a radical solution.
When the chiefs of Makkah took stock of their longstanding dispute with Muhammad and realized that despite their opposition, the followers of Muhammad were increasing and moulding themselves into a separate community, the far-sighted among them recognized that the problem they faced was unlikely to fade away or disappear. One of the first to realize that Islam was getting stronger, despite all the Quraysh’s attempts to stop its advance, was ʿUtbah ibn Rabīʿah, one of the leading figures in Makkah.
One day, as ʿUtbah was sitting with a group of the Quraysh notables, he noticed the Prophet sitting alone close to the Kaʿbah. ʿUtbah suggested to his friends: “Shall we go to Muhammad and make him some offers? He may accept one or the other. If he does we will give him that and put an end to our problem with him.”
This idea was greeted with unanimous approval. As ʿUtbah sat with the Prophet he addressed him: “My nephew, you know you command a position of high esteem and noble birth among us. You have brought into the life of your community something very serious indeed. You have thus caused disunity to creep into their ranks; you have belittled their ideals, ridiculed their gods and their religion and spoken ill of their forefathers. Now listen to me. I am making you some offers which I would like you to consider. You may, perhaps, find some of them acceptable.”
The Prophet asked him to make his proposals, and listened attentively. ʿUtbah said: “My nephew, if you have started this affair hoping to make money out of it, we are all willing to give you some of our own wealth so that you would be the richest among us. If it is honour and position you want, we will make you our master and seek your advice in all matters. If it is a throne you are after, we will make you our king. If, on the other hand, you are possessed and are unable to resist what overwhelms you, we will spare no expense in seeking a medical cure for you.”
When ʿUtbah stopped, the Prophet asked him whether he had finished. As ʿUtbah affirmed that he had, the Prophet asked him to listen to what he had to say. The Prophet then recited the first 38 verses of Sūrah 41 of the Qur’ān. ʿUtbah listened attentively. When the Prophet finished his recitation, he prostrated himself in humble devotion to God, before saying to ʿUtbah: “You have heard what I have to say and you can make up your own mind.”
ʿUtbah left quietly and went to his people, who realized as they saw him approaching that a change had come over him. They looked up at him curiously, listening to his words: “I have heard something the like of which I have never heard in my life. It is neither poetry nor sorcery. Take up the suggestion I am making to you, and lay the blame for the outcome at my door. Leave this man alone. What I have heard from him will certainly bring about great events. Should the rest of the Arabs kill him, you would have been spared the trouble. If he wins, whatever glory he achieves will be yours.” They retorted: “He has certainly bewitched you.” He said: “I have stated my opinion, and you can do as you wish.”3
Once again the Quraysh seemed totally unable to listen to words of wisdom. ʿUtbah was known among them as a man of objective views, balanced temperament and moderate approach. What he was suggesting to them was simply to adopt a wait-and-see policy. They would lose nothing by doing that. Indeed, they would stand to gain if the Prophet were successful with his efforts. But they preferred to suppress the new call, wasting in the process all chances of prospective gain.
A Tilt Towards the Hard Line
As the days passed and week followed week, with no hint of rapprochement between the Prophet and the Quraysh, an atmosphere of polarization infiltrated life in Makkah. This polarization was so real that it occasionally transcended tribal loyalties. This meant that no Muslim, whatever his position or his tribal affiliation, was immune from harassment by the Makkans, should the opportunity for such harassment arise. To torment Muslims and subject them to physical torture or mental pressure became the favourite pastime for the Quraysh hardliners. Their victims were numerous and of various tribes and positions.
The Prophet himself was not immune to this, despite the protection afforded him by his uncle and his clan. Rather than violate their own tribal standards, the Makkan leaders made their henchmen abuse the Prophet by word, gesture and action. They accused him of being a magician, a poet, and a fortune-teller, and told him to his face that he was mad. All this, however, did not affect the Prophet or weaken his resolve to carry on with his mission, conveying the word of God to his people. He continued to defy the Makkans in matters of faith, stating his case openly and calling on everyone to abandon pagan worship and accept Islam.
One day, a group of the Quraysh elders met at the Kaʿbah. Their conversation inevitably touched upon their continuing problem with Muhammad and his message. Some of them said: “Our patience with this man and our tolerance of what he does are unbelievable. He has ridiculed our elders, abused our forefathers and our gods, looked with contempt on our religion and caused disunity to creep into our ranks. We have certainly suffered a great deal from him.”
As they said that, the Prophet (peace be upon him) appeared. He walked to the Kaʿbah and started his ṭawāf. When he passed by them, a nasty taunt was directed at him. His colour changed but he went on with his ṭawāf. When he passed by them the second time, they repeated their taunt and his face changed colour again. They repeated the same taunt again as he went past the third time. At this point, he stopped and addressed them, saying: “Do you hear me, people of Quraysh? By Him who holds my soul in His hand, I am threatening you with throat-cutting.”
They were all taken aback by what he said. Even the hardest of them was quick to pacify him. Conciliatory words came from everywhere: “Go about your business, Abū al-Qāsim. You were never known to lose control of yourself.” He left them and went away.
The following day, they met in the same place. They started to blame one another for their meekness. As they were encouraging one another to show more firmness with him, he appeared. They jumped at him and started to maul him. He stood firm, defiant, resolute. Everyone was asking him whether he maintained his position that their idols were false and he said time and again: “Yes, indeed I say that.”
One of them took him by the collar and others pushed him around. Then Abū Bakr tried to defend him, shouting at them: “Do you kill a man for merely saying God is my Lord?” They then left him, having savagely manhandled him. But that did not weaken his resolve to carry on with his mission.4
More Physical Abuse
Perhaps that was the worst physical assault against the Prophet. Hitherto, the Quraysh had respected, to varying degrees, the protection Abū Ṭālib and the Hāshimite clan afforded him. To the Prophet, however, the worst thing he could face from his people was spending all morning talking to them without a good word from anyone. This was worse than physical abuse, because he was so keen that his people should follow Divine guidance, knowing that it would bring them happiness in both this life and the life to come. But that particular event was rather significant. Apparently, it needed such a collective first assault for the Makkans to realize that they could get away with something worse. Abū Jahl was quick to realize that he could always rely on the support of the Quraysh if he wished to abuse Muhammad (peace be upon him). He therefore looked for a chance to do so.
One day Abū Jahl passed the Prophet near the hill of al-Ṣafā, a short distance from the Kaʿbah. Realizing that the Prophet was alone, Abū Jahl assaulted and abused him. He also ridiculed Islam and talked about the Prophet’s message with contempt. The Prophet did not say a single word in reply. The incident was witnessed, however, by a maid looking through a window of a house in which she worked. When Abū Jahl finished his repugnant exercise, he went to join a group of his folk sitting near the Kaʿbah.
Soon afterwards, Ḥamzah, an uncle of the Prophet who was about the same age as the Prophet or a little older, was returning from a hunting trip. Ḥamzah enjoyed his hunting. It was his habit, whenever he returned from hunting, to go first to the Kaʿbah and do a ṭawāf. He then greeted every group of people who sat there, as was the Makkan habit. He was well respected and everyone enjoyed his company.
This time, the maid stopped him as he passed by her. She related to him what she saw Abū Jahl doing to his nephew, Muhammad, and told him that the Prophet did