Today, we study the event of Mubahela in which the Prophet of Islam, Mohammad (Blessings of God upon him and his progeny) argued with a group of Christians of Najran.

Following the conquest of Mecca in 8th AH, and the swift promotion of the sacred religion of Islam in the Arabian Peninsula, many of the followers of other religions and the then political and religious leaders focused on Medina, which was considered as Islam’s center of power. This in turn paved the way for spread of Islam to the remotest regions of Hejaz and even overseas. The Prophet of Islam appropriately seized this opportunity, writing letters to other countries’ rulers; dispatching envoys to them and inviting them to convert to the divine religion of Islam. Some of the addressees of these letters were keen to travel to the capital of Islamic government, Medina; to become familiar with the Prophet of Islam; and to observe the situation of Muslims, first hand. Najran is a land engulfed by Hejaz and Yemen. In the advent of Islam, this land was the only predominantly Christian region in Hejaz. The Prophet of Islam, in order to invite the people of Najran to Islam, sent a letter to Najran’s bishop, in which he called on the residents of Najran to convert to Islam.

The representatives of the Prophet of Islam entered Najran and handed over Prophet’s letter to Najran’s bishop. The bishop established a council and consulted with them on this matter. One of the members of this council, who was known to be wise and prudent, noted: “On several occasions, we have heard from our leaders that one day prophet hood will be transferred from the generation of Isaac to children of Ishmail, and it is likely that Mohammad, who is one of the descendants of Ishmail, is the awaited prophet.”

Ultimately, the members of this council opined that a group of representatives of Najran go to Medina to closely negotiate with the Prophet of Islam and to study the reasons behind his prophet hood. The representatives of Najran, who comprised of some of that city’s prominent figures, arrived in Medina. In this manner, the representatives of Christians of Najran entered Medina and approached Prophet Mohammad with two major questions. One of their questions was what the Prophet of Islam invited them to? And the other question was what the Prophet of Islam’s viewpoint toward Jesus was? In response to the first question of this group of Christians, the Prophet of Islam invited them to worship the one and only creator of the world, God Almighty. In response to the second question, Prophet Mohammad named Jesus as the servant and messenger of God, while noting that Jesus should not be considered as the son of God.

However, the Christians of Najran alleged that: “If Jesus is the servant and creature of God, who is his father? A created human being should have a father.”

In response, Prophet Mohammad recited the 59th ayah of Surat Al-I’Imran of Holy Quran, noting: “Indeed the case of Jesus with Allah is like the case of Adam: He created him from dust, then said to him, ‘Be,’ and he was.”

The Prophet of Islam noted: In fact, the situation of Jesus is the same as the situation of Adam, who was created from soil by the omnipotent God, without having any parents. So, if lack of father is a sign of divinity, certainly Adam is superior to, and more merited than Jesus.

In this manner, the Prophet of Islam, in his dialog with the Christians of Najran, via logic and reference to ayahs of Holy Quran, clarified and showed that the birth of Jesus without a father doesn’t show his divinity. However, despite the logical remarks of the Prophet of Islam, this group of Christians who had closed their eyes to realities, continued to level pretexts, and insisted on their claims without any justified reason, casting doubts on the righteousness and truthfulness of the divine religion of Islam.

At this point in time, the 61st ayah of Surat Al-I’Imran of Holy Quran was descended on Prophet Mohammad. In this ayah, God noted: “Should anyone argue with you concerning him, after the knowledge that has come to you, say, ‘Come! Let us call our sons and your sons, our women and your women, our souls and your souls, then let us pray earnestly and call down Allah’s curse upon the liars.”

In this manner, the Prophet of Islam was missioned for Mubahela. In the event of Mubahela, two opposing groups pray to God, cursing the other party, while also calling on God to disgrace the party that lies and makes baseless allegations. Given that the representatives of Christians of Najran insisted on their wrong beliefs without any logic or reason, and had no intention of submitting to righteousness, this measure was more effective than any other logic for ending the arguments of the Christian group with Prophet Mohammad.

The Prophet of Islam and representatives of Najran’s Christians agreed to hold the event of Mubahela in a location, outside the city of Medina. Finally, the related day arrived. Prior to the confrontation of the group of Christians of Najran with the Prophet of Islam, the bishop of Najran told them: “If you saw Mohammad approaching in the company of a large crowd for the event of Mubahela, this would show that he doesn’t believe in the truth. In this case, take part in the event of Mubahela with him. However, if he approached the set location with his children and close associates, this shows that he is not after worldly matters. In this case, he is a divine prophet and aims to guide mankind. In this case, he maintains faith in his religion and is prepared to expose the ones that are dearest to him to danger. If so, refrain from participating in the event of Mubahela with him.”

It was sunrise. Muslims who were informed of this event, gathered round. The group of Christians of Najran had also gathered to see who would accompany the Prophet to the location of the event of Mubahela. The crowd saw the Prophet of Islam leaving home in a highly spiritual mood. He was accompanied by a young man and woman and their two children. They were the members of the Prophet of Islam’s Household.

The Christian bishop asked: “Who are the ones accompanying Mohammad?” They said: “The young man is Mohammad’s cousin and son in law, Ali son of Abi Taleb, and the two children are the sons of Mohammad’s daughter, Fatemeh, who is highly endeared by Mohammad.”

The Prophet of Islam was holding the hands of the infallible sons of his venerable daughter, Hazrat Fatemeh (SA), Imam Hassan and Imam Hussein (Peace be upon them), approaching the considered location in the company of Hazrat Fatemeh (SA), and Imam Ali (Peace be upon him). Prior to entering the location of Mubahela, the Prophet of Islam told his associates to say Amin whenever the Prophet prayed.

The Christian group of Najran was astounded by the spiritual grandeur of Prophet Mohammad and his household and was scared when they came to realize that the Prophet was accompanied by his closest relatives and associates and his one and only daughter. They saw that Prophet Mohammad was courageously prepared for the event of Mubahela, and maintained a strong belief in his invitation.

Meanwhile, the bishop of Najran said: “I see faces, who in case of praying to God and seeking the removal of mountains, this will certainly be the case. So, it is not right to enter the event of Mubahela with them. This is because all of us may be wiped out.”

Upon seeing this situation, the Christian group from Najran relinquished from taking part in the event of Mubahela and urged compromise. They accepted to pay taxes every year, and in return, the Islamic ruling system would protect their lives and belongings. The Prophet of Islam also expressed his content with this compromise. A peace agreement was written between the Prophet and them. In this manner, the Christians of Najran benefitted from security under the rule of the Islamic ruling system, living alongside Muslims.

The event of Mubahela is one of the Prophet of Islam’s miracles, clearly manifesting the righteousness of the Prophet of Islam’s Infallible Household (Peace be upon them).

MR/ME