His Poems and Statements

(1) His Poems and Statements

We have several statements and poems in which Ab£-±¡lib explicitly refers to Mu¦ammad's truthfulness.[1] This clearly shows his commitment to Islam. Here are some examples of his poems:

O king of Abyssinia, be aware that Mu¦ammad, like Moses and Jesus, is a prophet. He has brought the same light of guidance that those two brought to man. All prophets are commissioned by God to lead people away from sins.[2]

You should have known that we have believed that Mu¦ammad, just like Moses, is a Messenger whose name is mentioned in the previous bibles.[3]

I am certain that Mu¦ammad's faith is the best faith in the world.[4]

(2) His Protection of the Holy Prophet

Ab£-±¡lib's excessive protections of the Holy Prophet against the aggressions of Quraysh, which continued for seven years, are clear indications of his faith. Those who deny his faith ascribe his protections to tribal affiliations with the Holy Prophet. However, familial bonds could not have been so strong as to force him to sacrifice his life for the Holy Prophet. These kinds of sacrifices definitely have their roots in religious fervor. If Ab£-±¡lib's motives were tribal, why did the other uncles of the Holy Prophet, such as `Abb¡s and Ab£-Lahab, not make the same sacrifices?[5]

In the opinion of some historians, some of those who have tried to prove Ab£-±¡lib's atheism do so out of political motives and tribal jealousies, because the Holy Prophet's followers (who later turned into his political rivals) were mostly idol-worshippers. Only `Al¢ (a.s) lacked such idol-worshipping background since he was nurtured in the Holy Prophet’s school. Those who wish to belittle Imam `Al¢ claim that his father was not a believer. In this way, they claim that he had idolatry in his blood. In fact, the only guilt Ab£-±¡lib had was his fatherhood of `Al¢ (a.s). He would not receive such an accusation if he had not been `Al¢'s father.

The Umayyad and `Abb¡sid rulers were at the center of these cruelties, because their ancestors could never reach the rank of Imam `Al¢ (a.s); they never had such a prestige; therefore, they tried in vain to humiliate him in any way they could.

The charges and accusations which they had leveled at Ab£-±¡lib were more becoming of `Abb¡s ibn `Abd al-Mu§§alib (the Holy Prophet's uncle and the ancestor of the `Abb¡sid rulers), because `Abb¡s used to be in Mecca up to the siege in the 8^th year of Hegira. Moreover, he was taken as a prisoner in the army of the unbelievers and was then freed by paying tribute. When the siege of Mecca was underway, he reached the Islamic army and asked the Holy Prophet to release Ab£-Sufy¡n, the head of the unbelievers. Considering all these, nobody has ever claimed that he was an unbeliever! Is this a just evaluation of these two figures? For this reason, scholars look at the accusation of being an atheist on the part of Ab£-±¡lib as suspect.[6]

The Prophet's wives

While Khad¢jah was alive, the Holy Prophet did not marry any lady.[7] After her death, he married several women all of whom, except for `ª’ishah, were widows. The first was Sawdah. Her husband was Sakr¡n ibn `Amr; one of the emigrants to Abyssinia who had died there leaving his wife without sponsor.

Orientalists have used the Holy Prophet's marriages as an excuse to level inhuman accusations against him. They have referred to his marriages as indulgence in pleasure and lusts.[8] A careful and impartial judgment, however, will reveal the fact that behind these marriages, there lay some political and social motives and some gains and common good for Islam; some of those women lost any sponsor or protector; therefore, the Holy Prophet wanted to guide and protect them under the cover of marriage. Some others belonged to great households and the Holy Prophet wanted to have their protections. At some other time, the purpose was to fight against some wrong customs of the Ignorance Era. Here are some evidences:

(1) The Holy Prophet married Khad¢jah when he was twenty-five years old and at the zenith of youthful zeal and passion whereas she had lost the passion of youth when she married him. She lived with him for twenty-five years.

(2) The Holy Prophet did not marry any other woman as long as Khad¢jah was alive, while polygamy was prevalent in Arabia at that time.

(3) The other marriages of the Holy Prophet took place after the age of fifty, before or after Hegira, when he was in the center of political, social and military turmoil. Could a person get into pleasure seeking activities under such circumstances? Could the Holy Prophet, while living in Medina, find a chance to be involved in lust and whims?

(4) Was life easy and smooth with different wives, each of whom had a special set of likes and dislikes and a series of womanly jealousies; wives who had hurt the Holy Prophet on various occasions?[9] Is such a life compatible with pleasure-seeking?

(5) Each one of the Holy Prophet's wives belonged to a different tribe; they were not relatives. Was such a marriage accidental and haphazard?

(6) After the Holy Prophet's emigration to Yathrib and the expansion of Islam and an increase in his spiritual influence, his social and political power had greatly risen and the Arab leaders would take pride in having their daughters married to the Holy Prophet. However, most of the women that he married were widows or elderly women lacking any protector, while he encouraged men to marry young girls.

Let us introduce some of the Holy Prophet's wives