THREE YEARS, or perhaps a little longer, Prophet Muhammad continued his efforts to propagate Islam, maintaining secrecy as he was commanded by God, but it was now time to move into a new phase. He was given the order to go public. This order is mentioned in the Qur’ān: “And say: I am indeed the plain warner.” (15: 89) “Proclaim openly all that you have been bidden [to say], and leave alone all those who continue to associate partners with God.” (15: 94) He was also told: “Warn your immediate kinsfolk and spread the wings of your tenderness over all the believers who may follow you.” (26: 214-15) These were plain orders, and his response was soon forthcoming.
As he was to show throughout his years of prophethood, Muhammad (peace be upon him) was never to hesitate in carrying out, in letter and in spirit, every commandment he received from God. He therefore stood on al-Ṣafā, a small hill in the centre of Makkah, close to the Kaʿbah, and called out as loudly as he could every Arab clan of Makkah, mentioning them by name and asking them to come over to him. At that particular time and in that particular city, this was the surest way of getting the news to everyone. In no time, the word spread all over Makkah that Muhammad had something important to announce. People were rushing to him from all quarters of the city. When they gathered around the hill, Muhammad put to them this question: “If I were to tell you that armed horsemen are beyond this valley heading towards Makkah to attack you, would you believe me?” “You are trustworthy, and we have never known you to tell lies,” they answered. “Well, then,” he said, “I am sent to you to warn you against grievous suffering.”1
Shaykh Abū al-Ḥasan ʿAlī al-Ḥasanī Nadwī says that the Arabs’ first answer in Makkah was evidence of their realistic and practical approach. They were responding to a man whom they had known to be honest and truthful and always to give sincere advice. He was standing on top of a hill where he could see what was beyond. In their position, they could not see anything beyond what was in their valley. They had no reason not to believe him, whatever he said. This was a natural opening which secured a testimony from the audience – in other words, it established Muhammad’s credentials, which were well known to his audience.2
Commenting on the Prophet’s statement that he is a warner of a grievous suffering, Shaykh Nadwī says that it outlines the position of a prophet who knows the truth which lies beyond what ordinary people can see or understand. It was a warning which combined perfect intelligence with maximum lucidity and clarity of purpose. It was the shortest way to address the minds of the Prophet’s audience.
The Prophet continued his warning, addressing each clan of the Quraysh by name and said, “God has ordered me to warn my immediate kinsfolk. It is not in my power to secure any benefit for you in this life, or any blessing in the life to come, unless you believe in the Oneness of God. People of Quraysh, save yourselves from hell, because I cannot be of any help to you. My position is like one who, seeing the enemy, ran to warn his people before they were taken by surprise, shouting as he ran: ‘Beware! Beware!’”
The people of Makkah were taken aback. They did not expect such a direct and clear warning. It was left, however, to the Prophet’s own uncle, Abū Lahab, to give him a most hostile and harsh reply. “Confound you!” he said. “Is this what you called us here for?”3
This encouraged others to adopt a hostile attitude. Some dismissed the Prophet’s warning as insincere, while others were quick with their insults. No single voice was raised in approval as they began to disperse.
A Forthright Challenge
One can imagine how distressing this incident was to the Prophet. As the people left, he stood alone on the hill, realizing that he now faced the whole world with no human support apart from the three dozen or so people who had responded favourably to the new call. He realized that the path ahead was an uphill struggle which might involve a conflict with his nearest and dearest. Taken in the context of the tribal Arabian society at the time, this must have been very hard for Muhammad (peace be upon him). He realized, however, that an advocate of a great message must not look for friendships or social ties if he is to put his message, as he must, above all considerations and above all human values.
Yet what happened in those few moments at the hill of al-Ṣafā was a historic event with great significance. It should be remembered that although the Prophet was making his first public announcement of his mission, the people of Makkah were aware that a new philosophy was being propagated in their midst. They were not, however, aware of the aims and intentions of the Prophet and his early followers. The declaration on the hill of al-Ṣafā brought home to them the scope of the new call. The aim was to bring about a total change in the life of Arab society: its values and standards, its sense of purpose, its practices and its whole direction. The Prophet, in effect, told his townspeople that they would have to change the whole set-up of their society if they wished to win God’s pleasure. That is why the opposition which met his declaration was so fierce.
It takes great courage to challenge an established idea or a social tradition. People normally do not like to be told that they are wrong, especially when it comes to long established habits and traditions. Hence any call for a change is bound to be met, at least initially, with opposition. It is for this reason that many of those who call for social change find it judicious to make the change they advocate appear moderate and gradual.
Yet here was the Prophet (peace be upon him) standing on the hill, calling all people, warning them and asking them to accept a total and comprehensive change which embraced all aspects of human life, practices, values, ideology. His courageous action deserves much more than our admiration. One looks to the Prophet for guidance. From him one learns how to play the role of an advocate of Islam, and how to convey its message to others. His action shows that one should not compromise when it comes to explaining what sort of social change the adoption of the Islamic way of life will involve.
This accounts for the accusation of ‘extremism’ or ‘fanaticism’ which is usually laid at the door of the advocates of Islam. Nothing is more erroneous than such a charge. Muslims generally – and in particular those among them who take upon themselves the propagation of Islam – are very tolerant, compassionate, honest, frank. Frequently, however, their frankness is mistaken for rigidity; their honesty for fanaticism. The true advocates of Islam are neither rigid nor fanatical; they simply state their case with honesty and clarity. Their message does not accept compromises; hence they insist on maintaining its purity.
The Prophet also wanted to approach his immediate relatives with his message. As already mentioned, he always implemented God’s orders in letter and in spirit. When he called all clans in Makkah and addressed them from the top of the hill of al-Ṣafā, he actually implemented this order taking the words ‘your immediate kinsfolk’ to mean all the Quraysh. As this phrase could be understood in a narrower sense, the Prophet thought of a way to speak to his immediate relatives about his new faith, which represented the only way for humans to save themselves from misery in this life and even greater misery in the life to come. However, he feared that his uncle, Abū Lahab, would do everything possible to spoil his efforts. Abū Lahab, whose real name was ʿAbd al-ʿUzzā ibn ʿAbd al-Muṭṭalib, was known by his title, which meant ‘the father of a flame’, because he had a bright face with reddish cheeks. He was very rich and narrow-minded, feeling that the traditions of Arabia must always be accepted by everyone. He could easily lose his temper when anyone suggested that fathers and grandfathers were mistaken in their practices or traditions. A criticism of pagan beliefs was sure to be treated by Abū Lahab as an intolerable outrage.
A Gentle Approach to Relatives
Faced with the probability that Abū Lahab might spoil the occasion, the Prophet felt that it was best to have a special gathering when he could speak to his immediate relatives in a relaxed atmosphere. He therefore invited them to a meal which was attended by over 40 of his uncles, cousins and second or third cousins. When they had finished eating, the Prophet was beginning to prepare himself to talk when the initiative was taken away from him by none other than Abū Lahab who said to him:
These are your uncles and cousins. You may speak to them, but you have to leave off apostasy. Do not turn away from the faith of your people, and do not expose them to the anger of the Arabs. Your people cannot face up to opposition by the whole