بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
Circle 8: Nuisance and Persecution Against the Prophet (saw) and Da’wah Carriers
In this Halaqa we will talk about the fourth tactic used by the Quraysh against the Prophet (saw) which is nuisance and persecution to the Prophet (saw) and the da’wah carriers.
The Prophet (saw) persevered all forms of nuisances while calling servants to Allah. The nuisance persisted to him (saw) and the believers, this stage took a long time; the intellectual and political struggle took a long time approximately ten years, Muslims tasting throughout this period all forms of persecution.
Allah (swt) says:
كَمَا أَخْرَجَكَ رَبُّكَ مِنْ بَيْتِكَ بِالْحَقِّ وَإِنَّ فَرِيقًا مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ لَكَارِهُونَ
[It is] just as when your Lord brought you out of your home [for the battle of Badr] in truth, while indeed, a party among the believers were unwilling,
[Al-Anfaal: 5]
The Prophet (saw) was subjected to different forms of terrible nuisance to force him to abandon the call, the disbelievers and polytheists conspired to kill him (saw). They attempted to kill him severally, but the Prophet (saw) persisted in his patience while anticipating for Allah’s protection. His resolve never weakened nor his belief to Allah softened by the hardships he faced in the cause of the da’wah, rather he remained steadfast to the ideology, calling the servants of Allah with zeal and enthusiasm, to attain the pleasure of Allah. In order that he becomes a role model to be emulated by the Companions, and those who came after until the Day of Judgment.
Reported by Bukhari from Urwa (ra) said: “I asked ibn Al-‘As (ra), where I said: “Tell me, what is the most terrible thing that the polytheists did to the Prophet (saw)?” He said: “When the Prophet (saw) was praying at the Ka’abah Uqbah ibn Muit went to him (saw) and choked him with his clothes, Abubakar (ra) came and pushed him by his shoulders from the Prophet (saw).”
Allah (swt) says:
وَقَالَ رَجُلٌ مُؤْمِنٌ مِنْ آلِ فِرْعَوْنَ يَكْتُمُ إِيمَانَهُ أَتَقْتُلُونَ رَجُلًا أَنْ يَقُولَ رَبِّيَ اللَّهُ وَقَدْ جَاءَكُمْ بِالْبَيِّنَاتِ مِنْ رَبِّكُمْ ۖ وَإِنْ يَكُ كَاذِبًا فَعَلَيْهِ كَذِبُهُ ۖ وَإِنْ يَكُ صَادِقًا يُصِبْكُمْ بَعْضُ الَّذِي يَعِدُكُمْ ۖ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يَهْدِي مَنْ هُوَ مُسْرِفٌ كَذَّابٌ
And a believing man from the family of Pharaoh who concealed his faith said, “Do you kill a man [merely] because he says, ‘My Lord is Allah ‘ while he has brought you clear proofs from your Lord? And if he should be lying, then upon him is [the consequence of] his lie; but if he should be truthful, there will strike you some of what he promises you. Indeed, Allah does not guide one who is a transgressor and a liar.
[Ghafir:28]
This is just but a single example of how the Prophet (saw) faced hardship and nuisance for the sake of da’wah, and there are many more mentioned in the books of Seerah that we cannot explain in details here. Nevertheless, we will mention some briefly:
When Abu Talib passed on, one among the foolish of Quraysh threw sand on the Prophet (saw). The Prophet (saw) went back home, one of his daughters came and wiped his face while crying. The Prophet (saw) sat down and said: “Oh my daughter! Cry not, By Allah, Allah will protect your father…!”
Utbah ibn Muit threw camel’s waste on the Prophet’s (saw) head and shoulders while he was on prostration.
Abu Jahl, met the Prophet (saw) at Safah where he irritated him until Prophet’s (saw) uncle Hamzah became furious, he went to the mosque and met Abu Jahl in a gathering of Qurays. He did not talk to him but rather stood up by his head and hit him with a bow until he was injured, some men from the Quraysh stood up to refrain Hamzah: Hamza said: “My religion is that of Muhammad’s. I bear witness that he is the Messenger of Allah…!” to which he embraced Islam there instantly.
When the Prophet (saw) was departing from the Thaqif clan after failure to get material support (Nusrah), the clan members sat along the road in two rows, and when he (saw) passed by they threw stones at him whenever he took a step until he bled. He passed by them while bleeding…!
The Quraysh disbelievers never stopped their persecutions against him before establishing a state, rather even after establishing a state; they continued pursuing him, on the day of battle of Uhu. Prophet’s (saw) front teeth were broken and his head injured, he said while wiping blood from his holy face: “How will people succeed when they have smeared their Prophet’s face with blood?” Allah (swt) revealed:
لَيْسَ لَكَ مِنَ الْأَمْرِ شَيْءٌ أَوْ يَتُوبَ عَلَيْهِمْ أَوْ يُعَذِّبَهُمْ فَإِنَّهُمْ ظَالِمُونَ
Not for you, [O Muhammad, but for Allah], is the decision whether He should [cut them down] or forgive them or punish them, for indeed, they are wrongdoers.
[Aal-Imran: 128]
It will continue in UQAB Issue 13… In Shaa Allah.