The Makkan Period
5 hadiths
Among those who came before you, a man would be seized and held in a pit dug for him in the ground, and he would be sawed into two halves from his head, and his flesh would be torn away from his bones with iron combs, and none of this would turn him away from his religion
Abu ‘Abdullāh Khabbāb ibn al-Aratt (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: We complained to the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) while he was lying in the shade of the Ka‘bah, placing his cloak under his head. We said: "Will you not supplicate for our victory (over our opponents)? Will you not invoke Allah for us?" He replied: "Among those who came before you, a man would be seized and held in a pit dug for him in the ground, and he would be sawed into two halves from his head, and his flesh would be torn away from his bones with iron combs, and none of this would turn him away from his religion. By Allah, Allah will bring this matter (Islam) to its completion until the traveler will walk from Sana'a to Hadramaut fearing none except Allah and the wolf for his sheep, but you are rushing things." In another narration: "Having made a pillow from his cloak, and we had faced much persecution from the polytheists."
Have you ever experienced a day harder than the day of (the battle of) Uhud? He replied: Indeed, I have suffered a lot at the hands of your people, the harshest of which was what they did to me on the Day of Al-‘Aqabah
‘Ā’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) reported: I asked the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him): "Have you ever experienced a day harder than the day of (the battle of) Uhud?" He replied: "Indeed, I have suffered a lot at the hands of your people (i.e., the disbelievers from of the Quraysh Tribe), the harshest of which was what they did to me on the Day of Al-‘Aqabah when I went to Ibn ‘Abd Yalīl ibn ‘Abd Kulāl with the purpose of inviting him to Islam, but he made no response (to my call). So I departed with deep distress (to the point that I did not know where I was going). I did not recover until I arrived at Qarn Ath-Tha‘ālib. There, I raised my head and saw a cloud shading me. I looked and, lo and behold, I saw in it Jibrīl (peace be upon him) who called me and said: Indeed, Allah, the Exalted, heard what your people said to you and the response they gave you. He has sent to you the angel in charge of mountains to order him to do whatever you wish concerning them. Then the angel of the mountains called me, greeted me and said: O Muhammad, Allah has listened to what your people had said to you. I am the angel of mountains, and my Lord has sent me to you so that you may give me your orders concerning them. If you wish I would bring together the Akhshabayn (two mountains that stand opposite to each other at the outskirts of Makkah) to crush them in between."
I have been intimidated in the path of Allah at a time when no one else was intimidated, and I have been harmed for the sake of Allah at a time when no one else was harmed, and I once spent thirty days and nights wherein I and Bilāl had nothing a living being can eat except a little that was kept under Bilāl's armpit
Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: "I have been intimidated in the path of Allah at a time when no one else was intimidated, and I have been harmed for the sake of Allah at a time when no one else was harmed, and I once spent thirty days and nights wherein I and Bilāl had nothing a living being can eat except a little that was kept under Bilāl's armpit."
I asked ‘Abdullāh ibn ‘Amr about the worst thing the polytheists did to the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him). He said: I saw ‘Uqbah ibn Abi Mu‘ayt coming to the Prophet while he was praying. ‘Uqbah wrapped his garment around the Prophet's neck and strangled him therewith severely
‘Urwah ibn Az-Zubayr reported: I asked ‘Abdullāh ibn ‘Amr about the worst thing the polytheists did to the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him). He said: "I saw ‘Uqbah ibn Abi Mu‘ayt coming to the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) while he was praying. ‘Uqbah wrapped his garment around the Prophet's neck and strangled him therewith severely. Abu Bakr came and pulled ‘Uqbah away from the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) and said: '{Do you kill a man [merely] because he says: 'My Lord is Allah' while he has brought you clear proofs from your Lord?} [Sūrat Ghāfir: 28]'"
Story of ‘Amr ibn ‘Abasah's conversion to Islam and how the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) taught him prayer and ablution
‘Amr ibn ‘Abasah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: 'In the pre-Islamic time of ignorance, I used to think that people were misguided. They were not on a right path, as they worshipped idols. Then I heard of a man in Makkah who was telling news. So I mounted my camel and went to him. It was the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him). He was hiding, since his own people were aggressive toward him. So I acted gently until I entered upon him. I said to him, "Who are you?" He said: "I am a Prophet." I said: "What is a Prophet?" He said: "Allah has sent me.'' I said: "With what has He sent you?" He said: "He sent me with [a message] of maintaining kinship ties, breaking the idols, and upholding the oneness of Allah without associating anything with him." I said: "Who is with you on that?" He said: "A free man and a slave man.'' (At that time only Abu Bakr and Bilāl (may Allah be pleased with both of them) were with him. I said: "I shall follow you.'' He said: "You cannot do that today. Do you not see my situation and that of the people? However, go back to your people, and when you hear that I have succeeded in my mission, come to me.'' So I went to my people. Later, the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) went to Madīnah. It was until some of my people went to Madīnah., that I said: "What happened to this man who came to Madīnah?" They said: "People are hastening to him. His own people wanted to kill him, but they could not." So I went to Madīnah and entered upon him and said: "O Messenger of Allah, do you recognize me?" He said: "Yes, you are the one who met me in Makkah." I said: "O Messenger of Allah, tell me about what Allah has taught you, which I am unaware of. Tell me about prayer." He said: "Perform the morning prayer. Then do not pray until the sun has risen up to the height of a lance, for when it rises, it rises between two horns of a devil. It is when the unbelievers prostrate themselves to it. Then pray, for prayer is witnessed and attended, until the shadow of the lance shrinks. Then do not pray, for at that time Hell is fired up. Then pray when the shadow becomes longer, for the prayer is witnessed and attended, until you perform ‘Asr. Then do not pray until the sun sets, for it sets between two horns of a devil. It is when the unbelievers prostrate themselves to it." I further said: ''O Prophet, tell me about ablution.'' He said: "When anyone of you approaches his ablution water, and rinses his mouth and nose, the sins of his face fall with water from the edges of his beard. Then when he washes his hands up to elbows, the sins of his hands fall with water from his fingertips. Then when he wipes over his head, the sins of his head fall with water from the ends of his hair. Then when he washes his feet up to the ankles, the sins of his feet fall with water from his toes. Then, when he stands up for prayer, praises Allah, the Almighty,, extols Him, glorifies Him as He deserves, and empties his heart for Allah, the Almighty, he becomes free from his sins as he was on the day his mother gave birth to him.'' ‘Amr ibn ‘Abasah narrated this Hadīth to Abu Umāmah, a companion of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him). Abu Umāmah, therefore, said to him: "O ‘Amr ibn ‘Abasah, think about what you are saying. Will a man be getting all of this on one occasion?" ‘Amr said: "O Abu Umāmah, I am old in age, weak in bones, and close to death. I do not need to tell lies about Allah and His Messenger (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him). Had I not heard this from the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) only once, twice, thrice (he counted up to seven times), I would have not reported it. However, I heard it more than that.''