TREATMENT OF THE PROPHET BY HIS PEOPLE
The efforts of the Quraysh to seduce the Prophet’s companions from their religion failed
miserably,
nor did they succeed in stopping the Prophet (r) from preaching his religion fearlessly.
The Qurayshites were first annoyed and agitated, and then dismayed by the expanding community of Muslims, they stirred up against him, calling him a liar, a sorcerer, a segregator and a poet; they insulted and abused him and started harassing him in every respect.
Once, when they were assembled at the Ka`bah, the Prophet (r) arrived.
The Qurayshites assailed him in unison.
While they mobbed him thus, one of them pulled the sheet of cloth hanging round his neck, which nearly choked his throat.
Abu Bakr, who happened to be present at that time, separated them from the Prophet (r) by thrusting himself in between them.
And with tears in his eyes he cried, “Would you kill a man simply because he acknowledges that Allah is his Lord?”
Hearing this, they shunned the Prophet (r) but fell upon Abu Bakr dragging him by his hair and beard.
At another time, the Prophet (r) even had to face a worse ordeal throughout the whole
day.
Whomsoever he met, whether freeman or slave, cursed or vilified, or tried to hurt him in any way.
He returned to his house and wrapped himself up because of the torments he had to endure that day.
Then it was that God revealed to him the opening verse of the Chapter “The Enshrouded One” – ‘O You wrapped up in Your cloak, Arise and warn.”
SUFFERINGS OF ABU BAKR
One morning Abu Bakr made a bold move to invite a gathering of the heathens
to the true faith in God and His Prophet (r) but they fell upon him furiously and beat him mercilessly.
‘Utba Ibn Rabia inflicted such severe injuries to his face with a pair of shoes that one could no longer distinguish the eyes from the nose of his swollen face.
Abu Bakr fell unconscious and was brought to his house by Banu Taym, his kinsmen
, in a precarious condition, his life hanging by a thread.
He regained consciousness late in the afternoon, but even then, the first thing he asked was whether the Prophet (r) was well and safe!
His relations with the Prophet (r) endangered him for his concern for the Prophet (r), on whose account he had to suffer so grievously.
Then, hardly raising his voice, he repeated his question to Umm Jamil, who had also accepted Islam. Umm Jamil motioned towards his mother who was standing near her, but Abu Bakr insisted on knowing about the Prophet (r), saying that there was no harm on telling him in her presence. At last, Umm Jamil told him that the Prophet (r) was fine, but Abu Bakr (t) would not be satisfied until he had himself seen the Prophet (r).
He said, “I have taken a vow that I would not take anything until I have seen the Prophet (r) myself.”
The two women waited until everybody had departed and then they brought Abu Bakr to the Prophet (r) who was moved to see his pitiable condition.
The Prophet (r) prayed for his mother and invited her to accept Islam. It is reported that she readily pledged her trust in the Prophet (r) of God.
Quraish in a fix
As the enmity of persecutors increased, so did the number of the Prophet’s followers.
The Quraysh were baffled about how they were going to stop the people from taking the Prophet (r) and his teachings seriously. Makkah was a commercial center frequented by tribes people from far and near and during the Hajj, or when it is about to draw near, a plethora of them were to come again.
The people coming to Makkah had somehow to be kept at a distance from the Prophet (r), lest they should hear his sermons and digest his words, or that they may contemplate or reflect and meditate upon them.
They went to Walid Ibn Al-Mughira, who was old and a man of standing, to seek his advice. He said,
“O people of Quraysh, the time of Hajj has come around when delegations of
the Arabs will come here. They have all heard about this man, so agree upon a common ground hence you do not contradict one another and each one of you says the same thing.”
Different suggestions were put forward but Walid was not satisfied. At last, he was asked to suggest some way out. Thereupon
he said, “The most convincing thing in my opinion would be that all of you present him as a sorcerer. You should say that he has brought a message through which he creates a rift between fathers and sons, or where brothers fall out from brothers, as well as husbands part ways with their wives and that families break up under his influence.”
The Quraysh came back to the shenanigan suggested by Walid.
They sat when the time of Hajj commenced, warning everyone to keep clear of Muhammed, repeating what they had already agreed upon each other.
CRUELTY OF THE QURAYSH
The persecutors of the Prophet (r) were consumed by a rancor disregard for every consideration of humanitarianism and kinship;
their torture was embittered by the refinements of cruelty and their misbehavior and rudeness was helpless and ineffective enough to pollute the sacred asylum held as the holiest sanctum by the Arabs.
One day while the Prophet (r) was praying at the Ka’bah, a company of the Quraysh occupied their places in the sanctuary.
‘Utba Ibn Abu Mu’ayt brought the fetus of a camel from somewhere and when the Prophet (r) prostrated in prayer, he laid it on his back and shoulders.
The Messenger of God (r) remained in prostration until his daughter Fatima (May Allah be pleased with her) came running and threw it off him. She called down evil upon the one who had done it and the Prophet (r) also joined her in the condemnation. (Al-Bukhaari)
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