Opposition and Hardships

There was one main reason for the Quraysh to reject the Prophet. Makkah was a centre of pilgrimage because of the Kabah, which housed 360 idols of the neighbouring tribes and nations. Since Islam believed in only one God, the Quraysh feared that once the concept of one God became popular, the tribes would stop visiting the Kabah to pay homage to the idols. This would deprive them of the respect they commanded as guardians of the Kabah. People in great numbers from the neighbouring tribes used to visit Makkah all the year round to make offerings to the idols. This brought prosperity to Makkah, for trade flourished side by side with the pilgrimage. Makkah being a desert, no agriculture or economic resources existed there. The Kabah was their only asset. But, not all of the Makkans were hostile. There were people who gave serious thought to the message of the Quran and gradually began to accept Islam. In that period, about 200 people from Makkah as well as the neighbouring settlements entered the fold of Islam.

The Quraysh, who enjoyed the Makkan leadership, considered the teachings of the new religion an insult to the religion of their forefathers. In Islam they saw a danger to their own leadership. Such leaders as Abu Jahl, Abu Lahab were the most hostile to the Prophet.

The chiefs of different clans gathered to discuss this matter. They all felt that if Abu Talib did not come in their way, they would have no difficulty in finding a solution to this problem. So they all came to Abu Talib to tell him to stop Muhammad 

 from spreading his message.

 

They warned him, “Tell Muhammad  to stop spreading his message, or you will abandon him. If you fail to do so, you should be ready to suffer for the deeds of your nephew.”

Abu Talib, an old man, felt that he would not be able to resist their wrath. So he told Muhammad  what the Quraysh chiefs had said to him and then added, “My dearest nephew, look to your own safety, and to the safety of your uncle, and do not cause me to carry a burden I cannot bear.”

For a while the Prophet stood motionless. On the one hand, there was his old uncle weakened by the people’s opposition, and on the other hand, there was the responsibility to proclaim the truth till his last breath. So he decided to discharge his duty whatever the cost. In a firm and calm voice, and with tears in his eyes, he said:

“O Uncle! By God Almighty, I swear that even if they were to place the sun on my right hand and the moon on my left hand, I would not give up my mission. I must go on carrying it out till I die.”

Abu Talib, touched by the sincerity and force of the words uttered by his nephew, remained motionless for a while. Then he turned to the Prophet and said:

“My nephew, go your way. Do your duty. Let my people turn against me. I am with you. No one shall harm you as long as I live.”

Opposition Intensified

When the Quraysh saw that the pressure on Abu Talib had failed, they decided to make life unbearable for the Prophet and his followers. Slaves, the weakest sections of society, were the worst sufferers. Their masters beat them brutally and some of them were beaten to death. But they suffered all this patiently. Abu Bakr spent much of his wealth on freeing these slaves.

Even the wealthy Muslims were not spared. They were also persecuted. Their own relatives turned against them.

The Makkans did all that they could to turn people away from the Prophet. But, in spite of all their efforts, Islam continued to spread. Some of the powerful men of Makkah accepted Islam. Hamzah, the Prophet’s uncle, Umar ibn Al-Khattab, who was famous for his bravery, and Abu Dharr Ghifari were among them.

The Qurayash were more enraged than before. They made life so difficult for the Muslims that a number of them migrated to Abyssinia (Ethiopia), a nearby country, with the Prophet’s permission.

The Makkan chiefs were more enraged than before. They made life so difficult for the Muslims that a number of them migrated to Abyssinia (Ethiopia), a nearby country, with the Prophet’s permission. At first fifteen men and women migrated to Abyssinia. Slowly, the number reached 83.

This safe haven of the Muslims made the Makkans all the more angry. They sent two of their men to Negus, the king of Abyssinia. These men brought him precious gifts and requested him to turn these ‘ignoble’ people out of his land as they had forsaken their forefather’s religion to follow a new religion. Negus sent for the Muslims and asked them to explain their case. Thereupon Jafar, son of Abu Talib, briefly explained to him the teachings of Islam and recited some portions from the Quran from the chapter called ‘Mary’. Negus was very impressed and said:

“Go forth into my kingdom; I shall not extradite you at all.”

Then he turned to the Makkans and said:

“Go away, I cannot give up these people. They are following the true faith.”

Social Boycott

With the passage of time, the Makkan chiefs became more and more bitter. They felt that it was the Prophet Muhammad’s  clan, the Banu Hashim, headed by Abu Talib, that was responsible for all this misery and that if they had given up the Prophet Muhammad , all his activities could have been stopped without delay. They made it known to the Banu Hashim that if they did not surrender Muhammad to them, they would have to suffer the consequences.

The tribes of Makkah entered into an agreement. They agreed to cut off all dealings with the Banu Hashim. No one was to sell anything to them. The agreement was signed and hung up in the sacred Kabah. This was the seventh year of the prophethood.

This period of boycott was one of great hardship for the Banu Hashim and the Muslims. While this ban was in force, Abu Talib, the chief of the Banu Hashim, had to take refuge in a narrow valley, which came to be known as Abu Talib’s Pass. For three years, the Prophet and all his relatives lived in this valley. Many of the Muslims joined them. Since all supplies to the valley were cut off, the Banu Hashim had to live on the leaves and roots of trees.

Finally, certain kind-hearted Makkan leaders took pity on the Banu Hashim. The agreement was annuled and the Banu Hashim could come back to their homes. But soon after this, Abu Talib, the Prophet’s uncle, died. His health had deteriorated during the three years of hardship. Although Abu Talib had not accepted Islam, as head of his clan he had protected the Prophet from his opponents.

After his death, Abu Lahab, another uncle of the Prophet, became head of the Banu Hashim. He was the most bitter enemy of Islam and the Muslims. He made it clear to the Quraysh that the Prophet Muhammad  no longer enjoyed his clan’s protection. In those days, it was impossible for an individual to survive without the protection of his clan.

Khadijah, the faithful wife of the Prophet, also died soon after the ban was lifted. Both these deaths took place in the 10th year of the prophethood. The Prophet Muhammad  said, “Mary, the daughter of ‘Imran, was the best among the women (of the world of her time) and Khadijah is the best amongst the women (of this nation).” 

The loss of Abu Talib and Khadijah saddened the Prophet, for they had been great sources of strength to him. It was their deaths that made the enemy bold enough to persecute him. One day when the Prophet was praying in the Kabah, Abu Jahl put a piece of cloth round his neck and twisted it hard. He would have strangled the Prophet had not Abu Bakr rushed to his help in time.

The Journey to Ta’if

Day by day, the situation worsened. So the Prophet decided to go to Ta’if, a neighbouring town, 40 miles from Makkah to spread the teachings of Islam. He spoke to the leaders of the town and invited them to accept Islam. They paid no heed to his message. They were such evil people that they did not stop at that. When the Prophet was leaving the town in a dejected state, he was chased by street urchins instigated by these chiefs. They abused him and threw stones at him as he walked out of town. They continued to pelt him with stones until he escaped under cover of the darkness of the night. He stopped on the way in an orchard to rest. He was badly hurt, bleeding profusely. Yet he only prayed for the guidance of his assailants. He did not curse them. In all humility he addressed God in these words:

“Oh, my God! To You I complain of the feebleness of my strength, of my lack of resources and of my being unimportant in the eyes of people. Oh, Most Merciful of all those capable of showing mercy! You are the Lord of the weak, and You are my own Lord. To whom do You entrust me; to an unsympathetic folk who would sullenly frown at me, or to an alien to whom You have given control over my affairs? Not in the least do I care for anything except that I may have Your protection for myself. I seek shelter in Your light — The light that illuminates the Heavens and dispels all sorts of darkness, and which controls all affairs in this world as well as in the Hereafter. May it never be that I should incur Your wrath, or that You should be displeased with me. I must remove the cause of Your displeasure until You are pleased. There is no strength nor power but through You.”

Aishah once asked the Prophet “Have you ever experienced a day harder than the day of the battle of Uhud?” He replied, “The hardest treatment I met from

them was on the Day of ‘Aqabah when I went to Ibn ‘Abd Yalil bin ‘Abd Kulal (who was one of the chiefs of Ta’if) with the purpose of inviting him to Islam, but he made no response (to my call).”

Oh, my God! To You I complain of the feebleness of my strength, of my lack of resources and of my being unimportant in the eyes of people. Oh, Most Merciful of all those capable of showing mercy! You are the Lord of the weak, and You are my own Lord.

An Extraordinary Journey

In the tenth year of prophethood the angel Jibril came to take the Prophet on the miraculous journey to the heavens known as Mi‘raj. They first went from Makkah to Jerusalem, the Prophet riding on a winged horse. At Jerusalem, the Prophet said his prayers in the Temple of David, where all other prophets joined him in prayer. Then he ascended to the heavens still accompanied by the angel Jibril. The Prophet ascended up the seven heavens, one by one. He met prophets in each heaven. He met Adam, the forefather of man, in the first heaven. John, son of Zacharia and Jesus in the second heaven, Joseph in the third, Idris in the fourth. Aaron in the fifth and Moses in the sixth. The Prophet Moses started crying when he saw the Prophet Muhammad . When asked the reason, the Prophet Moses said he was weeping as the Prophet Muhammad  would be able to lead more of his people to Paradise than he himself had done. God granted an audience to His messenger. It was on this blessed occasion that the Prophet received God’s commandments including the prayer to be said five times daily. Originally, fifty daily prayers had been ordained, but Moses asked him to return and ask for a reduction. First the prayers were reduced to 10 and then when the Prophet Muhammad‌  went back for a further reduction, the number was reduced to five. The Prophet then came back home.

The Prophet was amazed to find the spot where he had lain was still warm, and the cup he had tipped over was still emptying. This incredible experience had taken place in less than a moment!

The next morning, the Prophet told the Quraysh what had happened. They did not believe him. Many of the companions were amazed and wanted the Prophet to explain how such a thing could happen. But the Prophet’s description of Jerusalem, and the caravans he had seen on the way back to Makkah, convinced them he was telling the truth.