Author: WhyIChoseIslam

Reason #9: Abu Lahab, the uncle of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh)

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Who’s Abu Lahab? He is actually a paternal uncle of Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ), and despite the closeness, he was actually one of the most vile enemies of the Muslims.

In fact, during Hajj season, it is said that when the Prophet would go to people to tell them about Islam, Abu Lahab made sure to tell them not to listen to him, calling him a liar and a madman.

Abu Lahab was made an example in the Qur’an and that’s what makes this important. The Qur’an has an entire Surah – Surah Al-Masad – dedicated to him. It was revealed during his lifetime, and in it, it says,

“He will burn in a flaming Fire”

[Qur’an 111:3]

So what does that mean? That he will basically die a non-Muslim.

Why is this something Muslims call a miracle? Well, for one, to prove the Qur’an wrong, all Abu Lahab would’ve had to do was say, “I’m Muslim” and that’s it! It would’ve been the easiest way to prove the Qur’an wrong because in general, Muslims cannot question the intentions of another person. If he said he’s Muslim, that’s between him and Allah, and we cannot question his sincerity, unless his speech and actions are too obvious to ignore. Thus, Abu Lahab could’ve simply lied and had the last laugh. Yet, he didn’t.

As well, many of Prophet Muhammad’s enemies eventually accepted Islam. In fact, Abu Lahab’s daughter, Durrah, and his brothers Hamza and Al-Abbas, all accepted Islam. So too did people like Abu Sufyan, who became, after the death of earlier prominent Qurashis, THE leader of Makkah. It was not uncommon at all to hear news like that. However, Abu Lahab didn’t.

All this begs the question – if a human being wrote the Qur’an, how was he able to predict these things accurately? How was it “assumed” that an uncle of the Prophet, someone who knew his nephew and his noble characteristics up close, despite having years to rethink and statistics in favor of him becoming Muslim, did not accept the religion till his last breath?

Reason #8: Location of the Ka’bah

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The Ka’bah is the house of God Muslims face when they make their prayers and also the place millions go to every year to perform Hajj, or the major pilgrimage. Hajj is a once-in-a-lifetime obligation for all Muslims who are physically and financially capable.

A disclaimer is that the house itself is NOT worshipped. It is the House of Allah. It was first created by Prophet Abraham, or possibly even Prophet Adam (عَلَيْهِ ٱلسَّلَامُ). Then, in the 7th century, Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) freed it from the polytheists’ hands and made it the place of worship it was initially intended for.

So what makes its location so special? Well, where is it? In the middle of nothing! Just a scorching hot desert; not a place for tourists to go and sight-see. Also, it was not until the Modern Era that oil was discovered. In fact, during the time of Prophet Muhammad, it was so “worthless” internationally, that the Byzantine Empire was to the West of it and the Persian Empire was to the East of it, yet none of them cared to conquer it.

It’s as if, Muslims say, that Allah chose a place with no value and no attraction, and wanted to make it become a place millions would go to regardless for centuries and centuries. Think about it. God could have chosen any other place – a place more green, with more water, perhaps somewhere in Europe or Asia, but nope! He chose a desert.

The picture below says enough: