HOW MAKKAH WAS POPULATED?

Sayyiduna Ibraheem’s son, Sayyiduna Isma’eel علیہ السلام  was born in Syria to Sayyidatuna Haajirah رضی اللہ عنہا. Sayyiduna Ibraheem’s wife, Sayyidatuna Saarah رضی اللہ عنہا did not have any children, and due to envy, she asked Sayyiduna Ibraheem علیہ السلام  to separate Sayyidatuna Haajirah رضی اللہ عنہا and her son, Sayyiduna Isma’eel علیہ السلام  and take them somewhere far away from her. Allah provided means for this. Therefore, a Divine revelation revealed upon Sayyiduna Ibraheem علیہ السلام  to take Sayyidatuna Haajirah رضی اللہ عنہا and Sayyiduna Isma’eel علیہ السلام  and leave them in such a land where there is no sign of water and nothing else except plain fields and deserted mountains.

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Therefore, Sayyiduna Ibraheem علیہ السلام  left along with Sayyidatuna Haajirah رضی اللہ عنہا and his son Sayyiduna Isma’eel علیہ السلام  and came to the place where the sacred Ka’bah is situated today. At that time, there was no population nor was any spring of water or any sign of water or human beings far and wide. Sayyiduna Ibraheem علیہ السلام  placed some dates in a pot and filled a skin sack with water and departed from there. Sayyidatuna Haajirah رضی اللہ عنہا called out, ‘O Prophet of Allah, where are you going leaving us helpless in this lonely desert?’ Sayyidatuna Haajirah رضی اللہ عنہا called out many times but he علیہ السلام  did not reply back.

In the end, Sayyidatuna Haajirah رضی اللہ عنہا asked, ‘Are you leaving us here at your own will or are you fulfilling the command of Allah by doing so?’ Then he علیہ السلام  replied, ‘O Haajirah! Whatever I have done is the command of Allah .’ After hearing this, Sayyidatuna Haajirah رضی اللہ عنہا said, ‘You may leave now. I have a stern belief and firm faith that Allah will not let me or my son get harmed.’

After this, Sayyiduna Ibraheem علیہ السلام  made a long supplication and came back to Syria. After a few days, when the dates and water ran out, severe hunger and thirst struck Sayyidatuna Haajirah رضی اللہ عنہا. The milk in her chest had also dried out and her son was suffering due to hunger and thirst. She ran between the hills of Safa and Marwah seven times in search for water but there was no sign of water anywhere. Moreover, the condition of Sayyiduna Isma’eel علیہ السلام  was such that due to severe thirst, he علیہ السلام  was weeping bitterly and tapping his heels on the ground. Sayyiduna Jibra`eel علیہ السلام  struck his foot near Sayyiduna Isma’eel’s heels and a spring of water gushed from there. This water possessed properties like that of milk and used to work both as food and water. Therefore, by drinking the water of Zamzam, Sayyidatuna Haajirah رضی اللہ عنہا and Sayyiduna Isma’eel علیہ السلام  survived.

Sayyiduna Isma’eel علیہ السلام  grew up, reached the age of puberty and started hunting. Thus hunting and the water of Zamzam became the means of their living. Then some people of the tribe of Jarham came there grazing their goats and seeing the spring of water, they started living there with the permission of Sayyidatuna Haajirah رضی اللہ عنہا. Furthermore, Sayyiduna Isma’eel علیہ السلام  married with a woman of that tribe and with the passage of time, this valley became populated.

Subsequently, Allah commanded Sayyiduna Ibraheem علیہ السلام  for the construction of the Holy Ka’bah. Therefore, Sayyiduna Ibraheem علیہ السلام  constructed the Holy Ka’bah with the help of his son, Sayyiduna Isma’eel علیہ السلام  . At that time, Sayyiduna Ibraheem علیہ السلام   invoked a long Du’a for his children as well as the inhabitants of Makkah. That Du’a is mentioned in different verses of the Holy Quran. In Surah Ibraheem, some portion of his Du’a is mentioned in the following words:

رَبَّنَاۤ اِنِّیۡۤ اَسْکَنۡتُ مِنۡ ذُرِّیَّتِیۡ بِوَادٍ غَیۡرِ ذِیۡ زَرْعٍ عِنۡدَ بَیۡتِکَ الْمُحَرَّمِ ۙ رَبَّنَا لِیُـقِیۡمُوا الصَّلٰوۃَ فَاجْعَلْ اَفْئِدَۃً مِّنَ النَّاسِ تَہۡوِیۡۤ اِلَیۡہِمْ وَارْزُقْہُمۡ مِّنَ الثَّمَرٰتِ لَعَلَّہُمْ یَشْکُرُوۡنَ ﴿37﴾.

O our Lord! I have caused some of my descendants to settle in a valley wherein there is no cultivation, near Your Sacred House – O our Lord! So that they may keep the prayer established, therefore incline some hearts of people towards them, and provide them fruits to eat – perhaps they may be thankful.
[Kanz-ul-Iman (Translation of Quran)] (Part 13, Surah Ibraheem, verse 37)

This is the historical beginning of the establishment of Makka-tulMukarramah that is proven from the Holy Quran.

Effect of Sayyiduna Ibraheem’s Du’a

In that Du’a, Sayyiduna Ibraheem علیہ السلام  asked for two things from Allah . The first was that the hearts of some people may incline towards his progeny, and the second was that these people may have fruits as their food. سبحان اللہ عزوجل, These supplications of Sayyiduna Ibraheem علیہ السلام  were accepted. Therefore, the hearts of the people are attracted towards the inhabitants of Makkah in such a way that today, billions of people are anxious to behold the sacred land of Makkah. For centuries, the Muslims have strived and endured hardships to go to Makkah through land, sea and air, and will continue to do so until the Day of Judgement.

The abundance of fruit in the food of the people of Makkah is to such an extent that despite there being no crop of fruit in Makkah or in its surroundings, the people are astonished to see various varieties of dry fruits and fruits being available in the markets of Makkah throughout the year. Allah has blessed the land of Taif to yield fruits of all types and a variety of fruits and vegetables are transported from there to Makkah. Furthermore, a huge variety of fruits and dry fruits are also imported to Makkah from different European countries, as well as Egypt and Iraq. All this is by virtue of the invocations of Sayyiduna Ibraheem علیہ السلام  . It is undoubtedly a true wonder of Islam.

After this, Sayyiduna Ibraheem علیہ السلام  invoked the following Du’a for his progeny and all the believers.

رَبِّ اجْعَلْنِیۡ مُقِیۡمَ الصَّلٰوۃِ وَمِنۡ ذُرِّیَّتِیۡ ٭ۖ رَبَّنَا وَتَقَبَّلْ دُعَآءِ ﴿40﴾رَبَّنَا اغْفِرْ لِی وَلِوَالِدَیَّ وَلِلْمُؤْمِنِیۡنَ یَوْمَ یَقُوۡمُ الْحِسَابُ ﴿٪41﴾ (پ13،ابرٰھیم:40،41)

O my Lord! Maintain me as one who establishes prayer, and some of my descendants; O our Lord! And accept my prayer. O our Lord! And forgive me, and my parents, and all the Muslims on the day when the account will take place.
[Kanz-ul-Iman (Translation of Quran)] (Part 13, Surah Ibraheem, verse 40-41)

Moral: From this event, we come to know two particular things:

  • Sayyiduna Ibraheem علیہ السلام  was extremely submissive to Allah . The son that was born to him in his old age after lot of supplications was obviously very dear to him and it was natural that he علیہ السلام  would not be ready to separate himself from his son. But when Allah commanded: ‘O Ibraheem, take your beloved son and his mother away from your home and leave them in the valley of Batha, where there is no leaf to
    hide under and nor is there any drop of water to quench the thirst, neither there is any helper nor any condoler.’
    If it had been someone else instead of Sayyiduna Ibraheem علیہ السلام  , his heart would have trembled just by imagining the scenario. But Sayyiduna Ibraheem علیہ السلام  neither grieved after listening to this command of Allah nor pondered over it even for a moment. He علیہ السلام  did not lose his sense of submission due to the grief and sorrow either. Instead, in order to fulfil the command of Allah , Sayyiduna Ibraheem علیہ السلام  immediately left from Syria and went to the land of Makkah with his wife and son and returned to Syria after leaving them all alone there. اللہ اکبر! May we be blessed with a fraction of such extreme obedience and submission!
    From the supplications that Sayyiduna Ibraheem علیہ السلام  invoked with immense affection for the prosperity and wellbeing of his progeny; we learnt that to love one’s children and to supplicate for them is the blessed tradition of the reverent Prophets علیہم السلام. Therefore, the Muslims should adopt this tradition
    for prosperity of their kinfolk. (واللہ تعالٰی اعلم)
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