Muhammad, The Messenger of Allah (SWT): Effect of the speech
Muhammad, The Messenger of Allah (SWT): Effect of the speechMuhammad, The Messenger of Allah's (SWT) logical, eloquent speeches greatly impressed many of the people who heard his words. In most gatherings and public places, people talked about the new faith more than anything else. To those who had suffered from the extortion of the cruel oppressors and were tired of the injustices and inhuman conditions prevailing in Makkah, the celestial words of Muhammad, The Messenger of Allah (SWT) opened a door to the world of hope and prosperity and gave new life to their half dead bodies. But the selfish malevolent Quraish chiefs refused to submit to Islam, and, since Muhammad, The Messenger of Allah (SWT) mentioned their deviations and faults at every opportunity, they decided to hinder this spiritual and intellectual revolution by any means possible.
Obviously, the idol worshippers and the oppressive Quraish chiefs well realized that if idolatry were abolished and all the people worshipped the One God and adopted the gainful religion of Islam, no room would be left for their extortion and oppressive rule.
Therefore, they held a council and started talks on the day's issue, trying to find ways to extinguish Muhammad, The Messenger of Allah's (SWT) revolution.
They reached the conclusion from their talks and exchange of views that they should all go to the house of Abu Talib ibn Abd Al-Muttalib - a Quraish chief who was like a father to Muhammad, The Messenger of Allah (SWT) - and ask him to prevent Muhammad, The Messenger of Allah (SWT) from further activities toward propagating his faith by any means he found expedient.
Quraish complain to guardian uncle Abu Talib ibn Abd Al-Muttalib
Quraish complain to guardian uncle Abu Talib ibn Abd Al-MuttalibThe chiefs of the Quraish went to Abu Talib ibn Abd Al-Muttalib's house. Their speaker said to him, 'You possess a high status among us and the Quraish tribe. You are our chief, our master, and our lord. We all have great respect for your honour and high position. We have already asked you to hinder your nephew. We have told you to stop him from offending the faith of our forefathers, denouncing our idols, thoughts and beliefs. But you have not paid any attention to our demands and have not attempted to stop him. We swear by god that we will not tolerate disrespect toward our gods and denunciation of the faith and beliefs of our fathers. You must prevent him from doing these things or we will fight both he and you who support him until either you or we are killed.'
Abu Talib ibn Abd Al-Muttalib tried to solve the problem peacefully, and after they had left the house, he talked to Muhammad, The Messenger of Allah (SWT) about the matter, because Muhammad, The Messenger of Allah (SWT) was loving his guardian uncle Abu Talib ibn Abd Al-Muttalib very much. Addressing Abu Talib ibn Abd Al-Muttalib, Muhammad, The Messenger of Allah (SWT) remarked, 'Allah (SWT) has selected me to be His Messenger. He has given me a message so as to lift the people from degradation. He has given me a message for me to call the people to worship only One God. Allah has ordered me to prevent the people from idol-worship and oppression. I swear by Almighty Allah (SWT) that even if they put the sun in my right hand and the moon in my left, and in return, demand of me to quit the propagation of Islam and pursuance of my divine aim, I will never do what they want me to. I am determined to carry on my duty toward Allah (SWT) to the last moment of my life, even if it means losing my life. I am strongly determined to attain my goal.'
Muhammad, The Messenger of Allah (SWT) left his uncle's house sadly. Abu Talib ibn Abd Al-Muttalib called him and said, 'I swear by God that I will not quit supporting you and will not let them hurt you'. Almighty Allah (SWT) brought his great protection to the attention of Muhammad, The Messenger of Allah (SWT) with the descending of the following verse which says: "Did He not find you an orphan and give you shelter?" (Noble Qur'an, 93:6)
Obstacles on the Way and the Tortures Inflicted by the Quraish
Miracle of Termites eating the Accord, hung inside KaabaFrom the very day Muhammad, The Messenger of Allah (SWT) started his public propagation of Islam, the Quraish chiefs resorted to any means to silence him.
As usual, they first began with attempts to lure him and tried hard to get him interested in wealth, status, and other material benefits that they promised to give him if he submitted to their ungodly will, and, after realizing that this method was of no use in their dealing with him, they attempted to threaten and then to torment and torture him.
Thus a new stage - an exceedingly troublesome phase - started in the blessed life of Muhammad, The Messenger of Allah (SWT). The enemies of Islam, who had well understood that the triumph and rule of Islam would surely put an end to their law of the sword, tyrannies, and exploitation of the deprived people, launched their combat against Muhammad, The Messenger of Allah (SWT) most brutally and ruthlessly, discarding all moral and humane principles - if they had any - and taking up the arms of rancour and cruelty so that they could hamper the spread of Islam and guard the interests of the Quraish chiefs and men of power.
Of course it cannot be denied that one of the reasons for the opposition of the people of that age to the perfect faith of Muhammad, The Messenger of Allah (SWT) was their intellectual immaturity. But from the very day the Quraish tribe heard that Muhammad, The Messenger of Allah (SWT) called the idols and wooden and stone statues they worshipped valueless and useless, they exhibited the utmost enmity and opposition toward Islam. Muhammad, The Messenger of Allah (SWT) asked the people, 'what do you want with these lifeless objects?' They were even more enraged when Muhammad, The Messenger of Allah (SWT) denounced the wooden and stone idols of the Quraish left to them by their ancestors, which they regarded among their ancient glories.
On the other hand, the divine teachings of Muhammad, The Messenger of Allah (SWT) were inconsistent with the interests of the oppressive class of the chiefs of the Quraish who wanted to continue exploiting the poor people and possessing innumerable slaves, as well as with the interests and inhumane desires of the usurers who wished to amass wealth at the expense of the deprived class of their society.
It goes without saying that in an environment where no divine law is obeyed and no human right is respected, the strong will forcibly violate the honour, property, and chastity of the defenseless people, and so the new faith - Islam - which severely opposed and fought this wrong social system, enraged those whose interests and selfish considerations were endangered.
Such notorious people as Abu Jahl, Abu Sufyan ibn Harb, Abu Lahab ibn Abd Al-Muttalib, Aswad ibn Abd Yaghwan, As ibn Wail, Utbah and Shaybah, Walid ibn Maghirah, and Aqibah ibn Abi Ma'ayyat were among the leaders of the opponents of Islam.
Cruel, false accusations, physical torment, foul language, economic and financial pressure and boycotts were among the inhumane methods used by the Quraish chiefs against Muhammad, The Messenger of Allah (SWT) and his faithful companions.
Here some examples of the offences and torments which the enemies of Islam inflicted upon Muhammad, The Messenger of Allah (SWT) are mentioned:
1. One day a number of Quraish gave the uterus of a sheep to their servants to throw at the blessed face and head of Muhammad, The Messenger of Allah (SWT). They obeyed their brutal master, thus making Muhammad, The Messenger of Allah (SWT) rather sad.
Another day they threw camel's guts on him while he was prostrating in prayer. Muhammad, The Messenger of Allah (SWT) remained in prostration, perhaps waiting for one of the Muslims to pass by and take the dirt off his back. His daughter Fatima al-Zahra (sa) was walking by when she saw him. With tears in her eyes, she removed the dirt from his back. He said to her, "Don't cry my daughter, the Almighty Allah (SWT) will honour His religion and grant your father victory."
2. Tariq Maharibi has narrated, I saw Muhammad, The Messenger of Allah (SWT) saying in a loud voice to the people, "O people! Say there is no god but God so you would find salvation."
He urged the people to submit to Islam and become monotheists while Abu Lahab ibn Abd Al-Muttalib followed him step by step and threw stones at him injuring him so that his feet were covered with blood, but Muhammad, The Messenger of Allah (SWT) continued to guide the people and show them the path of eternal salvation and prosperity. Abu Lahab ibn Abd Al-Muttalib cried out, "People! This man is a liar. Do not listen to him."
3. In addition, Muhammad, The Messenger of Allah (SWT), as well as his loyal friends and those who had newly adopted Islam were most severely tortured and tormented by the infidels.
One day, Muhammad, The Messenger of Allah (SWT) observed Ammar Yasir and his family being tortured by the enemies of Islam. Addressing Ammar and his faithful family, he said, 'I give you, Ammar's family, the good tidings that Paradise will be your eternal abode.'
Ibn Athir has written, Ammar and his parents suffered severe tortures from the idol worshippers. The idol worshippers forced them out of their house in the hot burning weather and tortured them under the burning rays of the sun, inflicting the most unbearable tortures upon them so that they would leave the faith.
Sumayyah, Ammar's mother, was the first woman martyr of Islam, killed by a blow from Abu Jahl's weapon. Yasir, Ammar's father, too, died under the torture of the infidels. Ammar himself was most cruelly tortured by the enemies of Islam but resorted to dissimulation and thus saved his own life.
Tortures Inflicted by the Quraish4. Bilal ibn Rabah, an Ethiopian slave, was among Muhammad, The Messenger of Allah's (SWT) most faithful followers and, because of his faith in Islam, his ruthless master brutally tortured him. At midday when it is scorching hot, his master would make Bilal ibn Rabah lie down on the burning hot desert pebbles and sand and put a large and heavy stone on his chest to force him to stop obeying Muhammad, The Messenger of Allah (SWT) and to worship their idols instead of worshipping the One God.
The torture of which is, needless to say, beyond endurance, but Bilal ibn Rabah resisted all his threats and tortures most bravely and admirably and responded just by repeating the word 'Ahad' (One), meaning 'God is One and Peerless and I will never become an idol worshipper.'
In fact Bilal ibn Rabah, as well as many other faithful Muslims at the beginning of Islam, suffered a great deal from the enemies of Islam who had aimed most obstinately at the destruction of Islam. All of them tolerated all the pains and torture and did not leave their faith even for a single moment. We see therefore very clearly how the accusation that Islam prevailed by force and by the law of the sword is false and far from the truth.
Economic struggle: The Quraish had started a fierce economic struggle against Muhammad, The Messenger of Allah (SWT) and his followers. One of the inhumane weapons they used against the Muslims was economic pressure and boycott of any sort of transactions with the Muslims. Bani Hashim and Bani Abd Al-Muttalib joined Abu Talib after the boycott was enforced and withdrew to a narrow glen or wadi known as Sheb Abi Talib. It was the seventh year of Muhammad, The Messenger of Allah's (SWT) mission. Weeks and months had passed, and the people of Hashim lived in misery and hunger. The ban was so rigorously enforced that Muhammad, The Messenger of Allah's (SWT) clan was reduced to eating acacia leaves and the cries of hungry children reverberated all over the valley.
When the period of confinement had lengthened to nearly three years (between 616-619CE), Muhammad, The Messenger of Allah (SWT) said one day to Abu Talib ibn Abd Al-Muttalib that Allah (SWT) had revealed to him that the agreement to which Quraish had subscribed against them, which is hanging on the inside wall of Kaaba, had been so severely damaged by ants that of the writing only the name of Allah had remained legible. Thereupon Abu Talib ibn Abd Al-Muttalib went to Kaaba, where several Quraish were in conclave, and addressed them as follows: 'How long will you continue to conform to the conditions of your brutal agreement? My nephew has told me that Allah (SWT) has wiped out the whole of the agreement except His own name. Let us examine the agreement to discover whether what my nephew has said is correct.' Some of those present endorsed what he had said and the original of the agreement was fetched and on examination it was found that with the exception of the name of God with which it began, the rest of the writing had become undecipherable. In other words it was a miracle that Termites eats up the Accord. In consequence of this significant discovery, some of the chiefs of Quraish, felt that this cruel and unnatural agreement should be terminated.
Psychological warfare: Prohibiting of marriage with Muslims, cutting off all relations with them from the Quraish. Accused Muhammad, The Messenger of Allah (SWT) of witchcraft, sorcery doing traits and tricks by not withstanding his Miracles. Accused Muhammad, The Messenger of Allah (SWT) as being poet by not withstanding the eloquence of Qura'nic verses. Accused Muhammad, The Messenger of Allah (SWT) as being crazy to avoid children going near him, and the like were psychological tactics meant to break down the resistance and perseverance of the first Muslims.
Physical torment and torture: Another anti-human method of fighting the new movement and its adherents used by the Quraish was physical torture of the Muslims, which resulted in the martyrdom of a number of faithful Muslims at the beginning of Islam.
In spite of all the brutal methods that the infidel Quraish utilized in their struggles against Islam, Muhammad, The Messenger of Allah (SWT) and the Muslims, Islam advanced and Muhammad, The Messenger of Allah (SWT) continued to urge the people to go the right way. Islam and the Muslims continued their efforts and struggles.
To maintain their faith in Islam, the Muslims underwent extremely severe torture, sufferings, and hardships and showed admirable resistance in following this honorable path.
A careful and just survey of the conditions of the Muslims at the beginning of Islam reveals the significant fact that, unlike the picture the enemies of Islam have always tried to present, Islam, this holiest of faith, has not been promoted at the point of the bayonet or by the sword, but for 13 years, Muhammad, The Messenger of Allah (SWT) and the faithful Muslims tolerated the tortures, torments, and swords of the infidels and the idol worshippers to promote this divine religion revealed by Allah (SWT) for their salvation.
Muhammad, The Messenger of Allah's (SWT) visit to Taif
Muhammad, The Messenger of Allah's (SWT) visit to TaifGuardian Uncle Hazrat Abu Talib (as) and Khadija tul Kubra (sa) were the main supporters of the Muhammad, The Messenger of Allah (SWT). It was so destined that they passed away within a few days of each other, on the 10th year of the Proclamation of Islam in 619 CE, leaving the Muhammad, The Messenger of Allah (SWT) to lament the bereavement. Muhammad, The Messenger of Allah (SWT) had lost a caring uncle and a loving wife.
The enemies were now relieved, because Hazrat Abu Talib (as) was no more to protect. A few days after Hazrat Abu Talib's (as) death, when Muhammad, The Messenger of Allah (SWT) was once passing through a lane, a woman emptied her garbage from a window upon his head. He returned home with his head soiled. His young daughter Fatima al-Zahra (sa) sat beside him, consoling and washing off the dirt.
As things became intolerable in Makkah, Muhammad, The Messenger of Allah (SWT) decided to move to Taif, a town about sixty miles east of Makkah, along with his adopted son Zaid ibn Harithah, where he thought he would convey the message of Allah (SWT) to the tribe of Thaqeef. Taif was known for its pleasant climate and beautiful scenery.
Muhammad, The Messenger of Allah (SWT) knew very well that people at Taif were no different from Makkans. They also idols worshippers and were in constant contact with the people in Makkah. But he did not despair. As he entered Taif, and proclaimed his prophethood, people jeered at him. One said: "God did not find anyone else for His message except you?" Another said: "I must be naive or a thief if I believed you to be a prophet." And so it went on.
Then in order to prevent him from preaching Islam, people of Taif set a group of children and vagabonds behind him. They pestered him and threw stones at him. It was Imam Ali (as) who protected Muhammad, The Messenger of Allah (SWT) and drove the stone throwing children away from Muhammad, The Messenger of Allah (SWT). Zaid ibn Harithah, noticed that there was so much blood in the Prophet's shoes that his feet were stuck. Tired, forsaken and wounded, he sought refuge in a nearby garden. It belonged to Atabah and Shaibah, two wealthy chiefs of Quraish. They were both there when Muhammad, The Messenger of Allah (SWT) entered and sat under a distant tree. He was alone. Then he raised his face towards heaven and prayed:
"O Allah (SWT)! I raise unto you my complaint for my weakness, my helplessness, and for the ridicule to which I have been subjected. O Merciful of all the Merciful! You are the Master of all oppressed people, You are my God! So to whom would You consign me? To the strangers who would ill-treat me, or to the enemies who have an upper hand over me? If whatever has befallen me is not because of Your wrath, then I fear not. No doubt, the field of Your security and care is wide enough for me. I seek refuge in Your light which illuminates darkness and straightens the affairs of this world and hereafter, that Your displeasure and wrath may not descend upon me. For the sake of Your pleasure, I remain pleased and resigned to my fate. No change in this world occurs without Your Will."
Muhammad, The Messenger of Allah (SWT) remained optimistic about the situation and the future. When Allah (SWT) sent angels who gave him a choice to destroy the people of Taif for the way they had treated this Messenger of Allah (SWT), his response was this: "No, I hope that Allah (SWT) will bring out from their offspring people who worship Him alone and associate no partners with Him."
Atabah and Shaibah were watching. They sent for their servant named Addas and gave him a plate full of grapes. "Take this to that man under the tree," they ordered.
Addas was a Christian. He brought the grapes to Muhammad, The Messenger of Allah (SWT) and bid him eat. As Muhammad, The Messenger of Allah (SWT) picked a bunch he said: "Bismillahir Rahmanir Rahim," (In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate). Addas had never heard this before. He was impressed by it, because the man was invoking mercy and compassion of Allah (SWT) in spite of his desolate state.
"I am the Prophet of Allah (SWT)." Muhammad, The Messenger of Allah (SWT) replied.
"Where do you come from?" Muhammad, The Messenger of Allah (SWT) asked.
"I am Addas, a Christian. I come from Nineveh." Addas replied.
"Nineveh? You come from a place where my brother Yunus bin Mati (Jonah) lived," Muhammad, The Messenger of Allah (SWT) said.
"What do you know of Yunus bin Mati? Here no one seems to know him. Even in Nineveh there were hardly few people who knew his father's name."
Muhammad, The Messenger of Allah (SWT) said: "Yes, I know him because just like me, he was a Prophet of Allah (SWT)."
Addas fell on his knees before Muhammad, The Messenger of Allah (SWT), kissed his hand and embraced Islam.
Why Muhammad, The Messenger of Allah (SWT) is called as Rahmatul-Lil-Alameen?
Rahmatul-Lil-Alameen (mercy to the worlds)One day, the Archangel Jibraeel visited Muhammad, The Messenger of Allah (SWT) who was in the state of sadness. On inquiring the cause, he said that he was grieved at the violence and falsehood of infidels. Shall I give you proof - said the angel - that Allah (SWT) has subjected all things to you? Do you wish to know in what estimation the Most High holds you?
Call that tree. It came near Muhammad, The Messenger of Allah (SWT) and made a prostration, and at the command of Muhammad, The Messenger of Allah (SWT) returned to its place. The angel Ishmaeel, the Regent of the First Heaven now descended and saluting Muhammad, The Messenger of Allah (SWT) said, My Lord has commanded me to obey you implicitly in everything. If you order, I will pour the stars upon your enemies and burn them. The angel of the sun appeared and offered to consume Muhammad, The Messenger of Allah's (SWT) enemies by bringing the sun upon their heads. The angel of earth proposed to have them swallowed up by the opening ground. The angel of the mountains wished to hurl all the mountains on them, and the angel of the ocean asked permission to drown them beneath the mighty waves of the sea.
After having first demanded of these angels if they were all commanded to aid him, and receiving an affirmative answer, Muhammad, The Messenger of Allah (SWT) raised his blessed face towards heaven and said, I am not sent to inflict judgment but enjoined to be the Mercy of the Universe. As we shall observe, this is why even rocks prayed to Muhammad, The Messenger of Allah (SWT) for intercession.
Muhammad, The Messenger of Allah (SWT): Effect of the speechMuhammad, The Messenger of Allah's (SWT) logical, eloquent speeches greatly impressed many of the people who heard his words. In most gatherings and public places, people talked about the new faith more than anything else. To those who had suffered from the extortion of the cruel oppressors and were tired of the injustices and inhuman conditions prevailing in Makkah, the celestial words of Muhammad, The Messenger of Allah (SWT) opened a door to the world of hope and prosperity and gave new life to their half dead bodies. But the selfish malevolent Quraish chiefs refused to submit to Islam, and, since Muhammad, The Messenger of Allah (SWT) mentioned their deviations and faults at every opportunity, they decided to hinder this spiritual and intellectual revolution by any means possible.
Obviously, the idol worshippers and the oppressive Quraish chiefs well realized that if idolatry were abolished and all the people worshipped the One God and adopted the gainful religion of Islam, no room would be left for their extortion and oppressive rule.
Therefore, they held a council and started talks on the day's issue, trying to find ways to extinguish Muhammad, The Messenger of Allah's (SWT) revolution.
They reached the conclusion from their talks and exchange of views that they should all go to the house of Abu Talib ibn Abd Al-Muttalib - a Quraish chief who was like a father to Muhammad, The Messenger of Allah (SWT) - and ask him to prevent Muhammad, The Messenger of Allah (SWT) from further activities toward propagating his faith by any means he found expedient.
Quraish complain to guardian uncle Abu Talib ibn Abd Al-Muttalib
Quraish complain to guardian uncle Abu Talib ibn Abd Al-MuttalibThe chiefs of the Quraish went to Abu Talib ibn Abd Al-Muttalib's house. Their speaker said to him, 'You possess a high status among us and the Quraish tribe. You are our chief, our master, and our lord. We all have great respect for your honour and high position. We have already asked you to hinder your nephew. We have told you to stop him from offending the faith of our forefathers, denouncing our idols, thoughts and beliefs. But you have not paid any attention to our demands and have not attempted to stop him. We swear by god that we will not tolerate disrespect toward our gods and denunciation of the faith and beliefs of our fathers. You must prevent him from doing these things or we will fight both he and you who support him until either you or we are killed.'
Abu Talib ibn Abd Al-Muttalib tried to solve the problem peacefully, and after they had left the house, he talked to Muhammad, The Messenger of Allah (SWT) about the matter, because Muhammad, The Messenger of Allah (SWT) was loving his guardian uncle Abu Talib ibn Abd Al-Muttalib very much. Addressing Abu Talib ibn Abd Al-Muttalib, Muhammad, The Messenger of Allah (SWT) remarked, 'Allah (SWT) has selected me to be His Messenger. He has given me a message so as to lift the people from degradation. He has given me a message for me to call the people to worship only One God. Allah has ordered me to prevent the people from idol-worship and oppression. I swear by Almighty Allah (SWT) that even if they put the sun in my right hand and the moon in my left, and in return, demand of me to quit the propagation of Islam and pursuance of my divine aim, I will never do what they want me to. I am determined to carry on my duty toward Allah (SWT) to the last moment of my life, even if it means losing my life. I am strongly determined to attain my goal.'
Muhammad, The Messenger of Allah (SWT) left his uncle's house sadly. Abu Talib ibn Abd Al-Muttalib called him and said, 'I swear by God that I will not quit supporting you and will not let them hurt you'. Almighty Allah (SWT) brought his great protection to the attention of Muhammad, The Messenger of Allah (SWT) with the descending of the following verse which says: "Did He not find you an orphan and give you shelter?" (Noble Qur'an, 93:6)
Obstacles on the Way and the Tortures Inflicted by the Quraish
Miracle of Termites eating the Accord, hung inside KaabaFrom the very day Muhammad, The Messenger of Allah (SWT) started his public propagation of Islam, the Quraish chiefs resorted to any means to silence him.
As usual, they first began with attempts to lure him and tried hard to get him interested in wealth, status, and other material benefits that they promised to give him if he submitted to their ungodly will, and, after realizing that this method was of no use in their dealing with him, they attempted to threaten and then to torment and torture him.
Thus a new stage - an exceedingly troublesome phase - started in the blessed life of Muhammad, The Messenger of Allah (SWT). The enemies of Islam, who had well understood that the triumph and rule of Islam would surely put an end to their law of the sword, tyrannies, and exploitation of the deprived people, launched their combat against Muhammad, The Messenger of Allah (SWT) most brutally and ruthlessly, discarding all moral and humane principles - if they had any - and taking up the arms of rancour and cruelty so that they could hamper the spread of Islam and guard the interests of the Quraish chiefs and men of power.
Of course it cannot be denied that one of the reasons for the opposition of the people of that age to the perfect faith of Muhammad, The Messenger of Allah (SWT) was their intellectual immaturity. But from the very day the Quraish tribe heard that Muhammad, The Messenger of Allah (SWT) called the idols and wooden and stone statues they worshipped valueless and useless, they exhibited the utmost enmity and opposition toward Islam. Muhammad, The Messenger of Allah (SWT) asked the people, 'what do you want with these lifeless objects?' They were even more enraged when Muhammad, The Messenger of Allah (SWT) denounced the wooden and stone idols of the Quraish left to them by their ancestors, which they regarded among their ancient glories.
On the other hand, the divine teachings of Muhammad, The Messenger of Allah (SWT) were inconsistent with the interests of the oppressive class of the chiefs of the Quraish who wanted to continue exploiting the poor people and possessing innumerable slaves, as well as with the interests and inhumane desires of the usurers who wished to amass wealth at the expense of the deprived class of their society.
It goes without saying that in an environment where no divine law is obeyed and no human right is respected, the strong will forcibly violate the honour, property, and chastity of the defenseless people, and so the new faith - Islam - which severely opposed and fought this wrong social system, enraged those whose interests and selfish considerations were endangered.
Such notorious people as Abu Jahl, Abu Sufyan ibn Harb, Abu Lahab ibn Abd Al-Muttalib, Aswad ibn Abd Yaghwan, As ibn Wail, Utbah and Shaybah, Walid ibn Maghirah, and Aqibah ibn Abi Ma'ayyat were among the leaders of the opponents of Islam.
Cruel, false accusations, physical torment, foul language, economic and financial pressure and boycotts were among the inhumane methods used by the Quraish chiefs against Muhammad, The Messenger of Allah (SWT) and his faithful companions.
Here some examples of the offences and torments which the enemies of Islam inflicted upon Muhammad, The Messenger of Allah (SWT) are mentioned:
1. One day a number of Quraish gave the uterus of a sheep to their servants to throw at the blessed face and head of Muhammad, The Messenger of Allah (SWT). They obeyed their brutal master, thus making Muhammad, The Messenger of Allah (SWT) rather sad.
Another day they threw camel's guts on him while he was prostrating in prayer. Muhammad, The Messenger of Allah (SWT) remained in prostration, perhaps waiting for one of the Muslims to pass by and take the dirt off his back. His daughter Fatima al-Zahra (sa) was walking by when she saw him. With tears in her eyes, she removed the dirt from his back. He said to her, "Don't cry my daughter, the Almighty Allah (SWT) will honour His religion and grant your father victory."
2. Tariq Maharibi has narrated, I saw Muhammad, The Messenger of Allah (SWT) saying in a loud voice to the people, "O people! Say there is no god but God so you would find salvation."
He urged the people to submit to Islam and become monotheists while Abu Lahab ibn Abd Al-Muttalib followed him step by step and threw stones at him injuring him so that his feet were covered with blood, but Muhammad, The Messenger of Allah (SWT) continued to guide the people and show them the path of eternal salvation and prosperity. Abu Lahab ibn Abd Al-Muttalib cried out, "People! This man is a liar. Do not listen to him."
3. In addition, Muhammad, The Messenger of Allah (SWT), as well as his loyal friends and those who had newly adopted Islam were most severely tortured and tormented by the infidels.
One day, Muhammad, The Messenger of Allah (SWT) observed Ammar Yasir and his family being tortured by the enemies of Islam. Addressing Ammar and his faithful family, he said, 'I give you, Ammar's family, the good tidings that Paradise will be your eternal abode.'
Ibn Athir has written, Ammar and his parents suffered severe tortures from the idol worshippers. The idol worshippers forced them out of their house in the hot burning weather and tortured them under the burning rays of the sun, inflicting the most unbearable tortures upon them so that they would leave the faith.
Sumayyah, Ammar's mother, was the first woman martyr of Islam, killed by a blow from Abu Jahl's weapon. Yasir, Ammar's father, too, died under the torture of the infidels. Ammar himself was most cruelly tortured by the enemies of Islam but resorted to dissimulation and thus saved his own life.
Tortures Inflicted by the Quraish4. Bilal ibn Rabah, an Ethiopian slave, was among Muhammad, The Messenger of Allah's (SWT) most faithful followers and, because of his faith in Islam, his ruthless master brutally tortured him. At midday when it is scorching hot, his master would make Bilal ibn Rabah lie down on the burning hot desert pebbles and sand and put a large and heavy stone on his chest to force him to stop obeying Muhammad, The Messenger of Allah (SWT) and to worship their idols instead of worshipping the One God.
The torture of which is, needless to say, beyond endurance, but Bilal ibn Rabah resisted all his threats and tortures most bravely and admirably and responded just by repeating the word 'Ahad' (One), meaning 'God is One and Peerless and I will never become an idol worshipper.'
In fact Bilal ibn Rabah, as well as many other faithful Muslims at the beginning of Islam, suffered a great deal from the enemies of Islam who had aimed most obstinately at the destruction of Islam. All of them tolerated all the pains and torture and did not leave their faith even for a single moment. We see therefore very clearly how the accusation that Islam prevailed by force and by the law of the sword is false and far from the truth.
Economic struggle: The Quraish had started a fierce economic struggle against Muhammad, The Messenger of Allah (SWT) and his followers. One of the inhumane weapons they used against the Muslims was economic pressure and boycott of any sort of transactions with the Muslims. Bani Hashim and Bani Abd Al-Muttalib joined Abu Talib after the boycott was enforced and withdrew to a narrow glen or wadi known as Sheb Abi Talib. It was the seventh year of Muhammad, The Messenger of Allah's (SWT) mission. Weeks and months had passed, and the people of Hashim lived in misery and hunger. The ban was so rigorously enforced that Muhammad, The Messenger of Allah's (SWT) clan was reduced to eating acacia leaves and the cries of hungry children reverberated all over the valley.
When the period of confinement had lengthened to nearly three years (between 616-619CE), Muhammad, The Messenger of Allah (SWT) said one day to Abu Talib ibn Abd Al-Muttalib that Allah (SWT) had revealed to him that the agreement to which Quraish had subscribed against them, which is hanging on the inside wall of Kaaba, had been so severely damaged by ants that of the writing only the name of Allah had remained legible. Thereupon Abu Talib ibn Abd Al-Muttalib went to Kaaba, where several Quraish were in conclave, and addressed them as follows: 'How long will you continue to conform to the conditions of your brutal agreement? My nephew has told me that Allah (SWT) has wiped out the whole of the agreement except His own name. Let us examine the agreement to discover whether what my nephew has said is correct.' Some of those present endorsed what he had said and the original of the agreement was fetched and on examination it was found that with the exception of the name of God with which it began, the rest of the writing had become undecipherable. In other words it was a miracle that Termites eats up the Accord. In consequence of this significant discovery, some of the chiefs of Quraish, felt that this cruel and unnatural agreement should be terminated.
Psychological warfare: Prohibiting of marriage with Muslims, cutting off all relations with them from the Quraish. Accused Muhammad, The Messenger of Allah (SWT) of witchcraft, sorcery doing traits and tricks by not withstanding his Miracles. Accused Muhammad, The Messenger of Allah (SWT) as being poet by not withstanding the eloquence of Qura'nic verses. Accused Muhammad, The Messenger of Allah (SWT) as being crazy to avoid children going near him, and the like were psychological tactics meant to break down the resistance and perseverance of the first Muslims.
Physical torment and torture: Another anti-human method of fighting the new movement and its adherents used by the Quraish was physical torture of the Muslims, which resulted in the martyrdom of a number of faithful Muslims at the beginning of Islam.
In spite of all the brutal methods that the infidel Quraish utilized in their struggles against Islam, Muhammad, The Messenger of Allah (SWT) and the Muslims, Islam advanced and Muhammad, The Messenger of Allah (SWT) continued to urge the people to go the right way. Islam and the Muslims continued their efforts and struggles.
To maintain their faith in Islam, the Muslims underwent extremely severe torture, sufferings, and hardships and showed admirable resistance in following this honorable path.
A careful and just survey of the conditions of the Muslims at the beginning of Islam reveals the significant fact that, unlike the picture the enemies of Islam have always tried to present, Islam, this holiest of faith, has not been promoted at the point of the bayonet or by the sword, but for 13 years, Muhammad, The Messenger of Allah (SWT) and the faithful Muslims tolerated the tortures, torments, and swords of the infidels and the idol worshippers to promote this divine religion revealed by Allah (SWT) for their salvation.
Muhammad, The Messenger of Allah's (SWT) visit to Taif
Muhammad, The Messenger of Allah's (SWT) visit to TaifGuardian Uncle Hazrat Abu Talib (as) and Khadija tul Kubra (sa) were the main supporters of the Muhammad, The Messenger of Allah (SWT). It was so destined that they passed away within a few days of each other, on the 10th year of the Proclamation of Islam in 619 CE, leaving the Muhammad, The Messenger of Allah (SWT) to lament the bereavement. Muhammad, The Messenger of Allah (SWT) had lost a caring uncle and a loving wife.
The enemies were now relieved, because Hazrat Abu Talib (as) was no more to protect. A few days after Hazrat Abu Talib's (as) death, when Muhammad, The Messenger of Allah (SWT) was once passing through a lane, a woman emptied her garbage from a window upon his head. He returned home with his head soiled. His young daughter Fatima al-Zahra (sa) sat beside him, consoling and washing off the dirt.
As things became intolerable in Makkah, Muhammad, The Messenger of Allah (SWT) decided to move to Taif, a town about sixty miles east of Makkah, along with his adopted son Zaid ibn Harithah, where he thought he would convey the message of Allah (SWT) to the tribe of Thaqeef. Taif was known for its pleasant climate and beautiful scenery.
Muhammad, The Messenger of Allah (SWT) knew very well that people at Taif were no different from Makkans. They also idols worshippers and were in constant contact with the people in Makkah. But he did not despair. As he entered Taif, and proclaimed his prophethood, people jeered at him. One said: "God did not find anyone else for His message except you?" Another said: "I must be naive or a thief if I believed you to be a prophet." And so it went on.
Then in order to prevent him from preaching Islam, people of Taif set a group of children and vagabonds behind him. They pestered him and threw stones at him. It was Imam Ali (as) who protected Muhammad, The Messenger of Allah (SWT) and drove the stone throwing children away from Muhammad, The Messenger of Allah (SWT). Zaid ibn Harithah, noticed that there was so much blood in the Prophet's shoes that his feet were stuck. Tired, forsaken and wounded, he sought refuge in a nearby garden. It belonged to Atabah and Shaibah, two wealthy chiefs of Quraish. They were both there when Muhammad, The Messenger of Allah (SWT) entered and sat under a distant tree. He was alone. Then he raised his face towards heaven and prayed:
"O Allah (SWT)! I raise unto you my complaint for my weakness, my helplessness, and for the ridicule to which I have been subjected. O Merciful of all the Merciful! You are the Master of all oppressed people, You are my God! So to whom would You consign me? To the strangers who would ill-treat me, or to the enemies who have an upper hand over me? If whatever has befallen me is not because of Your wrath, then I fear not. No doubt, the field of Your security and care is wide enough for me. I seek refuge in Your light which illuminates darkness and straightens the affairs of this world and hereafter, that Your displeasure and wrath may not descend upon me. For the sake of Your pleasure, I remain pleased and resigned to my fate. No change in this world occurs without Your Will."
Muhammad, The Messenger of Allah (SWT) remained optimistic about the situation and the future. When Allah (SWT) sent angels who gave him a choice to destroy the people of Taif for the way they had treated this Messenger of Allah (SWT), his response was this: "No, I hope that Allah (SWT) will bring out from their offspring people who worship Him alone and associate no partners with Him."
Atabah and Shaibah were watching. They sent for their servant named Addas and gave him a plate full of grapes. "Take this to that man under the tree," they ordered.
Addas was a Christian. He brought the grapes to Muhammad, The Messenger of Allah (SWT) and bid him eat. As Muhammad, The Messenger of Allah (SWT) picked a bunch he said: "Bismillahir Rahmanir Rahim," (In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate). Addas had never heard this before. He was impressed by it, because the man was invoking mercy and compassion of Allah (SWT) in spite of his desolate state.
"I am the Prophet of Allah (SWT)." Muhammad, The Messenger of Allah (SWT) replied.
"Where do you come from?" Muhammad, The Messenger of Allah (SWT) asked.
"I am Addas, a Christian. I come from Nineveh." Addas replied.
"Nineveh? You come from a place where my brother Yunus bin Mati (Jonah) lived," Muhammad, The Messenger of Allah (SWT) said.
"What do you know of Yunus bin Mati? Here no one seems to know him. Even in Nineveh there were hardly few people who knew his father's name."
Muhammad, The Messenger of Allah (SWT) said: "Yes, I know him because just like me, he was a Prophet of Allah (SWT)."
Addas fell on his knees before Muhammad, The Messenger of Allah (SWT), kissed his hand and embraced Islam.
Why Muhammad, The Messenger of Allah (SWT) is called as Rahmatul-Lil-Alameen?
Rahmatul-Lil-Alameen (mercy to the worlds)One day, the Archangel Jibraeel visited Muhammad, The Messenger of Allah (SWT) who was in the state of sadness. On inquiring the cause, he said that he was grieved at the violence and falsehood of infidels. Shall I give you proof - said the angel - that Allah (SWT) has subjected all things to you? Do you wish to know in what estimation the Most High holds you?
Call that tree. It came near Muhammad, The Messenger of Allah (SWT) and made a prostration, and at the command of Muhammad, The Messenger of Allah (SWT) returned to its place. The angel Ishmaeel, the Regent of the First Heaven now descended and saluting Muhammad, The Messenger of Allah (SWT) said, My Lord has commanded me to obey you implicitly in everything. If you order, I will pour the stars upon your enemies and burn them. The angel of the sun appeared and offered to consume Muhammad, The Messenger of Allah's (SWT) enemies by bringing the sun upon their heads. The angel of earth proposed to have them swallowed up by the opening ground. The angel of the mountains wished to hurl all the mountains on them, and the angel of the ocean asked permission to drown them beneath the mighty waves of the sea.
After having first demanded of these angels if they were all commanded to aid him, and receiving an affirmative answer, Muhammad, The Messenger of Allah (SWT) raised his blessed face towards heaven and said, I am not sent to inflict judgment but enjoined to be the Mercy of the Universe. As we shall observe, this is why even rocks prayed to Muhammad, The Messenger of Allah (SWT) for intercession.
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