Visit to Taif
After the death of Abu Talib and Khadijah , finding that the
Meccans had turned a deaf ear to his preaching, the Prophet decided to go to
Taif, perhaps its people would be more responsive. But a big disappointment was
in store for him. Muhammad spent a month at Taif only to be scoffed and laughed
at. When he persisted in his preaching, the people of Taif drove him out of
their city pelting stones at him. In this desperate situation he prayed to God
thus:
"O Allah! I make my complaint unto You
regarding the feebleness of my strength, the insignificance of my devices, and
my humiliation in the sight of people. O You, the Most Merciful One! You are
the Lord of the oppressed, You are my Lord. To whom would You entrust my
affairs? To a stranger who would scowl at me? Or to an enemy who would control
me? If you are not displeased with me, then I do not care (about any hardship),
but an ease bestowed by You will be more accommodating to me. I seek refuge in
the light of Your countenance (by which all darkness is dispersed and all
affairs of this world and the hereafter are kept straight) from pouncing of
Your anger or the coming of Your wrath. I seek your pardon in order that you
may be pleased with me. There is no power nor strength except in You"
Grief-stricken, the
Prophet returned to Mecca.
Islam Gradually Reaches Beyond Mecca
All these disappointments and persecutions notwithstanding,
Islam was spreading in other tribes too, although very slowly and not on a
grand scale. Its simplicity and rationality were such that it only needed to
reach the ears of the people to stir their souls. For thirteen years, the
Quraish did their very best to stifle the new religion, but their opposition
itself provided the necessary publicity. Tribes from all corners of Arabia flocked
to Mecca at the time of the annual pilgrimage. Lest they should be influenced
by the message of Mohammed, the Quraish used to post themselves outside the
city and warn the pilgrims: "An infidel has been born in our city who
dishonors our idols; he even speaks ill of Lat and Uzza; do not listen to
him." People naturally got curious and wanted to know more about this man.
A disciple of the Prophet, recalling his earlier days, stated: "When I was
young, I used to hear from the people going to Mecca that a person claiming
Prophethood had been born there." When the news spread, most people
laughed and jeered at Mohammed, yet there were a few seekers of the truth who
listened to his message and who were influenced by it. Hafiz ibn Hajar, in his
book al-Isabah, mentions the
names of several companions who had come from Yemen and other distant places
and, after secretly accepting Islam, had gone back to work among their tribes.
The clan of Abu Musa al-Ash'ari in Yemen accepted Islam in this manner.
Tufail ibn 'Amr, of the tribe of Daws, was a poet of repute
who could by his poetic fervor sway the feelings and attitudes of the Arabs. He
had come into contact with the Prophet and was so enthralled by the marvelous
diction of the Qur'an recited to him that he accepted Islam instantly. He was
able to win some converts in his tribe, but in general the tribe did not listen
to him. He came back to the Prophet and requested him to curse the Daws but the
Prophet prayed thus: "O God! Guide the Daws and send them to me (as
Muslims)." Soon after, the entire tribe accepted Islam.
Dhamad ibn Tha'labah was a chief of Azd and a friend of the
Prophet in his early years. He came to Mecca and was told that Mohammed had
gone mad. He approached the Prophet and said that he could cure him. The
Prophet replied,
"All praise be to God; I praise Him and seek His
forgiveness. If God were to guide anyone, he cannot go astray, and if He leaves
anyone to stray, nothing can guide him. I declare that there is no god but
Allah. He is one and has no partner, and further (I declare) that Mohammed is
His Servant and Messenger."
It is almost impossible to reproduce the vibrating force and
captivating charm of the Arabic text which so much impressed Dhamad that he
accepted Islam immediately and through him his whole tribe submitted to it.
Abu Dharr of the tribe of Ghifar was one of those who were
disgusted with idol-worship. When:be heard about the Prophet, he went to
Mecca and incidentally met 'Ali with whom he stayed for three days. 'Ali
introduced him to the Prophet and Abu Dharr accepted Islam. The Prophet advised
him to go back home, but in his zeal he publicly announced in the Ka'bah:
"There is no god but Allah and Mohammed is His Prophet." He was given
a sound thrashing by the Quraish and was rescued by 'Abbas. Returning to his
tribe, he invited it to accept Islam. About half of his tribesmen, accepted
Islam and the rest followed suit when the Prophet migrated to Medina.
As the Ghifars were on very friendly terms with the tribe of
Aslam, the latter were influenced by the former and also accepted Islam.
Quite a number of persons had incidentally heard the Qur'an
being recited and were captivated by it. Jubayr ibn Mut'im had come to Medina
to pay ransom for the prisoners of war of Badr. He happened to hear the Prophet
reciting the following verses:
Or were they created
out of naught? Or are they the creators? Or did they create the heavens and the
Earth? Nay, but they have no certainty. (Qur'an, 52:35-36)
Jubayr stated that when he heard these verses, he felt that
his heart was about to soar.
First Pledge of 'Aqabah
As the Meccans refused to listen to him, the Prophet used to
preach to strangers and pilgrims visiting the Ka'bah. As described above, the
news that a Prophet had arisen was spreading. A deputation of about twenty
Christians from Nazareth came to meet him and embraced Islam. Similarly,
another group of six persons from Yathrib accepted Islam. The next year, at the
time of the annual pilgrimage, twelve Yathribites came and undertook a pledge
known as the First Pledge of 'Aqabah (Mountain-pass), so named because it
was done in an out of the way mountain-pass outside Mecca. The pledge
was:
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The period between the First and the Second Pledges was one
of anxious waiting. The Meccans were sternly adamant, the people of Taif had
rejected Muhammad, and the mission was making a slow progress. Yet hope had
been engendered by its diffusion to the distant city of Yathrib. The conviction
was very much there that the truth would ultimately prevail. Describing this
period, Muir says:
"Mahomet, thus holding his people at bay, waiting, in
the still expectation of victory, to outward appearance defenseless, and with
his little band, as it were, in the lion's mouth, yet trusting in his
Almighty's power whose messenger he believed himself to be, resolute and
unmoved, presents a spectacle of sublimity paralleled only in the sacred
records by such scenes as that of the prophet of Israel, when he complained to
his Master, 'I, even I only, am left."
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