Rejection of Islam
Any new movement or cause that emerges for the first time in a society will be considered
strange and unfamiliar and will be met with skepticism, apprehensiveness, and doubt and -in most cases – opposition, rejection and disapproval.
The wider the gap between the society in its beliefs, customs and laws and the ideals of the new movement, the greater the conflict between the two.
The pre-Islamic Arabs were a people beset by corruption, deviant beliefs, foolish customs, and engrossed in idolatry.
It was in stark contrast to the message that the Prophet Muhammad (r) brought; a message that called on the people to reject all of their false deities their rocks and trees and idols and to purify all of their worship for Allah alone; The enormous difference between pre-Islamic society and Islam was enough as a cause for the difficulties that Islam and the early Muslims faced. However, there were some other distinct and specific causes that deserve mentioning because of their importance in explaining the hardships early Muslims had to endure.
First: The Weak Influence of the Prophetic Legacy in the Arabian Peninsula The influence of Prophethood and divine guidance was negligible in the Arabian Peninsula due to the fact that no Prophet was ever sent to the Arabian Peninsula before the coming of Muhammed (r), who was the last and final Prophet sent to all of mankind.
Allah, the Most High, informs us that the Arabs were never sent a Prophet in His statement:
Or say they: “He (Muhammed) has fabricated it?” Nay, it is the truth from your Lord, so that you may warn a people to whom no warner has come before you [O Muhammed] in order that they may be guided. [Soorah As-Sajdah, Verse 3]
Allah also says:
“In order that you may warn a people whose forefathers were not warned, so they are heedless.” [Soorah Yasin, Verse 7]
And Allah explains that no book was revealed to them nor was there any messenger sent to them in his statement:
“And We had not given them scriptures which they could study, nor sent to them before you [O Muhammed] any warner” (Messenger).”
Then Allah removed any excuse that the Arabs might have had for not following divine guidance by sending the Prophet Muhammed (r) right into their midst.
Allah the Most High says in His book:
“And this is a blessed Book (the Qur’an) which We have sent down, so follow it and fear Allah (i.e. do not disobey His Orders), that you may receive mercy (i.e. be saved from the torment of Hell). Lest you (pagan Arabs) should say: “The Book was sent down only to two sects before us (the Jews and the Christians), and for our part, we were in fact unaware of what they studied.” Or lest you should say: “If only the book had been sent down to us, we would surely have been better guided than they.” So now has come unto you a clear proof (the Qur’an) from your Lord, and a guidance and a mercy…” [Soorah Al-An’am, verses 155-157]
As for the vestiges of the religion of Ibraheem that they inherited from their forefathers as
well as the traces left by those Prophets and Messengers who came after him,
all of that had become no more than ancient ceremonies practiced out of a desire to claim that they possessed some heritage from their forefather Ibraheem and the Prophets who came after him (u).
However, the pre-Islamic Arabs strayed so far from the original forms of these religions that they even fashioned pictures of Ibraheem and Ismaeel to conform with the prevailing idolatry of the times.
In an authentic hadith narrated upon the authority of Ibn Abbas who said:
“When the Messenger of Allah (r) came to Makkah, he refused to enter the Ka’bah while there were idols in it.
He ordered the idols to be taken out, so they were taken out.
When they removed pictures of Ibraheem and Ismaeel holding Azlams in their hands, the Messenger of Allah (r) said: ‘May Allah curse these people. By Allah, Ibraheem and Ismaeel never played the game of chance with Azlams.’
Then he entered the Ka’bah and said Takbeer in the corners of the Ka’bah but he did not pray while inside.”
Even more lamentable was the fact that the Ka’bah, which is the very symbol of monotheism,
was turned into a house of idols and eventually housed 360 idolsin and around it! In an authentic hadith narrated upon the authority of Abd-Allah ibn Masud who said:
“When the Prophet (r) entered Makkah on the Day of the Conquest, there were three
hundred and sixty idols around the Ka’bah.
The Prophet started striking the idols with a stick he had in his hand, saying:
‘Truth has come and falsehood has vanished, the Truth has come and falsehood can neither create from the beginning nor can it restore life.’
The feeling that the pre-Islamic nation of Arabs had that they were the inheritors
of the religion of Ibraheem and preservers of the religious rites that he came with and that they were the caretakers of the Ka’bah made it even more difficult for them to accept the message that the Prophet Muhammad (r) was sent with by his Lord.
When he called them to make all of their worship for Allah, Who is alone without partner and Who alone deserves to be worshipped, they said:
“Has he made the gods all into One God (Allah). Verily this is a strange thing!” [Soorah Saad: Verse 5]
While at the same time they would acknowledge that which was in conformity with the
message of monotheism in times of distress as is evident in Allah’s statement:
“And when they embark on a ship, they invoke Allah, making their faith pure for Him only: but when He brings them safely to land, behold, they give a share of their worship to others.” [Soorah Ankabauut: Verse 65]
And whenever the Prophet Muhammad (r) would warn them about the Day of Judgment
they would deny all of the signs,
proofs and evidences that the Day is in fact coming and they would say:
“When we are dead and have become dust (shall we be resurrected?) That is a far return.” [Soorah Qaf: Verse 3]
Second:
The Fanatical Adherence of the Pagan Arabs to the Cultural Heritage of their Ancestors It was the practice of these idolaters to revere the customs of their forefathers doing.
In fact it was the most important rule of their society and whoever hesitated about or rejected part of their culture was considered to have dishonored the ancestors As a result the biggest obstacle to the message of monotheism was ancestor worship in the form of blindly and unquestioningly following the customs and practices.
The pre-Islamic Arabs, when they were called to the Book that Allah had revealed and to the truth that the Prophet Muhammed (r) came with, they were stubborn and obstinate in
their refusal and said:
“Enough for us is that which we found our fathers following”! [Qur’an: Al-Ma’idah: Aayah 104]
They also said:
“Nay! We shall follow what we found our fathers following.” [Qur’an AlBaqarah: Aayah 170]
They only resorted to this argument because they had no other excuse. Their argument
was not credible nor was it based upon sound reasoning nor did they have proof from any
book and it is for this reason that Allah said about them:
“Yet of mankind is he who disputes about Allah without knowledge or guidance or a book giving light! And when it is said to them: “Follow that which Allah sent down”, they say: “Nay, we shall follow that which we found our fathers following.” [Qur’an: Luqman, Aayah
20-21]
And in general this was how every nation of people rejected the Prophets and Messengers
sent to them by Allah even though the message they were sent with was full of light and
guidance.
Allah documented in His Book what the unbelieving Arabs said as well as what all unbelievers say:
“Or have we given them any Book before this (the Qur’an) to which they are holding fast? Nay! They say: “We found our fathers following a certain way and religion, and we guide ourselves by their footsteps.” And similarly, We sent not a warner before you (O Muhammed) to any town (people) but the luxurious ones among them said: “We found our fathers following a certain way and religion, and we will indeed follow their foot-steps.” (The warner) said: “Even if I bring you better guidance than that which you found your fathers following?” They said: “Verily, we disbelieve in that with which you have been sent.” [Qur’an: Az-Zukhruf: Aayah 21-24]
Third: Jewish and the Christian Solidarity with the Pagan Arabs Against Islam The Jews and Christians in Arabia were jealous because the newly revealed divine guidance was not revealed directly to them, so they were openly hostile to the message of Muhammed (r).
The pagan Arabs respected and admired the Jews and the Christians because of the books and knowledge that they possessed.
Since the Arab’s idolatry was fundamentally opposed to the message of monotheism,
they took the attitude of the People of the Book as a legitimation for their resistance to the message of Muhammed (r).
Since the Jews and the Christians, who were the inheritors of books that had been previously revealed and more knowledgeable than them in matters of religion, denied the message of Muhammed (r) that they too should deny it as well! This argument turned out to be one of the strongest arguments that the pagan Arabs used to encourage each other to reject Islam.
Allah says:
“And the leaders among them went about (saying): “Go on, and remain constant to your gods! Verily, this is a thing designed (against you)! We have not heard (the like) of this in the religion of these later days (i.e. Christianity). This is nothing but an invention!” [Qur’an : Sad : Verse 6-7]
This argument was apparently (and Allah knows best) based upon statements that the
People of the Book made to the pagan Arabs in opposition to the Messenger Muhammed
(r)
since the Arabs did not have much knowledge about what was contained in the previously revealed books.
Allah says in another place in the Qur’an, referring to statements that the Jews made to the pagan Arabs against those who believed in Allah’s oneness:
“Have you not seen those who were given a portion of the Scripture? They believe in Jibt and Taghut and say to the disbelievers that they are better guided as regards the way than the believers (Muslims). They are those whom Allah has cursed, and he whom Allah curses, you will not find for him any helper.” [Qur’an 4:51-52]
This was because the Jews allied themselves with the pagan Arabs in the fight against the
Messenger of Allah (r) and gave credibility to their religion of idolatry,
and because they preferred the pagan Arabs to the believers.
In a hadith narrated upon the authority of Ibn Abbas who said:
“When K’ab ibn Al-Ashraf (a Jew) arrived in Makkah the Quraysh said to him: ‘Are you the best of the people of Medinah and their chief?’
He said: ‘yes.’
They said (asking about the Prophet (r)): ‘Have you not seen that man who has no sons who claims that he is better than we are? We are the people of Makkah who host the pilgrims and supply them with water and we are the caretakers of the Ka’bah.’
He (K’ab ibn Al-Ashraf) said: ‘You are better than him.’
(Then Allah) revealed the verse:
“For he who hates you (O Muhammed), he will be cut off (from posterity and every good thing in this world and in the Hereafter)” [Soorah AlKauthar:Verse 3]
And Allah also revealed:
“Have you not seen those who were given a portion of the scripture? They believe in Jibt and Taghut}…until the statement of Allah {and he whom Allah curses, you will not find for him (any) helper.” [Soorah An-Nisa:Verses 51-52]
These characteristics accurately portray Ka’b ibn Al-Ashraf (a Jew) who went to the pagan
Arabs of the tribe of Quraysh hoping to mobilize an army to fight against the Prophet (r)
saying to them:
‘Verily we will fight along with you against him…’
So those who were corrupt amongst the followers of the previously revealed religions who
joined the ranks of the idolaters out of envy from their own selves, even after the truth that Muhammed is Allah’s Messenger became manifest unto them.
They joined the ranks of the idolaters even though they were the first people who should have believed in the Qur’an and helped the Messenger and disbelieved in the idolatry of the pagan Arabs.
It is now possible for us to imagine some of the hardships that the Prophet Muhammed
(r) had to endure along with those few believers who were with him.
It was as if the whole world was against them and all of the different groups had unified in opposition to the believers.
This was their condition from the very beginning of this new message until Allah
caused Islam to take firm root in the hearts of the Ansaar in the city of Medinah and the first Islamic state was established.
Fourth: Authority Held By Tribal Chieftains The Arabs were a tribal people with deep-rooted practices that governed most aspects of their lives. These included their notions of nobility, rulership, and political power and led to tribal conflicts and struggles for dominance.
When Allah chose Muhammed (r) to be a Prophet and Messenger, he was from amongst
the elite of his people since he had the blood of two noble families.
The family of AbduManaf on his father’s side and Zuhra on his mother’s. He was from amongst the nobles of the tribe of Quraysh and from the clan of Bani Hashim, which was the noblest bloodline of the Arabs.
Muhammed was also known to be very well mannered, generous and kind natured.
Far from having any of the defects in his character that the people commonly boasted
about in their ignorance and untouched by any blemishes on his reputation because Allah
the Most High was always protecting him and guarding him from every suspicion or short
coming.
However in spite of all that, he did not become leader of his tribe for many reasons related to age and other circumstances on the one hand, and on the other because of Allah’s divine wisdom and secret protection of the message of Islam from being mixed up with worldly ambitions that insincere people are drawn to.
As a result, one of the reasons the pagan Arabs rejected Islam was because they wondered amongst themselves why Muhammed was chosen for this mission.
That was because they did not fully realize the virtue of his moral excellence and the special quality of his personality.
Therefore they were not of the opinion that he was better than them or their equal rather they thought that such and such person from the great,
important men of distinction from one of the tribes should have been chosen to bring the
message.
Allah the Most High says:
And they say: “Why is not this Qur’an sent down to some great man of the two towns (Makkah and Ta’if)?” [Soorah Az-Zukhruf, Verse 31]
Obviously the pagan Arabs had no business trying to involve themselves in the matter of
Allah’s divine choosing of whomever He wills as a Prophet. Especially since they, with their
corrupt souls and confused intellect and bad natures, refused to even follow the chosen
Prophet of Allah (r)!
They even went to the extreme of requesting from Allah that every single one of them be
raised to the position of a Prophet and Messenger and that angels come to them and that
they be given revelation! As if each one of them could never follow anyone else! Allah the
Most High says:
“And when there comes to them a sign (from Allah) they say: “We shall not believe until we receive the like of that which the Messengers of Allah had received.” Allah knows best with whom to place Message. Humiliation and disgrace from Allah and a severe torment will overtake the criminals (polytheists, sinners) for that which they used to plot.” [Soorah Al-An’aam, Verse 124]
They attached great importance to themselves and haughtily refused to follow another
human being even if he was a Prophet (r) who received revelation from the heavens.
They proclaimed:
“If you were to obey another human being like yourselves, then verily you
indeed would be losers.” [Soorah Al-Mu’minun, Verse 34]
As a result of the importance of adhering to tribal customs regarding leadership, the
people who were from the same clan as the Messenger Muhammed (r) refused to follow
him, arguing that he was not a chieftain of their clan nor was he one who held a leadership position amongst them.
Meanwhile those who were from a different clan refused in order to protect the status of their clan’s. Those who were from a different tribe altogether rejected the message of Islam hoping to protect the status of their tribe by not following someone from a different tribe!
Once Abu Jahl and Abu Sufyan and Al-Akhnas ibn Shareeq listened to the Qur’an night after night.
One morning Al-Akhnas ibn Shareeq went to Abu Jahl and asked:
‘O Abu Al-Hakam what do you think about that which you have heard from Muhammed?’
He replied:
‘What have I heard? He disputes with us and the honorable tribe of Abdu Manaf: they provided food and we have provided food, they have carried a burden and we have carried a burden, they gave and we gave until we became firmly united as if we had already mounted our fastest horses.
They said:
‘Is there a Prophet (r) from amongst us who receives revelation
from the sky! When will we ever be able to say this? By Allah we will never listen to him and we will never believe in him.’
Then Al-Akhnas ibn Shareeq arose and departed from Abu Jahl.
The opposition of the tribe of Quraysh heavily influenced the rest of the Arabs to oppose
Islam. The influence of the Quraysh was so great that even if they had not exerted themselves in their resistance to Islam and in the defamation of the Prophet (r), they still would have swayed the people.
That was because all of the Arabs looked to the Quraysh and waited for their approval. The tribe of Quraysh enjoyed a high status among the Arabs.
The Arabs revered the Quraysh for many reasons, especially because they were the people who lived close to the Ka’bah and were the caretakers of Allah’s house.
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