BISMILLAH IR RAHMAN IR RAHEEM THE ANGEL OF THE MOUNTAINS Adapted for Children from the Seerah and an Authentic Hadith of Prophet Muhammad praise and veneration be upon him transmitted by Lady Ayesha, Mother of the Believers may Allah be pleased with her by Khadeijah Stephens Copyrighted 2000 by Khadeijah Stephens and the Mosque of the Internet www.mosque.com TERMS OF PUBLICATION AND DISTRIBUTION The Mosque of the Internet grants permission to Islamic schools, organizations or Muslim individuals to download, copy, print, publish, record and/or distribute this story either for profit or non-profit without reimbursement to the Mosque of the Internet providing the following six conditions are complied with in full and without exception. The Mosque of the Internet owns and retains the copyright of this story and no other person/s, school, organization or individual etc., owns or has any right or claim to the copyright. No alterations whatsoever are made. Reference to The Mosque of the Internet with its internet address www.mosque.com appears on the front cover. Should artwork be included in its publication the artwork must conform with Islamic principles, for example no drawings of human beings. The Mosque of the Internet is informed of its publication and ten copies of the published book sent to the Mosque of the Internet. If any of these conditions are not met then all previously mentioned permission/s are automatically revoked and legal action will be taken to the maximum extent of the copyright infringement jurisdiction law in the State of Delaware, USA will be sought. In the early days of Islam, our beloved Prophet, praise and veneration be upon him, encountered an undercurrent of resistance from the Koraysh. However, Abu Talib, the uncle of the Prophet, was a much respected figurehead amongst the tribal chieftains and supported his nephew against his fellow chieftains whenever the need arose. It was for that reason, and that reason only, that the Koraysh restrained themselves from trying to physically harm the Prophet, however, that did not stop them in their unsuccessful attempts to bribe the Prophet in exchange for his silence. Abu Talib was now elderly and stricken by a serious illness from which he was not destined to recover. His successor, Abu Lahab, was also an uncle of the Prophet, praise and veneration be upon him, however Abu Lahab was his worst enemy and the Prophet, praise and veneration be upon him, knew he could expect no support whatsoever from him. The result was that the Muslims faced increased persecution and torture under the hands of the wealthy and tribal chieftains, and Abu Lahab did nothing to stop it, rather, he encouraged it. In the hope of spreading Islam through the conversion of an influential tribe the Prophet, praise and veneration be upon him, made the long, wearisome journey across the desert to the homes of the brothers, Abd Yalil, Masood, and Habib, all of whom were notable leaders of their tribe. Upon his arrival the Prophet, praise and veneration be upon him, went straight to their homes and greeted them, then told them about Islam. However, the hearts of the brothers were unreceptive and they mocked him. One brother said: "Couldn't Allah find someone else better than you to send!" Such was their rejection and mockery that another of the brothers scornfully told the Prophet, praise and veneration be upon him, that if he were the Messenger of Allah then he would go to the Ka'ba and tear off its covering! The third brother mocked: "By Allah, don't let me speak to you ever again. If you are as you claim, then you are far too important to speak with me; on the other hand, if you are lying, it is not befitting that I should even speak to you!" The Prophet's invitation was rejected outright, so he arose and with sadness of heart started to leave. As he was leaving the brothers called upon their household and slaves and encouraged them to hurl abusive statements at him. The commotion attracted other members of the tribe who joined them and so the Prophet, praise and veneration be upon him, sought peace and quite in an orchard belonging to Utba and Shayba. After a while the crowd dispersed and the Prophet tied his camel to a palm tree and sat down under its shade and reproached himself as he supplicated to Allah. Now Utba and Shayba had seen what had happened and their hearts softened a little toward him so they sent a young Christian slave by the name of Addas with a dish of grapes to him. Addas gave him the dish and the Prophet, praise and veneration be upon him, gratefully accepted and said: "Bismillah" as he started to eat. The slave was very surprised to hear him say this and exclaimed: "By Allah, this is not the way the people of this country speak!" The Prophet looked up at him and asked: "Which country do you come from, and what is your religion?" Whereupon Addas told him that he was a Christian from far away Ninevah. The Prophet, praise and veneration be upon him, was gladdened and commented: "From the town of the righteous man Jonah, the son of Mattal." Addas was even more surprised and asked the Prophet how he knew about Jonah and so he told him: "Jonah is my brother, he was a Prophet and I am a Prophet." Addas' heart rejoiced and he bent down and kissed his head, then his feet. Meanwhile, Utba and Shayba had been observing the Prophet from a distance and were disturbed when they saw Addas showing the Prophet such respect and said to each other: "Look, he is already corrupting our slave!" When Addas returned to them they asked why he had acted as he did. Addas answered: "He is the finest man in this country and has told me things that only a Prophet would know." Utba and Shayba exclaimed: "Do not let him seduce you from your religion - your religion is better than his! The Prophet, praise and veneration be upon him, prepared to leave, then mounted his camel and set off on the long journey back to Mecca. Several days passed and dusk was about to descend, however, he decided to continue on his journey then take his rest in the valley of Naklah - which was about a days ride from Mecca. Whilst he stood in prayer a party of Jinn from Nashibhin happened to pass by and were captivated by his recitation of the Koran and stopped to listen. The Prophet, praise and veneration be upon him, had already received several Revelations that spoke of not only mankind but jinn, in which both were given good news of Paradise but also warned of the punishment of Hell. Now, in the valley of Nakhlah he received another Revelation: "Say: It is revealed to me that a party of jinn listened and then said: 'We have heard a wonderful Koran, that guides to the Right Path. We believe in it and we will not associate with our Lord anyone. He - Exalted be the Majesty of our Lord who has not taken a wife, nor has He a son. The ignorant fool among us has spoken outrageously against Allah although we had thought that neither man nor jinn would ever tell a lie against Allah!" Koran, Chapter 72 verse1-5 In the years that followed, after the Battle of Uhud in which some Muslims disobeyed the Prophet and many Muslims were martyred, Lady Ayesha, Mother of the Believers, may Allah be pleased with her, asked the Prophet if there had been a day harder that it. The Prophet told her that the hardest day he encountered was the day that Abd Yalil rejected Islam and refused an alliance with him. He told her that he was so deeply saddened by the rejection that it wasn't until he reached Karn Th'alib that he happened to glance up into the heavens and saw a cloud that had been protecting him. He told her that in that cloud he saw the Angel Gabriel who spoke to him saying: "Allah has heard what your people said to you and seen their response. He has sent the Angel of the Mountains to you so that you may tell him whatever you wish to be done." Then, the Angel of the Mountains greeted me with peace and said: "Allah has indeed heard the response of your people, direct me and I will do whatever you tell me to do to them. If you wish I can crush them with the two mountains that surround Mecca." But the Prophet, praise and veneration be upon him, in his loving mercy replied: "No, it is my hope that from their children will be those who believe in Allah, the One, and do not associate anything with Him."