Lost Leaves of Islamic History

 

Lost Leaves of Islamic History

M. Karimghani

ISLAM came to this world 14 centuries ago not only as a State but also as a movement, as a Cultural Revolution, as a New Social Order and as a Global Faith. It was something meant for the whole of humanity for all times. Yet few people know how it spread to China, where even today 12 percent of population is Muslim or to Indonesia where Muslims are in a majority or to parts of India like Malabar, Tamilnad or to Ceylon.

The existing histories of Islam, usually comprising Arab chronicles, have unfortunately failed to mention some vital facts of Islamic history that could throw light on these aspects and give a casual reader the erroneous impression that the mission of the Prophet of Islam was confined to Arabia.

The great missionaries, many of them amongst the companions of the Holy Prophet himself, crossed oceans to spread the teachings of Islam abroad. But barring Bilal of Abyssinia, Salman of Persia and Suhail of Italy, few outsiders fined their mention in Arab chronicles. This has naturally caused a lot of misunderstanding in the minds of the Westerners, some of whom got so much prejudiced against Islam that they began to circulate the myth (which has since been exploded by the objective analysis of orientalists like Thomas Arnold) that Islam was spread to the various corners of the world at the point of sword.

Within a few decades Islam had successfully clash with the then world powers and had itself become the supreme world power of the time. The early historians were, therefore, more interested in recording the chronicles of the various dynasties. And because the Prophet's Sunnah (Precept and Practice) was vital, stress was laid on collection of the relevant Ahadith which have been preserved.

While going through Arab chronicles, one reads how the Prophet in the later Medinite period sent envoys with epistles to the Emperors of Byzantium and Persia, and to the Rulers of the Copts and the Negus of Abyssinia.

MOSQUE IN CHINA

According to the history of the Chinese a companion of the Prophet (ﷺ) Sa'ad by name, had come with an epistle to the King of Canton, and that Sa'ad was allowed to build a mosque and preach Islam. The tomb of this great companion of the Prophet is still in existence at Canton and so is the mosque built by him, as enlarged in the subsequent centuries.

Some still doubt the truthfulness of this fact of history simply because Sa'ad finds no mention in the ASMAUR RIJAL (a book containing the names of persons mentioned in Hadith literature or the early narratives). But the Asmaur Rijal itself is not complete, and the fact that in China, where neither the Omayyads or the Abbasides or Qsmanniis ever reached, there are still 12 percent Muslims living, confirms that Sa'ad was a historical entity

Another tendency of the early writers was lo over emphasise certain points and to use poetic imagination to portray the backward condition of the pre-Islamic Arabs. The pre-Islamic Arabs had, no doubt drifted away From the monotheistic teachings of Patriarch Abraham but still they had a civilization of their own, Moreover. Makkah and Medina in those days were on the high road. Centuries before Islam, there was sea trade going on between the Far East and Arabia Felix (South Arabia) and goods from the Far East used lo reach Yemen and then go by caravan lo Syria via Makkah and Madinah. From Syria they would go to Egypt and Europe. It was because of its importance to the then world trade that Rome had in 24 B C sent a military expedition, led by Aelius Galius. to conquer Yemen. The expedition had failed.

And so when we look back lo form a correct historical perspective, we are convinced that the place chosen by God for sending the Prophet with a World Mission was the right one because it was in the limelight After establishing his community at Madinah, the Holy Prophet had not only continued preaching to his Arab countrymen but had sent his missionaries, to all parts of the world then known.

Muhammad bin Qasim had come to the shores of Sindh because at the piracy of the then king of Sindh who had seized Muslim coming from Ceylonen rout to Hejaz lo perform Hajj That shows that a community of Muslims did exist in Ceylon long before Muhammad bin Qasim came to Sindh.

The history of Malabar also tell us that the king of Malabar had gone to Arabia and that he had accepted Islam at the hands of the Holy Prophet. There are tombs in Malabar of two companions of the Prophet who are still held in reverence by the Muslims in Malabar.  All the same the Arabic chronicles make no mention of the Malabar king or the companions of the Prophet who are buried in Malabar.

The present writer as a Journalist and writer in Tamil country during the pre-partition days had occasion to study ancient Tamil literature. Tamil, the oldest of the existing Dravidian languages, has a well preserved rich lore.

There are eighteen Rishis (sages) respected by the Tamilians. Ramadeva whose poems are printed and published by non-Muslims in Tamil country, is one of them His poems, are regarded the basic books of the Tamil systems of Indigenous medicine end have been preserved.

Ramadeva Rishi, in his book of poems says he has heard about the appearance of the Prophet and that he himself had gone to Madinah and had embraced Islam. According to his statement the Holy Prophet (ﷺ) had given him the name of Yacub.

Writing in his long poem as to how he met the Prophet, the Tamilian sage says that he wanted to test whether the source of Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) knowledge was his own intellect or something superhuman. In those days, he says, the Rishis in India were busy with certain alchemic experiments id produce a radiant substance out of mercury which could increase the vitality of man. The experiment had failed Yacub says  he asked the Holy Prophet for light and got the hints from him through whose help the experiment became successor. Yacub was thus convinced that the Prophet was really a Messenger of God and embraced Islam.

Another contemporary Rishi, Boga Rishl, whose travelogue in seven thousand stanzas exist in Tamil country did visit Madinah but did not embrace Islam. His travelogue is an interesting classic that conjures up pictures of the countries he had visited 13 centuries ago He visited Madlnah at a time when the Holy Prophet had died and did not therefore have the honour of meeting him He, however, met Ramadeva Rishi at Madinah and heard about the Prophet from him. The above facts of history prove that the Holy Prophet had not only established a state but also a World Mission. The existing Arab chronicles were written in a subsequent century. A number of facts about the way the Prophet himself had striven to fulfill his Mission, and about the sons of Islam who eschewed politics but quietly went abroad to spread Islam had by that time been forgotten In the chronicles of Karbela Martyrdom, have bean mentioned three alternatives given by Imam Husain, either permission to face Yezid or to go back to Makkah or to go abroad to preach the faith. The third alternative itself indicates that during the time of the Prophet and thereafter the sons of Islam had gone abroad as missionaries of the Faith even though no record is left about them or their religious activities.

II was indeed a great omission by historian so that time that helped many westerners to misunderstand Islam or s mission. Thomas Arnold, an orientalist has nevertheless shown in his "Preachings of Islam" that Islam spread not by force but by the missionaries who are now revered as saints.

Now take the case of Indonesia. It is generally believed that Islam had reached Indonesia in the 13th century A.D. but according to the Chinese chronicle, about the Tang dynasty, there was a quean who ruled Java in 674 A.D. and an Arab prince had reportedly visited Java during her regime.

COIN UNEARTHED

Sometime ago a coin was unearthed in Britain with the Kalima in Arabic on one side and the name of a king in English on the other. The coin is still available in the British Museum and Its picture has appeared in Edwin Arnold's "Legacy of Islam” British history, no doubt, makes no mention of such a king, but some son of Islam had probably reached England and under his influence some king embraced Islam. His dynasty did not perhaps survive long enough to find a place in history. Sa'ad had probably reached China in the East in a similar way.

 

Again it is said that 144_r000 men were present at the Farewell Pilgrimage (Hajjatul-Widaa) of the Prophet (ﷺ)  when he asked them if he had not fulfilled his mission and all had replied in the affirmative. People generally believe that it was an all-Arab audience except for Salman, Bilal and Suhaib. But it is highly probable that Muslims from other parts of the world were also present even though historical evidence is lacking for want of facts that could not be recorded by chronologists under the stress of circumstances enumerated above.