The Prophet Muhammad’s (peace be upon him) secret preaching of Islam lasted for three years. During these three years, he mainly invited his family and relatives to Islam those in whom he saw the possibility of accepting Islam. We have discussed before that although this stage was called a secret stage, it was not completely secret. The Quraysh leaders knew about this call and Honestly, he did not try to keep his call to Tawhid secret in that way. However, he was still did not publicly call the people of Mecca and their leaders to Islam. It can be said that the matter was somewhat limited within a close circle. Three years later, He was ordered to call to Islam publicly. Later, he formally invited the leaders of the Quraysh to Islam. From then on, the conflict began because the Quraysh leaders saw that their beliefs and values were being attacked. They understand, if Islam continues to be propagated in this way, people will eventually understand their misconceptions and idolatry. And everyone will accept the Islam religion. Through the revelation of a verse from Surah Al-Hijr, Allah commanded the Messenger of Allah (SW) to preach Islam publicly.
So proclaim what you have been commanded, and turn away from the polytheists. (Quaran 15:94)
After receiving the order to preach Islam publicly, the Prophet Muhammad first went to his tribe, Banu Hashim. He started preaching Islam from his close relatives and I mentioned earlier that in a tribal society, everyone is related in some way. However, he decided to invite the people of the Banu Hashim at first to Islam. He told Ali (RA) to prepare food for 40 people and to cook soup for them. The food and drink arrangement was very good because everyone ate a lot. Even though no one else understood, Abu Lahab understood why the Prophet had invited everyone. What had been a secret for so long was now about to be revealed, and realizing this, he left before he could finish eating and drinking. Since he was the senior leader of his tribe, it would not be appropriate to invite others to Islam except him. So it wasn’t successful at that time. Many people left with Abu Lahab. Through the invitation, the Prophet (SW) wanted to unite everyone in harmony and call them towards the One Allah. But the plan was spoiled by the cunning Abu Lahab. A few days later, the Prophet (SW) took another initiative, this time he invited everyone as before. This time Abu Lahab was present. The Messenger of Allah (SW) said, “Dear brothers, I have come to you with a message.” No Arab will bring you a better message than this: I have come as a Messenger from Allah. If you abandon idol worship, Allah will honor you. Abu Lahab did not like these words. He said, “These words do not make any sense.” We follow the path shown by our fathers and grandfathers. Where did this young man come from? What did he bring? In this incident, the relatives of the Prophet (SW) did not accept or reject his invitation, except for Abu Lahab. However, the matter became very serious when the Prophet (SW) stood on Mount Safa and called everyone to Islam. The events occurred when Allah revealed Surah Ash-Shu’ar and these verses.
And warn all, starting with your closest relatives, and be gracious to the believers who follow you. But if they disobey you, say, “I am certainly free of what you do.” (Quaran 26: 216-218)
So, after hearing this call, many people went to him, and those who could not go sent others to find out what he meant. When everyone gathered, the Messenger of Allah (SW) said, “If I told you that there is a group of army behind this mountain who are ready to attack you, would you believe me?” They said, “We have never heard you tell a lie.” He said, “I have come to warn you of a severe punishment.” If you don’t believe it, it will be imposed on you. Lets imagine the whole situation. The Messenger of Allah (SW) was standing in broad daylight, everyone was looking at him, and he was looking at everyone. He reminded everyone of his loyality and trustworthiness. They acknowledged that the Prophet (SW) was a man of good character. The Prophet (SW) created a good environment for inviting people to Islam. Everyone testified openly in broad daylight that he was a truthful man. He highlighted his previous experience and relationship with them. So that it would be easy for them to accept the call of the Messenger of Allah (SW). And then he called everyone to believe in one God and accept him as a Messenger. Then he began to call out the names of the tribes one by one, first calling out the tribe that was furthest away. Then he finished calling out one by one and the last one was by calling out the name of his tribe, Banu Hashem. Then he called his uncles and called them by name one by one. And he ended the call by calling his daughter Fatima by name. He said that you have to protect yourselves. I will not be able to protect you on the Day of Judgment. This was the first call of the Prophet (SW) to the Quraysh. This is very admirable and he retained the significance of this call by highlighting their relationship with him. His words are very simple and short. This is because Allah commanded the Messengers to convey His message clearly to the people. Their responsibility is “Balagun Mubin” This means openly spreading the message of Islam to people without maintaining any secrecy. Unfortunately, when we are currently delivering the message of Islam, confusion is created among those who receive it. But the invitation of the Prophet (SW) was clear, so the listeners understood that if they accepted Islam, they would go to Jannah (Paradise), otherwise they would go to Hell. However, he called everyone and they thought that he was calling for something important, though the matter was very important but everyone didn’t have the mental capacity to understand this message. Hearing this, Abu Lahab said, “May your whole day be ruined. You have gathered us all to say this.” He got really angry because he had to left his work and go there to listen this, and it was unimportant for him to listen to the Messenger of Allah (SW) here, leaving his business behind.
To people like Abu Lahab, life, religion, and spirituality are meaningless, leaving business and commerce behind. He was not the only one attracted to pleasures, many like him were completely attached to worldly life. They think talking about religion is just a waste of time. They focus on all kinds of work whixh only help them in this world but they have no thought about whether it will be useful in the afterlife.
Money is their religion. Regarding Abu Lahab, Allah Almighty says in the first two verses of Surah Lahab:
“May the hands of Abu Lahab be destroyed, and may he be ruined! His wealth and what he gained will not help him.”
Allah says that his wealth will not benefit him in any way. Those who are only attracted to worldly life, will not benefit from their wealth unless they focus on Islam. This Surah is a miracle because Allah Almighty says in this Surah that Abu Lahab and his wife will go to Hell. They were alive when this verse was revealed. If the verse in the Quran was wrong, they would have tried to prove it wrong after they embraced Islam. Because the Quran says they will be in Hell and if they had become Muslims, this verse of the Quran would have been false. They remained in a state of disbelief until their death, and they died in that state.
Now let us discuss the reaction of the Quraysh to the call of the Prophet (SW). They first tried to influence Abu Talib (Uncle of Prophet Muhammed) because Abu Talib was the chieftain of the Banu Hashim tribe. They thought that if Abu Talib could be influenced, they could also win over the Prophet (SW). First Abu Talib wanted to ignorethis matter as he did not want to go against his tribe. When the people of the tribe started complaining to him, he listened carefully and tried to calm them down. But how long could this continue? The call of the Prophet (SW) to Islam was gradually spreading and people were gradually being attracted to him. At some point, they started putting pressure on Abu Talib, and He have to make a decision about Muhammad (SW)
The pressure that Abu Talib was under is easy to imagine because at that time, the tribe was everything and no one had the courage to spoil the relationship with his tribe. And maintaining one’s honor within the tribe was a big deal, especially as the pressure was constantly increasing and his inner self was telling him to take some action against his nephew.
He wanted to know if the Prophet (peace be upon him) could stop the spread of Islam by using emotional blackmail. He was the one who told the Prophet (peace be upon him): “Be kind to yourself and be kind to me too.” Then the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) made his famous statement, which was heard through the mouth of Aqeel, the son of Abu Talib. He said that one day the people of the tribe came to his father and were making a lot of noise. They said, “Your nephew is obstructing our gathering and creating all kinds of trouble. Tell him not to let him come near our gathering.”
I went out to look for my brother on my father’s orders. I found him in a small hut. I took him to my father. My father told him that people are complaining about you, that you are obstructing their meetings and creating all sorts of trouble.
Abu Talib was not speaking angrily to his nephew or giving him any orders, but rather he had summoned him to consult him to ensure that no harm came to him. The Prophet (peace be upon him) looked at the sun and said, “Uncle, can you see the sun?” He replied, “Yes.” The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “Just as you are incapable of protecting me from the heat of this sun, I am equally incapable of turning away from the propagation of Islam.” Propagating Islam was the life and mission of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). He could not even think of turning away from this mission. There is a weak historical narration that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Even if someone were to give me the moon in one hand and the sun in the other, I would not stop preaching Islam until Allah Almighty decides. Or I die.”
Abu Talib knew that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was telling the truth, so he said, “My nephew, go ahead and complete your mission.”
Abu Talib realized that it was impossible to remove the Prophet (peace be upon him) from the mission, so he agreed to provide all kinds of assistance to the Prophet (peace be upon him). But the people of the Quraysh tribe did not give up, rather they kept going to Abu Talib again and again. Now we will go on to narrate another incident.
This time, a delegation from all the tribes came to Abu Talib’s uncle and told him that we have chosen a young man from our side, whose name is Umar, who will stay with you and in return you will hand over your nephew to us.
Hearing this, Abu Talib became very angry and said, “What kind of disgusting thing is this that you give your people and take my people and kill them?”
Then Ali said, “O Abu Talib, what have you done that your people have done as much as they could? I think you should accept it.”
Matin ibn Talib was a very wise and elderly man. He did decide the dispute about the Black Stone, and there are many hadiths about him. He has done many good things for Islam, we will discuss him in detail later.
After the Battle of Badr, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, “If Abu Ibn Talib were alive today and had said one word for these seventy companions, we would have let them go.”
For some polytheists, this statement of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was a big deal. It was a huge deal for a man of his age to side with the Quraysh.
The situation was essentially Abu Talib versus all of Mecca. But Abu Talib remained steadfast and Mati ibn Abu Talib harshly criticized him. He said, “Do whatever you want, but I will not change my position.” He composed a series of poems against the Quraysh. Abu Talib could write very beautiful poetry and his poems were displayed on the walls of the Kaaba. Abu Talib’s sense of dignity can be said to have given him victory over the entire Mecca. This plan of the Quraysh was also thwarted. The Prophet (peace be upon him) continued to preach Islam despite the pressure, and it was not limited to his close relatives. He even continued to preach the call to Islam to the pilgrims who came to Mecca so that the call to Islam would spread far and wide.
The Croats had a multi-dimensional plan to thwart the activities of the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). They implemented different plans at different stages. Their one purpose was to attack the personality of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). There are two purposes for attacking a person’s personality. The first was to prove the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) a liar because people do not value a mad person, a mad liar. But their plan was thwarted because the people of Mecca themselves knew about the character of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and how trustworthy and truthful he was.
Because if someone who knew him to be truthful suddenly calls him a liar, it may be effective in the short term but unsuccessful in the long term. The second aspect is to weaken the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) mentally. At this point, they chose the path of mocking and insulting the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). It was an organized effort that they did not just once or twice, but repeatedly. If you insult a person repeatedly, they will become silent. This is the natural instinct of humans. No one wants to lose their dignity. When a person with dignity is humiliated, he will not want to lose his dignity. This plan against the Prophet (peace be upon him) also failed. Because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) knew that this number was not only between the individual Muhammad and the Quraysh but also between a Prophet and his tribe. This war is against lies, not against any tribe. So even though the Quraysh insulted the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), they could not overcome him mentally. Rather, he has been firmly spreading his message. The third strategy is to refute the message that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) brought. Denying the Quran that was revealed to him, finding errors in the Quran, and distorting the teachings of Islam. Needless to say, this strategy worked.
They have repeatedly given up in their attempts to prove the Quran false. Rather, the Quran was the answer to their lies. The fourth strategy was to put pressure on the Prophet (peace be upon him) through social and tribal means. The aim was to put him under such pressure that he would refrain from preaching Islam among his close relatives and tribe. But this plan failed because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) had come to understand the great responsibility of prophethood. He feared God, not man. So he was able to wait with bloodshot eyes for his clan. The fifth strategy was to torture his companions. So that at least he would be on their side even if he thought about them. It was not possible for the Quraysh to physically torture the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). Because he was very high in social status but compared to him, the lower classes were oppressed. The tortures inflicted on the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) during his life in Makkah were not intended to hurt him, but rather to weaken him mentally. A person who is ideologically strong cannot be suppressed by killing and torture. It is said that this strategy benefited the Quraysh, albeit temporarily. A large part of the companions of the Prophet (peace be upon him) had to migrate. Later, he too could not stay in Mecca. Although the Quraysh were able to block the way to Islam in Mecca, Allah opened the way to Islam in Medina. Then the Prophet (peace be upon him) declared war against the Quraysh from Medina. The sixth or final strategy was to kill the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). After all efforts failed, the Quraysh finally tried to kill him. So that his da’wah activities can be temporarily stopped Overall, their response can be summarized in a few points:
First, the application of pressure, which we discussed in the previous two cases. Secondly: insult, thirdly: attempted character assassination. Fourth: Denying and slandering the message of Islam Fifth: Compromise or reach an agreement with the Prophet (peace be upon him). Sixth Temptation 7 Challenges. The eighth satire is satire. Ninth: Envy, hatred and enmity. Tenth torture and persecution 11th attempted murder. We are trying to discuss these one by one. First is satire.
Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala says in Surah Al-Faqalan:
And when they see you, they take you as a mockery, saying, “Is this the one whom Allah has sent as a Messenger?”
(Quran 25:41)
They would say, “There was nothing more worthy of being sent to Allah than this.” They did not spare any effort to ridicule or belittle the Messenger of Allah. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was a respected man from the Quraysh tribe, with a handsome body and excellent character. Seeing him, a sense of respect for him would arise, but even then the Quraysh would mock him. Because he was not rich, he did not have wealth. People are usually influenced by wealth. People are more attracted to those who have wealth and influence. The Children of Israel went to their Prophet and said, “We want you to appoint a king over us.” Talut was appointed over them so that we could fight, but they did not like him. And Talut was not possessed of wealth and had no claim to authority, so they did not accept him, thinking that there were more suitable men among them. They are richer than Talut. The same incident happened again with the Prophet (peace be upon him) in Mecca.
When the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was travel to Talut, a man said, “Has Allah not found anyone better than you?”
This is how the people of Quraysh insulted him. Tried to harm him. One day, some people were sitting nearby. Abu Jahl approached them and said, “Are you giving Muhammad the opportunity to rub his face against the ground?” If I see him doing that, I will put a piece of cloth around his neck and dust his face. And just then the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) came to pray. While the Prophet was praying, Abu Jahl took one step forward. The threat he had made with his mouth would come true.
When Abu Jahl came and stood next to the Prophet, the Prophet was in prostration. The people present saw with their own eyes that Abu Jahl’s hands and feet were bending. As if he were in some terrible danger. As if trying to resist something, Abu Jahl returned and people surrounded him. They asked what happened to you. He replied, “What happened?” I mean, didn’t you see anything? they replied, “No, we didn’t see anything.” There was nothing there, we saw you fall over and start shaking the hand.
Abu Jahl said: There was a hole in front of me, and fire and wind were in it. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: They were angels. If he had come any closer to me, they would have torn him to pieces. Another day’s story.
One day, Agha bin Abu Qa’id saw the Prophet (peace be upon him) near the Ka’bah. The Prophet’s clothes were pulled back around his neck so that he could be strangled to death. Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) rushed forward and pushed him away, shouting, “Do you want to kill him just because he says, ‘Allah is my Lord?'” There are many people in the world who do not say anything even when insulted because they are devoid of intelligence, but the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was full of self-respect.
The behavior of Abu Jahl and Agha bin Abu Qa’id used to bother the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), but he would not say anything to them. where he was only focused on implementing his mission. Another such incident is narrated in Sahih Bukhari Sharif.
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was praying next to the Kaaba. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was praying next to the Kaaba. At that time, Abu Jahl came to him. He said that someone slaughtered a camel. Who can bring that camel’s intestines and pour them on his head? The most disgusting of them all responded. This was the man Agha bin Abu Qa’id. He went and collected camel’s intestines and brought them. And it was hidden when the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) prostrated.
As soon as the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) prostrated, he pressed belly against his back. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) remained calm and prostrate as if nothing had happened to him. His daughter Fatima (may Allah be pleased with her) saw him from a distance and ran to her father. He removed the dirt and garbage from his father’s shoulders with both hands. The Prophet’s prayer ended and he did not say anything to the Quraysh. Just said a prayer out loud. O Allah, punish Abu Jahl……..
Thus, he named seven people and prayed to Allah against them. According to the Hadith, only six names will be mentioned as the names of seven people cannot be remembered. Abul bin Ashok said, “I saw these seven people die with my own eyes in the Battle of Badr.”
Allah accepted the Prophet’s prayer. The fourth is the attempt to destroy character.
The Quraysh called the Prophet (peace be upon him) by various ridiculous names.
They say:
They say, “O you to whom the Reminder1 is revealed! You must be insane!
(Quran 15:6)
He was referred to as a magical lunatic. They would say whatever came to their mind to slander. Nothing left. They wanted to tarnish the image of the Prophet (peace be upon him) by slandering his name. People should not pay attention to him. Only then will the propaganda of Islam stop. In this way, the Quraysh wanted to destroy the message of Islam.
Allah Subhanu Taala says
I am well aware that what they say hurts you, because they do not call you a liar, but rather the wrongdoers reject the verses of Allah.
(Quran 6:33)
They did not actually reject the person Muhammad (peace be upon him). Deep down they believed that Muhammad (peace be upon him) was telling the truth. But they still opposed him. Because their problem was Islam. They did not want to accept Islam by abandoning their own religion. It was as if Waqar bin Nawfal’s warning was coming true. Early in his prophethood, he told the Prophet (peace be upon him) that he would be expelled from his country. The Prophet (peace be upon him) was shocked to hear this. Because he knew that the people of Mecca loved and respected him with all their hearts. But Waqar, as his prophet said, said that whoever brings this religion will have to fight against it. The markets of Mecca are not just shopping places but also a cultural center for them. There, poetry and oratory were practiced. The best poems were hung on the walls of the Kaaba in honor. These were called al-Mu’aqqadah or hanging poems. The Prophet (peace be upon him) used to come to this market and invite people and explain Islam to them. Imam Muhammad narrated that the Rabi’an said: I saw the Messenger of Allah in the Jut market, calling out to the people and saying, Say, “There is no god but Allah.” Then you will be successful. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) would meet new people and he would repeat the same thing. Suddenly a man followed him. Whenever the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) spoke to someone, this man would go and tell that person not to believe what the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said. He is a liar.
I asked who this man was. They said, He is his uncle Abu Lahab.
Rabi Al Hasan was not a resident of Mecca. So he did not know Abu Lahab. This incident shows how difficult it was for the Prophet (peace be upon him) to preach Islam. He would make Abu Lahab understand whatever he did. Usually, the results of work leave people feeling motivated. Financial rewards, recognition from leaders, etc. People work with the hope of getting at least something. People lose interest in their work if they don’t get the expected rewards. At one point he stopped. It is very difficult to do something without expecting anything in return. But the Messenger of Allah and the prophets are exceptions because they have worked intensively. And although they received nothing in return For example, the Prophet Nuh (peace be upon him) called his people to Islam day and night.
But he didn’t get any response from them. For 950 long years he struggled with his disobedient people. Imam Mahreke (may Allah have mercy on him) narrated another such incident.
The Hajj season had just begun. Aziz bin Fawzi is an elderly teacher. He called a meeting with the Quraysh chiefs. He told them that the Hajj season was coming soon and that Arab merchants would gather here. Let’s all come to a decision about Muhammad. There can be no disagreement between us on this matter. The main purpose of his statement was to make a mockery of Muhammad. Many people will gather in Mecca during the Hajj And Mohammed will not miss this opportunity. Will take the message of Islam to them. So a unanimous statement was needed on what they would say about Muhammad. There will be no benefit if everyone talks differently. Who will say he is a magician, who will say he is a liar? If each person makes different accusations like this, it will not work. Instead, we all have to spread a specific slander together. The Quraysh said to Aud-Din bin Murtaz, “Tell us what can be done.” We will tell everyone what you say. “I want to hear it from you,” Bahir replied. We will say that he is an astrologer. No, he is not an astrologer because I have not seen any characteristics of astrologers in him. He doesn’t talk nonsense like them.
Then we will say he is crazy and closed. I’ve seen a madman, but he doesn’t behave like a madman. The Quraysh leaders presented every possible accusation one by one. But Walid bin Bahira said, “What good will it do to say these things?” Then tell us what we should say about him. He thought for a long time and said, “By God, what is his word?” His words are sweet. No matter what you say about him, no one will believe you. But you can say about him that he is a magician and what he presents is just a magic. Listening to him creates divisions among fathers, sons, husbands, wives, and even the clan.
Allah has mentioned this in the Quran.
for he contemplated and determined a degrading label for the Quran. May he be condemned! How evil was what he determined! May he be condemned even more! How evil was what he determined! Then he re-contemplated ˹in frustration˺, then frowned and scowled, then turned his back ˹on the truth˺ and acted arrogantly, saying, “This ˹Quran˺ is nothing but magic from the ancients. This is no more than the word of a man.”
(Quran 71: 18-25)
Nazar bin Harith used to go to Persia and learn stories. Then he returned to Mecca and told the people, “Come to me, you will hear good stories.” He used to tell people that the stories of the Prophet Muhammad were actually full of anecdotes. Those are stories. Does anyone know what really happened to the prophets of Allah? What Muhammad (peace be upon him) is saying is a fabricated fairy tale.
Allah Subhanatala says
And they say, “˹These revelations are only˺ ancient fables which he has had written down, and they are rehearsed to him morning and evening.”
(Quran 25:5)
The people of Quraysh also tried to compromise with the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him). They came and said let us make a pact that one day you will worship our gods and the next day we will worship Allah. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) told them that he would never agree to anything like that. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) told them that he would never agree to anything like that. Now they told him that we have a better offer than before, that is, you will worship our gods for one day and then we will worship Allah for a whole week.
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) refused again. They returned again and said to the Messenger of Allah, “We will worship Allah for a month, but you give us one day.” The Messenger of Allah gave the same answer, “No.”
Allah Almighty revealed the verse
They wish you would compromise so they would yield ˹to you
(Quran 68:9)
The religion of the Quraysh was man-made. They could change their religion if they wanted to, they could compromise. But the Prophet had no choice. If they had said that the Prophet would worship gods and goddesses for one day and in return they would worship Allah for the whole year, that would not have been possible. This kind of compromise or compromise is completely forbidden in Islam.
Allah says:
Say, “O disbelievers,
I do not worship what you worship.
Nor are you worshippers of what I worship.
Nor will I be a worshipper of what you worship.
Nor will you be worshippers of what I worship.
For you is your religion, and for me is my religion.”
(Quran 109:1-6)
The people of Quraysh tried to negotiate further, but they were unsuccessful and became more and more angry day by day. But the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said only one thing: He is the Messenger of Allah and the servant of Allah. He has no right to interfere in the Islam of Allah.
