100 Proofs That Islam Is True (Part 9): The Incredible Transformation of a Nation
Mufti Faijullah Aman
Introduction
A tree is known by its fruit. One way to know whether a message is true is to see what that message has made of people. Today's proof is a comparison: what the Arabs were before Islam, and what Islam made of them.
Arabia Before Islam
The age before Islam is called Jahiliyyah, the Age of Ignorance. Around the Ka'bah stood 360 idols. (Sahih al-Bukhari) Many fathers considered a baby daughter a source of shame and buried her alive in the earth. The Qur'an took the side of those innocent children, saying: "When the girl buried alive is asked, for what sin was she killed?" (Surah at-Takwir 81:8-9)
Tribes fought one another over trivial reasons, and those wars lasted generation after generation. The two tribes of Madinah, Aws and Khazraj, shed each other's blood for years. Wine, gambling, usury, and indecency were a normal part of society. The weak had no rights, and slaves and women had no dignity.
The Speech of Ja'far
The most beautiful description of this change was given by the Prophet's cousin, Ja'far ibn Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him). In the court of the Christian king of Abyssinia, the Najashi, he said: "O King, we were an ignorant people. We worshipped idols, ate dead animals, committed indecent acts, cut off family ties, and mistreated our neighbors, and the strong among us devoured the weak. Then Allah sent us a Messenger from among ourselves, whose lineage, truthfulness, trustworthiness, and purity we knew. He called us to worship Allah alone, and commanded us to speak the truth, fulfill trusts, keep family ties, be good to our neighbors, and refrain from bloodshed and forbidden things." (Musnad Ahmad)
From Enemies to Brothers
The Aws and Khazraj, who had thirsted for each other's blood, were made brothers by Islam. Allah says: "Remember the favor of Allah upon you, when you were enemies and He brought your hearts together, and you became brothers by His favor." (Surah Al Imran 3:103)
The Ansar of Madinah shared their homes, crops, and wealth with their destitute brothers, the emigrants who came from Makkah. Bilal the Abyssinian slave, Salman from Persia, Suhayb from Rome, and Abu Bakr the noble of Quraysh all stood in one row to pray. The pride of lineage, color, and language was shattered.
Allah calls this unity a sign of His own power: "If you had spent all that is on the earth, you could not have brought their hearts together, but Allah brought them together." (Surah al-Anfal 8:63)
Wine Stopped by One Verse
Wine was a habit mixed into the very blood of the Arabs. Their poetry was full of its praise. Yet when the final verse prohibiting wine was revealed, Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) said that as soon as people heard the announcement, they broke their wine jars, and wine flowed through the streets of Madinah. (Sahih al-Bukhari) No police were needed, and no prisons were needed.
Compare this with an example from modern times. In 1920, the United States banned alcohol by law. Police, courts, and prisons were all used. Even so, illegal alcohol trade and crime increased, and in 1933 the law had to be repealed. What a superpower could not do in thirteen years, the Prophet achieved with the announcement of a single verse.
World Leadership in One Generation
The Arabs, whom Persia and Rome had looked down upon, established justice in the lands of those two empires within just twenty-five to thirty years after the Prophet's death. Former desert shepherds became just rulers, judges, and teachers. Umar (may Allah be pleased with him), who once set out with his sword to kill the Prophet, became one of the most just rulers in history.
Why Is This a Proof?
Changing human habits is the hardest task in the world. It can take years for one person to give up one bad habit. To completely change the religion, culture, habits, and pride of an entire nation, built over hundreds of years, in just twenty-three years, and for that change to be so deep that they themselves carried it across the world, has no parallel in history. Power, money, or fear can change people's outward behavior, but not their hearts. This change came from the heart, and only Allah can change hearts.
Conclusion
A message that could turn one of the darkest nations into a light for the world cannot be the work of a human being. It is the word of Allah, who created human beings and knows what changes the human heart.
In the next part, the tenth proof, in sha Allah.
