Insulting
Behavior to the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم)
Once the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) was saying his prayers at the Ka'bah when
Uqbah bin Abu Muait twisted his neck with a piece of cloth until he (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) was nearly
strangled. On being informed, Abu Bakr (radhiyallahu 'anha) rushed to the spot
and saved the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم)
from the mischief, and then said addressing the Quraish: "Would you kill a
person simply because he claims that Allâh is his Lord?" Thereupon they
left the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم)
and grappled with Abu Bakr (radhiyallahu 'anha) and manhandled him very
roughly. Once the Quraish surrounded the Prophet (صلى
الله عليه وآله وسلم) on all sides and began to treat him
rudely and disrespectfully. Hârith bin Abu Hâlah hurried to the place in order
to save him from the clutches of the criminals but the disbelievers martyred
him. However, they dared not manhandle the Prophet (صلى
الله عليه وآله وسلم). Thorns were spread on the way he had to
pass in the night so that his feet were wounded.
Once the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) was performing prayers in the courtyard
of Ka'bah in the presence of the Quraish. Abu Jahl said to the people: "A
camel has been slaughtered at such and such place and its intestines are still
lying there. One should fetch them and put it on Muhammad." Hearing this,
Uqbah bin Abu Muait got up and fetched the intestines and put it on the back of
the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم)
when he was prostrating. The disbelievers were overtaken by laughter. Although
Abdullah bin Mas'ud was present there, he could not muster the courage to do
the needful. By chance, Fâtimah (radhiyallahu 'anha) who was then of tender
age, removed the intestines from the back of her father reproaching them in
strong words.
They used to throw stones, filth and
refuse at his house. Once he (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم)
said, "O Banu Abd Manâf, how well you are at fulfilling the rights of a
neighbor." The Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم)
was sometimes called a poet and at times he was branded as a sorcerer, a
soothsayer, or insane. In short, the disbelievers of Makkah left no stone
unturned in putting the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله
وسلم) and his Companions to the utmost physical and mental torture
and tried to block his mission. But the Prophet (صلى
الله عليه وآله وسلم) was determined to fulfill his sacred
mission with unshakable conviction. When the Quraish were perfectly convinced
that their opposition to the mission would bear no fruit, they adopted another
plan.
An
Offer of all earthly Desires and a Plain Reply
The Quraish held consultations over
the issue and sent Utbah bin Rabi'ah to the Prophet (صلى
الله عليه وآله وسلم) with a proposal. He said very politely,
"Muhammad, you are noble and belong to a noble and illustrious family. But
you have created a rift in your people. Tell me what do you want? If you want
to have wealth, we will collect enough of it that you will be the richest of
all of us. If you desire to be a leader, we will make you our chief and are
ready to accept your rule. If you want to marry someone, we shall arrange your
marriage with the most beautiful lady of the highest and most respectable
family and if you are eager for these simultaneously, we can provide you with
all this."
When Utbah had finished, the Prophet
(صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) began to recite
Sûrat As-Sajdah in response to his speech. When he (صلى
الله عليه وآله وسلم) came to: "But if they turn away,
then say: 'I have warned you of a destructive torment like the torment which
overtook Âd and Thamud." (41:13), Utbah turned pale and put his hand on
the mouth of the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم)
requesting him not to say such things. The Prophet (صلى
الله عليه وآله وسلم) then prostrated and raising his head
said, "Did you get my reply?" Utbah left the place and came back to
the Quraish, and said, "Take my advice and leave this man alone and be
neutral in his case. If he brings Arabia under his control then, since he is
your brother, his success implies your success; and if he meets his doom, you
are happily safe." Hearing this the Quraish said to Utbah, "It
appears Muhammad has cast a spell on you." Utbah replied, "You say
whatever you like, I have already expressed my opinion."
Deputation
of the Quraish to Abu Tâlib
When the efforts of Utbah met with
failure, a delegation comprising Utbah, Shebah, Abul-Bukhtari, Aswad, Walid,
and Abu Jahl came to Abu Tâlib and complained: "Your nephew doesn't
refrain from insulting our idols, make him understand and hold him back from
such moves." Abu Tâlib replied to them suitably and protested against
their excesses. That day they returned but the very next day they again came to
Abu Tâlib after consultations. They made the same suggestions before Abu Tâlib
that Utbah had already put forward. They began to say, "O Muhammad, we
have sent for you to tell you that none has ever brought so much trouble to the
people as you have done. If you, by this new faith of yours, intend to collect
money, we can amass it for you that which none could excel. We will make you
our chief if you have a longing for rule, we are ready to install you as our
king. If you are possessed by a ghost or a jinni of which you have no remedy,
we will find a skillful physician and soothsayer for you."
Having heard all this, the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) recited a few Verses
from the Quran in response to what they said, and then said to them,
"Allâh the Almighty has sent me as His Messenger to you. I have to convey
His Message. In case you accept my teachings, you will be crowned with success
in both the worlds; if you reject it, I shall be waiting for the Decision of
Allâh the Almighty." In response to this call they said, "Well, if
you are the Messenger of God, remove these mountains from Arabia, make the
deserts green, bring our forefathers back to life, particularly, Qusai bin
Kilâb. If Qusai bin Kilâb, after becoming alive, accepts you as truthful and
accepts your Prophethood, we shall also follow suit." The Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) said in reply,
"I have not been sent as a Messenger for such things. I have come to
convey to you the commands that Allâh the Almighty revealed to me and make you
comprehend them fully. I can't do anything out of my own will." After this
exchange, the chieftains of the Quraish got up in wrath and left challenging
even Abu Tâlib to rise to face them.
After they left, Abu Tâlib said to
the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم)
with the utmost affection, "My nephew, I have now grown old and it is not
within my power to face the onslaught of the Quraish. Put me not in such a
trouble, which is beyond my power. It is fitting for you to hold back from
reviling the idols." Having heard this, the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) replied with all the confidence at his
command, "Dear uncle! If they put the sun in my right hand and the moon in
the left, I shall not forsake it." What Abu Tâlib told him created doubt
in the mind of the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم)
that he intended to withdraw his support for him. Abu Tâlib commanded the
highest respect among the chieftains of Makkah and was the universally accepted
chief of the Banu Hâshim tribe. The opponents of the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) were reluctant to attack him simply
because of the presence of Abu Tâlib. Now the disappointing utterances of Abu
Tâlib filled the eyes of the Prophet (صلى الله عليه
وآله وسلم) with tears. He (صلى الله عليه وآله
وسلم) got up and walked away saying, "Uncle! I shall not give
up my mission till it is fulfilled or I am undone accomplishing it." When
Abu Tâlib heard this, he was moved from within and sent for him and said,
"Do keep engaged in your mission; I shall neither withdraw my support nor
consign you to your enemies while it is within my power."
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