1. Abu Haarisah Bin’ Alqamah who was the chief pope of Christians.
2. Uhayb who was the tribal chief.
3. ‘Abdul Masih who was next to the main chief and was known as’ Aaqib’.
They all were dressed up in exquisite clothes and entered in the Masjid-unNabawi after Salat- ul-‘ Asr and offered their own prayer facing towards their Qiblah. Then Abu Haarisah and another person came in the blessed court of the Rasool of Rahmah . The Beloved Nabi conversed with them in a very affectionate manner. The following conversation took place:
Holy Rasool ﷺ .:
• You people should embrace Islam and become obedient to Allah.
Yes! We say that he is the bondman and a Rasool of Allah and he is Kalimatullah who was born to virgin Maryam without father by the commandment of Allah .
• Can anyone be conceived without a father? When you people believe that no person is father of Nabi ‘Isa , then you people will have to admit that God is his father.
Hearing these prophetical words of wisdom from the Beloved and Blessed Rasool , instead of leaving Christianity and coming into the fold of Islam, these people started to quarrel and argue with the Holy Rasool. The argumentation and dispute prolonged to such an extent that Allah revealed this Ayah of Surah Aal-e-‘Imran:
Then, 0 Beloved, those who dispute with you concerning ‘Isa, after knowledge has come to you, say to them, ‘Come! Let us summon our sons and your sons, and our women and your women, and ourselves and yourselves, then do Mubahalah, hence invoking the curse of Allah upon the liars.’
[Kanz-ul-Iman (Translation of Quran)J (Part 3, Surah Aal-e-‘Imran, Ayah 61)
Abu Haarisah accepted this challenge of Mubahalah mentioned in the Holy Quran and it was decided that this Mubahalah will take place in an open field the next morning. But, when Abu Haarisah came to the Christians, he said, ‘O my people! You people have well understood and recognized that Muhammad is the Last Nabi of Allah and bear in mind that the people that hold Mubahalah against a real Nabi are destroyed completely. Therefore, betterment lies in having a truce with him and returning home instead of holding Mubahalah with him in any way.’
Therefore, the next morning when Abu Haarisah came in front of the Greatest and Holiest Rasool , he saw the Beloved Nabi carrying Sayyiduna Imam Husayn in lap and holding the finger of Sayyiduna Imam Hasan . Sayyidatuna Fatimah and Sayyiduna ‘Ali were walking behind him and he was saying to them: When I would supplicate, say .
Upon seeing this, Abu Haarisah shivered with fear and said, ‘O the group of Christians! I am seeing such blessed faces that if Allah wills, the mountains would move leaving their location by virtue of these blessed faces. Therefore, 0 my people! Do not engage in Mubahalah at all, otherwise you will be destroyed and not a single Christian will be left on the face of the earth.’ Then he said, ‘O Abu Qaasim! We will not conduct Mubahalah with you and we wish to remain on our own religion. The Rasool of Rahmah said them to embrace Islam so that they may get the rights of Muslims but the Christians clearly rejected to embrace Islam. Then the Holy Nabi said, ‘If so, I have no option other than to have a war against you.’
Upon hearing this, the Christians replied, ‘We do not possess the capability to have a war against Arabs, therefore, we request a truce with you entailing a condition that you people would not set war against us and leave us on our own religion and in return, we will pay you one thousand clothes every year as a Jizyah (tax).’ This offer of peace treaty was accepted by the Holy Rasool on the said condition and the Merciful Rasool provided them a letter of relief and peace.
After this, the Noblest Rasool said, ‘Destruction had reached the people of Najraan but these people were saved. Had they committed Mubahalah with me, their faces would have been deformed and they would have become monkeys and pigs and such a fire would have blazed in their valley that all of the inhabitants of Najraan including the birds and beasts would have been burnt, and turned into a muck of ashes and all the Christians on the face of earth would have been destroyed within one year. (I’afseer Ruh-ul-Bayan, vol. 2, pp. 44; part 3, Surah Aal-e-‘Imran, Ayah 61)
Moral:
From this event, we come to know that doing Mubahalah with the Rusul of Allah brings ruin and destruction. Mubahalah with the Ambiya, the friends of Allah and other chosen people of Allah brings devastation. In fact, even a slight disrespect and hurting the feelings of the saints of Allah can be highly destructive and can inflict such destruction that has no remedy.
