What do Muslims believe? Islamic teachings about God (Allah), prophets, books of revelation, angels, heaven and hell, destiny and free will, and the creation of earth.

Muslims believe that Allah (God) has created an unseen world, including angels and jinn. Learn more about the nature of these unseen beings.

Belief in the Angels
These are beings of a different nature from man. While man is created from soil they are created from light. [Sahih Muslim, Kitab az-Zuhd, 1227] And thus human beings-except Prophets--cannot see them in their original nature, but may see them if they take a physical form. Our knowledge of them is therefore almost entirely based on What Cod and His Prophets tell us about them. But why should we bother to know about them? Because they play a very big role in conducting our affair. To know about them could Perhaps be said to be useful to us in the same manner as knowledge of the working of natural causes and other people's behaviour is useful.

We are told that these almost innumerable beings who are extremely powerful are created in such a way that they always obey and never go against Divine commands, and continuously server and never tire of serving the Lord. [Anbiya', XXI, 19-20; Tahrim, LXVI:6].

But in spite of this they are--as a species--in a lower degree than the human species, and this is symbolized in the fact that when Adam was created they were ordered to prostrate themselves before him as a sign of greeting and respect.[This verse - Isra, XVII:70] has been given (by some) as evidence or the fact that the human species is better than the species of angels. Ibn Kathir in his tafsir of al-Qur'an al-`Azim].

Here are some of their activities in connection with human beings.

Their main task, the one from which their name is derived is that of conveying God's messages to His chosen prophets. This great honor is assigned mainly to their leader Gabriel (or Jibril as the name is pronounced in Arabic).

"A noble messenger having power, with the Lord of the Throne, secure, obeyed there (in heaven) and trusty." [Takwir, LXXXI: 19-21]

A message carried by beings of such a nature is sure to reach its destination intact.

They attend to and watch over us. They keep a record of our good and bad deeds, and never a word we mention passes without being registered by them either for or against us. [Qaf, L: 17-18]

They play a role in the causation and happening of seemingly purely natural phenomena, like wind and rain and death. [Nazi'at, LXXIX: 1-5]

And to them is assigned the role of helping the believers to the extent of fighting on their side in times of war. ['Al 'lmran, 11: 124], and of protecting them [Ra'd, XIII: 11], and praying for them [Ghafir, XL: 7].

Islam teaches that God has sent prophets to humanity, in different times and places, to communicate His message. Since the beginning of time, God has sent His guidance through these chosen people. They were human beings who taught about faith in One Almighty God, and how to walk on the path of righteousness.

The Prophet Ibrahim ( - Peace Be Upon Him) and the Idols
We often see the term "role model" in newspapers and magazines. It refers to someone who leads the sort of life that you would like to live. Many of us choose our favorite sports star or film star as our role model because we are impressed by the glitter and flair of these wealthy people. However, if we stopped to think about what kind of lives the stars really lead, perhaps we would have second thoughts about our choice of role model. How many of these stars have never known or have forgotten Allah in their quest for fame and riches! How often are they consumed by hate, envy, violence, drugs and other evils! Who really wants that kind of life? Certainly not we Muslims.

The Qur'an tells us that the prophets should be our role models, and Ibrahim () in particular is frequently mentioned. He was obedient to Allah, upright, and he did not worship any god but Allah. He turned away from those who worshipped idols, even from his own father. He was grateful to Allah for the blessings which were bestowed on him. He was rewarded with good in this world and he is among the righteous in the hereafter.

Ibrahim's () father, Azer, was a stone carver. He carved the images of the idols which his people worshipped. Ibrahim () grew up in an atmosphere of paganism, in which Allah was just one of many gods worshipped by his people. But Allah chose Ibrahim () to be His prophet. Ibrahim () saw a star when it rose and called upon it as his lord, but when it set he realized that it was powerless. He called upon the moon when it rose in the sky, but it too disappeared as it set. Then he decided to worship the sun when it rose, but even the sun with all its brilliance had to set each evening. It was at this point that Ibrahim () was ready to acknowledge the supremacy of the Creator of all the heavenly bodies, the Lord of all creation, and a being without equal and without partners. He tried unsuccessfully to persuade his father and his people to discard the useless idols and to submit themselves wholly to Allah. He promised his father that he would pray for forgiveness for him, and since he had promised, he did pray. But we are told in the Qur'an that we should shun pagans and we should not pray for them (Qur'an 9:113-114).

Ibrahim asked his people why they worshipped those idols which they themselves had made, instead of the true God who had created everything and everybody. The people answered that they worshipped the idols because their fathers had done so. One day, when no one was about, Ibrahim () took his right hand and smashed the idols to pieces, all except the biggest. The people came running, asking who had destroyed their gods. Ibrahim () pointed to the big god and said, "He did it. Why don't you ask them?" But of course those fragments of stone were not able to speak and the people knew in their hearts that the big stone could not have destroyed them. So Ibrahim () asked, "Why do you worship these powerless rocks instead of Allah who is all powerful?" Then the people were very angry and they seized Ibrahim () and threw him into a blazing fire. But Allah was with Ibrahim () and made the blaze feel cool to him. Ibrahim () emerged from the fire unharmed.

In Arabia at the time of the prophet Muhammad (), three religious groups claimed ancestry to the prophet Ibrahim (). They were the Christians, the Jews, and the pagan idol-worshippers. But the religion of Ibrahim () was none of these three. His religion was truly that of Islam, a total submission to the will of Allah. It is he who should serve as our role model, a man of unswerving faith in troubled times.

You can read about Ibrahim () as a role model and about his disputes over the idols in the following suras of the Qur'an: 2:130, 135, 258; 3:67; 6:74-83; 16:120-123; 19:41-50; 21:51-71; 26:70-82; 37:83-98; 60:4-6.

Isma'il ( - Peace Be Upon Him) and his Mother

This story is different from the previous stories that have appeared in Iqraa, because most of it does not appear in the Qur'an. It is, however, repeated several times in Sahih al-Bukhari.

When Ismail was still a small baby, his father Ibrahim took him and his mother, Hajra, to the site of the Ka'ba. He gave them some dates and a goat skin full of water and left them there. At that time no one lived at the Ka'ba, and there was no water nearby. As Ibrahim was walking away, Ismail's mother followed him, asking why she and her son were being left in such a desolate place. She asked several times but he would not answer her. Finally, she asked if Allah had ordered him to do this and he replied that it was so. Upon hearing this, she accepted Allah's will and returned to the site where Ibrahim had left her.

As soon as Ibrahim was out of sight, he turned and prayed to Allah to protect and provide for his family which he had left out in the wilderness:
"O our Lord! I have made some of my offspring to dwell in a valley without cultivation, by Thy Sacred House; In order, O our Lord that they may establish regular prayer; So fill the hearts of some among men with love towards them, and feed them with fruits; So that they may give thanks." (al-Qur'an 14:37)

Ismail and his mother lived for some time on the supply of water and dates, but finally the water began to give out, and Ismail's mother could no longer produce sufficient milk to nurse her baby. The baby became agitated and near to death because of his thirst. The mother could not bear to see her child suffering, so she ran to the top of nearby Mt. Safa to see if she could find someone to help her. When she could see no one, she ran down the mountain and across the valley to Mt. Marwa. Seven times she ran from one mountain to the other, looking in vain for assistance. After the seventh time she heard a voice and she called out to it for help. When she looked she saw an angel digging the earth with his heel until water flowed forth. That place was the site of Zam-zam. She carefully made a depression around the place where the water was flowing, and filled her waterbag with her hands. Then she was able to drink water and nurse her baby. The angel told her not to be afraid, that she and her son would be provided for.

Ismail and his mother continued to live at the Ka'ba all by themselves for some time. One day some people of the Jurhum tribe were passing through the valley. They didn't intend to stop, because they knew that there had never been any water in that valley. But they saw a kind of bird which was known to frequent wet spots, so they followed it to the spring of Zam-zam. There they found Ismail's mother sitting by the water.

Ismail's mother was a very sociable person who loved the company of others, so she readily agreed to their request to stop there for a while, provided that they did not claim possession of the water. Some of the people of Jurhum decided to settle permanently by Zam-zam and sent for their families. Ismail grew up with these people and learned to speak Arabic from them. When he grew up, they urged him to marry one of their women.

You can read about Ismail and his mother in Sahih al-Bukhari IV:582-584.

Hadrat Yusuf ( - Peace Be Upon Him) And His Brothers
The story of the prophet Yusuf's () life is told in the Quran in a sura which bears his name. He was the son of Ya‘qub () and the grandson of Is-haq (). He was the next to youngest of twelve sons and a favorite of his father.

One day he had a dream in which eleven planets, the sun, and the moon were bowing down in front of him. When his father learned of this vision, he interpreted it as meaning that Allah would prefer Yusuf (), would teach him the interpretation of dreams, and would perfect His grace upon him. But Ya'qub warned Yusuf () not to tell the dream to his brothers, because they would be extremely jealous and might wish to do harm to him.

The older brothers were indeed jealous of Yusuf () and his younger brother. They decided that, with Yusuf () out of the picture, their father would look upon the rest of them with more favor. Some wanted to kill him and some favored abandoning him in some distant land. One of the brothers suggested leaving him in a pit so that some caravan would pick him up and carry him away. That was the plot upon which they eventually agreed.

Yusuf's brothers went to their father and asked if they could take Yusuf () out in the pastures with them on the following day, so that he could play and enjoy himself. At first Ya‘qub () dissented, because he feared that Yusuf () would be devoured by a wolf. But the brothers assured him that the wolf would not have a chance against so many of them. Finally Ya‘qub agreed to let Yusuf go with them.

The following day, the brothers led Yusuf () away and left him in the bottom of a deep pit. Allah revealed to Yusuf () at that time that one day he would tell them of this deed, when the brothers would not recognize him. After the brothers had left Yusuf () in the pit, a caravan came along and a water-drawer was sent to look for water at the bottom of the pit. He was delighted to find instead a healthy young man. Yusuf () was taken away in the caravan to be sold into slavery. The traders attached very little value to him and sold him for a very small amount of money.

Meanwhile the brothers stained Yusuf's () shirt with the blood of some animal and returned, weeping and wailing, to their father, concocting a story about how a wolf had, after all, managed to slip past them and devour Yusuf . Their father recognized that their grief was not sincere, and he prayed to Allah to help him bear his own grief over the loss of Yusuf ().

Insha Allah the story of Yusuf () shall be continued in future issues of Iqra. You can read it in the twelfth sura of the Quran.

After Yusuf had settled his family in Egypt, the Israelites lived there for many generations. But the ruler of Egypt, the pharoah, discriminated against the people of Israel. He oppressed them and killed all their sons. When Musa was born, his mother feared that he too would be killed. Allah sent a message to her to nurse him as long as she could, until she feared for his safety. Then she was to throw him into the river. Allah promised that He would bring Musa back to her and that Musa would become a messenger of Allah.

It was the family of the pharoah who found Musa in the river. The pharoah’s wife wanted to keep him and ordered that he not be killed. She thought he might be useful to them or that they might adopt him.

Meanwhile, Musa’s mother had sent his sister to keep watch over him from a distance. When the pharoah’s wife was looking for a nurse to feed and care for him until he grew older, the sister approached and offered the services of her mother, without, of course, revealing her mother’s real connection to the child. In this way he was restored to his mother, as Allah had promised. And when Musa grew up, he was given wisdom and knowledge by Allah.

One day, when Musa had grown up, he went into the city and found two men fighting, one of whom was an Egyptian, and the other an Israelite. The Israelite asked Musa for help and Musa struck the other man with his fist, thus killing him. Musa was horrified that he had killed a man, and asked Allah for forgiveness, which Allah granted.

The following day Musa again was in the city, when he saw the same man as on the day before, involved in a fight with an Egyptian. Musa was angry at the hotheadedness of this man, but was once again ready to take his side against the Egyptian, who was the enemy of them both. But the Egyptian cried out to Musa that murder was not the way to settle and reform matters. At that moment another man brought news that the authorities were searching for Musa in connection with the murder of the previous day. And so Musa was forced to flee.

Musa escaped to the land of Madyan. There he came to a watering hole where a whole tribe of men were watering their flocks. There were two women there also whose father was too old to care for his flocks himself. But the women were holding their sheep back and could not get close to the water until the men had finished. Musa watered their flocks for them, then settled down in the shade, praying that Allah would send him assistance.

One of the two women whom Musa had helped approached him shyly, for her father had sent for Musa to reward him for helping his daughters. When Musa had told the old man his story, the old man sympathized with him. The old man offered to marry Musa to one of his daughters if Musa would work for him a minimum of eight years. An agreement was reached and Musa stayed in the land of Madyan for the agreed-upon time.

This part of the story of Musa can be found in al-Qur’an 28:1-28.

Hadrat Musa ( - Peace Be Upon Him): Call to Prophethood
This is the second part of the story of Musa . As you may recall, Musa had killed an Egyptian and was thus forced to flee from Egypt. In the land of Madyan he had met a herdsman, who hired Musa for a given number of years. In return Musa was given one of the herdsman’s daughters as his wife.

Our story now begins some time after Musa had completed his contract with his father-in-law. He was traveling somewhere with his family when he saw a fire in the distance. He went to explore in the hope that he might get information or be able to bring back a firebrand for his family to use.

When Musa approached the bush that was burning, he heard a voice coming from it. The voice commanded Musa to remove his shoes because he was in a sacred valley. The voice identified itself as Allah, and reminded Musa to serve Him and to keep up his prayers. The voice told Musa that Allah had made him one of the chosen ones.

Allah then ordered Musa to throw down his staff, which he used as a walking stick and to beat down branches for his flocks. When the staff was flung down, it turned into a serpent. Allah instructed Musa to pick the serpent up, and it again turned into a stick. The voice commanded Musa to thrust his hand under his armpit, and when he removed it the hand was glowing white, yet it did not hurt Musa . Allah informed Musa that these two signs, the staff and the hand, would be signs for the Pharoah, to show that Musa had truly been sent from Allah. Allah wanted Musa to go to the Pharoah because the Pharoah and his people had strayed far from the acceptable ways of Allah. He also wanted Musa to lead the children of Israel away from the Pharoah’s influence.

Musa pointed out that he had killed an Egyptian and that he himself would be killed if he returned to Egypt. He was also unsure of his ability to communicate with the Pharoah. He was not a good speaker and asked for the help of his brother, Harun , who was much more eloquent. Allah reassured Musa on both counts. He promised that Musa would come to no harm at the hands of the Egyptians. And He agreed both to aid Musa in addressing the Pharoah and to send along Harun to help out.

In this manner Musa was called to prophethood, and set out to free the people of Israel from their bondage under the people of Egypt. Insha Allah in the next issue we shall tell of his meetings with the Pharoah.

You can read about this part of the story of Musa in the Quran 20:9-36, 42-48; 26:10-17; and 28:29-35.

Hadrat Musa ( - Peace Be Upon Him) and Fir'awn
Musa and his brother Harun had been called upon by Allah to deliver a message to the leader of the Egyptians, Fir'awn (Pharaoh), who considered himself a god and insisted that his subjects worship him.

Musa told Fir'awn that he, Musa , was a messenger of the Lord of the Worlds and that he had clear proof of it. Therefore, Fir'awn should let the people of Israel go with him. Musa showed Fir'awn the staff that turned into a serpent and the hand which turned shining white when placed under his arm. Fir'awn consulted with all his chiefs and they decided that perhaps Musa was just a very good magician. They called together all their best magicians to compete with Musa . The magicians were promised a reward if they won.

The magicians went first in the contest and they were good, really good. They made their ropes and sticks appear to run in front of their audience. Musa was afraid that he couldn’t surpass their skills, but Allah told him not to be afraid. When Musa threw down his staff, it ate up all that the magicians had made. When the magicians saw this, they bowed down and proclaimed their belief in the Lord of Musa and Harun .

Fir'awn was not very happy about this turn of events. He threatened to cut off the hands and feet of the magicians and to crucify them. But the magicians would not change their opinion. They were convinced by the clear proofs which Musa had shown to them and they told Fir'awn that he could only end for them their life in this world. For those who believe there would be another life after death, in gardens beneath which rivers flow.

Following this there began another period of persecution against the followers of Allah. Fir'awn had all of their sons killed. Musa had to encourage the children of Israel to continue strong in their belief in Allah and to pray to Allah faithfully.

Whenever good fortune befell the Egyptians, they took credit for it. When misfortune came, they blamed Musa and his people. They failed to see that everything, both good and bad, comes from Allah. Allah sent all kinds of hardships against the Egyptians- famine, loss of fruits, floods, locusts, pests, frogs, and blood- as signs to them. They would promise to free the people of Israel if Musa would pray to his God for deliverance from the pestilence. But as soon as the hardship had been removed, they would go back on their promise.

Finally Musa was instructed by Allah to lead the followers of Allah away by night. When they came to the sea, the waters parted so that they could pass to the other side without getting wet. However, when Fir'awn and his armies pursued them, the waters of the sea closed in on them and they were all drowned. In this way did Allah punish Fir'awn for leading his people away from Allah.

Insha Allah in the next issue we shall relate the conclusion of the story of Musa , when we tell what befell the children of Israel after they left Egypt. You can read about Musa and Fir'awn in al-Quran 7:103-137; 20:49-79; 26:16-67; and 43:46-56.

Hadrat Musa ( - Peace Be Upon Him) in the Wilderness
When Musa and his people fled from the Egyptians, their trials were far from over. After they had safely crossed the sea, they came upon some people who were worshiping idols. The children of Israel asked Musa to make an idol for them, and he had to remind them of all that Allah had done for them. How could he make another god for them when their Allah was the only true god?

Musa was summoned by Allah to Mount Sinai and he put his brother Harun in charge while he was gone. When he arrived at the appointed site, he asked to see Allah. Allah said He could not show Himself directly to Musa , but Musa should look towards the mountain, and if the mountain remained in one piece, then Musa would see Allah. When Allah showed His glory on the mountain, it became like dust, and Musa fell down in a faint. When he had recovered his senses, he asked Allah's forgiveness and declared his unquestioning belief in Allah. Then Allah spoke with Musa and gave Musa tablets containing His commands and explaining all things. Musa was to carry the tablets back to his people and convey to them the words of Allah. He spent forty days on the mount, communing with his Lord.

Meanwhile, the people of Musa gathered together all their jewelry and gold which they had carried from Egypt. They melted it down and made it into the form of a calf, which they wished to worship. When Musa returned from the mountain with his tablets, he was angry and grieved to see the golden calf. Thinking that Harun had approved the actions of the Israelites, an angry Musa grabbed his brother by the hair and dragged Harun towards him. Harun hastily explained that the people had not listened to him and had even threatened to kill him when he opposed their activities. At this Musa prayed to Allah for forgiveness for both himself and his brother. He also prayed for mercy for those who repented of their evil deed in making the golden idol.

The ultimate destination of the people of Israel was the land of Canaan. Continuously they rebelled against Allah, and continuously Allah forgave them. When they were thirsty, Allah commanded Musa to strike a rock and from it sprang twelve springs of water, one for each of the tribes of Israel. When they were hot, Allah provided clouds to cover the sun. When they were hungry, Allah provided manna and salwa. Yet they were never grateful. They even complained about the sameness of the diet and asked for more variety.

At last they came to the land of Canaan. But because the people of Canaan were very strong-looking, the Israelites were afraid to invade their land. There were only two men who were willing to join Musa and Harun in an attempt to drive the Canaanites out. They counseled that if the proper gates were attacked, they could easily gain entrance. And once they were inside, they would easily be victorious if only they would put their trust in Allah. But the people of Israel would not budge. They told Musa and Harun to go with their Lord and fight, while they, the people, would sit and watch. At this Musa gave up trying to persuade his rebellious people. And Allah decreed that because of their behavior, the children of Israel would be condemned to wander in the wilderness for forty more years, before they would be allowed to enter the land of Canaan.

You can read about the story of Musa and his people in the wilderness in al-Quran 2: 51-61; 5: 23-29; 7: 138-162; and 20: 80-98.

Hadrat Musa ( - Peace Be Upon Him) and al-Khidr
Musa was a very wise and knowledgeable person, but there were many things which he did not know. He was instructed to seek out a servant of Allah, who would give him further knowledge. He was told to take with him a fish which would disappear when he had arrived at the place where he was to meet his teacher.

Musa vowed to his servant, as he set out on his journey, that he would travel to the place where the two seas met, or would spend many years traveling, in search of his teacher. When they at last reached the junction of the two seas, the fish which they had been carrying slipped away into the water and swam off. Musa did not see this happen and the servant, who had seen the fish's escape, forgot to mention it to Musa .

They continued on their journey but Musa grew tired, so he called for an early meal. It was then that the servant thought to tell Musa that the fish was gone. Musa realized that this was the sign for which he had been waiting. They retraced their steps to the place when the fish had slipped away and there they found the teacher, al-Khidr .

Musa asked al-Khidr’s permission to follow him, in order that Musa might learn some of the greater knowledge which Allah had imported to al-Khidr . al-Khidr agreed, provided that Musa would be patient and would not question anything which he saw happen until al-Khidr chose to speak about it.

They boarded a boat, and while they were in it, al-Khidr made a hole in it so that it would not be seaworthy. Musa was concerned at such an action and asked al-Khidr if he was trying to drown everybody. Al-Khidr reminded Musa of his promise not to ask questions and Musa apologized for forgetting himself.

They continued on until they met a young man, whom al-Khidr killed. Musa questioned why an innocent person had been killed. Al-Khidr asked what had happened to the patience which Musa was supposed to be exercising. Musa again apologized and declared that if he asked anything more, then al-Khidr would be right to dismiss him.

They entered a town and asked for food, but no one offered them any hospitality. In spite of this shabby treatment, al-Khidr repaired a wall which was on the verge of falling down. Musa , forgetting himself once again, exclaimed that at least al-Khidr should have been paid for fixing it. At this third infraction of their agreement, al-Khidr declared that it was time for them to part, but first he would explain his actions to Musa .

The boat, he explained, belonged to men who needed it to earn their living. But a king was about to seize it from them by force, so al-Khidr damaged it to keep it out of the king's grasp. Later it could be repaired and put to use again by its rightful owners.

The young man who was killed was the son of righteous parents, but he himself had gone astray. In order to spare his parents the grief of seeing their son go bad, al-Khidr killed him, knowing that the parents would have another son who would be more loving and obedient.

The wall belonged to two young orphans in the inhospitable town. The orphans were the children of a righteous man. Beneath the wall was a buried treasure, which would now be safe, under the strengthened wall, until the orphans were old enough to claim their inheritance.

Thus Musa learned how limited was his human knowledge. What had appeared to be the loss of a possession had actually been the preservation of it. What had seemed to be the loss of a son had been an act of mercy on behalf of the parents. The rebuilt wall had not been merely a generous act for undeserving recipients, but rather insured that justice would be done to deserving orphans. Only Allah has the full knowledge to understand the seemingly unfair aspects of human life and human suffering. We must accept that all that is good and all that is bad comes from Allah. In his infinite wisdom and mercy, Allah knows what is best for us.

The story of Musa and his teacher can be found in al-Quran 18: 60-82.

Dawood and his son, Sulaiman were not only prophets, but also kings of the people of Israel. They were both known for their strength, wisdom, judgement, and devotion to Allah.

Before Dawood became king, Talut (Saul) was the king of Israel. When he set out with his army to fight Jalut (Goliath) and his forces, he tested his soldiers by telling them not to drink from a river which they were crossing. Only a small sip of water out of the hand was allowed. But only a very few men passed the test. With that small band of obedient soldiers, Talut prepared to meet the larger and stronger army of Jalut. The men put their faith in Allah, knowing that size and numbers were no match for a steadfast faith in the power of Allah. Dawood , who was a very young man in Talut's army, killed Jalut. After that, Jalut's army fell apart, and the small band of Israelites was victorious.

Dawood , besides being brave and wise, was known for his wonderful voice, which he used to sing the praises of Allah. When he sang, the mountains and valleys and all of nature seemed to join in. It was to him that the holy book, Zabur, was given by Allah. It is a book of songs praising Allah.

Allah also showed Dawood the art of making iron, so that he was able to make suits of armor to protect his soldiers.

The prophet Muhammad used to say, according to the traditions of Sahih al-Bukhari (Vol. 4: 631), that the most beloved fasting to Allah was that of Dawood , who used to fast on alternate days. And the most beloved prayer was that of Dawood . He would sleep the first half of the night; then he would pray for one-third of the night, before going back to sleep for the remaining one-sixth of the night.

Dawood was a wise and just judge of disputes which arose in his kingdom, but his son Sulaiman surpassed him in the ability to provide a fair judgement.

In one tradition (Bukhari, Vol.4; 637), there were two women, each of whom had a child. One child was stolen and devoured by a wolf. Each woman claimed that it was the other woman's child who was taken. They brought the case to Dawood and he judged that the older woman should have the remaining child. Then they went to Sulaiman . He called for a knife, so that he could cut the child in half and give half to each woman. But the younger woman, who could not bear to see her child cut in half, cried out that the child belonged to the other woman. Sulaiman then gave the child to the younger woman.

In another story, referred to in the Quran (21: 78) a man's flock of sheep strayed into a farmer's field at night, destroying the crops that had been growing there. The case was brought before Dawood , who awarded the flock of sheep to the farmer as restitution for damages. But Sulaiman suggested another solution, which would repay the farmer without ruining the herdsman. Sulaiman ruled that the farmer would keep the sheep and use their milk and wool, until the herdsman had restored the damaged field to its original condition. When that had been done, the flock would be returned to the herdsman.

Both Dawood and Sulaiman , although powerful and rich, never ceased to acknowledge that all their gifts were from Allah. They remained obedient to Allah and used their power to follow Allah's will. Insha Allah in the next story we shall relate how Sulaiman led a powerful queen from idol worship to Islam.

You can read about Dawood and Sulaiman in the Quran 2:249-251; 21: 78-82; 34: 10-14; 38: 17-26, 30-40.

Sulaiman () was a very powerful prophet and many wondrous stories are told about him. He could understand the speech of animals, even of the lowly ant, but despite his worldly powers, he never forgot Allah. He was grateful to Allah for all his gifts and he always tried to serve Allah.

Sulaiman () had jinn and birds serving in his army as well as men. They were all kept in order and ranks, and Sulaiman () demanded strict discipline among them. That is why he was very upset one day to find that one bird, the hoopoe, was absent without his consent. However, the hoopoe soon appeared to explain his absence. He had been scouting for Sulaiman () in areas where Sulaiman () had not yet scouted. He brought with him an account of the kingdom of Saba (Sheba).

The hoopoe reported that the kingdom of Saba was ruled by a rich and powerful queen. She and her people worshipped the sun and other idols instead of Allah. To test the truth of the hoopoe’s story, Sulaiman () sent a letter to the queen, greeting her and requesting her to submit to Allah.

The queen consulted with her ministers. They informed her that the country had the strength to wage a war, but they entrusted her with the decision of whether to use her armies or seek a peaceful settlement. The queen was reluctant to expose her country to the destruction and waste that would accompany a war. Instead she decided to try to please Sulaiman () by sending him expensive gifts. Her chiefs and ministers agreed with her decision.

When the messengers of the queen delivered the queen’s gifts to Sulaiman (), he rejected the gifts. He said that the gifts which he had received from Allah were infinitely better than those which she had sent. He sent the messengers back with the gifts and a message to the queen that she had better submit or he would send armies which would thoroughly destroy the Sabaeans and their country.

While Sulaiman () was awaiting the arrival of the queen, when she would come to him in submission, he desired that her throne be brought to him. A very strong jinn offered to bring it within a matter of moments. One who had knowledge of the Book said he could bring it within the twinkling of an eye. When the throne had been placed before him, Sulaiman () praised Allah and gave thanks to Allah. Sulaiman () did not desire the conquest of the queen of Saba to enhance his personal power. He desired that her throne be transformed from a seat of no faith to a seat of faith in Allah, that she would lead her people in submission to Allah, not to Sulaiman ().

Sulaiman () had the queen’s throne disguised in order to test whether she would accept it in its changed condition. When she arrived, she was asked whether it was her own throne. She confirmed that it was something like it and that she had been informed by Allah in advance of such a change.

When the queen was asked to enter the palace, she tucked up her skirts, because she thought she had to pass through a pool of water. Sulaiman (), not wishing to humiliate the queen, informed her that what she had mistaken for water was actually smooth slabs of glass which paved the courtyard. The queen acknowledged her misperceptions and submitted in Islam, with Sulaiman (), to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds.

You can read about this story of Sulaiman () in the Quran 27: 15-44.

The story of the birth of Isa as told in the Qur'an demonstrates again the power of Allah who can make happen whatever He wills. Just as Ibrahim and Sara wondered at being able to have a son at their great age, Isa's mother, Maryam (peace be upon her) also wondered at being able to have a son when no man had touched her.

Maryam was the daughter of Imran. When her mother became pregnant with her, she dedicated her baby to Allah for His special service. Maryam grew up pure and beautiful in the special protection of Allah. Whenever her guardian, Zakariah , would visit her in her room, he would find that she had been provided with plentiful food and he wondered at it. It was Allah who was caring for her.

When Maryam became a young woman she was visited by a messenger from Allah. He told her that she would bear a son named Isa . He would speak to the people as a child and as an adult. Allah would teach him the Book and the Wisdom, and he would be a prophet to his people.

Maryam was amazed at this message. She was a well-behaved young, unmarried woman, so how could she have a baby? Allah's message was similar to that given to Ibrahim . Allah creates whatever he wills. All he has to do is say, "Be," and it is.

When the time came for Maryam's baby to be born, she withdrew from her family because she knew they wouldn't understand. As the pains of birth began, she came to a palm tree and cried out in despair that she wished she were dead. A voice answered her, telling her not to grieve, and telling her to shake the palm tree to obtain dates. Allah also provided her with a small stream to ease her thirst and cool her face during the birth of her son, Isa .

When Isa had been born, Maryam returned home with him. When her family saw him they were shocked, as she knew they would be. But she merely pointed to the baby in explanation and he, the newborn infant, spoke, declaring that he was indeed a servant of Allah, a prophet, blessed by Allah, enjoined to do prayer and charity, and be kind to his mother, humble and not overbearing, and that he would eventually die and be raised to life again.

You can read about Maryam and the birth of Isa () in the following suras of the Qur'an: 3:35-37, 3:42-49, 19:16-40.

Yemen is a place in Arabia to the south of Makkah. A long time ago, it was ruled by people who worshipped other gods than Allâh. The ruler of those people, Dhu Nawâs, used to oppress the Christians who lived there. Once he had a big ditch or trench dug and put fire in it. Then he threw into it about 20,000 Christians. All those people died except one or two of them who ran away and came to the emperor of Syria for help.

The emperor of Syria wrote to the king of Abyssinia (Habashah), who was a Christian, and asked him to take revenge. So the Abyssinian leader (whose title was Najâshi) sent a huge army under the leadership of two commanders named Irbât and Abraha. Dhu Nawâs ran away from Yemen and later drowned, so Yemen came under the rule of the Abyssinians. After some time, an argument happened between the two commanders and a civil war broke out in which Irbât was killed and Abraha became the governor of Yemen.

At that time, all the Arabs used to make Hajj to the Ka’bah in Makkah. Even though they worshipped other gods than Allâh and did many wrong things, Allah kept His House a place which people always visited. Abraha saw them doing this and wanted to turn them away from it, so he built a huge cathedral in a city in Yemen called San’â. This church was so big that its roof could not be seen from the ground. It was decorated with gold, silver and pearls. Abraha announced that nobody should travel to the Ka’bah anymore. Rather, they should all come to this cathedral to perform worship.

Even though they were idolaters, the Arabs had great respect for the Ka’bah. So when Abraha made his announcement, they were very angry. Some of the Quraysh of Makkah went to the cathedral in secret and threw dirty stuff all over the floors and walls of it. Some also lit fire to it. When Abraha found out that these things were done by the Quraysh, he swore that he would take apart every brick of the Ka’bah and destroy it.

Abraha began gathering a big army. He asked permission from the Najâshi, who sent his personal elephant, Mahmûd, and eight other elephants with Abraha’s army. When the news of Abraha’s plan reached the Arabs, they prepared to oppose the attack. Abraha defeated the armies of several Arab tribes along the way to Makkah, and he took one of their leaders, Nufail bin Habeeb, as a prisoner and used him for a guide. As he approached Makkah, the people of Tâ’if decided that instead of trying to fight Abraha, they will help him out, so that he would not destroy their own temple. So they sent with him one of their leaders named Abû Righâl.

Abraha reached with his army up to Mughammas, a place close to Makkah. There were some camels feeding there, and the army overcame the herdsmen and captured these camels. Of these camels, 200 belonged to Abdul Muttalib, the grandfather of the Prophet (), who was at that time the leader of the Quraysh. Abraha then sent a messenger to tell the people of Makka that he only wanted to destroy the Ka’bah and did not come to kill any people if they left him alone.

Abdul Muttalib came back with the messenger to meet Abraha. Abdul Muttalib, being the grandfather of the Prophet (), who was the best of creation, was himself a very handsome and striking personality. So, when Abraha saw him, he came down from his throne to sit next to Abdul Muttalib, even though this was not what the kings commonly did. He asked Abdul Muttalib what he had to say. Abdul Muttalib said that he wanted his camels back.

Abraha was very surprised. He said, “When I first saw you, I thought you were a very respectable and honorable man, but the first thing you have said has made me change my mind. I have come to destroy your Ka’bah and all you are worried about is your camels?!”

Abdul Muttalib replied, “I am the owner of the camels and they are my concern; while Allâh is the owner of the Ka’bah and He will defend it.”

Abraha replied, “Your Lord cannot defend it from me.”

Abdul Muttalib said, “Then do as you wish.” So Abraha gave back the camels and Abdul Muttalib returned to Makkah.

In Makkah, Abdul Muttalib went first to the Ka’bah and made a prayer to Allâh to protect the Ka’bah. Then all the people in Makkah left the city and went to the mountains around Makkah to see what would happen.

In the morning Abraha prepared to enter the city. He put Mahmûd, the elephant, in the front of the army. However, Nufail bin Habeeb, the captured Arab, secretly whispered into the elephant’s ear, “Kneel down! - Return safely from where you have come, for you are in the Secure Land (Balad Amîn).” After this, the elephant sat down and would not go forward. Abraha’s men tried to poke it and push it but it would not move. If they turned it around to face Syria or Yemen then it would start walking, but as soon as they faced it towards the Ka’bah it would sit down again. This was the sign of Allâh’s Power.

Suddenly, while this was happening, came the punishment which is mentioned in Sûrah Fîl of the Qur’an (Sûrah 105). Hundreds of birds which had never been seen before flew towards Makkah from the ocean. Each bird had 3 little stones- one in the beak and one in each foot. They flew over Abraha’s army and dropped the pebbles. Each pebble went straight through the bodies of the men. The elephants started running like crazy and the people were running back and forth getting killed. Some people, like Abraha, did not die right away. Instead they became extremely sick and died later on.

The result of this happening was that the Quraysh became very famous and respected among the other Arabs. No one else would dare to attack them or their caravans which they would send on business trips to Syria and Yemen. These trips are mentioned in the following sûrah (Sûrah 106) of the Qur’an, where Allâh says they should be worshipping and thanking Allâh Who gave them so many blessings of food, wealth and safety.

This amazing event was not a coincidence. The year in which this happened was the same blessed year in which the Prophet () was born, in the month of Rabî’-ul-Awwal. This event was one of many things which happened around the time of the birth of the Prophet (), which proved to the world that a wonderful person had been born, the last of the prophets, who would bring the message of Islâm which will last now until the Day of Judgment. When we study the life story of the Prophet () we find proof and evidence beyond doubt of his being the Messenger of Allah and the Last Prophet. May Allâh give us all the strength of imân to learn all about the life of the Prophet () and use it as our example in our lives.

As you may recall, Ibrahim and his son Ismail had built the Ka'bah by the well of Zam Zam, which had provided water for Ismail and his mother, Hajira. But as generations passed, the Ka'bah became a center of idol worship and the well of Zam Zam had been buried under the sand and lost. The Arab tribe of Quraish had become guardians of the Ka'bah, which was the center of pilgrimage for all of Arabia.

We now come to the time of Muhammad's grandfather, Abdul Muttalib, a member of the Quraishi clan of Hashim, which was responsible for providing food and water to the pilgrims. One night Abdul Muttalib had a dream in which he was told to dig for the well of Zam Zam so that there would always be water for the pilgrims. The voice in the dream gave him detailed instructions on where he should dig.

Abdul Muttalib took his only son to the place where he knew he must dig, but as they started digging, a large crowd gathered to watch, some of whom opposed the idea of disturbing the ground next to their cherished idols. But Abdul Muttalib would not stop and continued to dig while his son stood guard beside him. It was a tense moment, until Abdul Muttalib's tools struck the covering of the long-lost well. Not only had he found the well, but the well had been filled at some time in history with the valuables which pilgrims had brought to the Ka'bah to offer to their idols. It was later decided that the treasure should be divided between the Ka'bah and Abdul Muttalib, and that the clan of Hashim should be in charge of Zam Zam, since it was their task to water the pilgrims.

Abdul Muttalib's experience at the well made him long for more sons who could stand beside him when the need arose. He prayed to Allah to give him more sons, and vowed that if he were blessed with ten sons, he would sacrifice one of them to Allah at the Ka'bah. His prayers were answered, and over the years he had nine more sons, the most favorite of whom was his youngest, Abdullah. He did not forget his vow, and when all his sons had grown up, he took them to the Ka'bah and had lots cast to determine who would be sacrificed. It was Abdullah who was chosen.

The entire community was in an uproar over the situation. The wives and daughters of Abdul Muttalib were upset and they called upon their families for support. The other brothers asked Abdul Muttalib to sacrifice something else instead of their youngest brother. Abdul Muttalib was upset because he had made a vow and must keep it, but he did not relish the idea of sacrificing his favorite son. Finally he agreed to consult a certain wise woman about whether a replacement could be provided, and what form it should take.

The wise woman provided the solution to the problem. She told Abdul Muttalib to cast lots between Abdullah and ten camels. If Abdullah were chosen, then he should add ten more camels, and continue until his Lord accepted the camels and the lot fell to them.

So they returned to the Ka'bah and cast lots, but Abdullah was chosen. They added ten more camels. But again Abdullah was chosen. This continued until there were one hundred camels. Only then did the lot fall to the camels. Abdul Muttalib had the test repeated a second and a third time, and each time the lot fell to the camels. Finally Abdul Muttalib was convinced that the hundred camels were acceptable to Allah as a replacement for his son. The camels were sacrificed and Abdullah was spared. He was to become the father of Muhammad .

(Note: Arabs before the advent of Islam were polytheists who considered Allah as one of their Lords.)