Bi'tha: Difference between revisions

'''Biʿthat''' (Arabic: بعثة) means selection of prophet by God for guidance of people. [[Muhammad (s)|The Prophet of Islam (s)]] in the age of forty in the [[hira' cave]] in Nur (light) mountain (close to [[Mecca]]) has been selected as prophet and the first verses of [[sura 'Alaq]] has been revealed to him. The bi'that was the beginning of Islam and occurred in the 27th of [[Rajab]], 13 years before [[Hijra]] (migration of the prophet (s) from Mecca to [[Medina]]).

== Etymological and technical meaning==

The word derived from ب ع ث root which means sending, exciting or dispatching.

In the technical meaning, Bi'that means sending a human by God toward other humans and jinn to guide them to the right path. The word is mainly used for [[the Prophet (s)]] when he was selected as prophet.

== Bi'that in Quran ==

The word Bi'that in [[Quran]] indicates a special stage of life which has a kind of transformation therefore besides the meaning of becoming prophet; it also refers to [[resurrection]] in [[hereafter]]. However the dominant meaning is selection and sending someone as prophet.

In all chapters of Quran, Bi'that is always attributed to God, that is, resurrection in hereafter, special rules of universe and sending the prophets show the almightiness of God and his program in ruling the world.

One of the considerable points about Bi'that is that God has graced humanity by sending prophets and this grace could be seen from two aspects; first that the Bi'that is the way of guidance for humanity and second that the prophets has been chosen among the people themselves to be the same type.

Even though that choosing prophets from among the people sometimes is followed by ridicule and denial of polytheists and their pride and spite, it has a reason and wisdom that is introducing exemplar to people to follow, as prophets has been described in Quran. If prophets have been chosen from other beings than humans, they couldn’t be exemplar for humanity and this is one of divine traditions that the prophet of each group should be from among them to be able to represent the religious message completely.

== Bi'that of Prophet of Islam (s) ==

Bi'that of [[the Prophet (s)]] has occurred when he was forty and there is a less known opinion that it has occurred when he was 43. The origin of these different ideas related to the different understandings of the meaning of Bi'that, some believes that criteria of being prophet is receiving the first verse and others believe that the first official preaching is the criteria of being prophet.

== hira' cave ==

[[File:Hira cave.jpg|thumbnail|250px|Hira cave, the place that [[the Prophet (s)]] for the first time received verses of Quran and was selected as prophet]]

When [[the Prophet (s)]] was in the [[hira' cave]] in the Thur mountain busy by contemplating and praying, he received first verses of [['Alaq]] chapter and the “Read in the name of your lord who created” and he also received the first verses of the chapter [[al-Muddaththir]].

He told about his prophethood first to his wife [[Khadija (a)]] and after her to his cousin [['Ali (a)]]. In the next year he received the [[Verse of Indhar|Indhar]] (warning) verse,"Warn the nearest of your kinsfolk " and thus his mission reached to a new level. In the same year he received the" Therefore declare openly what you are bidden and turn aside from the polytheists" by revealing this verse his mission became public and for the first time the prophet (s) declared his divine call in the [['Ukaz bazaar]] where people were gathered for trade and some of them had a session for new poems and different stories and he asked all for their attention and stated his divine message.

On that day [[Abu lahab]] ridiculed the prophet (s) and some joined him in making fun of the prophet (s) but [[Abu Talib]] advocated the prophet (s) and punished them. Few people believed in prophet (s) and were added to those who have believed in the concealed era of his mission.

In his childhood because of his purity and his hate of corrupted atmosphere of [[mecca]] in that time, he was interested in soleness and isolation from the city. He used to go for one month isolation in the mountains close to mecca and he had some dreams about the invisible world and he had three years of relationship with the [[Seraph]] and 20 years with the Gabriel before his Bi'that and therefore he was ready when he received the first message from God.

If we accept these narrations, we find other narrations doubtful that state that the prophet (s) was unfamiliar with revelation and angels and he was suspicious and afraid of distracted consciousness or being attacked by jinn and because of these doubts he had consultation with Khadija (a) and got confirmation from [[Varaqa b. Nufil]] as witness of his prophethood and calmed down with his consolation. This kind of narrations is in conflict with growing stages and the training atmosphere that the prophet (s) had and it is also against his vision and perspective of the great burden of prophethood.

Bi'that has a very remarkable position among Muslims. It actually is the beginning point of Islam, the religion that in its early years had few followers and difficult circumstances and later expands to whole world and attracted numerous hearts. Beginning of all of that crucial change is Bi'that.

According to historians, this great event happened on Monday in the 27th of [[Rajab]] in the [['Am al-Fil]] (elephant year) which was the 20th year of [[Khusro Parviz]]'s government in [[Iran]]. There are other opinions which believe that Bi'that was in 17th or 18th of [[Ramadan]] or in one day of [[Rabi' al-Thani]], nonetheless [[Shi'a]] believes in first idea. Mab'ath (day of bi'that) is a great eve in all Islamic countries and among all Islamic denominations and in this day all Muslims have celebration with their special cultures.