[edit] Ellen Austin
The Ellen Austin supposedly came across a derelict ship, placed on board a prize crew, and attempted to sail with it to New York in 1881. According to the stories, the derelict disappeared; others elaborating further that the derelict reappeared minus the prize crew, then disappeared again with a second prize crew on board. A check from Lloyd's of London records proved the existence of the Meta, built in 1854 and that in 1880 the Meta was renamed Ellen Austin. There are no casualty listings for this vessel, or any vessel at that time, that would suggest a large number of missing men were placed on board a derelict that later disappeared.[36]
Minggu, 13 Desember 2009
[edit] Mary Celeste
[edit] Mary Celeste
The mysterious abandonment in 1872 of the 282-ton brigantine Mary Celeste is often but inaccurately connected to the Triangle, the ship having been abandoned off the coast of Portugal. The event is possibly confused with the loss of a ship with a similar name, the Mari Celeste, a 207-ton paddle steamer that hit a reef and quickly sank off the coast of Bermuda on September 13, 1864.[34][35] Kusche noted that many of the "facts" about this incident were actually about the Marie Celeste, the fictional ship from Arthur Conan Doyle's short story "J. Habakuk Jephson's Statement" (based on the real Mary Celeste incident, but fictionalised).
The mysterious abandonment in 1872 of the 282-ton brigantine Mary Celeste is often but inaccurately connected to the Triangle, the ship having been abandoned off the coast of Portugal. The event is possibly confused with the loss of a ship with a similar name, the Mari Celeste, a 207-ton paddle steamer that hit a reef and quickly sank off the coast of Bermuda on September 13, 1864.[34][35] Kusche noted that many of the "facts" about this incident were actually about the Marie Celeste, the fictional ship from Arthur Conan Doyle's short story "J. Habakuk Jephson's Statement" (based on the real Mary Celeste incident, but fictionalised).
[edit] Flight 19
[edit] Flight 19
US Navy TBF Grumman Avenger flight, similar to Flight 19. This photo had been used by various Triangle authors to illustrate Flight 19 itself. (US Navy)
Flight 19 was a training flight of TBM Avenger bombers that went missing on December 5, 1945 while over the Atlantic. The squadron's flight path was scheduled to take them due east for 120 miles, north for 73 miles, and then back over a final 120-mile leg that would return them to the naval base, but they never returned. The impression is given[citation needed] that the flight encountered unusual phenomena and anomalous compass readings, and that the flight took place on a calm day under the supervision of an experienced pilot, Lt. Charles Carroll Taylor. Adding to the intrigue is that the Navy's report of the accident was ascribed to "causes or reasons unknown." It is believed that Taylor's mother wanted to save her son's reputation, so she made them write "reasons unknown" when actually Taylor was 50 km NW from where he thought he was.[33]
Adding to the mystery, a search and rescue Mariner aircraft with a 13-man crew was dispatched to aid the missing squadron, but the Mariner itself was never heard from again. Later, there was a report from a tanker cruising off the coast of Florida of a visible explosion[citation needed] at about the time the Mariner would have been on patrol.
While the basic facts of this version of the story are essentially accurate, some important details are missing. The weather was becoming stormy by the end of the incident, and naval reports and written recordings of the conversations between Taylor and the other pilots of Flight 19 do not indicate magnetic problems.[33]
US Navy TBF Grumman Avenger flight, similar to Flight 19. This photo had been used by various Triangle authors to illustrate Flight 19 itself. (US Navy)
Flight 19 was a training flight of TBM Avenger bombers that went missing on December 5, 1945 while over the Atlantic. The squadron's flight path was scheduled to take them due east for 120 miles, north for 73 miles, and then back over a final 120-mile leg that would return them to the naval base, but they never returned. The impression is given[citation needed] that the flight encountered unusual phenomena and anomalous compass readings, and that the flight took place on a calm day under the supervision of an experienced pilot, Lt. Charles Carroll Taylor. Adding to the intrigue is that the Navy's report of the accident was ascribed to "causes or reasons unknown." It is believed that Taylor's mother wanted to save her son's reputation, so she made them write "reasons unknown" when actually Taylor was 50 km NW from where he thought he was.[33]
Adding to the mystery, a search and rescue Mariner aircraft with a 13-man crew was dispatched to aid the missing squadron, but the Mariner itself was never heard from again. Later, there was a report from a tanker cruising off the coast of Florida of a visible explosion[citation needed] at about the time the Mariner would have been on patrol.
While the basic facts of this version of the story are essentially accurate, some important details are missing. The weather was becoming stormy by the end of the incident, and naval reports and written recordings of the conversations between Taylor and the other pilots of Flight 19 do not indicate magnetic problems.[33]
[edit] Methane hydrates
[edit] Methane hydrates
Main article: Methane clathrate
Worldwide distribution of confirmed or inferred offshore gas hydrate-bearing sediments, 1996.Source: USGS
An explanation for some of the disappearances has focused on the presence of vast fields of methane hydrates (a form of natural gas) on the continental shelves.[26] Laboratory experiments carried out in Australia have proven that bubbles can, indeed, sink a scale model ship by decreasing the density of the water;[27] any wreckage consequently rising to the surface would be rapidly dispersed by the Gulf Stream. It has been hypothesized that periodic methane eruptions (sometimes called "mud volcanoes") may produce regions of frothy water that are no longer capable of providing adequate buoyancy for ships. If this were the case, such an area forming around a ship could cause it to sink very rapidly and without warning.
Publications by the USGS describe large stores of undersea hydrates worldwide, including the Blake Ridge area, off the southeastern United States coast.[28] However, according to another of their papers, no large releases of gas hydrates are believed to have occurred in the Bermuda Triangle for the past 15,000 years.[15]
It should also be noted that other areas of undersea methane hydrates are not reported to give rise to similar incidents as the Bermuda Triangle, also that bubbles of underwater gas would not account for aircraft disappearances.
Main article: Methane clathrate
Worldwide distribution of confirmed or inferred offshore gas hydrate-bearing sediments, 1996.Source: USGS
An explanation for some of the disappearances has focused on the presence of vast fields of methane hydrates (a form of natural gas) on the continental shelves.[26] Laboratory experiments carried out in Australia have proven that bubbles can, indeed, sink a scale model ship by decreasing the density of the water;[27] any wreckage consequently rising to the surface would be rapidly dispersed by the Gulf Stream. It has been hypothesized that periodic methane eruptions (sometimes called "mud volcanoes") may produce regions of frothy water that are no longer capable of providing adequate buoyancy for ships. If this were the case, such an area forming around a ship could cause it to sink very rapidly and without warning.
Publications by the USGS describe large stores of undersea hydrates worldwide, including the Blake Ridge area, off the southeastern United States coast.[28] However, according to another of their papers, no large releases of gas hydrates are believed to have occurred in the Bermuda Triangle for the past 15,000 years.[15]
It should also be noted that other areas of undersea methane hydrates are not reported to give rise to similar incidents as the Bermuda Triangle, also that bubbles of underwater gas would not account for aircraft disappearances.
[edit] Hurricanes
[edit] Hurricanes
Hurricanes are powerful storms, which form in tropical waters and have historically cost thousands of lives lost and caused billions of dollars in damage. The sinking of Francisco de Bobadilla's Spanish fleet in 1502 was the first recorded instance of a destructive hurricane. These storms have in the past caused a number of incidents related to the Triangle.
Hurricanes are powerful storms, which form in tropical waters and have historically cost thousands of lives lost and caused billions of dollars in damage. The sinking of Francisco de Bobadilla's Spanish fleet in 1502 was the first recorded instance of a destructive hurricane. These storms have in the past caused a number of incidents related to the Triangle.
[edit] Gulf Stream
[edit] Gulf Stream
The Gulf Stream is an ocean current that originates in the Gulf of Mexico and then flows through the Straits of Florida into the North Atlantic. In essence, it is a river within an ocean, and, like a river, it can and does carry floating objects. It has a surface velocity of up to about 2.5 metres per second (5.6 mph).[23] A small plane making a water landing or a boat having engine trouble can be carried away from its reported position by the current
The Gulf Stream is an ocean current that originates in the Gulf of Mexico and then flows through the Straits of Florida into the North Atlantic. In essence, it is a river within an ocean, and, like a river, it can and does carry floating objects. It has a surface velocity of up to about 2.5 metres per second (5.6 mph).[23] A small plane making a water landing or a boat having engine trouble can be carried away from its reported position by the current
[edit] Deliberate acts of destruction
[edit] Deliberate acts of destruction
Deliberate acts of destruction can fall into two categories: acts of war, and acts of piracy. Records in enemy files have been checked for numerous losses. While many sinkings have been attributed to surface raiders or submarines during the World Wars and documented in various command log books, many others suspected as falling in that category have not been proven. It is suspected that the loss of USS Cyclops in 1918, as well as her sister ships Proteus and Nereus in World War II, were attributed to submarines, but no such link has been found in the German records.
Piracy—the illegal capture of a craft on the high seas—continues to this day. While piracy for cargo theft is more common in the western Pacific and Indian oceans, drug smugglers do steal pleasure boats for smuggling operations, and may have been involved in crew and yacht disappearances in the Caribbean. Piracy in the Caribbean was common from about 1560 to the 1760s, and famous pirates included Edward Teach (Blackbeard) and Jean Lafitte.[
Deliberate acts of destruction can fall into two categories: acts of war, and acts of piracy. Records in enemy files have been checked for numerous losses. While many sinkings have been attributed to surface raiders or submarines during the World Wars and documented in various command log books, many others suspected as falling in that category have not been proven. It is suspected that the loss of USS Cyclops in 1918, as well as her sister ships Proteus and Nereus in World War II, were attributed to submarines, but no such link has been found in the German records.
Piracy—the illegal capture of a craft on the high seas—continues to this day. While piracy for cargo theft is more common in the western Pacific and Indian oceans, drug smugglers do steal pleasure boats for smuggling operations, and may have been involved in crew and yacht disappearances in the Caribbean. Piracy in the Caribbean was common from about 1560 to the 1760s, and famous pirates included Edward Teach (Blackbeard) and Jean Lafitte.[
[edit] Compass variations
[edit] Compass variations
Compass problems are one of the cited phrases in many Triangle incidents. While some have theorized that unusual local magnetic anomalies may exist in the area,[22] such anomalies have not been shown to exist. Compasses have natural magnetic variations in relation to the Magnetic poles. For example, in the United States the only places where magnetic (compass) north and geographic (true) north are exactly the same are on a line running from Wisconsin to the Gulf of Mexico. Navigators have known this for centuries. But the public may not be as informed, and think there is something mysterious about a compass "changing" across an area as large as the Triangle, which it naturally will.[14]
Compass problems are one of the cited phrases in many Triangle incidents. While some have theorized that unusual local magnetic anomalies may exist in the area,[22] such anomalies have not been shown to exist. Compasses have natural magnetic variations in relation to the Magnetic poles. For example, in the United States the only places where magnetic (compass) north and geographic (true) north are exactly the same are on a line running from Wisconsin to the Gulf of Mexico. Navigators have known this for centuries. But the public may not be as informed, and think there is something mysterious about a compass "changing" across an area as large as the Triangle, which it naturally will.[14]
When the UK Channel 4 television program "The Bermuda Triangle"
When the UK Channel 4 television program "The Bermuda Triangle" (c. 1992) was being produced by John Simmons of Geofilms for the Equinox Programme, the marine insurer Lloyd's of London was asked if an unusually large number of ships had sunk in the Bermuda Triangle area. Lloyd's of London determined that large numbers of ships had not sunk there.[15]
United States Coast Guard records confirm their conclusion. In fact, the number of supposed disappearances is relatively insignificant considering the number of ships and aircraft that pass through on a regular basis.[14]
The Coast Guard is also officially skeptical of the Triangle, noting that they collect and publish, through their inquiries, much documentation contradicting many of the incidents written about by the Triangle authors. In one such incident involving the 1972 explosion and sinking of the tanker SS V. A. Fogg in the Gulf of Mexico, the Coast Guard photographed the wreck and recovered several bodies,[16] in contrast with one Triangle author's claim that all the bodies had vanished, with the exception of the captain, who was found sitting in his cabin at his desk, clutching a coffee cup.[10]When the UK Channel 4 television program "The Bermuda Triangle" (c. 1992) was being produced by John Simmons of Geofilms for the Equinox Programme, the marine insurer Lloyd's of London was asked if an unusually large number of ships had sunk in the Bermuda Triangle area. Lloyd's of London determined that large numbers of ships had not sunk there.[15]
United States Coast Guard records confirm their conclusion. In fact, the number of supposed disappearances is relatively insignificant considering the number of ships and aircraft that pass through on a regular basis.[14]
The Coast Guard is also officially skeptical of the Triangle, noting that they collect and publish, through their inquiries, much documentation contradicting many of the incidents written about by the Triangle authors. In one such incident involving the 1972 explosion and sinking of the tanker SS V. A. Fogg in the Gulf of Mexico, the Coast Guard photographed the wreck and recovered several bodies,[16] in contrast with one Triangle author's claim that all the bodies had vanished, with the exception of the captain, who was found sitting in his cabin at his desk, clutching a coffee cup.[10]
The NOVA / Horizon episode The Case of the Bermuda Triangle (1976-06-27) was highly critical, stating that "When we've gone back to the original sources or the people involved, the mystery evaporates. Science does not have to answer questions about the Triangle because those questions are not valid in the first place. ... Ships and planes behave in the Triangle the same way they behave everywhere else in the world."[17]
Skeptical researchers, such as Ernest Taves[18] and Barry Singer,[19] have noted how mysteries and the paranormal are very popular and profitable. This has led to the production of vast amounts of material on topics such as the Bermuda Triangle. They were able to show that some of the pro-paranormal material is often misleading or inaccurate, but its producers continue to market it. Accordingly, they have claimed that the market is biased in favour of books, TV specials, and other media that support the Triangle mystery, and against well-researched material if it espouses a skeptical viewpoint.
Finally, if the Triangle is assumed to cross land, such as parts of Puerto Rico, the Bahamas, or Bermuda itself, there is no evidence for the disappearance of any land-based vehicles or persons.[citation needed] The city of Freeport, located inside the Triangle, operates a major shipyard and an airport that handles 50,000 flights annually and is visited
The NOVA / Horizon episode The Case of the Bermuda Triangle (1976-06-27) was highly critical, stating that "When we've gone back to the original sources or the people involved, the mystery evaporates. Science does not have to answer questions about the Triangle because those questions are not valid in the first place. ... Ships and planes behave in the Triangle the same way they behave everywhere else in the world."[17]
Skeptical researchers, such as Ernest Taves[18] and Barry Singer,[19] have noted how mysteries and the paranormal are very popular and profitable. This has led to the production of vast amounts of material on topics such as the Bermuda Triangle. They were able to show that some of the pro-paranormal material is often misleading or inaccurate, but its producers continue to market it. Accordingly, they have claimed that the market is biased in favour of books, TV specials, and other media that support the Triangle mystery, and against well-researched material if it espouses a skeptical viewpoint.
Finally, if the Triangle is assumed to cross land, such as parts of Puerto Rico, the Bahamas, or Bermuda itself, there is no evidence for the disappearance of any land-based vehicles or persons.[citation needed] The city of Freeport, located inside the Triangle, operates a major shipyard and an airport that handles 50,000 flights annually and is visited
United States Coast Guard records confirm their conclusion. In fact, the number of supposed disappearances is relatively insignificant considering the number of ships and aircraft that pass through on a regular basis.[14]
The Coast Guard is also officially skeptical of the Triangle, noting that they collect and publish, through their inquiries, much documentation contradicting many of the incidents written about by the Triangle authors. In one such incident involving the 1972 explosion and sinking of the tanker SS V. A. Fogg in the Gulf of Mexico, the Coast Guard photographed the wreck and recovered several bodies,[16] in contrast with one Triangle author's claim that all the bodies had vanished, with the exception of the captain, who was found sitting in his cabin at his desk, clutching a coffee cup.[10]When the UK Channel 4 television program "The Bermuda Triangle" (c. 1992) was being produced by John Simmons of Geofilms for the Equinox Programme, the marine insurer Lloyd's of London was asked if an unusually large number of ships had sunk in the Bermuda Triangle area. Lloyd's of London determined that large numbers of ships had not sunk there.[15]
United States Coast Guard records confirm their conclusion. In fact, the number of supposed disappearances is relatively insignificant considering the number of ships and aircraft that pass through on a regular basis.[14]
The Coast Guard is also officially skeptical of the Triangle, noting that they collect and publish, through their inquiries, much documentation contradicting many of the incidents written about by the Triangle authors. In one such incident involving the 1972 explosion and sinking of the tanker SS V. A. Fogg in the Gulf of Mexico, the Coast Guard photographed the wreck and recovered several bodies,[16] in contrast with one Triangle author's claim that all the bodies had vanished, with the exception of the captain, who was found sitting in his cabin at his desk, clutching a coffee cup.[10]
The NOVA / Horizon episode The Case of the Bermuda Triangle (1976-06-27) was highly critical, stating that "When we've gone back to the original sources or the people involved, the mystery evaporates. Science does not have to answer questions about the Triangle because those questions are not valid in the first place. ... Ships and planes behave in the Triangle the same way they behave everywhere else in the world."[17]
Skeptical researchers, such as Ernest Taves[18] and Barry Singer,[19] have noted how mysteries and the paranormal are very popular and profitable. This has led to the production of vast amounts of material on topics such as the Bermuda Triangle. They were able to show that some of the pro-paranormal material is often misleading or inaccurate, but its producers continue to market it. Accordingly, they have claimed that the market is biased in favour of books, TV specials, and other media that support the Triangle mystery, and against well-researched material if it espouses a skeptical viewpoint.
Finally, if the Triangle is assumed to cross land, such as parts of Puerto Rico, the Bahamas, or Bermuda itself, there is no evidence for the disappearance of any land-based vehicles or persons.[citation needed] The city of Freeport, located inside the Triangle, operates a major shipyard and an airport that handles 50,000 flights annually and is visited
The NOVA / Horizon episode The Case of the Bermuda Triangle (1976-06-27) was highly critical, stating that "When we've gone back to the original sources or the people involved, the mystery evaporates. Science does not have to answer questions about the Triangle because those questions are not valid in the first place. ... Ships and planes behave in the Triangle the same way they behave everywhere else in the world."[17]
Skeptical researchers, such as Ernest Taves[18] and Barry Singer,[19] have noted how mysteries and the paranormal are very popular and profitable. This has led to the production of vast amounts of material on topics such as the Bermuda Triangle. They were able to show that some of the pro-paranormal material is often misleading or inaccurate, but its producers continue to market it. Accordingly, they have claimed that the market is biased in favour of books, TV specials, and other media that support the Triangle mystery, and against well-researched material if it espouses a skeptical viewpoint.
Finally, if the Triangle is assumed to cross land, such as parts of Puerto Rico, the Bahamas, or Bermuda itself, there is no evidence for the disappearance of any land-based vehicles or persons.[citation needed] The city of Freeport, located inside the Triangle, operates a major shipyard and an airport that handles 50,000 flights annually and is visited
[edit] Larry Kusche
[edit] Larry Kusche
Lawrence David Kusche, a research librarian from Arizona State University and author of The Bermuda Triangle Mystery: Solved (1975)[14] argued that many claims of Gaddis and subsequent writers were often exaggerated, dubious or unverifiable. Kusche's research revealed a number of inaccuracies and inconsistencies between Berlitz's accounts and statements from eyewitnesses, participants, and others involved in the initial incidents. Kusche noted cases where pertinent information went unreported, such as the disappearance of round-the-world yachtsman Donald Crowhurst, which Berlitz had presented as a mystery, despite clear evidence to the contrary. Another example was the ore-carrier recounted by Berlitz as lost without trace three days out of an Atlantic port when it had been lost three days out of a port with the same name in the Pacific Ocean. Kusche also argued that a large percentage of the incidents that sparked allegations of the Triangle's mysterious influence actually occurred well outside it. Often his research was simple: he would go over period newspapers of the dates of reported incidents and find reports on possibly relevant events like unusual weather, that were never mentioned in the disappearance stories.
Kusche concluded that:
The number of ships and aircraft reported missing in the area was not significantly greater, proportionally speaking, than in any other part of the ocean.
In an area frequented by tropical storms, the number of disappearances that did occur were, for the most part, neither disproportionate, unlikely, nor mysterious; furthermore, Berlitz and other writers would often fail to mention such storms.
The numbers themselves had been exaggerated by sloppy research. A boat listed as missing would be reported, but its eventual (if belated) return to port may not have been reported.
Some disappearances had in fact, never happened. One plane crash was said to have taken place in 1937 off Daytona Beach, Florida, in front of hundreds of witnesses; a check of the local papers revealed nothing.
The Legend of the Bermuda Triangle is a manufactured mystery, perpetuated by writers who either purposely or unknowingly made use of misconceptions, faulty reasoning, and sensationalism.[14]
[edit] Further responses
Lawrence David Kusche, a research librarian from Arizona State University and author of The Bermuda Triangle Mystery: Solved (1975)[14] argued that many claims of Gaddis and subsequent writers were often exaggerated, dubious or unverifiable. Kusche's research revealed a number of inaccuracies and inconsistencies between Berlitz's accounts and statements from eyewitnesses, participants, and others involved in the initial incidents. Kusche noted cases where pertinent information went unreported, such as the disappearance of round-the-world yachtsman Donald Crowhurst, which Berlitz had presented as a mystery, despite clear evidence to the contrary. Another example was the ore-carrier recounted by Berlitz as lost without trace three days out of an Atlantic port when it had been lost three days out of a port with the same name in the Pacific Ocean. Kusche also argued that a large percentage of the incidents that sparked allegations of the Triangle's mysterious influence actually occurred well outside it. Often his research was simple: he would go over period newspapers of the dates of reported incidents and find reports on possibly relevant events like unusual weather, that were never mentioned in the disappearance stories.
Kusche concluded that:
The number of ships and aircraft reported missing in the area was not significantly greater, proportionally speaking, than in any other part of the ocean.
In an area frequented by tropical storms, the number of disappearances that did occur were, for the most part, neither disproportionate, unlikely, nor mysterious; furthermore, Berlitz and other writers would often fail to mention such storms.
The numbers themselves had been exaggerated by sloppy research. A boat listed as missing would be reported, but its eventual (if belated) return to port may not have been reported.
Some disappearances had in fact, never happened. One plane crash was said to have taken place in 1937 off Daytona Beach, Florida, in front of hundreds of witnesses; a check of the local papers revealed nothing.
The Legend of the Bermuda Triangle is a manufactured mystery, perpetuated by writers who either purposely or unknowingly made use of misconceptions, faulty reasoning, and sensationalism.[14]
[edit] Further responses
[edit] History
[edit] History
[edit] Origins
The earliest allegation of unusual disappearances in the Bermuda area appeared in a September 16, 1950 Associated Press article by E.V.W. Jones.[5] Two years later, Fate magazine published "Sea Mystery At Our Back Door",[6] a short article by George X. Sand covering the loss of several planes and ships, including the loss of Flight 19, a group of five U.S. Navy TBM Avenger bombers on a training mission. Sand's article was the first to lay out the now-familiar triangular area where the losses took place. Flight 19 alone would be covered in the April 1962 issue of American Legion Magazine.[7] It was claimed that the flight leader had been heard saying "We are entering white water, nothing seems right. We don't know where we are, the water is green, no white." It was also claimed that officials at the Navy board of inquiry stated that the planes "flew off to Mars." Sand's article was the first to suggest a supernatural element to the Flight 19 incident. In the February 1964 issue of Argosy, Vincent Gaddis's article "The Deadly Bermuda Triangle" argued that Flight 19 and other disappearances were part of a pattern of strange events in the region.[8] The next year, Gaddis expanded this article into a book, Invisible Horizons.[9]
Others would follow with their own works, elaborating on Gaddis's ideas: John Wallace Spencer (Limbo of the Lost, 1969, repr. 1973);[10] Charles Berlitz (The Bermuda Triangle, 1974);[11] Richard Winer (The Devil's Triangle, 1974),[12] and many others, all keeping to some of the same supernatural elements outlined by Eckert.[13]
[edit] Origins
The earliest allegation of unusual disappearances in the Bermuda area appeared in a September 16, 1950 Associated Press article by E.V.W. Jones.[5] Two years later, Fate magazine published "Sea Mystery At Our Back Door",[6] a short article by George X. Sand covering the loss of several planes and ships, including the loss of Flight 19, a group of five U.S. Navy TBM Avenger bombers on a training mission. Sand's article was the first to lay out the now-familiar triangular area where the losses took place. Flight 19 alone would be covered in the April 1962 issue of American Legion Magazine.[7] It was claimed that the flight leader had been heard saying "We are entering white water, nothing seems right. We don't know where we are, the water is green, no white." It was also claimed that officials at the Navy board of inquiry stated that the planes "flew off to Mars." Sand's article was the first to suggest a supernatural element to the Flight 19 incident. In the February 1964 issue of Argosy, Vincent Gaddis's article "The Deadly Bermuda Triangle" argued that Flight 19 and other disappearances were part of a pattern of strange events in the region.[8] The next year, Gaddis expanded this article into a book, Invisible Horizons.[9]
Others would follow with their own works, elaborating on Gaddis's ideas: John Wallace Spencer (Limbo of the Lost, 1969, repr. 1973);[10] Charles Berlitz (The Bermuda Triangle, 1974);[11] Richard Winer (The Devil's Triangle, 1974),[12] and many others, all keeping to some of the same supernatural elements outlined by Eckert.[13]
[edit] The Triangle area
[edit] The Triangle area
The area of the Triangle varies by author
The boundaries of the triangle cover the Straits of Florida, the Bahamas and the entire Caribbean island area and the Atlantic east to the Azores; others[who?] add to it the Gulf of Mexico. The more familiar triangular boundary in most written works has as its points somewhere on the Atlantic coast of Miami, San Juan, Puerto Rico; and the mid-Atlantic island of Bermuda, with most of the accidents concentrated along the southern boundary around the Bahamas and the Florida Straits.
The area is one of the most heavily-sailed shipping lanes in the world, with ships crossing through it daily for ports in the Americas, Europe, and the Caribbean Islands. Cruise ships are also plentiful, and pleasure craft regularly go back and forth between Florida and the islands. It is also a heavily flown route for commercial and private aircraft heading towards Florida, the Caribbean, and South America from points north.
The area of the Triangle varies by author
The boundaries of the triangle cover the Straits of Florida, the Bahamas and the entire Caribbean island area and the Atlantic east to the Azores; others[who?] add to it the Gulf of Mexico. The more familiar triangular boundary in most written works has as its points somewhere on the Atlantic coast of Miami, San Juan, Puerto Rico; and the mid-Atlantic island of Bermuda, with most of the accidents concentrated along the southern boundary around the Bahamas and the Florida Straits.
The area is one of the most heavily-sailed shipping lanes in the world, with ships crossing through it daily for ports in the Americas, Europe, and the Caribbean Islands. Cruise ships are also plentiful, and pleasure craft regularly go back and forth between Florida and the islands. It is also a heavily flown route for commercial and private aircraft heading towards Florida, the Caribbean, and South America from points north.
Bermuda Triangle
Bermuda Triangle
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
For other uses, see Bermuda Triangle (disambiguation).
Bermuda Triangle
Borders of the Bermuda Triangle
Classification
Grouping:
Paranormal places
Description
Also known as:
Devil's Triangle
Country:
International waters, The Bahamas
Status:
Urban legend
The Bermuda Triangle, also known as the Devil's Triangle, is a region in the western part of the North Atlantic Ocean in which a number of aircraft and surface vessels are alleged to have mysteriously disappeared in a manner that cannot be explained by human error, piracy, equipment failure, or natural disasters. Popular culture has attributed these disappearances to the paranormal, a suspension of the laws of physics, or activity by extraterrestrial beings.[1]
A substantial body of documentation reveals, however, that a significant portion of the allegedly mysterious incidents have been inaccurately reported or embellished by later authors, and numerous official agencies have stated that the number and nature of disappearances in the region is similar to that in any other area of ocean.[2][3][4]
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
For other uses, see Bermuda Triangle (disambiguation).
Bermuda Triangle
Borders of the Bermuda Triangle
Classification
Grouping:
Paranormal places
Description
Also known as:
Devil's Triangle
Country:
International waters, The Bahamas
Status:
Urban legend
The Bermuda Triangle, also known as the Devil's Triangle, is a region in the western part of the North Atlantic Ocean in which a number of aircraft and surface vessels are alleged to have mysteriously disappeared in a manner that cannot be explained by human error, piracy, equipment failure, or natural disasters. Popular culture has attributed these disappearances to the paranormal, a suspension of the laws of physics, or activity by extraterrestrial beings.[1]
A substantial body of documentation reveals, however, that a significant portion of the allegedly mysterious incidents have been inaccurately reported or embellished by later authors, and numerous official agencies have stated that the number and nature of disappearances in the region is similar to that in any other area of ocean.[2][3][4]
tari pendet
Pendet
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
This article is about the traditional Balinese dance. For the 2009 dispute between Indonesia and Malaysia, see 2009 Pendet controversy.
Pendet is a traditional Balinese dance, in which offerings are made to purify the temple or theater as a prelude to ceremonies or other dances. Pendet is typically performed by young girls, carrying bowls of flower petals, handfuls of which are cast into the air at various times in the dance. Pendet can be thought of as a dance of greeting, to welcome the audience and invite spirits to enjoy a performance.
Traditional Balinese dances are the oldest form of performing arts in Bali. Traditional dances can be divided into two types, sacred dance called Wali and entertainment dance called Bebalihan. Wali (sacred dance) is usually performed in some ritual ceremonies only because it has strong magical powers and only can be performed by specific dancers. Bebalihan are usually performed in social events. In addition to entertain, Bebalihan also has other purposes such as: welcoming guests, celebration of harvests, or gathering crowds. Bebalihan has more variations than Wali.
Pendet is the presentation of an offering in the form of a ritual dance. Unlike the exhibition dances that demand arduous training, Pendet may be danced by anyone. It is taught simply by imitation.
Younger girls follow the movements of the elder women, who recognize their responsibility in setting a good example. Proficiency comes with age. As a religious dance, Pendet is usually performed during temple ceremonies.
All dancers carry in their right hand a small offering of incense, cakes, water vessels, or flower formations. With these they dance from shrine to shrine within the temple. Pendet may be performed intermittently throughout the day and late into the night during temple feasts.
The original Pendet dance is performed by 4-5 young girls (before their puberty) in temple yards. Pendet dancers bring flowers in small Bokor (silver bowls for keeping flowers in a ceremony). They spread the flowers around the temple. This dance is a symbol of welcoming God in some ritual ceremonies in Bali. Pendet actually has simple dance movements. These movements are the basic dance movements of Balinese dance. Pendet has undergone later development with variations and now is not only performed in ritual ceremonies but also in some social events. Pendet since has been known as a welcoming dance.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
This article is about the traditional Balinese dance. For the 2009 dispute between Indonesia and Malaysia, see 2009 Pendet controversy.
Pendet is a traditional Balinese dance, in which offerings are made to purify the temple or theater as a prelude to ceremonies or other dances. Pendet is typically performed by young girls, carrying bowls of flower petals, handfuls of which are cast into the air at various times in the dance. Pendet can be thought of as a dance of greeting, to welcome the audience and invite spirits to enjoy a performance.
Traditional Balinese dances are the oldest form of performing arts in Bali. Traditional dances can be divided into two types, sacred dance called Wali and entertainment dance called Bebalihan. Wali (sacred dance) is usually performed in some ritual ceremonies only because it has strong magical powers and only can be performed by specific dancers. Bebalihan are usually performed in social events. In addition to entertain, Bebalihan also has other purposes such as: welcoming guests, celebration of harvests, or gathering crowds. Bebalihan has more variations than Wali.
Pendet is the presentation of an offering in the form of a ritual dance. Unlike the exhibition dances that demand arduous training, Pendet may be danced by anyone. It is taught simply by imitation.
Younger girls follow the movements of the elder women, who recognize their responsibility in setting a good example. Proficiency comes with age. As a religious dance, Pendet is usually performed during temple ceremonies.
All dancers carry in their right hand a small offering of incense, cakes, water vessels, or flower formations. With these they dance from shrine to shrine within the temple. Pendet may be performed intermittently throughout the day and late into the night during temple feasts.
The original Pendet dance is performed by 4-5 young girls (before their puberty) in temple yards. Pendet dancers bring flowers in small Bokor (silver bowls for keeping flowers in a ceremony). They spread the flowers around the temple. This dance is a symbol of welcoming God in some ritual ceremonies in Bali. Pendet actually has simple dance movements. These movements are the basic dance movements of Balinese dance. Pendet has undergone later development with variations and now is not only performed in ritual ceremonies but also in some social events. Pendet since has been known as a welcoming dance.
Jumat, 11 Desember 2009
History of Indonesia
History of Indonesia
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
This article is part of theHistory of Indonesia series
See also:
Timeline of Indonesian History
Prehistory
Early kingdoms
Tarumanagara (358-669)
Srivijaya (7th to 13th centuries)
Sailendra (8th to 9th centuries)
Sunda Kingdom (669-1579)
Mataram Kingdom (752–1045)
Kediri (1045–1221)
Singhasari (1222–1292)
Majapahit (1293–1500)
The rise of Muslim states
The spread of Islam (1200–1600)
Malacca Sultanate (1400–1511)
Sultanate of Demak (1475–1518)
Aceh Sultanate (1496–1903)
Sultanate of Banten (1526–1813)
Mataram Sultanate (1500s to 1700s)
European colonialism
The Portuguese (1512–1850)
Dutch East India Co. (1602–1800)
Dutch East Indies (1800–1942)
The emergence of Indonesia
National awakening (1899–1942)
Japanese occupation (1942–1945)
Declaration of independence (1945)
National revolution (1945–1950)
Independent Indonesia
Liberal democracy (1950–1957)
"Guided Democracy" (1957–1965)
Start of the "New Order" (1965–1966)
The "New Order" (1966–1998)
"Reformasi" era (1998–present)
Edit this template
See also: Timeline of Indonesian history
Indonesia is an archipelagic country of 17,508 islands (6,000 inhabited) stretching along the equator in South East Asia. The country's strategic sea-lane position fostered inter-island and international trade; trade has since fundamentally shaped Indonesian history. The area of Indonesia is populated by peoples of various migrations, creating a diversity of cultures, ethnicities, and languages. The archipelago's landforms and climate significantly influenced agriculture and trade, and the formation of states.
Fossilised remains of Homo erectus, popularly known as the "Java Man", suggest the Indonesian archipelago was inhabited two million to 500,000 years ago. Austronesian people, who form the majority of the modern population, were originally from Taiwan and arrived in Indonesia around 2000 BCE. From the seventh century CE, the powerful Srivijaya naval kingdom flourished bringing Hindu and Buddhist influences with it. The agricultural Buddhist Sailendra and Hindu Mataram dynasties subsequently thrived and declined in inland Java. The last significant non-Muslim kingdom, the Hindu Majapahit kingdom, flourished from the late 13th century, and its influence stretched over much of Indonesia. The earliest evidence of Islamised populations in Indonesia dates to the 13th century in northern Sumatra; other Indonesian areas gradually adopted Islam which became the dominant religion in Java and Sumatra by the end of the 16th century. For the most part, Islam overlaid and mixed with
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
This article is part of theHistory of Indonesia series
See also:
Timeline of Indonesian History
Prehistory
Early kingdoms
Tarumanagara (358-669)
Srivijaya (7th to 13th centuries)
Sailendra (8th to 9th centuries)
Sunda Kingdom (669-1579)
Mataram Kingdom (752–1045)
Kediri (1045–1221)
Singhasari (1222–1292)
Majapahit (1293–1500)
The rise of Muslim states
The spread of Islam (1200–1600)
Malacca Sultanate (1400–1511)
Sultanate of Demak (1475–1518)
Aceh Sultanate (1496–1903)
Sultanate of Banten (1526–1813)
Mataram Sultanate (1500s to 1700s)
European colonialism
The Portuguese (1512–1850)
Dutch East India Co. (1602–1800)
Dutch East Indies (1800–1942)
The emergence of Indonesia
National awakening (1899–1942)
Japanese occupation (1942–1945)
Declaration of independence (1945)
National revolution (1945–1950)
Independent Indonesia
Liberal democracy (1950–1957)
"Guided Democracy" (1957–1965)
Start of the "New Order" (1965–1966)
The "New Order" (1966–1998)
"Reformasi" era (1998–present)
Edit this template
See also: Timeline of Indonesian history
Indonesia is an archipelagic country of 17,508 islands (6,000 inhabited) stretching along the equator in South East Asia. The country's strategic sea-lane position fostered inter-island and international trade; trade has since fundamentally shaped Indonesian history. The area of Indonesia is populated by peoples of various migrations, creating a diversity of cultures, ethnicities, and languages. The archipelago's landforms and climate significantly influenced agriculture and trade, and the formation of states.
Fossilised remains of Homo erectus, popularly known as the "Java Man", suggest the Indonesian archipelago was inhabited two million to 500,000 years ago. Austronesian people, who form the majority of the modern population, were originally from Taiwan and arrived in Indonesia around 2000 BCE. From the seventh century CE, the powerful Srivijaya naval kingdom flourished bringing Hindu and Buddhist influences with it. The agricultural Buddhist Sailendra and Hindu Mataram dynasties subsequently thrived and declined in inland Java. The last significant non-Muslim kingdom, the Hindu Majapahit kingdom, flourished from the late 13th century, and its influence stretched over much of Indonesia. The earliest evidence of Islamised populations in Indonesia dates to the 13th century in northern Sumatra; other Indonesian areas gradually adopted Islam which became the dominant religion in Java and Sumatra by the end of the 16th century. For the most part, Islam overlaid and mixed with
Decolonization
Decolonization
With the rejuvenated nationalist movements in wait, the Europeans returned to a very different Southeast Asia after World War II. Indonesia declared independence in 17 August 1945 and subsequently fought a bitter war against the returning Dutch; the Philippines were granted independence in 1946 after a bloody war with the United States; Burma secured their independence from Britain in 1948, and the French were driven from Indochina in 1954 after a bitterly fought war against the Vietnamese nationalists. The newly-established United Nations provided a forum both for nationalist demands and for the newly demanded independent nations.
During the Cold War, countering the threat of communism was a major theme in the decolonization process. After suppressing the communist insurrection during the Malayan Emergency from 1948 to 1960, Britain granted independence to Malaya and later, Singapore, Sabah and Sarawak in 1957 and 1963 respectively within the framework of the Federation of Malaysia. In one of the most bloody single incidents of violence in Cold War Southeast Asia, General Suharto seized power in Indonesia in 1965 and initiated a massacre of approximately 500,000 alleged members of the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI). Recent evidence from the US National Security Archive published by George Washington University suggests this massacre was carried out with the support of the United States embassy in Jakarta, which supplied lists of names of suspected PKI members to Suharto. [1]
The United States intervention against communist forces in Indochina during a conflict commonly referred to in the United States as the Vietnam War meant that Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia had to go through a prolonged and protracted war in their route to independence.
In 1975, Portuguese rule ended in East Timor. However, independence was short-lived as Indonesia annexed the territory soon after. Finally, Britain ended its protectorate of the Sultanate of Brunei in 1984, marking the end of European rule in Southeast Asia.
[edit] Contemporary Southeast Asia
With the rejuvenated nationalist movements in wait, the Europeans returned to a very different Southeast Asia after World War II. Indonesia declared independence in 17 August 1945 and subsequently fought a bitter war against the returning Dutch; the Philippines were granted independence in 1946 after a bloody war with the United States; Burma secured their independence from Britain in 1948, and the French were driven from Indochina in 1954 after a bitterly fought war against the Vietnamese nationalists. The newly-established United Nations provided a forum both for nationalist demands and for the newly demanded independent nations.
During the Cold War, countering the threat of communism was a major theme in the decolonization process. After suppressing the communist insurrection during the Malayan Emergency from 1948 to 1960, Britain granted independence to Malaya and later, Singapore, Sabah and Sarawak in 1957 and 1963 respectively within the framework of the Federation of Malaysia. In one of the most bloody single incidents of violence in Cold War Southeast Asia, General Suharto seized power in Indonesia in 1965 and initiated a massacre of approximately 500,000 alleged members of the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI). Recent evidence from the US National Security Archive published by George Washington University suggests this massacre was carried out with the support of the United States embassy in Jakarta, which supplied lists of names of suspected PKI members to Suharto. [1]
The United States intervention against communist forces in Indochina during a conflict commonly referred to in the United States as the Vietnam War meant that Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia had to go through a prolonged and protracted war in their route to independence.
In 1975, Portuguese rule ended in East Timor. However, independence was short-lived as Indonesia annexed the territory soon after. Finally, Britain ended its protectorate of the Sultanate of Brunei in 1984, marking the end of European rule in Southeast Asia.
[edit] Contemporary Southeast Asia
[edit] European colonization
[edit] European colonization
Map of the mainland in 1886.
Europeans first came to Southeast Asia in the sixteenth century. It was the lure of trade that brought Europeans to Southeast Asia while missionaries also tagged along the ships as they hoped to spread Christianity into the region.
Portugal was the first European power to establish a bridgehead into the lucrative Southeast Asia trade route with the conquest of the Sultanate of Malacca in 1511. The Netherlands and Spain followed and soon superseded Portugal as the main European powers in the region. The Dutch took over Malacca from the Portuguese in 1641 while Spain began to colonize the Philippines (named after Phillip II of Spain) from 1560s. Acting through the Dutch East India Company, the Dutch established the city of Batavia (now Jakarta) as a base for trading and expansion into the other parts of Java and the surrounding territory.
Britain, in the form of the British East India Company, came relatively late onto the scene. Starting with Penang, the British began to expand their Southeast Asian empire. They also temporarily possessed Dutch territories during the Napoleonic Wars, In 1819 Stamford Raffles established Singapore as a key trading post for Britain in their rivalry with the Dutch. However, their rivalry cooled in 1824 when an Anglo-Dutch treaty demarcated their respective interests in Southeast Asia. From the 1850s onwards, the pace of colonization shifted to a significantly higher gear.
This phenomenon, denoted New Imperialism, saw the conquest of nearly all Southeast Asian territories by the colonial powers. The Dutch East India Company and British East India Company were dissolved by their respective governments, who took over the direct administration of the colonies. Only Thailand was spared the experience of foreign rule, although, Thailand itself was also greatly affected by the power politics of the Western powers.
By 1913, the British occupied Burma, Malaya and the Borneo territories, the French controlled Indochina, the Dutch ruled the Netherlands East Indies while Portugal managed to hold on to Portuguese Timor. In the Philippines, Filipino revolutionaries declared independence from Spain in 1898 but was handed over to the United States despite protests as a result of the Spanish-American War.
Colonial rule had a profound effect on Southeast Asia. While the colonial powers profited much from the region's vast resources and large market, colonial rule did develop the region to a varying extent. Commercial agriculture, mining and an export based economy developed rapidly during this period. Increased labor demand resulted in mass immigration, especially from British India and China, which brought about massive demographic change. The institutions for a modern nation state like a state bureaucracy, courts of law, print media and to a smaller extent, modern education, sowed the seeds of the fledgling nationalist movements in the colonial territories. In the inter-war years, these nationalist movements grew and often clashed with the colonial authorities when they demanded self-determination.
[edit] Japanese
Map of the mainland in 1886.
Europeans first came to Southeast Asia in the sixteenth century. It was the lure of trade that brought Europeans to Southeast Asia while missionaries also tagged along the ships as they hoped to spread Christianity into the region.
Portugal was the first European power to establish a bridgehead into the lucrative Southeast Asia trade route with the conquest of the Sultanate of Malacca in 1511. The Netherlands and Spain followed and soon superseded Portugal as the main European powers in the region. The Dutch took over Malacca from the Portuguese in 1641 while Spain began to colonize the Philippines (named after Phillip II of Spain) from 1560s. Acting through the Dutch East India Company, the Dutch established the city of Batavia (now Jakarta) as a base for trading and expansion into the other parts of Java and the surrounding territory.
Britain, in the form of the British East India Company, came relatively late onto the scene. Starting with Penang, the British began to expand their Southeast Asian empire. They also temporarily possessed Dutch territories during the Napoleonic Wars, In 1819 Stamford Raffles established Singapore as a key trading post for Britain in their rivalry with the Dutch. However, their rivalry cooled in 1824 when an Anglo-Dutch treaty demarcated their respective interests in Southeast Asia. From the 1850s onwards, the pace of colonization shifted to a significantly higher gear.
This phenomenon, denoted New Imperialism, saw the conquest of nearly all Southeast Asian territories by the colonial powers. The Dutch East India Company and British East India Company were dissolved by their respective governments, who took over the direct administration of the colonies. Only Thailand was spared the experience of foreign rule, although, Thailand itself was also greatly affected by the power politics of the Western powers.
By 1913, the British occupied Burma, Malaya and the Borneo territories, the French controlled Indochina, the Dutch ruled the Netherlands East Indies while Portugal managed to hold on to Portuguese Timor. In the Philippines, Filipino revolutionaries declared independence from Spain in 1898 but was handed over to the United States despite protests as a result of the Spanish-American War.
Colonial rule had a profound effect on Southeast Asia. While the colonial powers profited much from the region's vast resources and large market, colonial rule did develop the region to a varying extent. Commercial agriculture, mining and an export based economy developed rapidly during this period. Increased labor demand resulted in mass immigration, especially from British India and China, which brought about massive demographic change. The institutions for a modern nation state like a state bureaucracy, courts of law, print media and to a smaller extent, modern education, sowed the seeds of the fledgling nationalist movements in the colonial territories. In the inter-war years, these nationalist movements grew and often clashed with the colonial authorities when they demanded self-determination.
[edit] Japanese
[edit] Ancient and classical kingdoms
[edit] Ancient and classical kingdoms
Southeast Asia has been inhabited[edit] Ancient and classical kingdoms
Southeast Asia has been inhabited since prehistoric times. The communities in the region evolved to form complex cultures with varying degrees of influence from India and China.
The ancient kingdoms can be grouped into two distinct categories. The first is agrarian kingdoms. Agrarian kingdoms had agriculture as the main economic activity. Most agrarian states were located in mainland Southeast Asia. Examples are the Ayutthaya Kingdom, based on the Chao Phraya River delta and the Khmer Empire on the Tonle Sap. The second type is maritime states. Maritime states were dependent on sea trade. Malacca and Srivijaya were maritime states.
A succession of trading systems dominated the trade between China and India. First, goods were shipped through Funan to the Isthmus of Kra, portaged across the narrow, and then transhipped for India and points west. Around the sixth century, CE merchants began sailing to Srivijaya where goods were transhipped directly. The limits of technology and contrary winds during parts of the year made it difficult for the ships of the time to proceed directly from the Indian Ocean to the South China Sea. The third system involved direct trade between the Indian and Chinese coasts.
Very little is known about Southeast Asian religious beliefs and practices before the advent of Indian merchants and religious influences from the second century BCE onwards. Prior to the 13th century, Buddhism and Hinduism were the main religions in Southeast Asia.
The first dominant power to arise in the archipelago was Srivijaya in Sumatra. From the fifth century CE, the capital, Palembang, became a major seaport and functioned as an entrepot on the Spice Route between India and China. Srivijaya was also a notable center of Vajrayana Buddhist learning and influence. Srivijaya's wealth and influence faded when changes in nautical technology in the tenth century CE enabled Chinese and Indian merchants to ship cargo directly between their countries and also enabled the Chola state in southern India to carry out a series of destructive attacks on Srivijaya's possessions, ending Palembang's entrepot function.
In the Philippines, the Laguna Copperplate Inscription dating from 900 CE relates a granted debt from a Maharlika caste nobleman named Namwaran who lived in the Manila area. This document shows strong Srivijayan influence, and mentions a leader of Medan, Sumatra.
Java was dominated by a kaleidoscope of competing agrarian kingdoms including the Sailendras, Mataram,Singosari, and finally Majapahit.
[edit] European colonization
since prehistoric times. The communities in the region evolved to form complex cultures with varying degrees of influence from India and China.
The ancient kingdoms can be grouped into two distinct categories. The first is agrarian kingdoms. Agrarian kingdoms had agriculture as the main economic activity. Most agrarian states were located in mainland Southeast Asia. Examples are the Ayutthaya Kingdom, based on the Chao Phraya River delta and the Khmer Empire on the Tonle Sap. The second type is maritime states. Maritime states were dependent on sea trade. Malacca and Srivijaya were maritime states.
A succession of trading systems dominated the trade between China and India. First, goods were shipped through Funan to the Isthmus of Kra, portaged across the narrow, and then transhipped for India and points west. Around the sixth century, CE merchants began sailing to Srivijaya where goods were transhipped directly. The limits of technology and contrary winds during parts of the year made it difficult for the ships of the time to proceed directly from the Indian Ocean to the South China Sea. The third system involved direct trade between the Indian and Chinese coasts.
Very little is known about Southeast Asian religious beliefs and practices before the advent of Indian merchants and religious influences from the second century BCE onwards. Prior to the 13th century, Buddhism and Hinduism were the main religions in Southeast Asia.
The first dominant power to arise in the archipelago was Srivijaya in Sumatra. From the fifth century CE, the capital, Palembang, became a major seaport and functioned as an entrepot on the Spice Route between India and China. Srivijaya was also a notable center of Vajrayana Buddhist learning and influence. Srivijaya's wealth and influence faded when changes in nautical technology in the tenth century CE enabled Chinese and Indian merchants to ship cargo directly between their countries and also enabled the Chola state in southern India to carry out a series of destructive attacks on Srivijaya's possessions, ending Palembang's entrepot function.
In the Philippines, the Laguna Copperplate Inscription dating from 900 CE relates a granted debt from a Maharlika caste nobleman named Namwaran who lived in the Manila area. This document shows strong Srivijayan influence, and mentions a leader of Medan, Sumatra.
Java was dominated by a kaleidoscope of competing agrarian kingdoms including the Sailendras, Mataram,Singosari, and finally Majapahit.
[edit] European colonization
Southeast Asia has been inhabited[edit] Ancient and classical kingdoms
Southeast Asia has been inhabited since prehistoric times. The communities in the region evolved to form complex cultures with varying degrees of influence from India and China.
The ancient kingdoms can be grouped into two distinct categories. The first is agrarian kingdoms. Agrarian kingdoms had agriculture as the main economic activity. Most agrarian states were located in mainland Southeast Asia. Examples are the Ayutthaya Kingdom, based on the Chao Phraya River delta and the Khmer Empire on the Tonle Sap. The second type is maritime states. Maritime states were dependent on sea trade. Malacca and Srivijaya were maritime states.
A succession of trading systems dominated the trade between China and India. First, goods were shipped through Funan to the Isthmus of Kra, portaged across the narrow, and then transhipped for India and points west. Around the sixth century, CE merchants began sailing to Srivijaya where goods were transhipped directly. The limits of technology and contrary winds during parts of the year made it difficult for the ships of the time to proceed directly from the Indian Ocean to the South China Sea. The third system involved direct trade between the Indian and Chinese coasts.
Very little is known about Southeast Asian religious beliefs and practices before the advent of Indian merchants and religious influences from the second century BCE onwards. Prior to the 13th century, Buddhism and Hinduism were the main religions in Southeast Asia.
The first dominant power to arise in the archipelago was Srivijaya in Sumatra. From the fifth century CE, the capital, Palembang, became a major seaport and functioned as an entrepot on the Spice Route between India and China. Srivijaya was also a notable center of Vajrayana Buddhist learning and influence. Srivijaya's wealth and influence faded when changes in nautical technology in the tenth century CE enabled Chinese and Indian merchants to ship cargo directly between their countries and also enabled the Chola state in southern India to carry out a series of destructive attacks on Srivijaya's possessions, ending Palembang's entrepot function.
In the Philippines, the Laguna Copperplate Inscription dating from 900 CE relates a granted debt from a Maharlika caste nobleman named Namwaran who lived in the Manila area. This document shows strong Srivijayan influence, and mentions a leader of Medan, Sumatra.
Java was dominated by a kaleidoscope of competing agrarian kingdoms including the Sailendras, Mataram,Singosari, and finally Majapahit.
[edit] European colonization
since prehistoric times. The communities in the region evolved to form complex cultures with varying degrees of influence from India and China.
The ancient kingdoms can be grouped into two distinct categories. The first is agrarian kingdoms. Agrarian kingdoms had agriculture as the main economic activity. Most agrarian states were located in mainland Southeast Asia. Examples are the Ayutthaya Kingdom, based on the Chao Phraya River delta and the Khmer Empire on the Tonle Sap. The second type is maritime states. Maritime states were dependent on sea trade. Malacca and Srivijaya were maritime states.
A succession of trading systems dominated the trade between China and India. First, goods were shipped through Funan to the Isthmus of Kra, portaged across the narrow, and then transhipped for India and points west. Around the sixth century, CE merchants began sailing to Srivijaya where goods were transhipped directly. The limits of technology and contrary winds during parts of the year made it difficult for the ships of the time to proceed directly from the Indian Ocean to the South China Sea. The third system involved direct trade between the Indian and Chinese coasts.
Very little is known about Southeast Asian religious beliefs and practices before the advent of Indian merchants and religious influences from the second century BCE onwards. Prior to the 13th century, Buddhism and Hinduism were the main religions in Southeast Asia.
The first dominant power to arise in the archipelago was Srivijaya in Sumatra. From the fifth century CE, the capital, Palembang, became a major seaport and functioned as an entrepot on the Spice Route between India and China. Srivijaya was also a notable center of Vajrayana Buddhist learning and influence. Srivijaya's wealth and influence faded when changes in nautical technology in the tenth century CE enabled Chinese and Indian merchants to ship cargo directly between their countries and also enabled the Chola state in southern India to carry out a series of destructive attacks on Srivijaya's possessions, ending Palembang's entrepot function.
In the Philippines, the Laguna Copperplate Inscription dating from 900 CE relates a granted debt from a Maharlika caste nobleman named Namwaran who lived in the Manila area. This document shows strong Srivijayan influence, and mentions a leader of Medan, Sumatra.
Java was dominated by a kaleidoscope of competing agrarian kingdoms including the Sailendras, Mataram,Singosari, and finally Majapahit.
[edit] European colonization
[edit] Paleolithic
[edit] Paleolithic
Landforms of Southeast Asia, from the relief globe at the Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago
Archaeologists have found stone tools in Malaysia which have been dated to be 1.83 million years old.[4]
Before the latest ice period, much of the archipelago was not under water. Sometime around the Pleistocene period, the Sunda Shelf was flooded as thawing occurred and thus revealing current geographical features. The area's first known human-like inhabitant some 500,000 years ago was "Java Man" (first classified as Pithecanthropus erectus, then subsequently named a part of the species Homo erectus). Recently discovered was a species of human, dubbed "Flores Man" (Homo floresiensis), a miniature hominid that grew only three feet tall. Flores Man seems to have shared some islands with Java Man until only 10,000 years ago, when they became extinct.
The oldest human settlement in Malaysia has been discovered in Niah Caves. The human remains found there have been dated back to 40,000 BC. Another remain dated back to 9,000 BC dubbed the "Perak Man" and tools as old as 75,000 years have been discovered in Lenggong, Malaysia.
The oldest habitation discovered in the Philippines is located at the Tabon Caves and dates back to approximately 50,000 years; while items there found such as burial jars, earthenware, jade ornaments and other jewelry, stone tools, animal bones, and human fossils dating back to 47,000 years ago. Human remains are from approximately 24,000 years ago.[5]
[edit] Mesolithic and early agricultural societies
Agriculture was a development based on necessity. Before agriculture, hunting and gathering sufficed to provide food. The chicken and pig were domesticated here, millennia ago. So much food was available that people could gain status by giving food away in feasts and festivals, where all could eat their fill. These big men (Malay: orang kaya) would work for years, accumulating the food (wealth) needed for the festivals provided by the orang kaya. These individual acts of generosity or kindness are remembered by the people in their oral histories, which serves to provide credit in more dire times. These customs ranged throughout Southeast Asia, stretching, for example, to the island of New Guinea. The agricultural technology was exploited after population pressures increased to the point that systematic intensive farming was required for mere survival, say of yams (in Papua) or rice (in Indonesia). Rice paddies are well-suited for the monsoons of Southeast Asia. The rice paddies of Southeast Asia have existed for millennia, with evidence for their existence coeval with the rise of agriculture in other parts of the globe.
Yam cultivation in Papua, for example, consists of placing the tubers in prepared ground, heaping vegetation on them, waiting for them to propagate, and harvesting them. This work sequence is still performed by the women in the traditional societies of Southeast Asia; the men might perform the heavier duties of preparing the ground, or of fencing the area to prevent predation by pigs.
From Burma around 1,500 BC, the Mon and ancestors of the Khmer people started to move in into the mainland while the Tai people later came from southern
Landforms of Southeast Asia, from the relief globe at the Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago
Archaeologists have found stone tools in Malaysia which have been dated to be 1.83 million years old.[4]
Before the latest ice period, much of the archipelago was not under water. Sometime around the Pleistocene period, the Sunda Shelf was flooded as thawing occurred and thus revealing current geographical features. The area's first known human-like inhabitant some 500,000 years ago was "Java Man" (first classified as Pithecanthropus erectus, then subsequently named a part of the species Homo erectus). Recently discovered was a species of human, dubbed "Flores Man" (Homo floresiensis), a miniature hominid that grew only three feet tall. Flores Man seems to have shared some islands with Java Man until only 10,000 years ago, when they became extinct.
The oldest human settlement in Malaysia has been discovered in Niah Caves. The human remains found there have been dated back to 40,000 BC. Another remain dated back to 9,000 BC dubbed the "Perak Man" and tools as old as 75,000 years have been discovered in Lenggong, Malaysia.
The oldest habitation discovered in the Philippines is located at the Tabon Caves and dates back to approximately 50,000 years; while items there found such as burial jars, earthenware, jade ornaments and other jewelry, stone tools, animal bones, and human fossils dating back to 47,000 years ago. Human remains are from approximately 24,000 years ago.[5]
[edit] Mesolithic and early agricultural societies
Agriculture was a development based on necessity. Before agriculture, hunting and gathering sufficed to provide food. The chicken and pig were domesticated here, millennia ago. So much food was available that people could gain status by giving food away in feasts and festivals, where all could eat their fill. These big men (Malay: orang kaya) would work for years, accumulating the food (wealth) needed for the festivals provided by the orang kaya. These individual acts of generosity or kindness are remembered by the people in their oral histories, which serves to provide credit in more dire times. These customs ranged throughout Southeast Asia, stretching, for example, to the island of New Guinea. The agricultural technology was exploited after population pressures increased to the point that systematic intensive farming was required for mere survival, say of yams (in Papua) or rice (in Indonesia). Rice paddies are well-suited for the monsoons of Southeast Asia. The rice paddies of Southeast Asia have existed for millennia, with evidence for their existence coeval with the rise of agriculture in other parts of the globe.
Yam cultivation in Papua, for example, consists of placing the tubers in prepared ground, heaping vegetation on them, waiting for them to propagate, and harvesting them. This work sequence is still performed by the women in the traditional societies of Southeast Asia; the men might perform the heavier duties of preparing the ground, or of fencing the area to prevent predation by pigs.
From Burma around 1,500 BC, the Mon and ancestors of the Khmer people started to move in into the mainland while the Tai people later came from southern
Introduction
Introduction
The aboriginal populations of Southeast Asia are generally considered to have been members of the Negrito and broadly defined Austro-Melanesian groups, and may have arrived as part of the hypothesized Great Coastal Migration from Africa via coastal India [1][2]. These groups now make up only a small minority of the Southeast Asian population.
Evidences suggest that the earliest non-aboriginal Southeast Asians came from southern China and were Austronesian speakers. Contemporary research by anthropologists, linguists (Blust, Reid, Ross, Pawley), and archaeologists (Bellwood) suggests that the inhabitants of the Malay Archipelago migrated from southern China to islands of the Philippines around 2,500 BCE and later spread to modern day Malaysia and Indonesia.[3]
The earliest population of Southeast Asia was animist before Hinduism and Buddhism were exported from the Indian subcontinent. Islam arrived mostly through Indian Muslims and later dominated much of the archipelago around the 13th century while Christianity came along when European colonization started around the 16th century.
During the classical age, the existence of Southeast Asia had been known to the Greeks. The Greek astronomer Ptolemy in his Geographia named the Malay Peninsula as Aurea Chersonesus (Golden Peninsula) while Java was called Labadius. Labadius was probably a corruption of Sanskrit Yavadvipa which refers to the same island. An ancient Hindu text may have earlier referred to Southeast Asia as Suvarnabhumi which means land of gold.
The region has been an important source of spices and this was one of the reasons European explorers were attracted to the Far East. During the colonization period, states of the region became important assets to the British, the Dutch and the French. British Malaya for instance was the world's largest producer of tin and rubber while the Dutch East Indies was the source of Dutch's wealth.
During the 1990s, Southeast Asia emerged as the fastest growing economy in the world. Its successes have caused some to call Southeast Asia an economic miracle and Singapore one of tIntroduction
The aboriginal populations of Southeast Asia are generally considered to have been members of the Negrito and broadly defined Austro-Melanesian groups, and may have arrived as part of the hypothesized Great Coastal Migration from Africa via coastal India [1][2]. These groups now make up only a small minority of the Southeast Asian population.
Evidences suggest that the earliest non-aboriginal Southeast Asians came from southern China and were Austronesian speakers. Contemporary research by anthropologists, linguists (Blust, Reid, Ross, Pawley), and archaeologists (Bellwood) suggests that the inhabitants of the Malay Archipelago migrated from southern China to islands of the Philippines around 2,500 BCE and later spread to modern day Malaysia and Indonesia.[3]
The earliest population of Southeast Asia was animist before Hinduism and Buddhism were exported from the Indian subcontinent. Islam arrived mostly through Indian Muslims and later dominated much of the archipelago around the 13th century while Christianity came along when European colonization started around the 16th century.
During the classical age, the existence of Southeast Asia had been known to the Greeks. The Greek astronomer Ptolemy in his Geographia named the Malay Peninsula as Aurea Chersonesus (Golden Peninsula) while Java was called Labadius. Labadius was probably a corruption of Sanskrit Yavadvipa which refers to the same island. An ancient Hindu text may have earlier referred to Southeast Asia as Suvarnabhumi which means land of gold.
The region has been an important source of spices and this was one of the reasons European explorers were attracted to the Far East. During the colonization period, states of the region became important assets to the British, the Dutch and the French. British Malaya for instance was the world's largest producer of tin and rubber while the Dutch East Indies was the source of Dutch's wealth.
During the 1990s, Southeast Asia emerged as the fastest growing economy in the world. Its successes have caused some to call Southeast Asia an economic miracle and Singapore one of t
The aboriginal populations of Southeast Asia are generally considered to have been members of the Negrito and broadly defined Austro-Melanesian groups, and may have arrived as part of the hypothesized Great Coastal Migration from Africa via coastal India [1][2]. These groups now make up only a small minority of the Southeast Asian population.
Evidences suggest that the earliest non-aboriginal Southeast Asians came from southern China and were Austronesian speakers. Contemporary research by anthropologists, linguists (Blust, Reid, Ross, Pawley), and archaeologists (Bellwood) suggests that the inhabitants of the Malay Archipelago migrated from southern China to islands of the Philippines around 2,500 BCE and later spread to modern day Malaysia and Indonesia.[3]
The earliest population of Southeast Asia was animist before Hinduism and Buddhism were exported from the Indian subcontinent. Islam arrived mostly through Indian Muslims and later dominated much of the archipelago around the 13th century while Christianity came along when European colonization started around the 16th century.
During the classical age, the existence of Southeast Asia had been known to the Greeks. The Greek astronomer Ptolemy in his Geographia named the Malay Peninsula as Aurea Chersonesus (Golden Peninsula) while Java was called Labadius. Labadius was probably a corruption of Sanskrit Yavadvipa which refers to the same island. An ancient Hindu text may have earlier referred to Southeast Asia as Suvarnabhumi which means land of gold.
The region has been an important source of spices and this was one of the reasons European explorers were attracted to the Far East. During the colonization period, states of the region became important assets to the British, the Dutch and the French. British Malaya for instance was the world's largest producer of tin and rubber while the Dutch East Indies was the source of Dutch's wealth.
During the 1990s, Southeast Asia emerged as the fastest growing economy in the world. Its successes have caused some to call Southeast Asia an economic miracle and Singapore one of tIntroduction
The aboriginal populations of Southeast Asia are generally considered to have been members of the Negrito and broadly defined Austro-Melanesian groups, and may have arrived as part of the hypothesized Great Coastal Migration from Africa via coastal India [1][2]. These groups now make up only a small minority of the Southeast Asian population.
Evidences suggest that the earliest non-aboriginal Southeast Asians came from southern China and were Austronesian speakers. Contemporary research by anthropologists, linguists (Blust, Reid, Ross, Pawley), and archaeologists (Bellwood) suggests that the inhabitants of the Malay Archipelago migrated from southern China to islands of the Philippines around 2,500 BCE and later spread to modern day Malaysia and Indonesia.[3]
The earliest population of Southeast Asia was animist before Hinduism and Buddhism were exported from the Indian subcontinent. Islam arrived mostly through Indian Muslims and later dominated much of the archipelago around the 13th century while Christianity came along when European colonization started around the 16th century.
During the classical age, the existence of Southeast Asia had been known to the Greeks. The Greek astronomer Ptolemy in his Geographia named the Malay Peninsula as Aurea Chersonesus (Golden Peninsula) while Java was called Labadius. Labadius was probably a corruption of Sanskrit Yavadvipa which refers to the same island. An ancient Hindu text may have earlier referred to Southeast Asia as Suvarnabhumi which means land of gold.
The region has been an important source of spices and this was one of the reasons European explorers were attracted to the Far East. During the colonization period, states of the region became important assets to the British, the Dutch and the French. British Malaya for instance was the world's largest producer of tin and rubber while the Dutch East Indies was the source of Dutch's wealth.
During the 1990s, Southeast Asia emerged as the fastest growing economy in the world. Its successes have caused some to call Southeast Asia an economic miracle and Singapore one of t
History of Southeast Asia
History of Southeast Asia
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
Location of Southeast Asia.
Detail of Asia in Ptolemy's world map. Gulf of the Ganges left, Southeast Asian peninsula in the center, China Sea right, with "Sinae" (China).
The history of Southeast Asia has been characterized as interaction between regional players and foreign powers. Though 59 countries currently make up the region, the history of each country is intertwined with all the others. For instance, the Malay empires of Srivijaya and Malacca covered modern day Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore while the Burmese, Thai, and Khmer peoples governed much of Indochina. At the same time, opportunities and threats from the east and the west shaped the direction of Southeast Asia. The history of the countries within the region only started to develop independently of each other after European colonialization was at full steam between the 17th and the 20th century.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
Location of Southeast Asia.
Detail of Asia in Ptolemy's world map. Gulf of the Ganges left, Southeast Asian peninsula in the center, China Sea right, with "Sinae" (China).
The history of Southeast Asia has been characterized as interaction between regional players and foreign powers. Though 59 countries currently make up the region, the history of each country is intertwined with all the others. For instance, the Malay empires of Srivijaya and Malacca covered modern day Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore while the Burmese, Thai, and Khmer peoples governed much of Indochina. At the same time, opportunities and threats from the east and the west shaped the direction of Southeast Asia. The history of the countries within the region only started to develop independently of each other after European colonialization was at full steam between the 17th and the 20th century.
VII. Haji Wada
VII. haji wada
Tahun kesebelas Hijrah, haji pertama Nabi dan kaum Muslimin tanpa ada seorang musrik pun yang ikut didalamnya, untuk pertama kalinya pula, lebih dari 10.000 orang berkumpul di Madinah dan sekitarnya, menyertai Nabi melakukan perjalanan ke Makkah, dan .. sekaligus inilah haji terakhir yang dilakukan oleh Nabi. Rombongan haji meninggalkan Madinah tanggal 25 Dzulqa’idah , Nabi disertai semua isterinya, menginap satu malam di Dzi Al-Hulaifah, kemudian melakukan Ihram sepanjang Subuh, dan mulai bergerak... seluruh padang terisi gema suara mereka yang mengucapkan,�Labbaik, Allahumma labaik... Labbaik, la syarika laka, ! Aku datang memenuhi panggilanmu, Allahumma, ya Allah, aku datang memenuhi panggilan-Mu. Tiada sekutu bagi-Mu...Labbaik, aku datang memenuhi panggilan-Mu. Segala puji, kenikmatan, dan kemaharajaan, hanya bagi-Mu. Tiada sekutu bagi-Mu... Labbaik, aku datang memenuhi panggilan-Mu...� Langit, hingga hari itu, belum pernah menyaksikan pemandangan di muka bumi seperti yang ada pada saat itu. Lebih dari 100.000 orang, laki-laki dan perempuan – dibawah sengatan Matahari yang amat terik dan di padang pasir yang sebelumnya tak pernah dikenal orang – bergerak menuju satu arah. Medan ini merupakan lukisan paling indah dari satu warna yang menghiasi kehidupan manusia. Dan sejarah, adalah kakek tua yang terbelenggu dalam pengabdian terhadap kepentingan-kepentingan. Ia adalah tukang cerita yang membacakan hikayat-hikayat Fir’aun, Kisra dan Kaisar. Sejarah sekali melihat Muhammad dan orang-orang yang bergerak bersamanya dengan heran! Aneh sekali. Pasukan apa ini? Komandan berjalan kaki kelelahan, dan pengikut-pengikutnya pun demikian pula. Nabi memang berjalan kaki bersama umatnya. Sejarah memang mendengar bahwa “penguasa� itu berada di tengah-tengah pasukan itu, tapi ketika dicari-carinya, dia tak bisa menemukannya. Rombongan itu masuk Mekah 4 Dzulhijjah, disitu telah berkumpul Allah, Ibrahim, Ka’bah dan Muhammad. Dia juga ingin memperlihatkan kepada Ibrahim, bahwa karya besarnya, kita sudah diantarkan kepada Maksud.
Matahari tepat di tengah siang hari itu. Seakan-akan ia menumpahkan seluruh cahayannya yang memakar ke atas kepala semua orang. Nabi berdiri di depan lebih dari 100.000 orang. Laki-laki dan perempuan yang mengelilinginya. Nabi memulai pidatonya, Rosulullah berkata,�Tahukah kalian, bulan apa ini ?�
Mereka serentak menjawab,�Bulan Haram!� .....
...�Ayyuhan Nas, camkan baik-baik perkataanku. Sebab, aku tidak tahu, mungkin aku tidak lagi akan bertemu dengan kalian sesudah tahun ini, di tempat ini, untuk selama-lamanya... Ayyuhan Nas, sesungguhnya darah dan hartamu adalah haram bagimu hingga kalian menemui Tuhanmu sebagaimana diharamkannya hari dan bulanmu ini. Sesudah itu, kamu sekalian akan menemui Tuhanmu dan ditanya tentang amal-amalmu. Sungguh, aku telah sampaikan hal ini. Maka, barangsiapa yang masih mempunyai amanat, hendaknya segera disampaikan kepada orang yang berhak menerimanya.....�
Akar-akar syirik telah dihapuskan dari Mekah, dan Mekah menjadi sebuah kota suci bagi kaum muslim, tempat berkumpulnya muslimin dari seluruh penjuru dunia, dengan menggunakan pakaian yang sama, menuju Tuhannya, tidak ada perbedaan, baik kaya, miskin, raja, rakyat, semuanya sama dihadapan Tuhan, yang membedakannya adalah takwa.
Muhammad telah melaksanakan tugasnya, dan sekarang beliau berada di pembaringan, Nabi membuka mata seraya berkata kepada putrinya dengan suara pelan “Muhammad tidak lain hanyalah seorang Rosul, sungguh telah berlalu sebelumnya beberapa orang rosul. Apakah jika dia wafat atau dibunuh kamu akan berbalik ke belakang? Barangsiapa berpaling ke belakang, maka tidak akan mendatangkan mudarat kepada Allah sedikitpun; dan Allah akan memberi balasan kepada orang-orang yang bersyukur�.[Petikan dari laman. fatimah.org]
Tahun kesebelas Hijrah, haji pertama Nabi dan kaum Muslimin tanpa ada seorang musrik pun yang ikut didalamnya, untuk pertama kalinya pula, lebih dari 10.000 orang berkumpul di Madinah dan sekitarnya, menyertai Nabi melakukan perjalanan ke Makkah, dan .. sekaligus inilah haji terakhir yang dilakukan oleh Nabi. Rombongan haji meninggalkan Madinah tanggal 25 Dzulqa’idah , Nabi disertai semua isterinya, menginap satu malam di Dzi Al-Hulaifah, kemudian melakukan Ihram sepanjang Subuh, dan mulai bergerak... seluruh padang terisi gema suara mereka yang mengucapkan,�Labbaik, Allahumma labaik... Labbaik, la syarika laka, ! Aku datang memenuhi panggilanmu, Allahumma, ya Allah, aku datang memenuhi panggilan-Mu. Tiada sekutu bagi-Mu...Labbaik, aku datang memenuhi panggilan-Mu. Segala puji, kenikmatan, dan kemaharajaan, hanya bagi-Mu. Tiada sekutu bagi-Mu... Labbaik, aku datang memenuhi panggilan-Mu...� Langit, hingga hari itu, belum pernah menyaksikan pemandangan di muka bumi seperti yang ada pada saat itu. Lebih dari 100.000 orang, laki-laki dan perempuan – dibawah sengatan Matahari yang amat terik dan di padang pasir yang sebelumnya tak pernah dikenal orang – bergerak menuju satu arah. Medan ini merupakan lukisan paling indah dari satu warna yang menghiasi kehidupan manusia. Dan sejarah, adalah kakek tua yang terbelenggu dalam pengabdian terhadap kepentingan-kepentingan. Ia adalah tukang cerita yang membacakan hikayat-hikayat Fir’aun, Kisra dan Kaisar. Sejarah sekali melihat Muhammad dan orang-orang yang bergerak bersamanya dengan heran! Aneh sekali. Pasukan apa ini? Komandan berjalan kaki kelelahan, dan pengikut-pengikutnya pun demikian pula. Nabi memang berjalan kaki bersama umatnya. Sejarah memang mendengar bahwa “penguasa� itu berada di tengah-tengah pasukan itu, tapi ketika dicari-carinya, dia tak bisa menemukannya. Rombongan itu masuk Mekah 4 Dzulhijjah, disitu telah berkumpul Allah, Ibrahim, Ka’bah dan Muhammad. Dia juga ingin memperlihatkan kepada Ibrahim, bahwa karya besarnya, kita sudah diantarkan kepada Maksud.
Matahari tepat di tengah siang hari itu. Seakan-akan ia menumpahkan seluruh cahayannya yang memakar ke atas kepala semua orang. Nabi berdiri di depan lebih dari 100.000 orang. Laki-laki dan perempuan yang mengelilinginya. Nabi memulai pidatonya, Rosulullah berkata,�Tahukah kalian, bulan apa ini ?�
Mereka serentak menjawab,�Bulan Haram!� .....
...�Ayyuhan Nas, camkan baik-baik perkataanku. Sebab, aku tidak tahu, mungkin aku tidak lagi akan bertemu dengan kalian sesudah tahun ini, di tempat ini, untuk selama-lamanya... Ayyuhan Nas, sesungguhnya darah dan hartamu adalah haram bagimu hingga kalian menemui Tuhanmu sebagaimana diharamkannya hari dan bulanmu ini. Sesudah itu, kamu sekalian akan menemui Tuhanmu dan ditanya tentang amal-amalmu. Sungguh, aku telah sampaikan hal ini. Maka, barangsiapa yang masih mempunyai amanat, hendaknya segera disampaikan kepada orang yang berhak menerimanya.....�
Akar-akar syirik telah dihapuskan dari Mekah, dan Mekah menjadi sebuah kota suci bagi kaum muslim, tempat berkumpulnya muslimin dari seluruh penjuru dunia, dengan menggunakan pakaian yang sama, menuju Tuhannya, tidak ada perbedaan, baik kaya, miskin, raja, rakyat, semuanya sama dihadapan Tuhan, yang membedakannya adalah takwa.
Muhammad telah melaksanakan tugasnya, dan sekarang beliau berada di pembaringan, Nabi membuka mata seraya berkata kepada putrinya dengan suara pelan “Muhammad tidak lain hanyalah seorang Rosul, sungguh telah berlalu sebelumnya beberapa orang rosul. Apakah jika dia wafat atau dibunuh kamu akan berbalik ke belakang? Barangsiapa berpaling ke belakang, maka tidak akan mendatangkan mudarat kepada Allah sedikitpun; dan Allah akan memberi balasan kepada orang-orang yang bersyukur�.[Petikan dari laman. fatimah.org]
Tahun kesebelas Hijrah, haji pertama Nabi dan kaum Muslimin tanpa ada seorang musrik pun yang ikut didalamnya, untuk pertama kalinya pula, lebih dari 10.000 orang berkumpul di Madinah dan sekitarnya, menyertai Nabi melakukan perjalanan ke Makkah, dan .. sekaligus inilah haji terakhir yang dilakukan oleh Nabi. Rombongan haji meninggalkan Madinah tanggal 25 Dzulqa’idah , Nabi disertai semua isterinya, menginap satu malam di Dzi Al-Hulaifah, kemudian melakukan Ihram sepanjang Subuh, dan mulai bergerak... seluruh padang terisi gema suara mereka yang mengucapkan,�Labbaik, Allahumma labaik... Labbaik, la syarika laka, ! Aku datang memenuhi panggilanmu, Allahumma, ya Allah, aku datang memenuhi panggilan-Mu. Tiada sekutu bagi-Mu...Labbaik, aku datang memenuhi panggilan-Mu. Segala puji, kenikmatan, dan kemaharajaan, hanya bagi-Mu. Tiada sekutu bagi-Mu... Labbaik, aku datang memenuhi panggilan-Mu...� Langit, hingga hari itu, belum pernah menyaksikan pemandangan di muka bumi seperti yang ada pada saat itu. Lebih dari 100.000 orang, laki-laki dan perempuan – dibawah sengatan Matahari yang amat terik dan di padang pasir yang sebelumnya tak pernah dikenal orang – bergerak menuju satu arah. Medan ini merupakan lukisan paling indah dari satu warna yang menghiasi kehidupan manusia. Dan sejarah, adalah kakek tua yang terbelenggu dalam pengabdian terhadap kepentingan-kepentingan. Ia adalah tukang cerita yang membacakan hikayat-hikayat Fir’aun, Kisra dan Kaisar. Sejarah sekali melihat Muhammad dan orang-orang yang bergerak bersamanya dengan heran! Aneh sekali. Pasukan apa ini? Komandan berjalan kaki kelelahan, dan pengikut-pengikutnya pun demikian pula. Nabi memang berjalan kaki bersama umatnya. Sejarah memang mendengar bahwa “penguasa� itu berada di tengah-tengah pasukan itu, tapi ketika dicari-carinya, dia tak bisa menemukannya. Rombongan itu masuk Mekah 4 Dzulhijjah, disitu telah berkumpul Allah, Ibrahim, Ka’bah dan Muhammad. Dia juga ingin memperlihatkan kepada Ibrahim, bahwa karya besarnya, kita sudah diantarkan kepada Maksud.
Matahari tepat di tengah siang hari itu. Seakan-akan ia menumpahkan seluruh cahayannya yang memakar ke atas kepala semua orang. Nabi berdiri di depan lebih dari 100.000 orang. Laki-laki dan perempuan yang mengelilinginya. Nabi memulai pidatonya, Rosulullah berkata,�Tahukah kalian, bulan apa ini ?�
Mereka serentak menjawab,�Bulan Haram!� .....
...�Ayyuhan Nas, camkan baik-baik perkataanku. Sebab, aku tidak tahu, mungkin aku tidak lagi akan bertemu dengan kalian sesudah tahun ini, di tempat ini, untuk selama-lamanya... Ayyuhan Nas, sesungguhnya darah dan hartamu adalah haram bagimu hingga kalian menemui Tuhanmu sebagaimana diharamkannya hari dan bulanmu ini. Sesudah itu, kamu sekalian akan menemui Tuhanmu dan ditanya tentang amal-amalmu. Sungguh, aku telah sampaikan hal ini. Maka, barangsiapa yang masih mempunyai amanat, hendaknya segera disampaikan kepada orang yang berhak menerimanya.....�
Akar-akar syirik telah dihapuskan dari Mekah, dan Mekah menjadi sebuah kota suci bagi kaum muslim, tempat berkumpulnya muslimin dari seluruh penjuru dunia, dengan menggunakan pakaian yang sama, menuju Tuhannya, tidak ada perbedaan, baik kaya, miskin, raja, rakyat, semuanya sama dihadapan Tuhan, yang membedakannya adalah takwa.
Muhammad telah melaksanakan tugasnya, dan sekarang beliau berada di pembaringan, Nabi membuka mata seraya berkata kepada putrinya dengan suara pelan “Muhammad tidak lain hanyalah seorang Rosul, sungguh telah berlalu sebelumnya beberapa orang rosul. Apakah jika dia wafat atau dibunuh kamu akan berbalik ke belakang? Barangsiapa berpaling ke belakang, maka tidak akan mendatangkan mudarat kepada Allah sedikitpun; dan Allah akan memberi balasan kepada orang-orang yang bersyukur�.[Petikan dari laman. fatimah.org]
Tahun kesebelas Hijrah, haji pertama Nabi dan kaum Muslimin tanpa ada seorang musrik pun yang ikut didalamnya, untuk pertama kalinya pula, lebih dari 10.000 orang berkumpul di Madinah dan sekitarnya, menyertai Nabi melakukan perjalanan ke Makkah, dan .. sekaligus inilah haji terakhir yang dilakukan oleh Nabi. Rombongan haji meninggalkan Madinah tanggal 25 Dzulqa’idah , Nabi disertai semua isterinya, menginap satu malam di Dzi Al-Hulaifah, kemudian melakukan Ihram sepanjang Subuh, dan mulai bergerak... seluruh padang terisi gema suara mereka yang mengucapkan,�Labbaik, Allahumma labaik... Labbaik, la syarika laka, ! Aku datang memenuhi panggilanmu, Allahumma, ya Allah, aku datang memenuhi panggilan-Mu. Tiada sekutu bagi-Mu...Labbaik, aku datang memenuhi panggilan-Mu. Segala puji, kenikmatan, dan kemaharajaan, hanya bagi-Mu. Tiada sekutu bagi-Mu... Labbaik, aku datang memenuhi panggilan-Mu...� Langit, hingga hari itu, belum pernah menyaksikan pemandangan di muka bumi seperti yang ada pada saat itu. Lebih dari 100.000 orang, laki-laki dan perempuan – dibawah sengatan Matahari yang amat terik dan di padang pasir yang sebelumnya tak pernah dikenal orang – bergerak menuju satu arah. Medan ini merupakan lukisan paling indah dari satu warna yang menghiasi kehidupan manusia. Dan sejarah, adalah kakek tua yang terbelenggu dalam pengabdian terhadap kepentingan-kepentingan. Ia adalah tukang cerita yang membacakan hikayat-hikayat Fir’aun, Kisra dan Kaisar. Sejarah sekali melihat Muhammad dan orang-orang yang bergerak bersamanya dengan heran! Aneh sekali. Pasukan apa ini? Komandan berjalan kaki kelelahan, dan pengikut-pengikutnya pun demikian pula. Nabi memang berjalan kaki bersama umatnya. Sejarah memang mendengar bahwa “penguasa� itu berada di tengah-tengah pasukan itu, tapi ketika dicari-carinya, dia tak bisa menemukannya. Rombongan itu masuk Mekah 4 Dzulhijjah, disitu telah berkumpul Allah, Ibrahim, Ka’bah dan Muhammad. Dia juga ingin memperlihatkan kepada Ibrahim, bahwa karya besarnya, kita sudah diantarkan kepada Maksud.
Matahari tepat di tengah siang hari itu. Seakan-akan ia menumpahkan seluruh cahayannya yang memakar ke atas kepala semua orang. Nabi berdiri di depan lebih dari 100.000 orang. Laki-laki dan perempuan yang mengelilinginya. Nabi memulai pidatonya, Rosulullah berkata,�Tahukah kalian, bulan apa ini ?�
Mereka serentak menjawab,�Bulan Haram!� .....
...�Ayyuhan Nas, camkan baik-baik perkataanku. Sebab, aku tidak tahu, mungkin aku tidak lagi akan bertemu dengan kalian sesudah tahun ini, di tempat ini, untuk selama-lamanya... Ayyuhan Nas, sesungguhnya darah dan hartamu adalah haram bagimu hingga kalian menemui Tuhanmu sebagaimana diharamkannya hari dan bulanmu ini. Sesudah itu, kamu sekalian akan menemui Tuhanmu dan ditanya tentang amal-amalmu. Sungguh, aku telah sampaikan hal ini. Maka, barangsiapa yang masih mempunyai amanat, hendaknya segera disampaikan kepada orang yang berhak menerimanya.....�
Akar-akar syirik telah dihapuskan dari Mekah, dan Mekah menjadi sebuah kota suci bagi kaum muslim, tempat berkumpulnya muslimin dari seluruh penjuru dunia, dengan menggunakan pakaian yang sama, menuju Tuhannya, tidak ada perbedaan, baik kaya, miskin, raja, rakyat, semuanya sama dihadapan Tuhan, yang membedakannya adalah takwa.
Muhammad telah melaksanakan tugasnya, dan sekarang beliau berada di pembaringan, Nabi membuka mata seraya berkata kepada putrinya dengan suara pelan “Muhammad tidak lain hanyalah seorang Rosul, sungguh telah berlalu sebelumnya beberapa orang rosul. Apakah jika dia wafat atau dibunuh kamu akan berbalik ke belakang? Barangsiapa berpaling ke belakang, maka tidak akan mendatangkan mudarat kepada Allah sedikitpun; dan Allah akan memberi balasan kepada orang-orang yang bersyukur�.[Petikan dari laman. fatimah.org]
V. Benteng Khaibar
V. Benteng Khaibar
Pada perang Khaibar ketika semangat kaum muslim mengendur dan merasa tidak mampu untuk menghancurkan benteng Khaibar, orang-orang menunggu dengan gelisah dan ketakutan, karena sebelumnya Abu Bakar dan Umar tidak ada yang mampu menghancurkan benteng, bahkan ‘Umar memuji keberanian pemimpin benteng, Marhab,yang luar biasa yang membuat Nabi dan para komandan Islam kecewa atas pernyataan ‘Umar ini.
Kebisuan orang-orang sedang menunggu dengan gelisah dipecahkan oleh kata-kata Nabi,� Dimanakah ‘Ali? “ Dikabarkan kepada beliau bahwa ‘Ali menderita sakit mata dan sedang beristirahat di suatu pojok. Nabi bersabda,� Panggil dia.� ‘Ali diangkut dengan unta dan diturunkan di depan kemah Nabi.� Pernyataan ini menunjukkan sakit matanya demikian serius sampai tak mampu berjalan. Nabi menggosokkan tangannya ke mata ‘Ali seraya mendoakannya. Mata ‘Ali langsung sembuh dan tak pernah sakit lagi sepanjang hidupnya. Nabi memerintahkan ‘Ali maju, menurut riwayat pintu benteng Khaibar itu terbuat dari batu, panjangnya 60 inci, dan lebarnya 30 inci. Mengutip kisah pencabutan pintu benteng Khaibar itu dari ‘Ali melalui jalur khusus,� Saya mencabut pintu Khaibar dan menggunakannya sebagai perisai. Seusai pertempuran, saya menggunakannya sebagai jembatan pada parit yang digali kaum Yahudi.� Seseorang bertanya kepadanya,� Apakah Anda merasakan beratnya?� ‘Ali menjawab,� Saya merasakannya sama berat dengan perisai saya.� Masih banyak lagi peristiwa-peristiwa lain selain peperangan untuk melawan kebejatan kaum kafir Quraisy, banyak juga peristiwa yang menggembirakan, misalnya peristiwa pernikahan al-Washi dan Fatimah, putri Nabi, perubahan kiblat dari Bait al-Maqdis ke Ka’bah di Makah. Selain serangan dari luar Kota Madinah, kaum Yahudi yang berada di dalam kota selalu mencoba melakukan rongrongan terhadap pemerintahan Islam yang masih muda ini, namun Sang Maha Konsep telah menentukan Drama yang berbeda, walaupun mereka mencoba memadamkan nur cahaya-Nya, namun Ia terus menerangi Nur Cahaya-Nya, walaupun orang-orang kafir itu benci.
VI. Fath Makkah
Pada perang Khaibar ketika semangat kaum muslim mengendur dan merasa tidak mampu untuk menghancurkan benteng Khaibar, orang-orang menunggu dengan gelisah dan ketakutan, karena sebelumnya Abu Bakar dan Umar tidak ada yang mampu menghancurkan benteng, bahkan ‘Umar memuji keberanian pemimpin benteng, Marhab,yang luar biasa yang membuat Nabi dan para komandan Islam kecewa atas pernyataan ‘Umar ini.
Kebisuan orang-orang sedang menunggu dengan gelisah dipecahkan oleh kata-kata Nabi,� Dimanakah ‘Ali? “ Dikabarkan kepada beliau bahwa ‘Ali menderita sakit mata dan sedang beristirahat di suatu pojok. Nabi bersabda,� Panggil dia.� ‘Ali diangkut dengan unta dan diturunkan di depan kemah Nabi.� Pernyataan ini menunjukkan sakit matanya demikian serius sampai tak mampu berjalan. Nabi menggosokkan tangannya ke mata ‘Ali seraya mendoakannya. Mata ‘Ali langsung sembuh dan tak pernah sakit lagi sepanjang hidupnya. Nabi memerintahkan ‘Ali maju, menurut riwayat pintu benteng Khaibar itu terbuat dari batu, panjangnya 60 inci, dan lebarnya 30 inci. Mengutip kisah pencabutan pintu benteng Khaibar itu dari ‘Ali melalui jalur khusus,� Saya mencabut pintu Khaibar dan menggunakannya sebagai perisai. Seusai pertempuran, saya menggunakannya sebagai jembatan pada parit yang digali kaum Yahudi.� Seseorang bertanya kepadanya,� Apakah Anda merasakan beratnya?� ‘Ali menjawab,� Saya merasakannya sama berat dengan perisai saya.� Masih banyak lagi peristiwa-peristiwa lain selain peperangan untuk melawan kebejatan kaum kafir Quraisy, banyak juga peristiwa yang menggembirakan, misalnya peristiwa pernikahan al-Washi dan Fatimah, putri Nabi, perubahan kiblat dari Bait al-Maqdis ke Ka’bah di Makah. Selain serangan dari luar Kota Madinah, kaum Yahudi yang berada di dalam kota selalu mencoba melakukan rongrongan terhadap pemerintahan Islam yang masih muda ini, namun Sang Maha Konsep telah menentukan Drama yang berbeda, walaupun mereka mencoba memadamkan nur cahaya-Nya, namun Ia terus menerangi Nur Cahaya-Nya, walaupun orang-orang kafir itu benci.
VI. Fath Makkah
IV. Hijrah
IV. Hijrah
Kini tiba fajar. Semangat dan gairah besar tampak di kalangan musyrik itu. Mereka begitu yakin akan segera berhasil. Dengan pedang terhunus mereka memasuki kamar Nabi, yang menimbulkan suara gaduh. Serentak ‘Ali mengangkat kepalanya dari bantal dan menyingkirkan selimutnya lalu berkata dengan sangat tenag,�Apa yang terjadi ?� Mereka menjawab,�Kami mencari Muhammad. Di mana dia?� ’Ali berkata,� Apakah anda menitipkannya kepada saya sehingga saya harus menyerahkannya kembali kepada Anda? Bagaimanapun, sekarang ia tak ada di rumah.� Muhammad telah pergi jauh di luar pengetahuan mereka.
Nabi, tiba di Quba tanggal 12 Rabi’ul Awwal, dan tinggal di rumah Ummu Kultsum ibn al-Hadam. Sejumlah Muhajirin dan Ansor sedang menunggu kedatangan Nabi. Beliau tinggal di situ sampai akhir pekan. Sebagian orang mendesak agar beliau segera berangkat ke Madinah, tetapi beliau menunggu kedatangan ‘Ali. Orang Quraisy mengetahui hijrahnya ‘Ali dan rombongannya – diantaranya ialah Fatimah, puteri Nabi, Fatimah binti ‘Asad dan Fatimah binti Hamzah bin Abdul Mutholib – karena itu, mereka memburunya dan berhadap-hadapan dengan dia di daerah Zajnan. Perselisihan pun terjadi dan ‘Ali berkata “Barangsiapa menghendaki tubuhnya terpotong-potong dan darahnya tumpah, majulah! Tanda marah nampak di wajahnya. Orang-orang Quraisy yang merasa bahwa masalah telah menjadi serius, mengambil sikap damai dan berbalik pulang.� Ketika ‘Ali tiba di Quba, kakinya berdarah, dikarenakan menempuh perjalanan Makah Madinah dengan berjalan kaki. Nabi dikabari bahwa, ‘Ali telah tiba tapi tak mampu menghadap beliau. Segera nabi ke tempat ‘Ali lalu merangkulnya. Ketika melihat kaki ‘Ali membengkak, air mata Nabi menetes".
Penduduk Yastrib – yang kemudian berganti menjadi nama Madinah - menyambut kedatangan Nabi. Mereka mengucapkan berbagai macam syair untuk menyambut manusia mulia ini
Kini tiba fajar. Semangat dan gairah besar tampak di kalangan musyrik itu. Mereka begitu yakin akan segera berhasil. Dengan pedang terhunus mereka memasuki kamar Nabi, yang menimbulkan suara gaduh. Serentak ‘Ali mengangkat kepalanya dari bantal dan menyingkirkan selimutnya lalu berkata dengan sangat tenag,�Apa yang terjadi ?� Mereka menjawab,�Kami mencari Muhammad. Di mana dia?� ’Ali berkata,� Apakah anda menitipkannya kepada saya sehingga saya harus menyerahkannya kembali kepada Anda? Bagaimanapun, sekarang ia tak ada di rumah.� Muhammad telah pergi jauh di luar pengetahuan mereka.
Nabi, tiba di Quba tanggal 12 Rabi’ul Awwal, dan tinggal di rumah Ummu Kultsum ibn al-Hadam. Sejumlah Muhajirin dan Ansor sedang menunggu kedatangan Nabi. Beliau tinggal di situ sampai akhir pekan. Sebagian orang mendesak agar beliau segera berangkat ke Madinah, tetapi beliau menunggu kedatangan ‘Ali. Orang Quraisy mengetahui hijrahnya ‘Ali dan rombongannya – diantaranya ialah Fatimah, puteri Nabi, Fatimah binti ‘Asad dan Fatimah binti Hamzah bin Abdul Mutholib – karena itu, mereka memburunya dan berhadap-hadapan dengan dia di daerah Zajnan. Perselisihan pun terjadi dan ‘Ali berkata “Barangsiapa menghendaki tubuhnya terpotong-potong dan darahnya tumpah, majulah! Tanda marah nampak di wajahnya. Orang-orang Quraisy yang merasa bahwa masalah telah menjadi serius, mengambil sikap damai dan berbalik pulang.� Ketika ‘Ali tiba di Quba, kakinya berdarah, dikarenakan menempuh perjalanan Makah Madinah dengan berjalan kaki. Nabi dikabari bahwa, ‘Ali telah tiba tapi tak mampu menghadap beliau. Segera nabi ke tempat ‘Ali lalu merangkulnya. Ketika melihat kaki ‘Ali membengkak, air mata Nabi menetes".
Penduduk Yastrib – yang kemudian berganti menjadi nama Madinah - menyambut kedatangan Nabi. Mereka mengucapkan berbagai macam syair untuk menyambut manusia mulia ini
III. Diangkat Menjadi Rasul
III. Diangkat Menjadi Rasul
Hira, tempat diturunkannya kalimat Tuhan Yang Maha Sakti, kalimat yang membuat iblis berputus asa untuk menyesatkan manusia, kalimat yang dengannya alam semesta berguncang. Al-Qur’an, susunan kalimatnya yang mengandung makna yang banyak telah membuat tercengang manusia-manusia manapun di jagat raya, yang mengakui kebenarannya, akan mengikutinya, sedangkan yang tidak mengakuinya harus tunduk atas kebenarannya, dan bagi mereka yang menolak, dengan cara apapun akan sia-sia, dan celaka. Jibril (Ruh Al-Qudus) diutus Tuhan semesta Alam, Sang Pemilik Konsep, untuk menyampaikan kalimat-Nya secara berangsur-angsur kepada Al-amin yang berada di Gunung Hira’. Al-Amin telah mempersiapkan dirinya selama empat puluh tahun untuk memikul tugas yang maha berat ini, Jibril datang kepadanya dengan membawa beberapa kalimat dari Tuhannya. Ialah kalimat pertama yang dikemukakan dalam Al-qur’an sebagai berikut
“Bacalah dengan [ menyebut] nama Tuhanmu yang menciptakan. Dia telah menciptakan manusia dari segumpal darah. Bacalah, dan Tuhanmulah yang Paling Pemurah. Yang mengajari [manusia] dengan perantaraan kalam. Dia mengajarkan kepada manusia apa yang tidak diketahuinyaâ€.
Ayat ini dengan tegas menyatakan tentang program Nabi, dan menyatakan dalam istilah-istilah jelas bahwa fondasi agamanya diberikan dengan pengkajian, pengetahuan, kebijaksanaan, dan penggunaan pena.
Muhammad, pembawa berita bahagia, ancaman, dan perintah merupakan manusia teladan sepanjang masa, ia adalah manusia dalam wujud Ilahiah, utusan Tuhan yang kepadanya ummat manusia memohonkan syafa’at. Tidak satupun mahkluq yang mencapai kesempurnaan yang dicapai Muhammad, sejak kecil ia telah memperlihatkan ketulusan, kejujuran, manusia yang seumur hidupnya tidak pernah berbohong, yang tidak pernah menghianati janji, dan sayang kepada yang miskin.
Malaikat Jibril menyelesaikan tugasnya menyampaikan wahyu itu, dan Muhammad pun turun dari Gua Hira menuju rumah “Khodijahâ€. Jiwa agung Nabi disinari cahaya wahyu. Beliau merekam di hatinya apa yang didengarnya dari malaikat Jibril. Setelah kejadian ini, Jibril menyapanya,â€Wahai Muhammad! Engkau Rosul Allah dan aku Jibrilâ€. Muhammad menerima kalimat Tuhannya secara bertahap, secara berangsur-angsur, fakta sejarah mengakui bahwa di antara wanita, Khodijah adalah wanita yang pertama memeluk Islam, dan pria pertama yang memeluk Islam adalah ‘Ali.
Muhammad mengadakan perjamuan makan dengan kerabatnya, selesai makan, beliau berpaling kepada para sesepuh keluarganya dan memulai pembicaraan dengan memuji Allah dan memaklumkan keesaan-Nya. Lalu beliau berkata,†Sesungguhnya, pemandu suatu kaum tak pernah berdusta kepada kaumnya. Saya bersumpah demi Allah yang tak ada sekutu bagi-Nya bahwa saya diutus oleh Dia sebagai Rosul-Nya, khususnya kepada Anda sekalian dan umumnya kepada seluruh penghuni dunia. Wahai kerabat saya! Anda sekalian akan mati. Sesudah itu, seperti Anda tidur, Anda akan dihidupkan kembali dan akan menerima pahala menurut amal Anda. Imbalannya adalah surga Allah yang abadi (bagi orang lurus) dan neraka-Nya yang kekal(bagi orang yang berbuat jahat). “Lalu beliau menambahkan, “Tak ada manusia yang pernah membawa kebaikan untuk kaumnya ketimbang apa yang saya bawakan untuk Anda. Saya membawakan kepada Anda rahmat dunia maupun Akhirat. Tuhan saya memerintahkan kepada saya untuk mengajak Anda kepada-Nya. Siapakah diantara Anda sekalian yang akan menjadi pendukung saya sehingga ia akan menjadi saudara, washi (penerima wasiat), dan khalifah (pengganti) saya?â€.
Ketika pidato Nabi mencapai poin ini, kebisuan total melanda pertemuan itu. ‘Ali, remaja berusia lima belas tahun, memecahkan kebisuan itu. Ia bangkit seraya berkata dengan mantap,†Wahai Nabi Allah, saya siap mendukung Anda.†Nabi menyuruhnya duduk. Nabi mengulang tiga kali ucapannya, tapi tak ada yang menyambut kecuali ‘Ali yang terus melontarkan jawaban yang sama. Beliau lalu berpaling kepada kerabatnya seraya berkata,†Pemuda ini adalah saudara, washi, dan khalifah saya diantara kalian. Dengarkanlah kata-katanya dan ikuti dia".
Pemakluman khilafah (imamah) ‘Ali di hari-hari awal kenabian Muhammad memperlihatkan bahwa dua kedudukan ini berkaitan satu sama lain. Ketika Rosulullah diperkenalkan kepada masyarakat, khalifahnya juga ditunjuk dan diperkenalkan pada hari itu juga. Ini dengan sendirinya menunjukkan bahwa kenabian dan imamah merupakan dua hal yang tak terpisahkan.
Peristiwa diatas membuktikan heroisme spiritual dan kebenaran ‘Ali. Karena, dalam pertemuan di mana orang-orang tua dan berpengalaman tenggelam dalam keraguan dan keheranan, ia menyatakan dukungan dan pengabdian dengan keberanian sempurna dan mengungkapkan permusuhannya terhadap musuh Nabi tanpa menempuh jalan politisi yang mengangkat diri sendiri. Kendati waktu itu ia yang termuda diantara yang hadir, pergaulannya yang lama dengan Nabi telah menyiapkan pikirannya untuk menerima kenyataan, sementara para sesepuh bangsa ragu-ragu untuk menerimanya.
Setelah berdakwah kepada kaum kerabatnya, Nabi berdakwah terang-terangan kepada kaum Quraisy. Muhammad, berbekal kesabaran, keyakinan, kegigihan, dan keuletan dalam berdakwah terus-menerus dan tidak menghiraukan orang-orang musrik yang terus menghardik dan mengejeknya. Banyak yang cara yang dilakukan kaum Quraisy untuk menghentikan Muhammad, suatu saat Abu Tholib sedang duduk bersama keponakannya. Juru bicara rombongan yang mendatangi rumah Abu Tholib membuka pembicaraan dengan berkata,†Wahai Abu Tholib! Muhammad mencerai-beraikan barisan kita dan menciptakan perselisihan diantara kita. Ia merendahkan kita dan mencemooh kita dan berhala kita. Jika ia melakukan itu karena kemiskinan dan kepapaannya, kami siap menyerahkan harta berlimpah kepadanya. Jika ia menginginkan kedudukan, kami siap menerimanya sebagai penguasa kami dan kami akan mengikuti perintahnya. Bila ia sakit dan membutuhkan pengobatan, kami akan membawakan tabib ahli untuk merawatnya…â€.
Abu Tholib berpaling kepada Nabi seraya berkata,“ Para sesepuh anda datang untuk meminta Anda berhenti mengkritik berhala supaya mereka pun tidak mengganggu Anda.†Nabi menjawab,†Saya tidak menginginkan apa pun dari mereka. Bertentangan dengan empat tawaran itu, mereka harus menerima satu kata dari saya, yang dengan itu mereka dapat memerintah bangsa Arab dan menjadikan bangsa Ajam sebagai pengikut mereka.†Abu Jahal bangkit sambil berkata, “ Kami siap sepuluh kali untuk mendengarnya.†Nabi menjawab,†Kalian harus mengakui keesaan Tuhan.†Kata-kata tak terduga dari Nabi ini laksana air dingin ditumpahkan ke ceret panas. Mereka demikian heran, kecewa, dan putus asa sehingga serentak mereka berkata,†Haruskah kita mengabaikan 360 Tuhan dan menyembah kepada satu Allah saja?â€
Orang Quraisy meninggalkan rumah Abu Tholib dengan wajah dan mata terbakar kemarahan. Mereka terus memikirkan cara untuk mencapai tujuan mereka. Dalam ayat berikut, kejadian itu dikatakan,
“Dan mereka heran karena mereka kedatangan seorang pemberi peringatan dari kalangan mereka; dan orang-orang kafir berkata,’Ini adalah seorang ahli sihir yang banyak berdusta. Mengapa ia menjadikan tuhan-tuhan itu Tuhan Yang Satu saja ? Sesungguhnya ini benar-benar suatu hal yang sangat mengherankan.’ Dan pergilah pemimpin-pemimpin mereka [seraya berkata], ‘Pergilah kamu dan tetaplah [menyembah] tuhan-tuhanmu, sesungguhnya ini benar-benar suatu hal yang dikehendaki. Kami tidak pernah mendengar hal ini dalam agama yang terakhir ini; ini(mengesakan Allah) tidak lain kecuali dusta yang diada-adakan.â€
Banyak sekali contoh penganiayaan dan penyiksaan kaum Quraisy, Tiap hari nabi menghadapi penganiayaan baru. Misalnya, suatu hari Uqbah bin Abi Mu’ith melihat Nabi bertawaf, lalu menyiksanya. Ia menjerat leher Nabi dengan serbannya dan menyeret beliau ke luar masjid. Beberapa orang datang membebaskan Nabi karena takut kepada Bani Hasyim. Dan masih banyak lagi. Nabi menyadari dan prihatin terhadap kondisi kaum Muslim. Kendati beliau mendapat dukungan dan lindungan Bani Hasyim, kebanyakan pengikutnya budak wanita dan – pria serta beberapa orang tak terlindung. Para pemimpin Quraisy menganiaya orang-orang ini terus-menerus , para pemimpin terkemuka berbagai suku menyiksa anggota suku mereka sendiri yang memeluk Islam. Maka ketika para sahabatnya meminta nasihatnya menyangkut hijrah, Nabi menjawab, “Ke Etiopia akan lebih mantap. Penguasanya kuat dan adil, dan tak ada orang yang ditindas di sana. Tanah negeri itu baik dan bersih, dan Anda boleh tinggal di sana sampai Allah menolong Anda.
Pasukan Syirik Quraisy kehabisan akal untuk menghancurkan Muhammad, maka mereka melakukan propaganda anti Muhammad, diantaranya mereka memfitnah Nabi, Bersikeras menjuluki Nabi Gila, larangan mendengarkan Al-Qur’an, menghalangi orang masuk Islam, sehingga Allah mengabadikan perkataan orang-orang keji ini dan menunjukkan sesatnya perkataan mereka, dalam Al-Qur’an Allah berfirman
“Demikianlah, tiada seorang rosul pun yang datang kepada orang-orang yang sebelum mereka selain mengatakan,’ Ia adalah seorang tukang sihir atau orang gila.’ Apakah mereka saling berpesan tentang apa yang dikatakan itu ? Sebenarnya mereka adalah kaum yang melampaui batas.â€
Kaum Quraisy pun gagal melakukan berbagai macam cara untuk menghalangi usaha Muhammad, dan menghalangi orang-orang untuk mengikuti agama Tuhan Yang Esa. Mereka pun melakukan Blokade ekonomi yang membuat banyak kaum muslim, terutama kaum wanita dan anak-anak kelaparan. Nabi dan para pengikutnya masuk ke Syi’ib Abu Tholib, yang diikuti pendamping hidupnya, Khodijah, dengan membawa serta Fatimah AS. Orang-orang Quraisy mengepung mereka di Syi’ib itu selama tiga tahun. Dan akhirnya tahun-tahun blokade itu pun berakhir. Dan keluarlah sang bintang bersama keluarga dan sahabatnya dari pengepungan. Allah telah menetapkan kemenangan bagi mereka, dan Khodijah pun berhasil pula keluar dari pengepungan dalam keadaan amat berat dan menderita, Beliau telah hidup dengan kehidupan yang menjadi teladan Istimewa bagi kalangan kaum wanita. Ajal Khodijah sudah dekat. Allah telah memilihnya untuk mendampingi Rosulullah Saww., dan dia telah berhasil menunaikan tugas dengan baik. Khodijah akhirnya meninggal pada tahun itu juga. Yakni, pada saat kaum Muslim keluar dari blokade orang-orang Quraisy, tahun kesepuluh sesudah Kenabian. Pada tahun yang sama, paman Rosul (Abu Tholib) meninggal dunia, yang sekaligus sebagai pelindung dakwa Muhammad. Sungguh Nabi mengalami kesedihan yang amat berat. Beliau kehilangan Khodijah, dan juga pamannya yang menjadi pelindung, dan pembelanya. Itu sebabnya, maka tahun ini dinamakan ‘Am Al-Huzn (Tahun Duka cita). Bukan hanya Rosul yang terpukul hatinya, Fatimah, yang belum kenyang mengenyam kasih sayang seorang ibu dan kelembutan belaiannya, ikut pula menanggungnya. Kedukaan menyelimuti dan menindihnya di tahun penuh kesedihan itu.Fatimah kehilangan ibundanya, berpisah dari orang yang menjadi sumber cintanya dan kasih sayangnya. Acap kali dia bertanya kepada ayahandanya,†Ayah, kemana Ibu?†Kalau sudah begini, tangisnya pecah, air matanya meleleh, dan kesedihan menerpa hatinya. Rosul merasakan betapa berat kesedihan yang ditanggung putrinya. Setelah wafatnya Abu Tholib kaum Kafir Quraisy semakin berani menganggu Muhammad, akhirnya Muhammad berhijrah ke Yastrib, peristiwa hijrahnya Nabi ke Yastrib, merupakan momen awal dari lahirnya negara Islam. Penduduk Yastrib bersedia memikul tanggung jawab bagi keselamatan Nabi. Di bulan Robi’ul Awwal tahun ini, saat hijrahnya Nabi terjadi, tak ada seorang muslim pun yang tertinggal di Mekah kecuali Nabi, ‘Ali dan Abu Bakar, dan segelintir orang yang ditahan Quraisy atau karena sakit,dan lanjut usia.
Kaum Quraisy yang berada di Mekah akhirnya membuat kesepakatan untuk membunuh Muhammad di malam hari, dan masing-masing suku mempunyai wakil, sehingga Bani Hasyim tidak dapat menuntut balas atas kematian Muhammad. Orang-orang ini memang bodoh, mereka mengira Muhammad dapat dihancurkan hanya dengan cara seperti ini, seperti urusan duniawi mereka. Jibril datang memberitahu Nabi tentang rencana kejam kaum kafir itu. Al-Qur’an merujuk pada kejadian itu dengan kata-kata,
“Dan [ingatlah] ketika orang-orang kafir (Quraisy) memikirkan daya upaya terhadapmu untuk menangkap dan memenjarakanmu atau membunuhmu atau mengusirmu. Mereka memikirkan tipu daya dan Allah menggagalkan tipu daya itu. Dan Allah sebaik-baik Pembalas tipu daya.
Ali berbaring melewati cobaan yang mengerikan demi keselamatan Islam menggantikan Nabi, sejak sore. Ia bukan orang tua yang lanjut usia, tapi seorang anak muda yang begitu berani mengorbankan nyawanya untuk sang Nabi, ia, yang bersama Khodijah adalah orang yang pertama-tama beriman kepada Nabi, dialah orang yang rela berkorban untuk Nabi, Ali, sekali lagi ‘Ali. Kepadanya Nabi berkata,â€Tidurlah di ranjang saya malam ini dan tutupi tubuh Anda dengan selimut hijau yang biasa saya gunakan, karena musuh telah bersekongkol membunuh saya. Saya harus berhijrah ke Yastrib. ‘Ali menempati ranjang Nabi sejak sore. Ketika tiga perempat malam lewat, empat puluh orang mengepung rumah nabi dan mengintipnya melalui celah. Mereka melihat keadaan rumah seperti biasanya, dan menyangka bahwa orang yang sedang tidur di kamar itu adalah Nabi.
Hira, tempat diturunkannya kalimat Tuhan Yang Maha Sakti, kalimat yang membuat iblis berputus asa untuk menyesatkan manusia, kalimat yang dengannya alam semesta berguncang. Al-Qur’an, susunan kalimatnya yang mengandung makna yang banyak telah membuat tercengang manusia-manusia manapun di jagat raya, yang mengakui kebenarannya, akan mengikutinya, sedangkan yang tidak mengakuinya harus tunduk atas kebenarannya, dan bagi mereka yang menolak, dengan cara apapun akan sia-sia, dan celaka. Jibril (Ruh Al-Qudus) diutus Tuhan semesta Alam, Sang Pemilik Konsep, untuk menyampaikan kalimat-Nya secara berangsur-angsur kepada Al-amin yang berada di Gunung Hira’. Al-Amin telah mempersiapkan dirinya selama empat puluh tahun untuk memikul tugas yang maha berat ini, Jibril datang kepadanya dengan membawa beberapa kalimat dari Tuhannya. Ialah kalimat pertama yang dikemukakan dalam Al-qur’an sebagai berikut
“Bacalah dengan [ menyebut] nama Tuhanmu yang menciptakan. Dia telah menciptakan manusia dari segumpal darah. Bacalah, dan Tuhanmulah yang Paling Pemurah. Yang mengajari [manusia] dengan perantaraan kalam. Dia mengajarkan kepada manusia apa yang tidak diketahuinyaâ€.
Ayat ini dengan tegas menyatakan tentang program Nabi, dan menyatakan dalam istilah-istilah jelas bahwa fondasi agamanya diberikan dengan pengkajian, pengetahuan, kebijaksanaan, dan penggunaan pena.
Muhammad, pembawa berita bahagia, ancaman, dan perintah merupakan manusia teladan sepanjang masa, ia adalah manusia dalam wujud Ilahiah, utusan Tuhan yang kepadanya ummat manusia memohonkan syafa’at. Tidak satupun mahkluq yang mencapai kesempurnaan yang dicapai Muhammad, sejak kecil ia telah memperlihatkan ketulusan, kejujuran, manusia yang seumur hidupnya tidak pernah berbohong, yang tidak pernah menghianati janji, dan sayang kepada yang miskin.
Malaikat Jibril menyelesaikan tugasnya menyampaikan wahyu itu, dan Muhammad pun turun dari Gua Hira menuju rumah “Khodijahâ€. Jiwa agung Nabi disinari cahaya wahyu. Beliau merekam di hatinya apa yang didengarnya dari malaikat Jibril. Setelah kejadian ini, Jibril menyapanya,â€Wahai Muhammad! Engkau Rosul Allah dan aku Jibrilâ€. Muhammad menerima kalimat Tuhannya secara bertahap, secara berangsur-angsur, fakta sejarah mengakui bahwa di antara wanita, Khodijah adalah wanita yang pertama memeluk Islam, dan pria pertama yang memeluk Islam adalah ‘Ali.
Muhammad mengadakan perjamuan makan dengan kerabatnya, selesai makan, beliau berpaling kepada para sesepuh keluarganya dan memulai pembicaraan dengan memuji Allah dan memaklumkan keesaan-Nya. Lalu beliau berkata,†Sesungguhnya, pemandu suatu kaum tak pernah berdusta kepada kaumnya. Saya bersumpah demi Allah yang tak ada sekutu bagi-Nya bahwa saya diutus oleh Dia sebagai Rosul-Nya, khususnya kepada Anda sekalian dan umumnya kepada seluruh penghuni dunia. Wahai kerabat saya! Anda sekalian akan mati. Sesudah itu, seperti Anda tidur, Anda akan dihidupkan kembali dan akan menerima pahala menurut amal Anda. Imbalannya adalah surga Allah yang abadi (bagi orang lurus) dan neraka-Nya yang kekal(bagi orang yang berbuat jahat). “Lalu beliau menambahkan, “Tak ada manusia yang pernah membawa kebaikan untuk kaumnya ketimbang apa yang saya bawakan untuk Anda. Saya membawakan kepada Anda rahmat dunia maupun Akhirat. Tuhan saya memerintahkan kepada saya untuk mengajak Anda kepada-Nya. Siapakah diantara Anda sekalian yang akan menjadi pendukung saya sehingga ia akan menjadi saudara, washi (penerima wasiat), dan khalifah (pengganti) saya?â€.
Ketika pidato Nabi mencapai poin ini, kebisuan total melanda pertemuan itu. ‘Ali, remaja berusia lima belas tahun, memecahkan kebisuan itu. Ia bangkit seraya berkata dengan mantap,†Wahai Nabi Allah, saya siap mendukung Anda.†Nabi menyuruhnya duduk. Nabi mengulang tiga kali ucapannya, tapi tak ada yang menyambut kecuali ‘Ali yang terus melontarkan jawaban yang sama. Beliau lalu berpaling kepada kerabatnya seraya berkata,†Pemuda ini adalah saudara, washi, dan khalifah saya diantara kalian. Dengarkanlah kata-katanya dan ikuti dia".
Pemakluman khilafah (imamah) ‘Ali di hari-hari awal kenabian Muhammad memperlihatkan bahwa dua kedudukan ini berkaitan satu sama lain. Ketika Rosulullah diperkenalkan kepada masyarakat, khalifahnya juga ditunjuk dan diperkenalkan pada hari itu juga. Ini dengan sendirinya menunjukkan bahwa kenabian dan imamah merupakan dua hal yang tak terpisahkan.
Peristiwa diatas membuktikan heroisme spiritual dan kebenaran ‘Ali. Karena, dalam pertemuan di mana orang-orang tua dan berpengalaman tenggelam dalam keraguan dan keheranan, ia menyatakan dukungan dan pengabdian dengan keberanian sempurna dan mengungkapkan permusuhannya terhadap musuh Nabi tanpa menempuh jalan politisi yang mengangkat diri sendiri. Kendati waktu itu ia yang termuda diantara yang hadir, pergaulannya yang lama dengan Nabi telah menyiapkan pikirannya untuk menerima kenyataan, sementara para sesepuh bangsa ragu-ragu untuk menerimanya.
Setelah berdakwah kepada kaum kerabatnya, Nabi berdakwah terang-terangan kepada kaum Quraisy. Muhammad, berbekal kesabaran, keyakinan, kegigihan, dan keuletan dalam berdakwah terus-menerus dan tidak menghiraukan orang-orang musrik yang terus menghardik dan mengejeknya. Banyak yang cara yang dilakukan kaum Quraisy untuk menghentikan Muhammad, suatu saat Abu Tholib sedang duduk bersama keponakannya. Juru bicara rombongan yang mendatangi rumah Abu Tholib membuka pembicaraan dengan berkata,†Wahai Abu Tholib! Muhammad mencerai-beraikan barisan kita dan menciptakan perselisihan diantara kita. Ia merendahkan kita dan mencemooh kita dan berhala kita. Jika ia melakukan itu karena kemiskinan dan kepapaannya, kami siap menyerahkan harta berlimpah kepadanya. Jika ia menginginkan kedudukan, kami siap menerimanya sebagai penguasa kami dan kami akan mengikuti perintahnya. Bila ia sakit dan membutuhkan pengobatan, kami akan membawakan tabib ahli untuk merawatnya…â€.
Abu Tholib berpaling kepada Nabi seraya berkata,“ Para sesepuh anda datang untuk meminta Anda berhenti mengkritik berhala supaya mereka pun tidak mengganggu Anda.†Nabi menjawab,†Saya tidak menginginkan apa pun dari mereka. Bertentangan dengan empat tawaran itu, mereka harus menerima satu kata dari saya, yang dengan itu mereka dapat memerintah bangsa Arab dan menjadikan bangsa Ajam sebagai pengikut mereka.†Abu Jahal bangkit sambil berkata, “ Kami siap sepuluh kali untuk mendengarnya.†Nabi menjawab,†Kalian harus mengakui keesaan Tuhan.†Kata-kata tak terduga dari Nabi ini laksana air dingin ditumpahkan ke ceret panas. Mereka demikian heran, kecewa, dan putus asa sehingga serentak mereka berkata,†Haruskah kita mengabaikan 360 Tuhan dan menyembah kepada satu Allah saja?â€
Orang Quraisy meninggalkan rumah Abu Tholib dengan wajah dan mata terbakar kemarahan. Mereka terus memikirkan cara untuk mencapai tujuan mereka. Dalam ayat berikut, kejadian itu dikatakan,
“Dan mereka heran karena mereka kedatangan seorang pemberi peringatan dari kalangan mereka; dan orang-orang kafir berkata,’Ini adalah seorang ahli sihir yang banyak berdusta. Mengapa ia menjadikan tuhan-tuhan itu Tuhan Yang Satu saja ? Sesungguhnya ini benar-benar suatu hal yang sangat mengherankan.’ Dan pergilah pemimpin-pemimpin mereka [seraya berkata], ‘Pergilah kamu dan tetaplah [menyembah] tuhan-tuhanmu, sesungguhnya ini benar-benar suatu hal yang dikehendaki. Kami tidak pernah mendengar hal ini dalam agama yang terakhir ini; ini(mengesakan Allah) tidak lain kecuali dusta yang diada-adakan.â€
Banyak sekali contoh penganiayaan dan penyiksaan kaum Quraisy, Tiap hari nabi menghadapi penganiayaan baru. Misalnya, suatu hari Uqbah bin Abi Mu’ith melihat Nabi bertawaf, lalu menyiksanya. Ia menjerat leher Nabi dengan serbannya dan menyeret beliau ke luar masjid. Beberapa orang datang membebaskan Nabi karena takut kepada Bani Hasyim. Dan masih banyak lagi. Nabi menyadari dan prihatin terhadap kondisi kaum Muslim. Kendati beliau mendapat dukungan dan lindungan Bani Hasyim, kebanyakan pengikutnya budak wanita dan – pria serta beberapa orang tak terlindung. Para pemimpin Quraisy menganiaya orang-orang ini terus-menerus , para pemimpin terkemuka berbagai suku menyiksa anggota suku mereka sendiri yang memeluk Islam. Maka ketika para sahabatnya meminta nasihatnya menyangkut hijrah, Nabi menjawab, “Ke Etiopia akan lebih mantap. Penguasanya kuat dan adil, dan tak ada orang yang ditindas di sana. Tanah negeri itu baik dan bersih, dan Anda boleh tinggal di sana sampai Allah menolong Anda.
Pasukan Syirik Quraisy kehabisan akal untuk menghancurkan Muhammad, maka mereka melakukan propaganda anti Muhammad, diantaranya mereka memfitnah Nabi, Bersikeras menjuluki Nabi Gila, larangan mendengarkan Al-Qur’an, menghalangi orang masuk Islam, sehingga Allah mengabadikan perkataan orang-orang keji ini dan menunjukkan sesatnya perkataan mereka, dalam Al-Qur’an Allah berfirman
“Demikianlah, tiada seorang rosul pun yang datang kepada orang-orang yang sebelum mereka selain mengatakan,’ Ia adalah seorang tukang sihir atau orang gila.’ Apakah mereka saling berpesan tentang apa yang dikatakan itu ? Sebenarnya mereka adalah kaum yang melampaui batas.â€
Kaum Quraisy pun gagal melakukan berbagai macam cara untuk menghalangi usaha Muhammad, dan menghalangi orang-orang untuk mengikuti agama Tuhan Yang Esa. Mereka pun melakukan Blokade ekonomi yang membuat banyak kaum muslim, terutama kaum wanita dan anak-anak kelaparan. Nabi dan para pengikutnya masuk ke Syi’ib Abu Tholib, yang diikuti pendamping hidupnya, Khodijah, dengan membawa serta Fatimah AS. Orang-orang Quraisy mengepung mereka di Syi’ib itu selama tiga tahun. Dan akhirnya tahun-tahun blokade itu pun berakhir. Dan keluarlah sang bintang bersama keluarga dan sahabatnya dari pengepungan. Allah telah menetapkan kemenangan bagi mereka, dan Khodijah pun berhasil pula keluar dari pengepungan dalam keadaan amat berat dan menderita, Beliau telah hidup dengan kehidupan yang menjadi teladan Istimewa bagi kalangan kaum wanita. Ajal Khodijah sudah dekat. Allah telah memilihnya untuk mendampingi Rosulullah Saww., dan dia telah berhasil menunaikan tugas dengan baik. Khodijah akhirnya meninggal pada tahun itu juga. Yakni, pada saat kaum Muslim keluar dari blokade orang-orang Quraisy, tahun kesepuluh sesudah Kenabian. Pada tahun yang sama, paman Rosul (Abu Tholib) meninggal dunia, yang sekaligus sebagai pelindung dakwa Muhammad. Sungguh Nabi mengalami kesedihan yang amat berat. Beliau kehilangan Khodijah, dan juga pamannya yang menjadi pelindung, dan pembelanya. Itu sebabnya, maka tahun ini dinamakan ‘Am Al-Huzn (Tahun Duka cita). Bukan hanya Rosul yang terpukul hatinya, Fatimah, yang belum kenyang mengenyam kasih sayang seorang ibu dan kelembutan belaiannya, ikut pula menanggungnya. Kedukaan menyelimuti dan menindihnya di tahun penuh kesedihan itu.Fatimah kehilangan ibundanya, berpisah dari orang yang menjadi sumber cintanya dan kasih sayangnya. Acap kali dia bertanya kepada ayahandanya,†Ayah, kemana Ibu?†Kalau sudah begini, tangisnya pecah, air matanya meleleh, dan kesedihan menerpa hatinya. Rosul merasakan betapa berat kesedihan yang ditanggung putrinya. Setelah wafatnya Abu Tholib kaum Kafir Quraisy semakin berani menganggu Muhammad, akhirnya Muhammad berhijrah ke Yastrib, peristiwa hijrahnya Nabi ke Yastrib, merupakan momen awal dari lahirnya negara Islam. Penduduk Yastrib bersedia memikul tanggung jawab bagi keselamatan Nabi. Di bulan Robi’ul Awwal tahun ini, saat hijrahnya Nabi terjadi, tak ada seorang muslim pun yang tertinggal di Mekah kecuali Nabi, ‘Ali dan Abu Bakar, dan segelintir orang yang ditahan Quraisy atau karena sakit,dan lanjut usia.
Kaum Quraisy yang berada di Mekah akhirnya membuat kesepakatan untuk membunuh Muhammad di malam hari, dan masing-masing suku mempunyai wakil, sehingga Bani Hasyim tidak dapat menuntut balas atas kematian Muhammad. Orang-orang ini memang bodoh, mereka mengira Muhammad dapat dihancurkan hanya dengan cara seperti ini, seperti urusan duniawi mereka. Jibril datang memberitahu Nabi tentang rencana kejam kaum kafir itu. Al-Qur’an merujuk pada kejadian itu dengan kata-kata,
“Dan [ingatlah] ketika orang-orang kafir (Quraisy) memikirkan daya upaya terhadapmu untuk menangkap dan memenjarakanmu atau membunuhmu atau mengusirmu. Mereka memikirkan tipu daya dan Allah menggagalkan tipu daya itu. Dan Allah sebaik-baik Pembalas tipu daya.
Ali berbaring melewati cobaan yang mengerikan demi keselamatan Islam menggantikan Nabi, sejak sore. Ia bukan orang tua yang lanjut usia, tapi seorang anak muda yang begitu berani mengorbankan nyawanya untuk sang Nabi, ia, yang bersama Khodijah adalah orang yang pertama-tama beriman kepada Nabi, dialah orang yang rela berkorban untuk Nabi, Ali, sekali lagi ‘Ali. Kepadanya Nabi berkata,â€Tidurlah di ranjang saya malam ini dan tutupi tubuh Anda dengan selimut hijau yang biasa saya gunakan, karena musuh telah bersekongkol membunuh saya. Saya harus berhijrah ke Yastrib. ‘Ali menempati ranjang Nabi sejak sore. Ketika tiga perempat malam lewat, empat puluh orang mengepung rumah nabi dan mengintipnya melalui celah. Mereka melihat keadaan rumah seperti biasanya, dan menyangka bahwa orang yang sedang tidur di kamar itu adalah Nabi.
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