THE EXAMPLE OF THE PROPHET

The Prophet Muhammad Ï (May peace be upon him) received his first revelation in 610 A.D. in Makkah. God ordained that he carry out the mission of Tawheed.  

The house of the Kabah, which was built as the house of monotheism by the Prophet Abraham# and his son Ishmael# (May peace be upon them), later on became a centre of polytheism. The first revelation might well have demanded the purification of the Kabah, which would have given rise to a serious problem. But the first revelation made in the Quran was:

Purify your vestments (74:4).

This means to purify one’s moral character. If, in the first stage, the Prophet had been commanded to purify the Kabah while Makkah was still under the domination of the unbelievers, this would have surely precipitated into clash and confrontation. Therefore, according to the command of the first revelation, the Prophet continued to perform his prayers peacefully in the Kabah for a period of 13 years, even though it housed several hundred idols.

The mission of Islam is based on monotheism, its goal being to make people realize the existence of the one and only God and to strive to bring about a revolution in the hearts and minds of individuals in order that they may love God as is His due. And the greatest concern of man should be to fear and worship his Creator (2:165).