MUHAMMAD SAW THE MESSENGER OF ISLAM (515 pages, 11/41)
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rophet still asleep. In his sleep the angel Jibra'il appeared to him again and addressed him:
Ya ayyuhal Mudaththir Oh thou shrouded in thy mantle; The Holy Prophet lifted his head to listen.
Qum fa-andhir. Arise and warn.
Wa rabbaka fa-takbir. Thy Lord magnify;
Fa-thiyabaka fa-tahhir. Thy robes purify,
( i.e. rid your heart from doubt and all other than God)
wa-r-rijza tahjur; and defilement flee!
wa la tamnan tastakthir Give not, thinking to gain greater,
wa li-rabbika fa-sbir and be patient unto thy Lord.
In these first verses Allah Almighty set forth to Muhammad his prophethood and enjoined on him prayer, magnanimity, kindness and patience. The Holy Prophet rose. Khadija saw him and said, “Oh Abu Qasim, why have you risen, why won’t you rest some more?” “Khadija,” he replied, “my time for rest has passed. Again the angel has come to me, this time commanding me to go out and proclaim my message and to teach people to believe in Allah and to pray to Him.”
Khadija felt great joy when she heard these words, and said, “I believe in you, before anybody else; instruct me in your religion.” Khadija was therefore the first to embrace Islam. The Holy Prophet was very happy that his wife was his first follower. Jibra'il was present and instructed the prophet . He told him to fetch water so that he might teach him the rites of ablution and show him how to pray. After teaching all these things to Muhammad , they prayed together, and Jibra'il was the Imam.
How `Umar bin Khattab Came to Islam
The revelations continued and after a time there were thirty-nine people who followed the new religion of Islam. The Quraysh however were opposed to the new cult, and because of this, the new Muslims could not pray openly at the Kaba. The Holy Prophet then prayed to his Lord, “Oh Allah, make Islam openly known, and let it be through one of these two, You alone know which one is the best: either ‘Umar bin Khattab or Abu Jahl bin Hisham.” Allah Almighty heard his prayer and answered it through ‘Umar bin Khattab.
At first ‘Umar bin Khattab was a sworn enemy of Islam and of the new Prophet
. One day he made his way to the Prophet’s house in order to kill him and to put an end to the ‘disturbance’, brandishing his sword. Abu Jahl had set out a reward on Muhammad’s head, promising one hundred camels and one hundred pieces of gold to his murderer.
‘Umar was a man of fiery temperament. On his way to Muhammad’s house he ran into one of the Sahaba (Companions of the Prophet) whom he knew, and he yelled at him, “So you too have become one of those Muslims?” and slapped
him in the face. This man replied, “What is your concern with me, ‘Umar, when your own sister and brother-in-law have entered the faith of Islam?” ‘Umar refused to believe this and turned directly towards his sister’s house to see if there was any truth to this. This sister was married to Talha ibn Zubayr.
As he approached the house, he could hear voices from inside reciting verses from the revelation. It was a Muslim named Habib who was teaching them the newly revealed verses. Enraged, ‘Umar stormed in, and yelled, “Where is he?” Habib hid himself and hid also the piece of deerskin on which the holy verses were written. ‘Umar in his rage began pushing and shoving his brother-in-law, even hitting him. His wife, ‘Umar’s sister, came between them to prevent the blows, and ‘Umar’s blows fell on her. Her cheek was split and blood ran down from her wound. Thereupon his sister also grew very angry, and cried, “Yes, we too have become Muslims, and it is the Truth, Allah and His Messenger Muhammad are real and true. We worship no idols; we worship none but Allah Almighty, Allahu Akbar! If you don’t like it, then you must kill us!”
Hearing his own sister utter these words, ‘Umar came to his senses and regarded his sister’s bleeding face and his brother-in-law knocked down on the floor, and he said, “Show me what it was that you were reciting!” The sister went to clean herself and make ablution; she then brought out the piece of skin on which were written these verses:
Bismillahir-Rahmanir-Rahim. TaHa. We have not sent down the Quran upon thee for thee to be unprosperous, but only as a reminder to him who fears, a revelation from Him who created the earth and the high heavens; the All-Compassionate sat Himself upon the Throne; to Him belongs all that is in the heavens and in the earth and all that is between them and all that is underneath the soil. (TaHa. 1-5)
Hearing these divine verses, ‘Umar was profoundly stirred, and he said, “If this be the truth, then what we have been worshipping so far is nothing. Take me to Muhammad!” They said to him, “We will take you to him only if you promise not to speak badly and to do him no harm.” Now that ‘Umar had calmed down, Habib also came out of hiding, and saying, “Allahu Akbar!” they set out for the Prophet’s house.
Looking out of Khadija’s house, Hamza saw them approaching. He had himself accepted Islam only three days before, and seeing ‘Umar he now unsheathed his sword and said, “If ‘Umar is coming with good intentions, he is welcome; but if he draws near in anger, then our swords shall do the talking.” The Holy Prophet
said, “Let him draw near, it appears a change has come over him.”
So it was indeed: ‘Umar came before the Prophet as a humble man, dragging his sword. The Prophet welcomed him, saying, “Alhamdulillah, Allah has answered my prayer regarding you, He has chosen you rather than Abu Jahl to enter into the fold of Islam.” ‘Umar then accepted Islam at his blessed hands and was taught the prayers and rites of the religion. He then learned that the Muslims were forced to pray in secret, because Quraysh were preventing them from praying publicly at the Kaba.
‘Umar exclaimed, “What! Shall they pray to their false gods openly while we must worship the true God in secret? Come, we will go there right now!” So they set out, taking the Holy Prophet in their midst, the whole flock of those first Muslims. Ahead of them strode ‘Umar, brandishing his sword, Abu Bakr on his right, ‘Uthman at his left, and Ali behind him, and all the other Sahaba grouped around and behind them. Thus they drew near to the sanctuary where the Quraysh were awaiting them, for they all knew of the price Abu Jahl had put on Muhammad’s head.
When they saw them approaching with ‘Umar in the lead, they thought, “Ah, he has taken the lot of them prisoner!” But Abu Jahl was more observant than they and said, “By God, this does not resemble a line of prisoners, he seems to have embraced the new faith himself!”
When they had come up close ‘Umar in a loud voice declared his faith for all to hear. He said, “Let everyone stand informed that I, ‘Umar bin Khattab have become a Muslim, and this is my declaration of faith: Ash-hadu an la ilaha illAllah, wa ash-hadu anna Muhammadar-Rasulullah.”
Hearing this declaration, all the Quraysh assembled there with Abu Jahl slunk away and dispersed, from fear of ‘Umar who was fierce and known as a mighty warrior. Had it not been for him, they might have done all manner of cruelty to the small band of Muslims. From that day on they prayed openly at the Kaba, at all the times of prayer.
The Holy Prophet preached Islam privately for three years, and instructed each Muslim individually, until the revelation of this holy verse:
O Messenger, deliver that which has been sent down to thee from thy Lord; for if though dost not, thou wilt not have delivered His Message. God will protect thee from men; God guides not the people of the unbelievers. (The Table, 72)
From that time onwards, he began to preach openly and in public.
Some Miracles of the Holy Prophet
Allahumma la hawla wa la quwwata illa billahil-‘aliyyil-‘azhim.
These are some of the miracles that our Holy Prophet Muhammad performed.
The Prophet and the Deer
Once the Holy Prophet was out in the desert, when he heard a loud cry, “Stop, oh Prophet of Allah!” He followed the direction of the voice, and came across an Arab fast asleep, while a doe he had caught was tied up beside him. The Holy Prophet realized that it was this animal’s voice that he had heard calling out to him. He approached it and asked, “What is it with you, what is your need?”
The deer answered, “Oh Prophet of Allah! I have left two of my young behind on yonder mountain, who are still too small to know which grasses to feed on; they are dependent on my milk. Please let me go so that I might nurse them and tell them what has happened to me. Let me take them to the pasture and show them what grasses to eat, so that they might not perish when I’m gone. I will be back after five hours have passed.”
The Holy Prophet replied, “Will you keep your word? What if you don’t show up?” The deer said, “Then let the punishment of the traitor come upon me.”
Just at that very moment, the sleeping Bedouin awoke. He had heard the conversation of the deer with the Holy Prophet , and now he said: “Have you ever heard of a wild animal that came back once it was set free?” “This one will come, inshaAllah,” answered the Prophet Muhammad . The Bedouin said, “If it doesn’t come, I will kill you!” The Holy Prophet then smiled and asked, “And if it does come back, will you then accept Islam?” “Yes, I will,” said the Bedouin.
So they set the deer free, and it ran off. After four hours had passed, the deer returned. The Holy Prophet asked it, “You promised to return after five hours, but only four have passed. How is that?” “Oh Holy Prophet,” said the deer, “I went to find my fawns, and I told them of what had happened to me. They drank, but then withdrew so that you might not remain waiting in a tight situation. They said, ‘Go back to him an hour ahead of time, so that this Bedouin in his ignorance might not speak untoward words against him.’ That is how I arrived an hour ahead of time.” Hearing these words, the Bedouin embraced Islam and
set the deer free.
The Splitting Apart of the Moon
Although the pagan Quraysh had witnessed a great many true miracles by the Holy Prophet , they still would not forego their denial and disbelief. They continued in their efforts to confuse people, so that they would not embrace the faith. Their main aim was to make difficulties for the Holy Prophet . However, Allah Almighty never leaves His Beloved Prophet amidst difficulties in the face of the disbelievers and never withdraws His Protection from his side.
One day the accursed Abu Jahl who was one of the foremost of Quraysh saw that there were a great many people following Muhammad and professing their belief in his prophethood. He conceived of a devilish plan and immediately sent word to one tribesman, Habib ibn Malik. In his message he wrote: “There has risen one person among us who claims that the religion we have inherited from our forefathers is null and void. He has gathered a great following around himself, and we are incapable of containing him. Therefore, we ask you to come and find means against him.”
As soon as Habib ibn Malik received and read Abu Jahl’s letter, he grew very angry and came to Mecca with a sizeable following. Abu Jahl saw him coming and said, “Let somebody go and fetch Muhammad by force”, but Habib said, “No, he merits a polite invitation; if he doesn’t respond, then let him be brought by force,” and he sent a messenger to invite Muhammad . Together with eighty of the Sahaba, Muhammad set out to meet Habib ibn Malik. According to another narration, he came alone, his black turban wound about his noble head. Habib looked at him and saw that he shone with the Light of Divine Beauty. He turned to Abu Jahl and said, “Is this Muhammad who you speak about?” “Yes, it is he,” replied Abu Jahl, may his name be cursed.
Habib’s heart was filled with faith at the sight of the Holy Prophet and he guided him to his tent and said to him, “If you are truly a prophet, then show us a miracle.” The Holy Prophet answered, “What is it you would like to see?” Habib said to him, “I would like to see the moon rise before nightfall to its highest point, then split in two; the two halves should descend and stand in front of you as witnesses; they should speak the words of the creed, be hidden beneath your robes and then emerge from your sleeves to ascend again to the high heavens. Thereafter the moon should return to the place of its arising, and it should be dark again; in its place let the sun shine forth anew. Secondly, there is something else I wish for in my heart: that you might have knowledge of that.”
Abu Jahl heard these words, and they pleased him. “Bravo, Habib,” he said to him.
The Holy Prophet climbed up to Jabel Abu Qubays and bowed down low in prayer. He entreated his Lord to help him in this matter, and instantly the angel Jibra’il appeared to him, informing him of what Habib had in mind. The miracle Habib had requested was also made manifest. Before the moon rose, however, the Wardens of Hell opened a hole the size of a pinpoint through which the blackness of Hell seeped onto the earth. Of such intensity was this darkness that people’s teeth began to chatter, and they fell all over each other in the lightless gloom. Then the moon rose in its usual fashion till it reached its peak position. Then, upon a sign from the Holy Prophet it split into two halves that descended by his side. Both parts were heard to utter the Kalimat-u-Shahada, then they disappeared beneath the skirt of his robe and emerged from his sleeves, paused upon his head for a moment, from there to resume their heavenly station once more. The moon then returned to the place of its arising, and the sun shone out over the world again.
(According to another narration, it was Abu Jahl or the Quraysh who wished for this miracle. That night, the Holy Prophet pointed his finger at the moon and it split into two, one half descending on the Jabel Hira, the other half in another place. Later the caravan coming from Sham was questioned as to this event and confirmed having witnessed it as well.)
This was the first miracle Habib had requested. As for his second request, the Holy Prophet now turned to Habib and said to him, “What you hold in your heart is your daughter; for you have a daughter who is blind and who is lame of hand and foot. She will now behold me in a dream and she will be filled with health and faith.” Upon these words, Habib also believed, but Abu Jahl was filled with unfathomable rage, and yelled at Habib, “I thought you were a reasonable person! We have held out for such a long time against this nonsense, not believing in any of the tricks he shows us! Yet you believe in the very first demonstration of his wizardry!” Habib replied, “Alhamdulillah, Allah be praised, I have believed and I am freed from error and misguidance. May you remain therein forever more, oh accursed one!”
According to one narration, Habib had hidden thirty thousand men behind the mountain, in order to fight the Prophet if the need arose. When he embraced Islam, ten thousand of those men came forth every day and became Muslims. Jibra’il descended and revealed the verses:
When comes the help of God, and victory, and thou seest men entering God’s religion in throngs, then proclaim the praise of thy Lord and seek His forgiveness; for He turns again unto men. (Help)
At this the Holy Prophet wept so much that those standing by him asked him, “Our Prophet , why do you weep? Is it from joy that you weep, as men are entering into Islam in throngs?” Thereupon the Holy Prophet answered, “At the end of times my nation will thus depart in throngs from the religion of Islam; it is therefore that I weep.”
Habib returned to his home and palace. At the gate, his daughter herself came out to welcome him. She told him of the dream she had had, in which she saw the Holy Prophet and embraced Islam. Together father and daughter repeated the holy words of the Shahada. Habib sent two camel loads of precious stones to the gates of the Kaba. The messengers bringing the gifts did not know Muhammad and asked for him. Abu Jahl intercepted them and said, “I am the chieftain here. Such gifts are sent from one chief to another, therefore they are due to me. Who is this Muhammad anyway?” Just then, Muhammad happened to come that way, and an argument rose. To cut it short, Muhammad said, “Let the camels decide the matter; whomever they choose, let the gifts be his.”
Thereupon Abu Jahl asked for time until the next morning at sunrise. He spent all night in front of his idols, imploring them to help him in this matter. “If you help decide this in my favor and make the camels speak for me, I will bring you great sacrifices, and anoint you with precious oils and perfumes...” he said to them. Finally even his companions grew tired of his antics, and they said, “It is enough, Abu Jahl; have Muhammad called, so the matter can be decided.”
Muhammad came and held his woolen cloak over the faces of the camels. He spoke to them and said, “Tell us now, where have you come from, and who has sent these gifts for whom?” The camels first pronounced the words of the Shahada so that all could hear them, then they said, “We have been sent with these gifts by Habib ibn Malik to Muhammad ”.
Thereby the matter was decided beyond doubt, but now there was a lot of talk about how rich Muhammad had become all at once. He therefore led the camels to the other side of Jabel Abu Qubays and unloaded them there. He said, “I accept all of these gifts; may Allah reward the giver for them,” and sent the camels back to where they had come from. Then he spoke the words: “Kunu turaban juruza! Be ye turned to barren dust!” and the precious stones and gems all turned to dust. The Prophet performed this miracle in order to demonstrate
to the people that worldly wealth and earthly possessions meant nothing to him and were of no real value.
Migration to Abyssinia
Still, day-by-day conditions in Mecca worsened for the Muslims. They suffered more and more injustice and oppression at the hands of the pagan Meccans. One day in the fifth year of his prophethood, his closest friends came to Muhammad and said, “Oh Muhammad , we can bear it no longer, our patience is used up. Grant us permission to fight against them.” But the Holy Prophet had not yet received the divine command to fight the unbelievers, so he replied, “If you can stand no more, then you may migrate elsewhere.” “But whereto?” they asked.
He pointed with his arm in the direction of Abyssinia. “Go to Abyssinia,” he told them, “they are Christians there, believers in a holy book. They will not harm you; they will respect your beliefs. There you may find relief.” (This became known as the first Hijra (migration). The second Hijra was the Prophet’s migration from Mecca to Madinah.) Eighty of the companions set out for Abyssinia then, though according to other narrations they were only twenty- three. Their names included ‘Uthman bin ‘Affan and his wife Ruqiyya; Zubayr bin Awwam; Abu Hudhayfa bin’ Utba and his wife Sahla; Mus‘ab bin’ Umayr, Abdurrahman bin ‘Auf; Abu and Umm Salama;’ Uthman bin Maz ‘un; Amir bin Rabi’a and Layla; Suhayl bin Bayda’; Abu Sabra bin Abi Ruhm and his wife Umm Kulthum.
Hamza Enters the Fold of Islam
The pagan Meccans continued to harass the Holy Prophet and the Muslims in every way. One day `Utba came running up from behind and knocked the Prophet’s turban off his head. Another time Abu Jahl, standing on the hill of Safa, threw a stone at the Holy Prophet , which hit and injured his head, but he said nothing. The Prophet’s uncle and milk-brother Hamza bin Abdul Muttalib was just returning from the hunt. As he was going from the hill of Safa towards the Kaba, he was met by the freedwoman of Abdullah bin Jud’an who called to him, “Had you seen what Abu Jahl and his louts have done to the son of your brother, you never would have stood for it!”
Hamza grew extremely angry when he heard this, and grasping his bow in his hand, he made straight for the Haram. He went up to Abu Jahl and hit him on the head a violent blow, hurting him. Abu Jahl began to protest, and seeking to defend himself, he said, “But it was he who insulted us, deeming us to be of no
mind. He has insulted our gods and departed from the way of our forefathers.” To this, Hamza replied in a firm manner, “You worship other than Allah Almighty, can there be anything more mindless than that? I hereby bear witness that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is His Messenger!”
Then Hamza went to the house of Khadija where he met the Holy Prophet and said, “Oh Muhammad, I have injured Abu Jahl on his head.” To this the Holy Prophet answered, “You have caused him pain; of what use is that to me?” Hamza then said, “What would you rather have me do?” “I would wish that you became Muslim,” said the Holy Prophet . “That is my wish as well, therefore I have come to you, oh Muhammad, please accept me into the fold of Islam.” The Holy Prophet accepted him and Hamza became Muslim. According to a different narration, Hamza had already entered Islam at the time that ‘Umar became Muslim.
The Quraysh Send Envoys to the King of Abyssinia
The leaders of Quraysh sent envoys laden with gifts to the King of Abyssinia, demanding that he send back the emigrants. The messengers were ‘Amr bin al-‘As and Abdullah bin Abi Rabi’a. They came before the Negus and said, “Some mischief-makers from among our people have fled from us and sought refuge with you. They have come to carry out their mischief here among you, your religion, and your people. We have come to warn you of this.”
The envoys hoped that the Negus would give them a favorable reply, but instead he flew into a rage and cried, “No, by God, I will not give them up to you! Having no other recourse, they have sought shelter here with me – never shall I surrender them, not without having spoken to them!” The Negus had the emigrants called before him and he listened to them. He understood that the messengers who had come for them bore them ill intentions, so he sent them back, rejecting their offerings and request. He said to them, “Why do you attribute lies to your own prophet? He is the Messenger of Allah, we have read his description in our holy books, he has been announced to us already by Isa, the son of Mary.” In this way it was made known that the King of Abyssinia, the Negus was very close to Islam.
This Negus passed away five years after the Holy Prophet had come to Madinah. The angel Jibra’il withdrew the veil from the Holy Prophet’s eyes, so that he could see from Madinah all the way to Abyssinia. He prayed the funeral prayer for the Negus at Madinah. This is the origin of the custom of the “salat al-janaza ‘alal-gha’ibin”, the funeral prayer for absent or anonymous dead.
Once the people of Mecca suggested to the Prophet , “Oh Muhammad, we will worship your god, if you wish, but you must consent to worship our gods as well.” Thereupon the following holy verse was revealed:
Say, ‘Is it other than God you bid me serve, you ignorant ones?’ It has been revealed to thee, and to those before thee, ‘If thou associates other gods with God, thy work shall surely fail and thou wilt be among the losers.’ Nay, but God do thou serve, and be thou among the thankful. (The Companies, 64-66)
The Sura ‘The Unbelievers’ was also revealed on this occasion.
Say, ‘O unbelievers, I serve not what you serve, and you are not serving what I serve, nor am I serving what you have served, neither are you serving what I serve. To you your religion, and to me my religion! (The Unbelievers)
Then the pagan Quraysh came together and decided to write a document, which they did, and hung it up in the middle of the Kaba. The contents of their writ was this: there was to be a boycott on the Bani Hashim and the Bani Muttalib, that they should not marry their women nor give women to them to marry; that they should neither buy from them nor sell to them. These conditions were very difficult for the Muslims to carry, but they accepted them without complaint.
A space of about three years went by in this manner. One day a certain man Wahb bin Umayya came along and tore the piece of paper from its place. He asked who had written this page. Abu Jahl replied, “We attached it in its place in agreement with ‘Umar.” Allah Almighty sent a little worm to destroy this document, and by means of revelation He informed His Prophet of this. The only thing on this sheet of paper that the insect left untouched were the words: “Bismika Allahumma” (In Thy name, oh God).
It later became known through the Prophet’s uncle Abu Talib that the hands of the writer of this page both withered.
The Deaths of Abu Talib and Khadija
In the tenth year of the Holy Prophet’s prophethood, his uncle Abu Talib died. This year was the most difficult and sorrow-laden year for Muhammad . For three days after the death of Abu Talib, in the month of Ramadan, his wife Khadija also left this world for the next, at the age of sixty-five. Even more than by the death of these beloved persons, the Holy Prophet was affected by certain
rumors that cast doubt on whether his beloved uncle Abu Talib had died as a Muslim or not. At this point, a verse was revealed to the Prophet which addressed itself to all the Muslims in the person of the Holy Prophet :
Thou guidest not whom thou likest, but God guides whom He wills, and knows very well those that are guided. (The Story, 56)
In spite of all the Prophet’s attempts to convince him, Abu Talib had not become Muslim. However, he is reported to have said, “Were it not that I feared that you would be abused after my death, and that Quraysh would think I had only said it in fear of death, I would have accepted what you call me to.”
When Abu Talib lay dying, the Prophet sent Ali to him so that he might recite to him. When he passed from this life, the Holy Prophet wept for him and said to Ali, “Go, and place him in his grave.”
After Abu Talib’s death, the leadership of Quraysh passed on to ‘Abbas, the son of Abdul Muttalib. ‘Abbas was unable to extend his protection to the Holy Prophet , and Quraysh persecuted him and sought to harm him at every step. One day the Holy Prophet was in the mosque praying, and while he was bowing down in Sajda, the disbelievers came and dumped dirt upon his head. His long hair and beard were soiled with dust. Nobody would have dared do such a thing while Abu Talib was alive. The Prophet was patient for another year, then this verse was revealed to him:
So if they turn their backs, say, ‘God is enough for me. There is no god but He. In Him I have put my trust. He is the Lord of the Mighty Throne.’ (Repentance, 129)
The Holy Prophet’s Visit to Ta’if
After Abu Talib’s death, the Holy Prophet was subjected to a great deal of insult and hostile persecution by the pagan Arabs of Mecca, and he was very much affected by this. People began turning away from him when he spoke and told them about Islam. He therefore decided to turn towards Ta’if for help.
Ta’if was a very important place in ancient Arabia. It was, as it were, a ‘hill station’, situated on the slopes of the higher and cooler mountains on the road to the Yemen, full of fruitful gardens and orchards. Because of the perpetual drought at Mecca, the Meccans were in need of the produce of Ta’if. At the time, a distance of three days’ journey separated Ta’if from Mecca. The higher classes and dignitaries of Mecca used to spend the three summer months up in the hills.
The Holy Prophet now set out secretly from Mecca towards Ta’if, in the company of Zayd ibn Harith. (According to other sources, he went all alone). At Ta’if, the main chiefs and leaders were at the time three brothers of Bani Thaqif: Habib, Mas’ud, and Abdu Yalayl.
The Holy Prophet went to them with the intention of speaking to them about Islam, perchance they might accept it, and with the purpose of securing their aid and protection against the hostile idolaters of Mecca. But when he had spoken to them and made his intentions plain, they said, “If you are truly a prophet what need do you have of our help? If God sent you as His messenger, why doesn’t He protect you? And if Allah wished to send a prophet, couldn’t He have found a better person than you, a weak and fatherless orphan?”
Hearing their response, the Holy Prophet realized that it was hopeless to try to talk to these hard-hearted people, so he gave up and turned to leave. On account of the people of Ta’if this verse of the Holy Quran was revealed:
They say, ‘Why was this Quran not sent down upon some man of moment in the two cities?’ What, is it they who divide the mercy of thy Lord? We have divided between them their livelihood in the present life, and raised some of them above others in rank, that some of them may take others in servitude; and the mercy of thy Lord is better than that they amass.
(Ornaments: 31, 32)
The Holy Prophet feared that news of this encounter might embolden his Meccan enemies against him, so in parting he asked the Bani Thaqif of Ta’if to keep the matter secret. But they refused to comply even with this request, and they stirred up the rabble of Ta’if against him, who drove the Holy Prophet out of the walled town, pel
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rophet still asleep. In his sleep the angel Jibra'il appeared to him again and addressed him:
Ya ayyuhal Mudaththir Oh thou shrouded in thy mantle; The Holy Prophet lifted his head to listen.
Qum fa-andhir. Arise and warn.
Wa rabbaka fa-takbir. Thy Lord magnify;
Fa-thiyabaka fa-tahhir. Thy robes purify,
( i.e. rid your heart from doubt and all other than God)
wa-r-rijza tahjur; and defilement flee!
wa la tamnan tastakthir Give not, thinking to gain greater,
wa li-rabbika fa-sbir and be patient unto thy Lord.
In these first verses Allah Almighty set forth to Muhammad his prophethood and enjoined on him prayer, magnanimity, kindness and patience. The Holy Prophet rose. Khadija saw him and said, “Oh Abu Qasim, why have you risen, why won’t you rest some more?” “Khadija,” he replied, “my time for rest has passed. Again the angel has come to me, this time commanding me to go out and proclaim my message and to teach people to believe in Allah and to pray to Him.”
Khadija felt great joy when she heard these words, and said, “I believe in you, before anybody else; instruct me in your religion.” Khadija was therefore the first to embrace Islam. The Holy Prophet was very happy that his wife was his first follower. Jibra'il was present and instructed the prophet . He told him to fetch water so that he might teach him the rites of ablution and show him how to pray. After teaching all these things to Muhammad , they prayed together, and Jibra'il was the Imam.
How `Umar bin Khattab Came to Islam
The revelations continued and after a time there were thirty-nine people who followed the new religion of Islam. The Quraysh however were opposed to the new cult, and because of this, the new Muslims could not pray openly at the Kaba. The Holy Prophet then prayed to his Lord, “Oh Allah, make Islam openly known, and let it be through one of these two, You alone know which one is the best: either ‘Umar bin Khattab or Abu Jahl bin Hisham.” Allah Almighty heard his prayer and answered it through ‘Umar bin Khattab.
At first ‘Umar bin Khattab was a sworn enemy of Islam and of the new Prophet
. One day he made his way to the Prophet’s house in order to kill him and to put an end to the ‘disturbance’, brandishing his sword. Abu Jahl had set out a reward on Muhammad’s head, promising one hundred camels and one hundred pieces of gold to his murderer.
‘Umar was a man of fiery temperament. On his way to Muhammad’s house he ran into one of the Sahaba (Companions of the Prophet) whom he knew, and he yelled at him, “So you too have become one of those Muslims?” and slapped
him in the face. This man replied, “What is your concern with me, ‘Umar, when your own sister and brother-in-law have entered the faith of Islam?” ‘Umar refused to believe this and turned directly towards his sister’s house to see if there was any truth to this. This sister was married to Talha ibn Zubayr.
As he approached the house, he could hear voices from inside reciting verses from the revelation. It was a Muslim named Habib who was teaching them the newly revealed verses. Enraged, ‘Umar stormed in, and yelled, “Where is he?” Habib hid himself and hid also the piece of deerskin on which the holy verses were written. ‘Umar in his rage began pushing and shoving his brother-in-law, even hitting him. His wife, ‘Umar’s sister, came between them to prevent the blows, and ‘Umar’s blows fell on her. Her cheek was split and blood ran down from her wound. Thereupon his sister also grew very angry, and cried, “Yes, we too have become Muslims, and it is the Truth, Allah and His Messenger Muhammad are real and true. We worship no idols; we worship none but Allah Almighty, Allahu Akbar! If you don’t like it, then you must kill us!”
Hearing his own sister utter these words, ‘Umar came to his senses and regarded his sister’s bleeding face and his brother-in-law knocked down on the floor, and he said, “Show me what it was that you were reciting!” The sister went to clean herself and make ablution; she then brought out the piece of skin on which were written these verses:
Bismillahir-Rahmanir-Rahim. TaHa. We have not sent down the Quran upon thee for thee to be unprosperous, but only as a reminder to him who fears, a revelation from Him who created the earth and the high heavens; the All-Compassionate sat Himself upon the Throne; to Him belongs all that is in the heavens and in the earth and all that is between them and all that is underneath the soil. (TaHa. 1-5)
Hearing these divine verses, ‘Umar was profoundly stirred, and he said, “If this be the truth, then what we have been worshipping so far is nothing. Take me to Muhammad!” They said to him, “We will take you to him only if you promise not to speak badly and to do him no harm.” Now that ‘Umar had calmed down, Habib also came out of hiding, and saying, “Allahu Akbar!” they set out for the Prophet’s house.
Looking out of Khadija’s house, Hamza saw them approaching. He had himself accepted Islam only three days before, and seeing ‘Umar he now unsheathed his sword and said, “If ‘Umar is coming with good intentions, he is welcome; but if he draws near in anger, then our swords shall do the talking.” The Holy Prophet
said, “Let him draw near, it appears a change has come over him.”
So it was indeed: ‘Umar came before the Prophet as a humble man, dragging his sword. The Prophet welcomed him, saying, “Alhamdulillah, Allah has answered my prayer regarding you, He has chosen you rather than Abu Jahl to enter into the fold of Islam.” ‘Umar then accepted Islam at his blessed hands and was taught the prayers and rites of the religion. He then learned that the Muslims were forced to pray in secret, because Quraysh were preventing them from praying publicly at the Kaba.
‘Umar exclaimed, “What! Shall they pray to their false gods openly while we must worship the true God in secret? Come, we will go there right now!” So they set out, taking the Holy Prophet in their midst, the whole flock of those first Muslims. Ahead of them strode ‘Umar, brandishing his sword, Abu Bakr on his right, ‘Uthman at his left, and Ali behind him, and all the other Sahaba grouped around and behind them. Thus they drew near to the sanctuary where the Quraysh were awaiting them, for they all knew of the price Abu Jahl had put on Muhammad’s head.
When they saw them approaching with ‘Umar in the lead, they thought, “Ah, he has taken the lot of them prisoner!” But Abu Jahl was more observant than they and said, “By God, this does not resemble a line of prisoners, he seems to have embraced the new faith himself!”
When they had come up close ‘Umar in a loud voice declared his faith for all to hear. He said, “Let everyone stand informed that I, ‘Umar bin Khattab have become a Muslim, and this is my declaration of faith: Ash-hadu an la ilaha illAllah, wa ash-hadu anna Muhammadar-Rasulullah.”
Hearing this declaration, all the Quraysh assembled there with Abu Jahl slunk away and dispersed, from fear of ‘Umar who was fierce and known as a mighty warrior. Had it not been for him, they might have done all manner of cruelty to the small band of Muslims. From that day on they prayed openly at the Kaba, at all the times of prayer.
The Holy Prophet preached Islam privately for three years, and instructed each Muslim individually, until the revelation of this holy verse:
O Messenger, deliver that which has been sent down to thee from thy Lord; for if though dost not, thou wilt not have delivered His Message. God will protect thee from men; God guides not the people of the unbelievers. (The Table, 72)
From that time onwards, he began to preach openly and in public.
Some Miracles of the Holy Prophet
Allahumma la hawla wa la quwwata illa billahil-‘aliyyil-‘azhim.
These are some of the miracles that our Holy Prophet Muhammad performed.
The Prophet and the Deer
Once the Holy Prophet was out in the desert, when he heard a loud cry, “Stop, oh Prophet of Allah!” He followed the direction of the voice, and came across an Arab fast asleep, while a doe he had caught was tied up beside him. The Holy Prophet realized that it was this animal’s voice that he had heard calling out to him. He approached it and asked, “What is it with you, what is your need?”
The deer answered, “Oh Prophet of Allah! I have left two of my young behind on yonder mountain, who are still too small to know which grasses to feed on; they are dependent on my milk. Please let me go so that I might nurse them and tell them what has happened to me. Let me take them to the pasture and show them what grasses to eat, so that they might not perish when I’m gone. I will be back after five hours have passed.”
The Holy Prophet replied, “Will you keep your word? What if you don’t show up?” The deer said, “Then let the punishment of the traitor come upon me.”
Just at that very moment, the sleeping Bedouin awoke. He had heard the conversation of the deer with the Holy Prophet , and now he said: “Have you ever heard of a wild animal that came back once it was set free?” “This one will come, inshaAllah,” answered the Prophet Muhammad . The Bedouin said, “If it doesn’t come, I will kill you!” The Holy Prophet then smiled and asked, “And if it does come back, will you then accept Islam?” “Yes, I will,” said the Bedouin.
So they set the deer free, and it ran off. After four hours had passed, the deer returned. The Holy Prophet asked it, “You promised to return after five hours, but only four have passed. How is that?” “Oh Holy Prophet,” said the deer, “I went to find my fawns, and I told them of what had happened to me. They drank, but then withdrew so that you might not remain waiting in a tight situation. They said, ‘Go back to him an hour ahead of time, so that this Bedouin in his ignorance might not speak untoward words against him.’ That is how I arrived an hour ahead of time.” Hearing these words, the Bedouin embraced Islam and
set the deer free.
The Splitting Apart of the Moon
Although the pagan Quraysh had witnessed a great many true miracles by the Holy Prophet , they still would not forego their denial and disbelief. They continued in their efforts to confuse people, so that they would not embrace the faith. Their main aim was to make difficulties for the Holy Prophet . However, Allah Almighty never leaves His Beloved Prophet amidst difficulties in the face of the disbelievers and never withdraws His Protection from his side.
One day the accursed Abu Jahl who was one of the foremost of Quraysh saw that there were a great many people following Muhammad and professing their belief in his prophethood. He conceived of a devilish plan and immediately sent word to one tribesman, Habib ibn Malik. In his message he wrote: “There has risen one person among us who claims that the religion we have inherited from our forefathers is null and void. He has gathered a great following around himself, and we are incapable of containing him. Therefore, we ask you to come and find means against him.”
As soon as Habib ibn Malik received and read Abu Jahl’s letter, he grew very angry and came to Mecca with a sizeable following. Abu Jahl saw him coming and said, “Let somebody go and fetch Muhammad by force”, but Habib said, “No, he merits a polite invitation; if he doesn’t respond, then let him be brought by force,” and he sent a messenger to invite Muhammad . Together with eighty of the Sahaba, Muhammad set out to meet Habib ibn Malik. According to another narration, he came alone, his black turban wound about his noble head. Habib looked at him and saw that he shone with the Light of Divine Beauty. He turned to Abu Jahl and said, “Is this Muhammad who you speak about?” “Yes, it is he,” replied Abu Jahl, may his name be cursed.
Habib’s heart was filled with faith at the sight of the Holy Prophet and he guided him to his tent and said to him, “If you are truly a prophet, then show us a miracle.” The Holy Prophet answered, “What is it you would like to see?” Habib said to him, “I would like to see the moon rise before nightfall to its highest point, then split in two; the two halves should descend and stand in front of you as witnesses; they should speak the words of the creed, be hidden beneath your robes and then emerge from your sleeves to ascend again to the high heavens. Thereafter the moon should return to the place of its arising, and it should be dark again; in its place let the sun shine forth anew. Secondly, there is something else I wish for in my heart: that you might have knowledge of that.”
Abu Jahl heard these words, and they pleased him. “Bravo, Habib,” he said to him.
The Holy Prophet climbed up to Jabel Abu Qubays and bowed down low in prayer. He entreated his Lord to help him in this matter, and instantly the angel Jibra’il appeared to him, informing him of what Habib had in mind. The miracle Habib had requested was also made manifest. Before the moon rose, however, the Wardens of Hell opened a hole the size of a pinpoint through which the blackness of Hell seeped onto the earth. Of such intensity was this darkness that people’s teeth began to chatter, and they fell all over each other in the lightless gloom. Then the moon rose in its usual fashion till it reached its peak position. Then, upon a sign from the Holy Prophet it split into two halves that descended by his side. Both parts were heard to utter the Kalimat-u-Shahada, then they disappeared beneath the skirt of his robe and emerged from his sleeves, paused upon his head for a moment, from there to resume their heavenly station once more. The moon then returned to the place of its arising, and the sun shone out over the world again.
(According to another narration, it was Abu Jahl or the Quraysh who wished for this miracle. That night, the Holy Prophet pointed his finger at the moon and it split into two, one half descending on the Jabel Hira, the other half in another place. Later the caravan coming from Sham was questioned as to this event and confirmed having witnessed it as well.)
This was the first miracle Habib had requested. As for his second request, the Holy Prophet now turned to Habib and said to him, “What you hold in your heart is your daughter; for you have a daughter who is blind and who is lame of hand and foot. She will now behold me in a dream and she will be filled with health and faith.” Upon these words, Habib also believed, but Abu Jahl was filled with unfathomable rage, and yelled at Habib, “I thought you were a reasonable person! We have held out for such a long time against this nonsense, not believing in any of the tricks he shows us! Yet you believe in the very first demonstration of his wizardry!” Habib replied, “Alhamdulillah, Allah be praised, I have believed and I am freed from error and misguidance. May you remain therein forever more, oh accursed one!”
According to one narration, Habib had hidden thirty thousand men behind the mountain, in order to fight the Prophet if the need arose. When he embraced Islam, ten thousand of those men came forth every day and became Muslims. Jibra’il descended and revealed the verses:
When comes the help of God, and victory, and thou seest men entering God’s religion in throngs, then proclaim the praise of thy Lord and seek His forgiveness; for He turns again unto men. (Help)
At this the Holy Prophet wept so much that those standing by him asked him, “Our Prophet , why do you weep? Is it from joy that you weep, as men are entering into Islam in throngs?” Thereupon the Holy Prophet answered, “At the end of times my nation will thus depart in throngs from the religion of Islam; it is therefore that I weep.”
Habib returned to his home and palace. At the gate, his daughter herself came out to welcome him. She told him of the dream she had had, in which she saw the Holy Prophet and embraced Islam. Together father and daughter repeated the holy words of the Shahada. Habib sent two camel loads of precious stones to the gates of the Kaba. The messengers bringing the gifts did not know Muhammad and asked for him. Abu Jahl intercepted them and said, “I am the chieftain here. Such gifts are sent from one chief to another, therefore they are due to me. Who is this Muhammad anyway?” Just then, Muhammad happened to come that way, and an argument rose. To cut it short, Muhammad said, “Let the camels decide the matter; whomever they choose, let the gifts be his.”
Thereupon Abu Jahl asked for time until the next morning at sunrise. He spent all night in front of his idols, imploring them to help him in this matter. “If you help decide this in my favor and make the camels speak for me, I will bring you great sacrifices, and anoint you with precious oils and perfumes...” he said to them. Finally even his companions grew tired of his antics, and they said, “It is enough, Abu Jahl; have Muhammad called, so the matter can be decided.”
Muhammad came and held his woolen cloak over the faces of the camels. He spoke to them and said, “Tell us now, where have you come from, and who has sent these gifts for whom?” The camels first pronounced the words of the Shahada so that all could hear them, then they said, “We have been sent with these gifts by Habib ibn Malik to Muhammad ”.
Thereby the matter was decided beyond doubt, but now there was a lot of talk about how rich Muhammad had become all at once. He therefore led the camels to the other side of Jabel Abu Qubays and unloaded them there. He said, “I accept all of these gifts; may Allah reward the giver for them,” and sent the camels back to where they had come from. Then he spoke the words: “Kunu turaban juruza! Be ye turned to barren dust!” and the precious stones and gems all turned to dust. The Prophet performed this miracle in order to demonstrate
to the people that worldly wealth and earthly possessions meant nothing to him and were of no real value.
Migration to Abyssinia
Still, day-by-day conditions in Mecca worsened for the Muslims. They suffered more and more injustice and oppression at the hands of the pagan Meccans. One day in the fifth year of his prophethood, his closest friends came to Muhammad and said, “Oh Muhammad , we can bear it no longer, our patience is used up. Grant us permission to fight against them.” But the Holy Prophet had not yet received the divine command to fight the unbelievers, so he replied, “If you can stand no more, then you may migrate elsewhere.” “But whereto?” they asked.
He pointed with his arm in the direction of Abyssinia. “Go to Abyssinia,” he told them, “they are Christians there, believers in a holy book. They will not harm you; they will respect your beliefs. There you may find relief.” (This became known as the first Hijra (migration). The second Hijra was the Prophet’s migration from Mecca to Madinah.) Eighty of the companions set out for Abyssinia then, though according to other narrations they were only twenty- three. Their names included ‘Uthman bin ‘Affan and his wife Ruqiyya; Zubayr bin Awwam; Abu Hudhayfa bin’ Utba and his wife Sahla; Mus‘ab bin’ Umayr, Abdurrahman bin ‘Auf; Abu and Umm Salama;’ Uthman bin Maz ‘un; Amir bin Rabi’a and Layla; Suhayl bin Bayda’; Abu Sabra bin Abi Ruhm and his wife Umm Kulthum.
Hamza Enters the Fold of Islam
The pagan Meccans continued to harass the Holy Prophet and the Muslims in every way. One day `Utba came running up from behind and knocked the Prophet’s turban off his head. Another time Abu Jahl, standing on the hill of Safa, threw a stone at the Holy Prophet , which hit and injured his head, but he said nothing. The Prophet’s uncle and milk-brother Hamza bin Abdul Muttalib was just returning from the hunt. As he was going from the hill of Safa towards the Kaba, he was met by the freedwoman of Abdullah bin Jud’an who called to him, “Had you seen what Abu Jahl and his louts have done to the son of your brother, you never would have stood for it!”
Hamza grew extremely angry when he heard this, and grasping his bow in his hand, he made straight for the Haram. He went up to Abu Jahl and hit him on the head a violent blow, hurting him. Abu Jahl began to protest, and seeking to defend himself, he said, “But it was he who insulted us, deeming us to be of no
mind. He has insulted our gods and departed from the way of our forefathers.” To this, Hamza replied in a firm manner, “You worship other than Allah Almighty, can there be anything more mindless than that? I hereby bear witness that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is His Messenger!”
Then Hamza went to the house of Khadija where he met the Holy Prophet and said, “Oh Muhammad, I have injured Abu Jahl on his head.” To this the Holy Prophet answered, “You have caused him pain; of what use is that to me?” Hamza then said, “What would you rather have me do?” “I would wish that you became Muslim,” said the Holy Prophet . “That is my wish as well, therefore I have come to you, oh Muhammad, please accept me into the fold of Islam.” The Holy Prophet accepted him and Hamza became Muslim. According to a different narration, Hamza had already entered Islam at the time that ‘Umar became Muslim.
The Quraysh Send Envoys to the King of Abyssinia
The leaders of Quraysh sent envoys laden with gifts to the King of Abyssinia, demanding that he send back the emigrants. The messengers were ‘Amr bin al-‘As and Abdullah bin Abi Rabi’a. They came before the Negus and said, “Some mischief-makers from among our people have fled from us and sought refuge with you. They have come to carry out their mischief here among you, your religion, and your people. We have come to warn you of this.”
The envoys hoped that the Negus would give them a favorable reply, but instead he flew into a rage and cried, “No, by God, I will not give them up to you! Having no other recourse, they have sought shelter here with me – never shall I surrender them, not without having spoken to them!” The Negus had the emigrants called before him and he listened to them. He understood that the messengers who had come for them bore them ill intentions, so he sent them back, rejecting their offerings and request. He said to them, “Why do you attribute lies to your own prophet? He is the Messenger of Allah, we have read his description in our holy books, he has been announced to us already by Isa, the son of Mary.” In this way it was made known that the King of Abyssinia, the Negus was very close to Islam.
This Negus passed away five years after the Holy Prophet had come to Madinah. The angel Jibra’il withdrew the veil from the Holy Prophet’s eyes, so that he could see from Madinah all the way to Abyssinia. He prayed the funeral prayer for the Negus at Madinah. This is the origin of the custom of the “salat al-janaza ‘alal-gha’ibin”, the funeral prayer for absent or anonymous dead.
Once the people of Mecca suggested to the Prophet , “Oh Muhammad, we will worship your god, if you wish, but you must consent to worship our gods as well.” Thereupon the following holy verse was revealed:
Say, ‘Is it other than God you bid me serve, you ignorant ones?’ It has been revealed to thee, and to those before thee, ‘If thou associates other gods with God, thy work shall surely fail and thou wilt be among the losers.’ Nay, but God do thou serve, and be thou among the thankful. (The Companies, 64-66)
The Sura ‘The Unbelievers’ was also revealed on this occasion.
Say, ‘O unbelievers, I serve not what you serve, and you are not serving what I serve, nor am I serving what you have served, neither are you serving what I serve. To you your religion, and to me my religion! (The Unbelievers)
Then the pagan Quraysh came together and decided to write a document, which they did, and hung it up in the middle of the Kaba. The contents of their writ was this: there was to be a boycott on the Bani Hashim and the Bani Muttalib, that they should not marry their women nor give women to them to marry; that they should neither buy from them nor sell to them. These conditions were very difficult for the Muslims to carry, but they accepted them without complaint.
A space of about three years went by in this manner. One day a certain man Wahb bin Umayya came along and tore the piece of paper from its place. He asked who had written this page. Abu Jahl replied, “We attached it in its place in agreement with ‘Umar.” Allah Almighty sent a little worm to destroy this document, and by means of revelation He informed His Prophet of this. The only thing on this sheet of paper that the insect left untouched were the words: “Bismika Allahumma” (In Thy name, oh God).
It later became known through the Prophet’s uncle Abu Talib that the hands of the writer of this page both withered.
The Deaths of Abu Talib and Khadija
In the tenth year of the Holy Prophet’s prophethood, his uncle Abu Talib died. This year was the most difficult and sorrow-laden year for Muhammad . For three days after the death of Abu Talib, in the month of Ramadan, his wife Khadija also left this world for the next, at the age of sixty-five. Even more than by the death of these beloved persons, the Holy Prophet was affected by certain
rumors that cast doubt on whether his beloved uncle Abu Talib had died as a Muslim or not. At this point, a verse was revealed to the Prophet which addressed itself to all the Muslims in the person of the Holy Prophet :
Thou guidest not whom thou likest, but God guides whom He wills, and knows very well those that are guided. (The Story, 56)
In spite of all the Prophet’s attempts to convince him, Abu Talib had not become Muslim. However, he is reported to have said, “Were it not that I feared that you would be abused after my death, and that Quraysh would think I had only said it in fear of death, I would have accepted what you call me to.”
When Abu Talib lay dying, the Prophet sent Ali to him so that he might recite to him. When he passed from this life, the Holy Prophet wept for him and said to Ali, “Go, and place him in his grave.”
After Abu Talib’s death, the leadership of Quraysh passed on to ‘Abbas, the son of Abdul Muttalib. ‘Abbas was unable to extend his protection to the Holy Prophet , and Quraysh persecuted him and sought to harm him at every step. One day the Holy Prophet was in the mosque praying, and while he was bowing down in Sajda, the disbelievers came and dumped dirt upon his head. His long hair and beard were soiled with dust. Nobody would have dared do such a thing while Abu Talib was alive. The Prophet was patient for another year, then this verse was revealed to him:
So if they turn their backs, say, ‘God is enough for me. There is no god but He. In Him I have put my trust. He is the Lord of the Mighty Throne.’ (Repentance, 129)
The Holy Prophet’s Visit to Ta’if
After Abu Talib’s death, the Holy Prophet was subjected to a great deal of insult and hostile persecution by the pagan Arabs of Mecca, and he was very much affected by this. People began turning away from him when he spoke and told them about Islam. He therefore decided to turn towards Ta’if for help.
Ta’if was a very important place in ancient Arabia. It was, as it were, a ‘hill station’, situated on the slopes of the higher and cooler mountains on the road to the Yemen, full of fruitful gardens and orchards. Because of the perpetual drought at Mecca, the Meccans were in need of the produce of Ta’if. At the time, a distance of three days’ journey separated Ta’if from Mecca. The higher classes and dignitaries of Mecca used to spend the three summer months up in the hills.
The Holy Prophet now set out secretly from Mecca towards Ta’if, in the company of Zayd ibn Harith. (According to other sources, he went all alone). At Ta’if, the main chiefs and leaders were at the time three brothers of Bani Thaqif: Habib, Mas’ud, and Abdu Yalayl.
The Holy Prophet went to them with the intention of speaking to them about Islam, perchance they might accept it, and with the purpose of securing their aid and protection against the hostile idolaters of Mecca. But when he had spoken to them and made his intentions plain, they said, “If you are truly a prophet what need do you have of our help? If God sent you as His messenger, why doesn’t He protect you? And if Allah wished to send a prophet, couldn’t He have found a better person than you, a weak and fatherless orphan?”
Hearing their response, the Holy Prophet realized that it was hopeless to try to talk to these hard-hearted people, so he gave up and turned to leave. On account of the people of Ta’if this verse of the Holy Quran was revealed:
They say, ‘Why was this Quran not sent down upon some man of moment in the two cities?’ What, is it they who divide the mercy of thy Lord? We have divided between them their livelihood in the present life, and raised some of them above others in rank, that some of them may take others in servitude; and the mercy of thy Lord is better than that they amass.
(Ornaments: 31, 32)
The Holy Prophet feared that news of this encounter might embolden his Meccan enemies against him, so in parting he asked the Bani Thaqif of Ta’if to keep the matter secret. But they refused to comply even with this request, and they stirred up the rabble of Ta’if against him, who drove the Holy Prophet out of the walled town, pel
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