0699 Jalalpur Jattan 04331 Jalapur Pirwala 0628 Jam Nawaz Ali 022215 Jam Cheema 04366 Jampur 06419 Jamrud 0521-091 Jand 0597 Jandiala Dhabawala 0431 Jranwala 0468 Jatoi 06909 Jhang 0471 Jharban 04931 Jhawarian 04523 Jhelum 0541 Jhuddo 023231 Jauharabad 0451 Johi 0771 K Kabal 0536-0936 Kabirwala 06512 Kacha Khu 0692 Kahuta 0578 Kakul(AT) 059218-09928 Kala Bagh 04529 Kalar Sayedan 0571 Kalaske 0431 Kalat 084 Kaloor Kot 04525 Kamalia 0463 Kambar Ali Khan 0706-0743 Kamoke 0435 Kamra 05979 Kandh Kot 0704 Kandiaro 07093 Kanian Bangla 04652 Karachi 021 Karak 05244 Karampur 070416 Karor Lalieson 0671 Karor Pacca 06514 Karrianwala 04331 Kashmore 07057 Kasur 0492 Khairpur 0792 Khairpur Nathan Shan 07441 Khairpur Tamewali 06904 Khal 0535-0935 Khalabat Town 0595-0995 Khan Garh 0661 Khanewal 0692 Khanpur 0707 Khanpur(Skp) Khanqah 049454 Khanqah Dograh 04931 Khar 05321 Kharan 08287 Kharian 05771 Khaur 05776 Khawaz Khela 0536-0936 Khiderwala 04652 Khipro 0226 Khudian Khas 0492 Khurrian Wala 04691 Khuzdar 087 Killi Karbala 0894 Kohar 05776 Kohat 0522-0922 Kohat Township 05226-09226 Kohlu 08294 Kot Addu 0697 Kot Digi 07926 Kot Ghulam Muhammad 023641 Kot Memon 04531 Kot Najeebullah 05958-09958 Kot Qazi 05776 Kot Radha Kishan 04944 Kot Samaba 0731 Kotali Loharan 0431 Kotli(Azad Kashmir) 0574 Kotri City 0221 Kotta A.Ali Khan 04331 Kuchlak 081 Kulachi 0529-0968 Kullowal 0432 Kundian 045202 Kunjah 04345 Kunri 023651 L Lachi 0522-0922 Lahore 042 Lakki Ghulam Shah 0761 Lalamusa 04348 Lalian 04533 Landi Kotal 05248-0924 Larkana 0741 Latamber 0528-0928 Layyah 0694 Liaqat Abad 04522 Liaqatpur 07321 Liliah Town 04569 Lodhran 06517 Lohi Bhar 051 Loralie 0821 Lukky Marwat 05240-0969 M Machh 0835 Mailsi 06515 Mianwali Bangla 04367 Mukkuana 041 Malhal Mughlan 0573 Malikwal 0456 Mamu Kanjan 04610 Mana More 0447 Manawala Town 0496 Mandi Bahuddin 0456 Mandi Dhaban Singh 04931 Mandi Faizabad 0498 Mandi Hira Singh 04449 Mandra 0571 Mangowal 04331 Mankera 0453 Mansehra 0598-0987 Mardan 0531-0931 Mathra 0521-091 Matiari 02203 Matli 02238 Matta 0536-0936 Mattani 0521 Mustung 0823 Mehar 0745 Mehrab Pur 07092 Meilsi 06515 Mianwali 0459 Miawali Qureshian 0731 Minchanabad 06319 Mir Ali 05262 Mirpur (A.K) 054 Miran Shah 05247-0929 Mirpur Khas 0231 Miro Khan 07415 Mirpur Mathelo 07291 Mithan Kot 065167 Mithi 02342 More Emanabad 043188 More Khunda 04947 Moro 0752 Multan 061 Murid Wala 04615 Murree 0593 Muslim Bagh 08292 Mustafa Abad 04952 Muzaffar Garh 0661 Muzaffarabad 058 N Nala Kajori 0521 Nankana Sahib 04941 Narang Mandi 04949 Narowal 04343 Nasirabad 07442 Nathia Gali 051868 Naudero 074147 Naukot 02345 Naukundi 08127 Naushera Khushab 0454 Naushera Vikran 04349 Naushera Feroz 07053 Nawab Shah 0241 Nawagai 053214 Nawan Kali 05324 Nawan Lahore 0462 New Jatoi 0752 New Saeedabad 022286 Nika Jang 0597 Nizam Bazar 0528 Noor Shah 0441 Nooriabad 022139 Noorpur Thall 0452 Noshki 0825 Nowshera 05231-0923 O Ogoki 0432 Okara 0442 Ormarah 02045 | P Pabbi 0521-091 Pad Edan 075331 Padhana 0573 Pak Pattan 0443 Pano Aqil 07058 Pansera 041 Panwan 04955 Parachinar 05243 Pasni 02049 Pasrur 04342 Pattoki 04942 Penyala 0529-0961 Peshawar 0521 Pezo 0529-0961 Phagwari 0593 Phalia 0456 Pinanwal 0458 Pindi Dadan Khan 0458 Pindi Bhatian 04931 Pindi Gheb 05778 Pir Jo Goth 07098 Pir Mahal 04656 Pir Pai 0521-091 Piryalo 07096 Pishin 0894 Pithoro 0231 Pull-iii 0451 Punjgoor 08293 Q Qabula 04446 Qalanderabad 05921 Qazi Ahmed 024171 Qila Saifullah 082926 Qila Sheikhupura 04931 Qila Suba Singh 0432 Quaid Abad 04528 Quetta 081 Quetta Army Exch 081 Quetta PAF 0831 Quetta Staff College 081 R Rabwah 04524 Radhan 07446 Raheemabad 07029 Rahim Yar Khan 0731 Rahwali 043161 Raiwind 04951 Raja Jang 04951 Rajan Pur 06516 Rajana 04614 Rangoonwaisa 05774 Rani Pur 07051 Rashakai 0531-0931 Rattodero 07054 Rawalakot 0576 Rawalpindi 051 Rawat 05777 Renala Khurd 04443 Risalpur 05374 Rizmak 0964 Rodala Road 0468 Rodu Sultan 0475 Rohilla Wali 0661 Rojhan 0644 Rojhan Jamali 082898 Rustam 0531-0931 S Sabirabad 052444 Sadda, Kurram Agency 0926-05243 Sadhoki 0431 Sadiqabad 0702 Sagri 0571 Sahiwal 0441 Sahiwal -SGD 0451 Saidu Sharif 0536-0936 Sakardu 0575 Sakha Kot 05322 Sakrund 024151 Sambarial 0432 Samundri 04652 Sang Jani 051 Sanghar 02346 Sangla Hill 0467 Sanjwani 08219 Sarai Naurang 05261 Sargodha 0451 Satiana 04694 Sehna 0456 Sehwan Sharif 02292 Shabqadar 0521-091 Shadi Khan 05774 Shadiwal 043318 Shah Jawani City 0471 Saha Jwanani Mandi 0471 Shah Kot 04658 Shah Pur Saddar 04526 Shahbaz Khel 05240-0969 Shahdad Kot 0742-0708 Shahdad Pur 02232 Shahpur Chakar 0245 Shakar Garh 04344 Sharq Pur 0498 Sheikh Manda 08188 Sher Garh 0442 Sherpao 0525-0921 Shikar Pur 0761 Shinkiari 05922 Shorkot Cantt. 0464 Shuja Abad 06513 Sialkot 0432 Sibbi 0831 Sidh 04331 Sihala 051 Sillaan Wali 045201 Sita Road 07447 Sobodero 0756 Sohawa 05719 Sodhra 0437 Sukheki 04931 Sujawal 02031 Sukkur 071 Swabi 05372-0938 T Taftan 08128 Takht Bai 0531-0931 Takht Nusrati 0528-0928 Talagang 05776 Talhar 02206 Tall 05346 Talwandi Musa Khan 0431 Tandianwala 04657 Tando Adam 02221 Tando Allah Yar 02231 Tando Jam 02233 Tando Mohd. Khan 0224 Tank 0683 Taranda M.Pinah 0683 Tarlai Khan 051 Tasp 08293 Tattli Aali 0431 Taunsa 06510 Taxila 0596 Thana 05328 Thana Bulla Khan 02207 Tharu Shah 07052 Thatta 029 Thekri Wala 041 Thorder 05372-0938 Thul 07094 Timer Garah 0535-0935 Toba Ttek Singh 0462 Topi 05372-0938 Toru 0531-0931 Tulamba 06901 Turbat 0861 U Ubaro 07097 Uch Sharif 06902 Umer Kot 02381 Usta Muhammad 0740 Uthal 027 V Vehari 0693 Vehoa 065104 W Wadh 0878 Wana 05263-0965 Wana Radha Ram 04951 War Burton 0496 Warah 07445 Wari 0535-0935 Wazirabad 0437 Wstarzai 0522 Y Yar Hussain 0531-0931 Yazman 06525 Z Zaida 05372-0938 Zarobi 05372-0938 Zhob(Upper Zhob) 0822 Ziarat 08124-0833 |
Human Heart
Early Development: The human embryonic heart (EHR) begins beating at approximately 21 days after conception, or five weeks after the last normal menstrual period (LMP), which is the date normally used to date pregnancy. The human heart begins beating at a rate near the mother's, about 75-80 beats per minute (bpm). It then accelerates linearly for the first month of beating, peaking at 165-185 bpm during the early 7th week, (early 9th week after the LMP). This acceleration is approximately 3.3 bpm per day, or about 10 bpm every three days, an increase of 100 bpm in the first month.
Early Development: The human embryonic heart (EHR) begins beating at approximately 21 days after conception, or five weeks after the last normal menstrual period (LMP), which is the date normally used to date pregnancy. The human heart begins beating at a rate near the mother's, about 75-80 beats per minute (bpm). It then accelerates linearly for the first month of beating, peaking at 165-185 bpm during the early 7th week, (early 9th week after the LMP). This acceleration is approximately 3.3 bpm per day, or about 10 bpm every three days, an increase of 100 bpm in the first month.
After peaking at about 9.2 weeks after the LMP, it decelerates to about 150 bpm (+/-25 bpm) during the 15 week after the LMP. After the 15th week the deceleration slows reaching an average rate of about 145 (+/-25 bpm) bpm at term.
Structure: In the human body , the heart is normally situated slightly to the left of the middle of the thorax , underneath the sternum (breastbone). It is enclosed by a sac known as the pericardium and is surrounded by the lungs . The apex is the blunt point at the base of the heart. A stethoscope can be placed directly over the apex and count the beats. In normal adults, its mass is 250-350 g , but extremely diseased hearts can be up to 1000 g in mass. It consists of four chambers, the two upper atria (singular: atrium ) and the two lower ventricles .
A septum divides the right atrium and ventricle from the left atrium and ventricle, preventing blood from passing between them. Valves between the atria and ventricles (atrioventricular valves) maintain coordinated unidirectional flow of blood from the atria to the ventricles.The ventricular systole consists of the contraction of the ventricles and flow of blood into the circulatory system. Again, once all the blood empties from the ventricles, the pulmonary and aortic semilunar valves close. Finally complete cardiac diastole involves relaxation of the atria and ventricles in preparation for refilling with circulating blood.
Pulse Rates: A normal pulse rate for a healthy adult, while resting, can range from 60 to 90 beats per minute ( BPM ). During sleep, this can drop to as low as 40 BPM; during strenuous exercise , it can rise as high as 200–220 BPM. Generally, pulse rates are higher in younger persons. A resting heart rate for an infant is as high as or higher than an adult's pulse rate during strenuous exercise.
NAMES | MEANINGS |
AL-MUSAWWIR | THE FASHIONER |
| AL-BARI' | THE EVOLVER |
| AL-KHALIQ | THE CREATOR |
| AL-MUTAKBBIR | THE MAJESTIC |
| AL-JABBAR | THE COMPELLER |
| AL-AZIZ | THE MIGHTY |
| AL-MUHAYMIN | THE PROTECTOR |
| AL-MU'MIN | THE GUARDIAN OF FAITH |
| AS-SALAM | THE SOURCE OF PEACE |
| AL-QUDDUS | THE HOLY |
| AL-MALIK | THE SOVEREIGN LORD |
| AR-RAHIM | THE MERCIFUL |
| AR-RAHMAN | THE BENEFICENT |
| AL-BASIR | THE ALL-SEEING |
| AS-SAMI | THE ALL-HEARING |
| AL-MUZILL | THE DISHONORER |
| AL-MU'IZZ | THE HONORER |
| AR-RAFI | THE EXALTER |
| AL-KHAFID | THE ABASER |
| AL-BASIT | THE EXPANDER |
| AL-QABID | THE COSTRICTOR |
| AL-'ALIM | THE ALL-KNOWING |
| AL-FATTAH | THE OPENER |
| AR-RAZZAQ | THE PROVIDER |
| AL-WAHHAB | THE BESTOWER |
| AL-QAHHAR | THE SUBDUER |
| AL-GHAFFAR | THE FORGIVER |
| AL-KARIM | THE GENEROUS ONE |
| AL-JALIL | THE SUBLIME ONE |
| AL-HASIB | THE RECKONER |
| AL-MUOIT | THE MAINTAINER |
| AL-HAFIZ | THE PRESERVER |
| AL-KABIR | THE MOST GREAT |
| AL-'ALI | THE MOST HIGH |
| ASH-SHAKUR | THE APPRECIATIVE |
| AL-GHAFUR | THE ALL-FORGIVING |
| AL-'AZEEM | THE GREAT ONE |
| AL-HALEEM | THE FORBEARING ONE |
| AL-KHABBIR | THE AWARE |
| AL-LATIF | THE SUBTLE ONE |
| AL-'ADL | THE JUST |
| AL-HAKAM | THE JUDGE |
| AL-MUBDI | THE ORIGINATOR |
| AL-HAMID | THE PRAISEWORTHY |
| AL-WALI | THE PROTECTING FRIEND |
| AL-MATIN | THE FIRM ONE |
| AL-QAWI | THE MOST STRONG |
| AL-WAKIL | THE TRUSTEE |
| AL-HAQQ | THE TRUTH |
| ASH-SHAHID | THE WITNESS |
| AL-BA'ITH | THE RESURRECTOR |
| AL-MAJEED | THE MOST GLORIOUS ONE |
| AL-WADUD | THE LOVING |
| AL-HAKIM | THE WISE |
| AL-WASI' | THE ALL-EMBRACING |
| AL-MUJIB | THE RESPONSIVE |
| AR-RAQIB | THE WATCHFUL |
| AL-AWWAL | THE FIRST |
| AL-MU'AKHKHIR | THE DELAYER |
| AL-MUQADDIM | THE EXPEDITER |
| AL-MUQADIR | THE POWERFUL |
| AL-QADIR | THE ABLE |
| AS-SAMAD | THE ETERNAL |
| AL-AHAD | THE ONE |
| AL-WAHID | THE UNIQUE |
| AL-MAJID | THE NOBLE |
| AL-WAJID | THE FINDER |
| AL-QAYYUM | THE SELF-SUBSISTING |
| AL-HAYY | THE ALIVE |
| AL-MUMIT | THE CREATOR OF DEATH |
| AL-MUHYI | THE GIVER OF LIFE |
| AL-MU'ID | THE RESTORER |
| AL-MUQSIT | THE EQUITABLE |
| DHUL-JALAL-WAL-IKRAM | THE LORD OF MAJESTY AND BOUNTY |
| MALIK-UL-MULK | THE ETERNAL OWNER OF SOVEREIGNTY |
| AR-RA-'UF | THE COMPASSIONATE |
| AL-AFWU | THE PARDONER |
| AL-MUNTAQIM | THE AVENGER |
| AL-TAWWAB | THE ACCEPTOR OF REPENTENCE |
| AL-BARR | THE SOURCE OF ALL GOODNESS |
| AL-MUTA'ALI | THE MOST EXALTED |
| AL-WALI | THE GOVERNOR |
| AL-BATIN | THE HIDDEN |
| AZ-ZAHIR | THE MANIFEST |
| AL-AKHIR | THE LAST |
| AS-SABUR | THE PATIENT |
| AR-RASHEED | THE GUIDE TO THE RIGHT PATH |
| AL-WARIS | THE SUPREME INHERITOR |
| AL-BAQI | THE EVERLASTING |
| AL-BADI' | THE INCOMPARABLE |
| AL-HADI | THE GUIDE |
| AN-NUR | THE LIGHT |
| AN-NAFI' | THE PROPITIOUS |
| AZ-ZARR' | THE DISTRESSER |
| AL-MANI' | THE PREVENTER |
| AL-MUGHNI | THE ENRICHER |
| AL-GHANI | THE SELF-SUFFICIENT |
| AL-JAME' | THE GATHERER |
| AL-MUHSI | THE RECKONER |
| Concept of God - Arabia - Religion - Society - The Mission - Social Boycott - The Ascension - - |
| Migration to Madinah - Reorganization - Struggle - The Reconciliation |
[Taken from Introduction to Islam by Muhammad Hamidullah (Centre Culturel Islamique, Paris, 1969), with some changes to make it more readable. The changes are marked by pairs of brackets like around this paragraph. Dr. Hamidullah's present address is: 9 Beaver Court, Wilkes Barre PA, 18702, USA.] IN the annals of men, individuals have not been lacking who conspicuously devoted their lives to the socio-religious reform of their connected peoples. We find them in every epoch and in all lands. In India, there lived those who transmitted to the world the Vedas, and there was also the great Gautama Buddha; China had its Confucius; the Avesta was produced in Iran. Babylonia gave to the world one of the greatest reformers, the Prophet Abraham (not to speak of such of his ancestors as Enoch and Noah about whom we have very scanty information). The Jewish people may rightly be proud of a long series of reformers: Moses, Samuel, David, Solomon, and Jesus among others. 2. Two points are to note: Firstly these reformers claimed in general to be the bearers each of a Divine mission, and they left behind them sacred books incorporating codes of life for the guidance of their peoples. Secondly there followed fratricidal wars, and massacres and genocides became the order of the day, causing more or less a complete loss of these Divine messages. As to the books of Abraham, we know them only by the name; and as for the books of Moses, records tell us how they were repeatedly destroyed and only partly restored. Concept of God:3. If one should judge from the relics of the past already brought to light of the homo sapiens, one finds that man has always been conscious of the existence of a Supreme Being, the Master and Creator of all. Methods and approaches may have differed, but the people of every epoch have left proofs of their attempts to obey God. Communication with the Omnipresent yet invisible God has also been recognised as possible in connection with a small fraction of men with noble and exalted spirits. Whether this communication assumed the nature of an incarnation of the Divinity or simply resolved itself into a medium of reception of Divine messages (through inspiration or revelation), the purpose in each case was the guidance of the people. It was but natural that the interpretations and explanations of certain systems should have proved more vital and convincing than others. 3/a. Every system of metaphysical thought develops its own terminology. In the course of time terms acquire a significance hardly contained in the word and translations fall short of their purpose. Yet there is no other method to make people of one group understand the thoughts of another. Non-Muslim readers in particular are requested to bear in mind this aspect which is a real yet unavoidable handicap. 4. By the end of the 6th century, after the birth of Jesus Christ, men had already made great progress in diverse walks of life. At that time there were some religions which openly proclaimed that they were reserved for definite races and groups of men only, of course they bore no remedy for the ills of humanity at large. There were also a few which claimed universality, but declared that the salvation of man lay in the renunciation of the world. These were the religions for the elite, and catered for an extremely limited number of men. We need not speak of regions where there existed no religion at all, where atheism and materialism reigned supreme, where the thought was solely of occupying one self with one's own pleasures, without any regard or consideration for the rights of others. Arabia:5. A perusal of the map of the major hemisphere (from the point of view of the proportion of land to sea), shows the Arabian Peninsula lying at the confluence of the three great continents of Asia, Africa and Europe. At the time in question. this extensive Arabian subcontinent composed mostly of desert areas was inhabited by people of settled habitations as well as nomads. Often it was found that members of the same tribe were divided into these two groups, and that they preserved a relationship although following different modes of life. The means of subsistence in Arabia were meagre. The desert had its handicaps, and trade caravans were features of greater importance than either agriculture or industry. This entailed much travel, and men had to proceed beyond the peninsula to Syria, Egypt, Abyssinia, Iraq, Sind, India and other lands. 6. We do not know much about the Libyanites of Central Arabia, but Yemen was rightly called Arabia Felix. Having once been the seat of the flourishing civilizations of Sheba and Ma'in even before the foundation of the city of Rome had been laid, and having later snatched from the Byzantians and Persians several provinces, greater Yemen which had passed through the hey-day of its existence, was however at this time broken up into innumerable principalities, and even occupied in part by foreign invaders. The Sassanians of Iran, who had penetrated into Yemen had already obtained possession of Eastern Arabia. There was politico-social chaos at the capital (Mada'in = Ctesiphon), and this found reflection in all her territories. Northern Arabia had succumbed to Byzantine influences, and was faced with its own particular problems. Only Central Arabia remained immune from the demoralising effects of foreign occupation. 7. In this limited area of Central Arabia, the existence of the triangle of Mecca-Ta'if-Madinah seemed something providential. Mecca, desertic, deprived of water and the amenities of agriculture in physical features represented Africa and the burning Sahara. Scarcely fifty miles from there, Ta'if presented a picture of Europe and its frost. Madinah in the North was not less fertile than even the most temperate of Asiatic countries like Syria. If climate has any influence on human character, this triangle standing in the middle of the major hemisphere was, more than any other region of the earth, a miniature reproduction of the entire world. And here was born a descendant of the Babylonian Abraham, and the Egyptian Hagar, Muhammad the Prophet of Islam, a Meccan by origin and yet with stock related, both to Madinah and Ta'if. Religion:8. From the point of view of religion, Arabia was idolatrous; only a few individuals had embraced religions like Christianity, Mazdaism, etc. The Meccans did possess the notion of the One God, but they believed also that idols had the power to intercede with Him. Curiously enough, they did not believe in the Resurrection and Afterlife. They had preserved the rite of the pilgrimage to the House of the One God, the Ka'bah, an institution set up under divine inspiration by their ancestor Abraham, yet the two thousand years that separated them from Abraham had caused to degenerate this pilgrimage into the spectacle of a commercial fair and an occasion of senseless idolatry which far from producing any good, only served to ruin their individual behaviour, both social and spiritual. Society:9. In spite of the comparative poverty in natural resources, Mecca was the most developed of the three points of the triangle. Of the three, Mecca alone had a city-state, governed by a council of ten hereditary chiefs who enjoyed a clear division of power. (There was a minister of foreign relations, a minister guardian of the temple, a minister of oracles, a minister guardian of offerings to the temple, one to determine the torts and the damages payable, another in charge of the municipal council or parliament to enforce the decisions of the ministries. There were also ministers in charge of military affairs like custodianship of the flag, leadership of the cavalry etc.). As well reputed caravan-leaders, the Meccans were able to obtain permission from neighbouring empires like Iran, Byzantium and Abyssinia - and to enter into agreements with the tribes that lined the routes traversed by the caravans - to visit their countries and transact import and export business. They also provided escorts to foreigners when they passed through their country as well as the territory of allied tribes, in Arabia (cf. Ibn Habib, Muhabbar). Although not interested much in the preservation of ideas and records in writing, they passionately cultivated arts and letters like poetry, oratory discourses and folk tales. Women were generally well treated, they enjoyed the privilege of possessing property in their own right, they gave their consent to marriage contracts, in which they could even add the condition of reserving their right to divorce their husbands. They could remarry when widowed or divorced. Burying girls alive did exist in certain classes, but that was rare. The Mission:21. The Prophet began by preaching his mission secretly first among his intimate friends, then among the members of his own tribe and thereafter publicly in the city and suburbs. He insisted on the belief in One Transcendent God, in Resurrection and the Last Judgement. He invited men to charity and beneficence. He took necessary steps to preserve through writing the revelations he was receiving, and ordered his adherents also to learn them by heart. This continued all through his life, since the Quran was not revealed all at once, but in fragments as occasions arose.22. The number of his adherents increased gradually, but with the denunciation of paganism, the opposition also grew intenser on the part of those who were firmly attached to their ancestral beliefs. This opposition degenerated in the course of time into physical torture of the Prophet and of those who had embraced his religion. These were stretched on burning sands, cauterized with red hot iron and imprisoned with chains on their feet. Some of them died of the effects of torture, but none would renounce his religion. In despair, the Prophet Muhammad advised his companions to quit their native town and take refuge abroad, in Abyssinia, "where governs a just ruler, in whose realm nobody is oppressed" (Ibn Hisham). Dozens of Muslims profited by his advice, though not all. These secret flights led to further persecution of those who remained behind. 23. The Prophet Muhammad [was instructed to call this] religion "Islam," i.e. submission to the will of God. Its distinctive features are two: A harmonius equilibrium between the temporal and the spiritual (the body and the soul), permitting a full enjoyment of all the good that God has created, (Quran 7:32), enjoining at the same time on everybody duties towards God, such as worship, fasting, charity, etc. Islam was to be the religion of the masses and not merely of the elect. A universality of the call - all the believers becoming brothers and equals without any distinction of class or race or tongue. The only superiority which it recognizes is a personal one, based on the greater fear of God and greater piety (Quran 49:13). Social Boycott:24. When a large number of the Meccan Muslims migrated to Abyssinia, the leaders of paganism sent an ultimatum to the tribe of the Prophet, demanding that he should be excommunicated and outlawed and delivered to the pagans for being put to death. Every member of the tribe, Muslim and non-Muslim rejected the demand. (cf. Ibn Hisham). Thereupon the city decided on a complete boycott of the tribe: Nobody was to talk to them or have commercial or matrimonial relations with them. The group of Arab tribes called Ahabish, inhabiting the suburbs, who were allies of the Meccans, also joined in the boycott, causing stark misery among the innocent victims consisting of children, men and women, the old and the sick and the feeble. Some of them succumbed yet nobody would hand over the Prophet to his persecutors. An uncle of the Prophet, Abu Lahab, however left his tribesmen and participated in the boycott along with the pagans. After three dire years, during which the victims were obliged to devour even crushed hides, four or five non-Muslims, more humane than the rest and belonging to different clans proclaimed publicly their denunciation of the unjust boycott. At the same time, the document promulgating the pact of boycott which had been hung in the temple, was found, as Muhammad had predicted, eaten by white ants, that spared nothing but the words God and Muhammad. The boycott was lifted, yet owing to the privations that were undergone the wife and Abu Talib, the chief of the tribe and uncle of the Prophet died soon after. Another uncle of the Prophet, Abu-Lahab, who was an inveterate enemy of Islam, now succeeded to the headship of the tribe. (cf. lbn Hisham, Sirah).Ascension:25. It was at thIs time that the Prophet Muhammad was granted the mi'raj (ascension): He saw in a vision that he was received on heaven by God, and was witness of the marvels of the celestial regions. Returning, he brought for his community, as a Divine gift, the [ritual prayer of Islam, the salaat], which constitutes a sort of communion between man and God. It may be recalled that in the last part of Muslim service of worship, the faithful employ as a symbol of their being in the very presence of God, not concrete objects as others do at the time of communion, but the very words of greeting exchanged between the Prophet Muhammad and God on the occasion of the former's mi'raj: "The blessed and pure greetings for God! - Peace be with thee, O Prophet, as well as the mercy and blessing of God! - Peace be with us and with all the [righteous] servants of God!" The Christian term "communion" implies participation in the Divinity. Finding it pretentious, Muslims use the term "ascension" towards God and reception in His presence, God remaining God and man remaining man and no confusion between the twain.26. The news of this celestial meeting led to an increase in the hostility of the pagans of Mecca; and the Prophet was obliged to quit his native town in search of an asylum elsewhere. He went to his maternal uncles in Ta'if, but returned immediately to Mecca, as the wicked people of that town chased the Prophet out of their city by pelting stones on him and wounding him Migration to Madinah:27. The annual pilgrimage of the Ka'bah brought to Mecca people from all parts of Arabia. The Prophet Muhammad tried to persuade one tribe after another to afford him shelter and allow him to carry on his mission of reform. The contingents of fifteen tribes, whom he approached in succession, refused to do so more or less brutally, but he did not despair. Finally he met half a dozen inhabitants of Madinah who being neighbour of the Jews and the Christians, had some notion of prophets and Divine messages. They knew also that these "people of the Books" were awaiting the arrival of a prophet - a last comforter. So these Madinans decided not to lose the opportunity of obtaining an advance over others, and forthwith embraced Islam, promising further to provide additional adherents and necessary help from Madinah. The following year a dozen new Madinans took the oath of allegiance to him and requested him to provide with a missionary teacher. The work of the missionary, Mus'ab, proved very successful and he led a contingent of seventy-three new converts to Mecca, at the time of the pilgrimage. These invited the Prophet and his Meccan companions to migrate to their town, and promised to shelter the Prophet and to treat him and his companions as their own kith and kin. Secretly and in small groups, the greater part of the Muslims emigrated to Madinah. Upon this the pagans of Mecca not only confiscated the property of the evacuees, but devised a plot to assassinate the Prophet. It became now impossible for him to remain at home. It is worthy of mention, that in spite of their hostility to his mission, the pagans had unbounded confidence in his probity, so much so that many of them used to deposit their savings with him. The Prophet Muhammad now entrusted all these deposits to 'Ali, a cousin of his, with instructions to return in due course to the rightful owners. He then left the town secretly in the company of his faithful friend, Abu-Bakr. After several adventures, they succeeded in reaching Madinah in safety. This happened in 622, whence starts the Hijrah calendarReorganization of the Community:28. For the better rehabilitation of the displaced immigrants, the Prophet created a fraternization between them and an equal number of well-to-do Madinans. The families of each pair of the contractual brothers worked together to earn their livelihood, and aided one another in the business of life. 29. Further he thought that the development of the man as a whole would be better achieved if he co-ordinated religion and politics as two constituent parts of one whole. To this end he invited the representatives of the Muslims as well as the non-Muslim inhabitants of the region: Arabs, Jews, Christians and others, and suggested the establishment of a City-State in Madinah. With their assent, he endowed the city with a written constitution - the first of its kind in the world - in which he defined the duties and rights both of the citizens and the head of the State - the Prophet Muhammad was unanimously hailed as such - and abolished the customary private justice. The administration of justice became henceforward the concern of the central organisation of the community of the citizens. The document laid down principles of defence and foreign policy: it organized a system of social insurance, called ma'aqil, in cases of too heavy obligations. It recognized that the Prophet Muhammad would have the final word in all differences, and that there was no limit to his power of legislation. It recognized also explicitly liberty of religion, particularly for the Jews, to whom the constitutional act afforded equality with Muslims in all that concerned life in this world (cf. infra n. 303). 30. Muhammad journeyed several times with a view to win the neighbouring tribes and to conclude with them treaties of alliance and mutual help. With their help, he decided to bring to bear economic pressure on the Meccan pagans, who had confiscated the property of the Muslim evacuees and also caused innumerable damage. Obstruction in the way of the Meccan caravans and their passage through the Madinan region exasperated the pagans, and a bloody struggle ensued. 31. In the concern for the material interests of the community, the spiritual aspect was never neglected. Hardly a year had passed after the migration to Madinah, when the most rigorous of spiritual disciplines, the fasting for the whole month of Ramadan every year, was imposed on every adult Muslim, man and woman Struggle against intolerance and unbelief:32. Not content with the expulsion of the Muslim compatriots, the Meccans sent an ultimatum to the Madinans, demanding the surrender or at least the expulsion of Muhammad and his companions but evidently all such efforts proved in vain. A few months later, in the year 2 H., they sent a powerful army against the Prophet, who opposed them at Badr; and the pagans thrice as numerous as the Muslims, were routed. After a year of preparation, the Meccans again invaded Madinah to avenge the defeat of Badr. They were now four times as numerous as the Muslims. After a bloody encounter at Uhud, the enemy retired, the issue being indecisive. The mercenaries in the Meccan army did not want to take too much risk, or endanger their safety. 33. In thc meanwhile the Jewish citizens of Madinah began to foment trouble. About the time of the victory of Badr, one of their leaders, Ka'b ibn al-Ashraf, proceeded to Mecca to give assurance of his alliance with the pagans, and to incite them to a war of revenge. After the battle of Uhud, the tribe of the same chieftain plotted to assassinate the Prophet by throwing on him a mill-stone from above a tower, when he had gone to visit their locality. In spite of all this, the only demand the Prophet made of the men of this tribe was to quit the Madinan region, taking with them all their properties, after selling their immovables and recovering their debts from the Muslims. The clemency thus extended had an effect contrary to what was hoped. The exiled not only contacted the Meccans, but also the tribes of the North, South and East of Madinah, mobilized military aid, and planned from Khaibar an invasion of Madinah, with forces four times more numerous than those employed at Uhud. The Muslims prepared for a siege, and dug a ditch to defend themselves against this hardest of all trials. Although the defection of the Jews still remaining inside Madinah at a later stage upset all strategy, yet with a sagacious diplomacy, the Prophet succeeded in breaking up the alliance, and the different enemy groups retired one after the other. 34. Alcoholic drinks, gambling and games of chance were at this time declared forbidden for the Muslims. The Reconciliation:35. The Prophet tried once more to reconcile the Meccans and proceeded to Mecca. The barring of the route of their Northern caravans had ruined their economy. The Prophet promised them transit security, extradition of their fugitives and the fulfillment of every condition they desired, agreeing even to return to Madinah without accomplishing the pilgrimage of the Ka'bah. Thereupon the two contracting parties promised at Hudaibiyah in the suburbs of Mecca, not only the maintenance of peace, but also the observance of neutrality in their conflicts with third parties. 36. Profiting by the peace, the Prophet launched an intensive programme for the propagation of his religion. He addressed missionary letters to the foreign rulers of Byzantium, Iran, Abyssinia and other lands. The Byzantine autocrat priest - Dughatur of the Arabs - embraced Islam, but for this, was lynched by the Christian mob; the prefect of Ma'an (Palestine) suffered the same fate, and was decapitated and crucified by order of the emperor. A Muslim ambassador was assassinated in Syria-Palestine; and instead of punishing the culprit, the emperor Heraclius rushed with his armies to protect him against the punitive expedition sent by the Prophet (battle of Mu'tah). 37. The pagans of Mecca hoping to profit by the Muslim difficulties, violated the terms of their treaty. Upon this, the Prophet himself led an army, ten thousand strong, and surprised Mecca which he occupied in a bloodless manner. As a benevolent conqueror, he caused the vanquished people to assemble, reminded them of their ill deeds, their religious persecution, unjust confiscation of the evacuee property, ceaseless invasions and senseless hostilities for twenty years continuously. He asked them: "Now what do you expect of me?" When everybody lowered his head with shame, the Prophet proclaimed: "May God pardon you; go in peace; there shall be no responsibility on you today; you are free!" He even renounced the claim for the Muslim property confiscated by the pagans. This produced a great psychological change of hearts instantaneously. When a Meccan chief advanced with a fulsome heart towards the Prophet, after hearing this general amnesty, in order to declare his acceptance of Islam, the Prophet told him: "And in my turn, I appoint you the governor of Mecca!" Without leaving a single soldier in the conquered city, the Prophet retired to Madinah. The Islamization of Mecca, which was accomplished in a few hours, was complete. 38. Immediately after the occupation of Mecca, the city of Ta'if mobilized to fight against the Prophet. With some difficulty the enemy was dispersed in the valley of Hunain, but the Muslims preferred to raise the siege of nearby Ta'if and use pacific means to break the resistance of this region. Less than a year later, a delegation from Ta'if came to Madinah offering submission. But it requested exemption from prayer, taxes and military service, and the continuance of the liberty to adultery and fornication and alcoholic drinks. It demanded even the conservation of the temple of the idol al-Lat at Ta'if. But Islam was not a materialist immoral movement; and soon the delegation itself felt ashamed of its demands regarding prayer, adultery and wine. The Prophet consented to concede exemption from payment of taxes and rendering of military service; and added: You need not demolish the temple with your own hands: we shall send agents from here to do the job, and if there should be any consequences, which you are afraid of on account of your superstitions, it will be they who would suffer. This act of the Prophet shows what concessions could be given to new converts. The conversion of the Ta'ifites was so whole hearted that in a short while, they themselves renounced the contracted exemptions, and we find the Prophet nominating a tax collector in their locality as in other Islamic regions. 39. In all these "wars," extending over a period of ten years, the non-Muslims lost on the battlefield only about 250 persons killed, and the Muslim losses were even less. With these few incisions, the whole continent of Arabia. with its million and more of square miles, was cured of the abscess of anarchy and immorality. During these ten years of disinterested struggle, all thc peoples of the Arabian Peninsula and the southern regions of Iraq and Palestine had voluntarily embraced Islam. Some Christian, Jewish and Parsi groups remained attached to their creeds, and they were granted liberty of conscience as well as judicial and juridical autonomy. 40. In the year 10 H., when the Prophet went to Mecca for Hajj (pilgrimage), he met 140,000 Muslims there, who had come from different parts of Arabia to fulfil their religious obligation. He addressed to them his celebrated sermon, in which he gave a resume of his teachings: "Belief in One God without images or symbols, equality of all the Believers without distinction of race or class, the superiority of individuals being based solely on piety; sanctity of life, property and honour; abolition of interest, and of vendettas and private justice; better treatment of women; obligatory inheritance and distribution of the property of deceased persons among near relatives of both sexes, and removal of the possibility of the cumulation of wealth in the hands of the few." The Quran and the conduct of the Prophet were to serve as the bases of law and a healthy criterion in every aspect of human life. 41. On his return to Madinah, he fell ill; and a few weeks later, when he breathed his last, he had the satisfaction that he had well accomplished the task which he had undertaken - to preach to the world the Divine message. 42. He bequeathed to posterity, a religion of pure monotheism; he created a well-disciplined State out of the existent chaos and gave peace in place of the war of everybody against everybody else; he established a harmonious equilibrium between the spiritual and the temporal, between the mosque and the citadel; he left a new system of law, which dispensed impartial justice, in which even the head of the State was as much a subject to it as any commoner, and in which religious tolerance was so great that non-Muslim inhabitants of Muslim countries equally enjoyed complete juridical, judicial and cultural autonomy. In the matter of the revenues of the State, the Quran fixed the principles of budgeting, and paid more thought to the poor than to anybody else. The revenues were declared to be in no wise the private property of the head of the State. Above all, the Prophet Muhammad set a noble example and fully practised all that he taught to others. |
