Abu Talib and Bibi Khadija (SA) were the main supporters of the Prophet Mohammed (pbuh). It was so destined that they passed away within a few days of each other, leaving the Prophet Mohammed (pbuh) to lament the bereavement. Prophet Mohammed (pbuh) had lost a caring uncle and a loving wife.

The enemies were now relieved, because Abu Talib was no more to protect. A few days after Abu Talib's death, when the Prophet Mohammed (pbuh) was once passing through a lane, a woman emptied her garbage from a window upon his head. He returned home with his head soiled. His young daughter Fatimah sat beside him, consoling and washing off the dirt.

As things became intolerable in Makkah, the Prophet Mohammed (pbuh) decided to move to Taif where he thought he would convey the message of Allah to the tribe of Thaqeef. Taif was known for its pleasant climate and beautiful scenery.

The Prophet Mohammed (pbuh) knew very well that people at Taif were no different from Makkans. They also worshipped idols and were in constant contact with the people in Makkah. But he did not despair. As he entered Taif, and proclaimed his prophet hood, people jeered at him. One said: "God did not find anyone else for His message except you?" Another said: "I must be naive or a thief if I believed you to be a prophet." And so it went on.

Then in order to prevent him from preaching Islam, people of Taif set a group of children and vagabonds behind him. They pestered him and threw stones at him. Tired, forsaken and wounded, he sought refuge in a nearby garden. It belonged to Atabah and Shaibah, two wealthy chiefs of Quraish. They were both there when the Prophet Mohammed (pbuh) entered and sat under a distant tree. He was alone. Then he raised his face towards heaven and prayed: "O Allah! I raise unto you my complaint for my weakness, my helplessness, and for the ridicule to which I have been subjected. O Merciful of all the Mercifuls! You are the Master of all oppressed people, You are my God! So to whom would You consign me? To the strangers who would ill-treat me, or to the enemies who have an upper hand over me? If whatever has befallen me is not because of Your wrath, then I fear not. No doubt, the field of Your security and care is wide enough for me. I seek refuge in Your light which illuminates darkness and straightens the affairs of this world and hereafter, that Your displeasure and wrath may not descend upon me. For the sake of Your pleasure, I remain pleased and resigned to my fate. No change in this world occurs without Your Will."

Atabah and Shaibah were watching. They sent for their servant named Adaas and gave him a plate full of grapes. "Take this to that man under the tree," they ordered.

Adaas was a Christian. He brought the grapes to the Prophet Mohammed (pbuh) and bid him eat. As the Prophet Mohammed (pbuh) picked a bunch he said: "Bismillahir Rahmaanir Rahiim," (In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate). Adaas had never heard this before. He was impressed by it, because the man was invoking mercy and compassion of Allah in spite of his desolate state.

"Who are you?" he asked.

"I am the Prophet of God. Where do you come from?"

The servant said: I am Adaas, a Christian. I come from Nainava."

"Nainava? You come from a place where my brother Yunus bin Mati lived," the Prophet Mohammed (pbuh) said.

Adaas was surprised to hear the name.

"What do you know of Yunus bin Mati? Here no one seems to know him. Even in Nainava there were hardly ten people who knew his father's name."

The Prophet Mohammed (pbuh) said: "Yes, I know him because just like me, he was a Prophet of God."

Adaas fell on his knees before the Prophet Mohammed (pbuh), kissed his hand and embraced Islam.

Anas Malik was one of the companions who had served the Prophet Mohammed (pbuh) for many years. He therefore knew the Prophet Mohammed's (pbuh) habits very well.

When Prophet Mohammed (pbuh) observed a fast, he usually broke it with milk and dates, and in the small hours of the night, he would take simple food for his sahar.

One day, Anas knew that the Prophet Mohammed (pbuh) was fasting; so he arranged for his iftar. He kept the milk and dates ready. At the time of iftar the Prophet Mohammed (pbuh) did not appear, for the breaking of the fast. Anas thought that the Prophet Mohammed (pbuh) might have accepted an invitation and broken his fast elsewhere. So Anas ate the food himself and retired.

When Prophet Mohammed (pbuh) entered the house with another companion, Anas inquired from the companion whether the Prophet Mohammed (pbuh) had already eaten. The Prophet Mohammed (pbuh) had been dealing with some urgent work and was delayed, and he had not eaten.

Anas felt so ashamed. There was nothing left he could offer to the Prophet Mohammed (pbuh), if he asked for food. Still he waited expectantly, ready to explain the situation to the Prophet Mohammed (pbuh). Prophet Mohammed (pbuh) immediately sensed that Anas was hesitant, so he remained silent and retired to bed hungry.

Anas used to say: "The Messenger of God never mentioned this incident during his lifetime to anyone."

You should never think that you have more than someone else, because there might come a time when that person has more than you. Remember it is through the blessing of Allah that you have what you have.

Bibi Fatimah Zahra (SA) was born to Bibi Khadija (SA) and the Prophet Mohammed (pbuh). Before her birth, the Prophet Mohammed (pbuh) had had two sons, Qasim and Tahir, but both boys had died when they were babies.

The Prophet Mohammed (pbuh) had started teaching the message of Islam and had made many enemies. As a result, some of the unbelievers began to make fun of him at the death of his sons, calling him "Abtar".

The word Abtar means an animal that has no tail - and was meant to say that the Prophet Mohammed (pbuh) was tail-less because he had no children to carry on his family.

Thus, when Bibi Fatimah Zahra (SA) was born, the following Sura of the Holy Qur'an was revealed:

"In the Name of Allah, the most Kind, the most Merciful. Verily (O Muhammad), We have given you Kauthar. So pray to your Lord and give sacrifice. Verily, your enemies will be Abtar." Surah al-Kauthar, (108:1-3)

When the Holy Prophet Mohammed (pbuh) was asked what Kauthar meant, he replied that it was a stream in heaven and the man who would give water from that stream to the believers was Imam Ali (AS).

He then said that Kauthar also meant abundance, and the birth of Bibi Fatimah Zahra (SA) signified that, through her, his descendants would be in abundance.

The promise of Allah was certainly true because today, there are countless descendants of the Prophet Mohammed (pbuh), (Sayyids) while there is nobody who claims to be a descendant of the Quraish. Thus the enemies of the Holy Prophet Mohammed (pbuh) were those who became truly "Abtar".

This Surah in the Holy Qur'an is thus a reference to Bibi Fatimah Zahra (SA).

A man walking along a path felt very thirsty. Reaching a well, he descended into it, drank his fill, and came up.

Then he saw a dog with its tongue hanging out, trying to lick up mud to quench its thirst.

The man said, "This dog is feeling the same thirst that I felt." So he went down into the well again, filled his shoe with water and gave the dog a drink.

So, Almighty God forgave his sins.

The Prophet Mohammed (pbuh) was asked, "Messenger of God, are we rewarded for kindness towards animals?" Prophet Mohammed (pbuh) said: There is a reward for kindness to every living animal or human.