Laylat al-Mabit: Difference between revisions

'''Laylat al-Mabit''' (Arabic: لیلة المبیت, the night of sleeping) is the title of the night in which the Prophet (s) emigrated from Mecca to Medina, and because of the decision of Quraysh to assassinate the Prophet (s), Imam 'Ali (a) slept in his bed, so the assassins will not notice his absence. The verse 207 of sura al-Baqara is revealed about the sacrifice of Imam 'Ali (a) for saving the life of the Prophet (s).

After the demise of Abu Talib, Quraysh polytheists intensified the harassment of Muslims. The Prophet (s), seeing the life of Muslims is in danger, and after an allegiance with the people of Yathrib, ordered Muslims to emigrate to Yathrib. So they started to emigrate to Yathrib covertly in small groups.

Heads of Quraysh gathered in Dar al-Nadwa to decide about their encounter with the Prophet (s); at last, with the propose of Abu Jahl, it was decided that from each tribe brave men become chosen and they attack the Prophet (s) together and assassinate him in his home, so all the tribes have part in his assassination and Banu Hashim, who were his family and his avengers, couldn't fight all the tribes and have to acquiesce to the blood money.

After the decision of Quraysh to assassinate the Prophet (s), Jabra'il (Gabriel) informed the Prophet (s) about the plan and revealed the verse 30 of sura al-Anfal: "When the faithless plotted against you to take you captive, or to kill or expel you. They plotted and Allah devised, and Allah is the best of devisers", so the Prophet (s) decided to emigrate to Yathrib. While he was leaving, he recited: "And We have put a barrier before them and a barrier behind them, then We have blind-folded them, so they do not see" (36:9), so the polytheists couldn't see him.

In the night of the 1 of Rabi' al-Awwal, the Prophet (s) told Imam 'Ali (a): "the angel descended to me and informed me that Quraysh polytheists are united to kill me, and he recommended me from my God to emigrate from my people, and go to the Thawr cave tonight, and he ordered me to order you to sleep in my bed so my trace will become hidden by that; so what do you say and what will you do?", so 'Ali (a) said: "will you be safe by my sleeping there?", the Prophet (s) said: "yes", so Imam 'Ali (a) smiled and bowed down to Sujud (for his happiness), then said: "go as you are ordered, may my ears, eyes, and the very heart be sacrificed for you, order me as you wish, I am like your assistant, I will do it as you want, and my success is only by Allah." the Prophet (s) said: "sleep in my bed, and put on my clothes, and I inform you that Allah tests his friends according to their faith and their rank in His religion, so the most hardly tested people are the prophets, then their successors, etc., so He is testing you and is testing me with you, like He tested His friend Ibrahim (a), and Isma'il (when Ibrahim was commanded to slaughter Isma'il), so be patient, be patient, for 'indeed Allah’s mercy is close to the virtuous'" then embraced Imam 'Ali (a) and both cried, then they separated.

The polytheists, besieged the house of the Prophet (s) from the beginning of the night and they were expecting the midnight to attack, but Abu Lahab said: "some women and children are in the house and maybe they become harmed and later this will be a shame for us between Arabs" (So they postponed the attack to the sunrise.)

The Prophet (s) said: Allah told Jabra'il and Mika'il: "I have made you two brothers and made the life of one of you shorter than the other, which one of you would prefer his brother (to live longer)?" both of them disliked the death, then Allah told them: "aren't you like My friend, 'Ali b. Abi Talib, I made him brother with My Prophet, and he preferred him to live, then slept in his bed, sacrificing his life for him, both of you descend to the earth, and protect him from his enemies" then Jabra'il descended to top of his head and Mika'il descended to down of his feet and Jabra'il said: "good for someone like you, O the son of Abu Talib, that Allah is proud in you in front of the angles."

In the morning when they attacked the house with drawn swords, saw Imam 'Ali (a) in the bed of the Prophet (s), they said: "where is Muhammad?" Imam 'Ali (a) said: "were you entrusted him to me that you are asking me about him? Weren't you saying that you will expel him from your land? He quitted. They attacked Imam 'Ali (a) and beat him saying: you were tricking us for the night! Then they started to search for the Prophet (s).

There is also another report: when the sun started to rise they feared to be exposed by the morning so they attacked, at the time the houses in Mecca didn't have doors and only curtains were used, when Imam 'Ali (a) saw them drawn their swords and are coming to him, and Khalid b. Walid is in front of them, Imam 'Ali (a) jumped to him, took his sword and broke his hand, so Khalid started to jump up and down and yelling like a camel (because of the pain), the others were still on the stairs when Imam 'Ali (a) went to them with the sword, they flee from him like a herd of ships and went to the roof, and suddenly they discovered that this is 'Ali, "are you 'Ali?" they asked, "I am 'Ali" he replied, they said: "we don't intend you, what did Muhammad?", "I don't know" Imam 'Ali (a) said. So they get on their horses and camels and went after the Prophet (s).

As Shi'a and Sunni scholars have narrated, the verse 207 of sura al-Baqara ([[Laylat al-Mabit Verse]]) is revealed about the night and the sacrifice of Imam 'Ali (a) for the Prophet (s).