wikishia:Featured Article/2022/07

Event of Mubahala is an event in Islamic history in which the Prophet (s) and Christian delegations from Najran met to do mubahala attempting to reveal who was lying about their religious differences.

In the Qur'an, the term mubahala is mentioned as a decisive solution to the dispute over Prophet 'Isa (Jesus), being one of the Trinity or not, between the Christians of Najran and Prophet Muhammad (s).

The Prophet (s) suggested Christians of Najran to do mubahala, and they accepted; however, on the day they had agreed upon earlier, they refused to do mubahala since they saw that the Prophet (s) came with closest members of his family, who were his daughter, Fatima al-Zahra (a), his son-in-law, Imam Ali (a), his grandsons, Hasan (a) and Husayn (a), and thus Christians understood his truthfulness. This way, the Prophet (s) became victorious in this event.

The occasion of the Prophet's (s) mubahala with Christians of Najran is not only a sign for the truth of the Prophet's (s) claim [i.e., inviting to Islam] but also showing the position of his family members since he introduced them alone among all his companions and relatives. Therefore, that event is among the merits of the Ahl al-Bayt (a). The encounter of mubahala happened on Dhu al-Hijja 24, 9/April 3, 631. However, some have reported it on the 25th.

Mubahala means "to curse each other"; for example, "bahalahu Allah" means "May Allah curse him and keeps him away from His mercy." Mubahala (Arabic: مُباهَلَة, invocation of God's curse) means cursing and damning each other. Two people or two parties, who believe they are right, supplicate before God and ask Him to curse the liar so that everyone knows who is right.

When the Prophet (s) wrote letters to rulers of different countries and religious centers, he (s) also wrote a letter to the Bishop of Najran, in which he (s) asked the people of Najran to accept Islam. Christians decided to send a delegation to Medina to talk to the Prophet (s).

The delegation included a group of more than ten noblemen of Najran led by three people 'Aqib, Sayyid, and Abu Haritha, who came to Medina. The delegation talked with the Prophet (s) in the mosque of the Prophet (s). After both parties insisted on their rightfulness, they decided to end the dispute through mubahala; therefore, they decided to prepare for mubahala the other day outside Medina in the desert. Read more...