The Death of Khad¢jah and Ab£-±¡lib

The Death of Khad¢jah and Ab£-±¡lib

Ten years after prophethood of Mu¦ammad (¥) and a little time leaving the col, Khad¢jah passed away. A short time after that, Ab£-±¡lib also passed away.[1] The passing away of these two persons was a great blow to the Holy Prophet.[2]

With the death of these two loyal friends, mishaps and disasters fell over the shoulders of the Holy Prophet one by one and he was put in a terribly difficult situation.[3]

The Role of Khad¢jah

Naturally, the loss of these two personalities brought about a great sorrow; although Khad¢jah could not protect the Holy Prophet in the same way that Ab£-±¡lib did, she was so kind and caring wife; she was a staunch supporter of Islam and its Prophet. She was the source of hope for the Holy Prophet against hardships.[4] The Holy Prophet kept Khad¢jah's memories to the last of his life. He would never forget her pioneering in accepting Islam.[5] Once, he told `ª’ishah,

“God has never given me a better wife than Khad¢jah. She accepted my faith when everyone else rejected; she praised and confirmed me when everyone else denounced; she spent her wealth for me when everyone else deprived me of everything. Finally, God gave me as gifts children from her.”[6]

The Role of Ab£-±¡lib

Not only was Ab£-±¡lib the Holy Prophet’s sponsor in his childhood and adolescence, but he was also a staunch supporter during his prophethood. He stood firm against the aggressions of the unbelievers. As long as he was alive, Quraysh rarely dared to harm Mu¦ammad (¥). Once, they incited a man to throw a camel's tripe over the Holy Prophet's body at the sacred Mosque. His body became dirty. When Ab£-±¡lib knew of the event, he drew his sword and, along with °amzah, went to meet the offenders. He ordered °amzah to put the tripe over the face of each one those offenders.[7]

With the demise of Ab£-±¡lib, Quraysh became more aggressive and tyrannical toward the Holy Prophet; they even threw dirt on him.[8] He once said,

“Quraysh had not dared to hurt me until Ab£-±¡lib passed away.”[9]

Ab£-±¡lib's Faith

Sh¢`ite scholars unanimously agree that Ab£-±¡lib was Muslim;[10] but he had not declared his faith so that he would protect the Holy Prophet. Because familial prejudices prevailed at that time, he pretended that he was protecting Mu¦ammad (¥) out of tribal zeal.[11] In this regard, Imam al-¯¡diq (¥) has said,

Ab£-±¡lib acted like the Companions of the Cave (Seven Sleepers of Ephesus) who concealed their faith and pretended to be unbelievers; so, they received double rewards from God.[12]

However, some historians claim that Ab£-±¡lib had not embraced the new faith and passed away an unbeliever. There are pieces of evidence which lead us to believe that he was a believer of Mu¦ammad's faith and ideology. We will present two of them hereinafter:

(1) His Poems and Statements

We have several statements and poems in which Ab£-±¡lib explicitly refers to Mu¦ammad's truthfulness.[13] 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.[14]

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.[15]

I am certain that Mu¦ammad's faith is the best faith in the world.[16]

(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?[17]

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.[18]