Mubahela determined Islam’s truthfulness & divine-designated leadership

Felicitations to you on an auspicious day which saw the triumph of a novel challenge for determining the manifest truth of Islam when faced with the intransigence of the elders of Christianity and their misconstrued concept of Jesus being a godson when the Almighty Creator is far too Glorious to have the human traits of spouse and children. Before we present you a special feature in this regard, we invite you to listen to ayah 59 of Surah Aal-e Imran of the holy Qur’an, where God Almighty says:

 “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 Words of God that we recited to you speak volumes of the Omniscient Lord from creating whatever He deems necessary from nothing and without any preconceived design. The ayah also makes it clear that Jesus who was born to the Virgin Mary without the involvement of any male in the cause of his birth has a likeness to the Father of the human race, Adam, whom God created from clay.

The Almighty’s decreeing of the birth of Jesus in such a miraculously unique manner that remains to this day a wonder of creation that no scientist can replicate in the age of test tube babies and surrogate mothers (all of whom depend upon male sperm), was not just intended to show to mankind the limits of science, but also to test the faith in Divine Power and the claim to monotheism of both the Jews and the Gentiles.

Many erred, misled by Paul the Hellenized Israelite, who was a fierce opponent of the virgin-born Messiah, but no sooner did God lifted Jesus to the heavens on being betrayed to the Romans by Judas Iscariot, he coined the lie of crucifixion and the weird concept of godson, in order to suit the beliefs of European pagans.

As a result of this blasphemy Christianity was born, while the monotheistic message of the Son of Mary was lost due to persecution of the real followers of Jesus, who rejecting trinity, firmly believed he was a prophet like the other prophets of the past, and had prophesied about the coming of the Last and Greatest Prophet with the universal message of monotheism.

Over five centuries later the Hmda (Ahmad in Arabic and Paraclete in Greek) was raised by God Almighty in Arabia from among the monotheist offspring of Prophet Abraham’s firstborn son, Prophet Ishmael. Foretold by all prophets of yore in every age and in geographical place, his message of peace, fraternity, and healthy way of life (Islam in Arabic) enlightened the seekers of truth, although the majority of Arabs and Israelites initially opposed him because of tribal and ethnic prejudice as well as the inability of their retarded minds to understand the purpose of creation and divine guidance.

Thus in the year 9 AH, Prophet Muhammad (SAWA), following the letters of invitation to the straight and unwavering path of God he had sent to the various religious and political leaders, including the two superpowers of the age, the Roman and Iranian empires, was visited in Medina by a delegation of Arab Christians from the Yemeni province of Najran (under Saudi occupation since 1934). They came for debate thinking their weird belief in trinity could holdout.

The “Mercy unto the whole creation” that the Prophet of Islam was, warmly welcomed them and even allotted a section of the principal mosque of Medina to the Christians to enable them to perform their rites of worship.

The delegation of 80 persons led by Aqeb Abdul-Masih, included some women and children as well, and also had in its ranks the most learned Christian elder of Najran, Ayham ibn No’man, and also Archbishop Abu Haretha ibn Alqama.

The Christian men who were bedecked in their finery with golden crucifixes around their necks, appeared in stark contrast to the simplicity of the Prophet and the Muslims. The Prophet’s dear cousin and son-in-law Imam Ali (AS) pointed out to the Christians that their silken and bejeweled dresses were a violation of the ways and manners of Prophet Jesus who used to wear coarse clothes.

The debate started with the Christians insisting that Jesus was godson, and the Prophet of Islam pointing out that the Almighty Creator is far too Glorious to have the needs of spouse or children. The Prophet said God choses virtuous human beings to guide fellow humans who have veered off the true path, and thus Jesus, whose miraculously unique birth without the association of any male, was a human being endowed with all human needs like food, water, sleep etc.

After three days of elaborate discussions during which Prophet Muhammad (SAWA) presented them rational proofs of Islam and the real nature of Prophet Jesus, the Christians of Najran refused to lift the shutters that they had put on their brains and intellects. God then sent Archangel Gabriel with ayahs 60 and 61 of Surah Aal-e Imran, which state:

“This is the truth from your Lord, so do not be among the skeptic.

“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.”

At this divine revelation, the Prophet suggested that the two sides assemble outside the city with their chiefs, their women, and their children, to invoke curse of God upon the liars. The challenge of imprecation (Mubahela in Arabic) was accepted by the Christians.

It was a sleepless night for neo Muslim Arabs and their families, as well as the women the middle-aged Prophet had married out of social necessity in Medina – following the passing away of his wife of 25-long years, Omm al-Momineen, the Mother of all True Believers, Hazrat Khadija (SA). Some thought the Prophet would choose them to accompany him for the Mubahela, while most of them, since “Iman” (true belief) had not yet entered their hearts, spent the night in fear that if they were chosen to accompany him for the challenge of imprecation with the Christians they might be exposed to curse and perhaps divine wrath.

Since the Prophet had not asked any of his wives, his companions and their families to accompany him for the strange challenge, most of them seemed relieved, and the next morning they set out toward the place marked for Mubahela to watch from a distance what would transpire.

The Christians entered the field of Mubahela along with their men, women and children in the construed belief that truth was on their side.

At this moment, Prophet Muhammad (SAWA) calmly and confidently stepped on to the field, holding the hands of his two young grandsons, Imam Hasan (AS) and Imam Husain (AS), while behind him was his only daughter, Hazrat Fatema Zahra (SA), followed by her husband, Imam Ali (AS).

The Christians were surprised that none of the Prophet’s companions were accompanying him. They stared at the five fabulous persons, and to their astonishment beheld enlightened faces that dazzled their eyes.

Archbishop Abu Haretha said to his flock: The radiant visages that I am seeing are so bright that if they were to raise their hands towards heavens to invoke divine curse, mountains will move from their places. O Christians give up the idea of Mubahela with these epitomes of truth.

The Christians of Najran admitted the truth and left in peace, but the events that ensued left indelible imprints in the minds of Muslims. The superiority of the Prophet’s Ahl al-Bayt had once again been confirmed beyond an iota of doubt through the revelation of the ayahs of the holy Qur’an, and thus the succession to the Last Messenger of God, finalized.

AS/ME