Sake and tolerated them through his amicable manners

كَما نَصَبَ لأمْرِكَ نَفْسَهُ، وَعَرَّضَ فيكَ لِلمَكْرُوه بَدَنَهُ، وَكاشَفَ في الدُّعاءِ إلَيكَ حامَّتَهُ، وَحارَبَ في رِضاكَ اُسْرَتَهُ، وَقَطَعَ في إحْياءِ دينِكَ رَحْمَهُ، وَأقْصى الأدنَينَ عَلى جُحُودِهِم وَقَرَّبَ الأقْصَينَ عَلى استِجابَتِهِم لَكَ، وَوالى فيكَ الأبْعَدِينَ، وَعادى فيكَ الأقْرَبينَ.

“In order to carry out your commands, Mohammad(s) made himself ready. He put himself in hazardous positions in order to propate your religion. He cut his relations with his close relatives who did not intend to accept your Holy Quran. He quarreled with his own tribe to make you satisfied. He put aside all his family bonds to enliven your religion. He kept distant from his relatives who did not believe in you. He accepted a hard life just for your sake and tolerated them through his amicable manners. He made friends with all sorts of people because of You. And he cut his friendly ties with those who opposed you.”

The content and meaning of the above statements will be clear only through a glimpse at the ignorance prevalent at the pre-Islamic Era. This look at the events then will depict the hardships and calamities the Prophet(s) had to go through in order to make the teachings of Islam known.

In those days only one sixth of the population of Arabia were city dwellers, mostly living in the southern sections (Yemen, Adan, Hathar Mout), in the northern and north-western areas such as Hyreh and Qassan. Some of the population also lived in the three main cities of Hijaz: namely, Mecca, Yathreb and Tayef. The rest of the population lived a nomadid life. The bases of their lives were reliant on the tribal traditions.

The nomadic Arabs obeyed no rules and regulations. Rather, they heavily relied on their tribes. They did to others what the extremist nationalists and racialists did in modern times with other races, and nations: they plundered, annihilated, murdered anything they wanted to destroy and they used deception, conspiracies and lies wherever they wanted to.

The nomadic Arabs obeyed no governmental systems and possessed no diplomacy. Their nationality and identity relied on the tribe. A tribe consisted of some families headed by an elderly sheikh of the tribe.

A tribe was a social unity which was self-sufficient. All other tribes were strangers and could be plundered at any moment by a tribe. This did not hold only in those cases where there was an agreement between two tribes to live at peace with each other. But these kinds of pacts and agreements did not last long. It could easily be broken by one member of either tribe.

Thus for the members of a tribe whose protection and pride heavily rested on their clan, it was natural for them to take pride in being a member of a specific tribe and to enjoy certain prejudices related to their clans.

The reasons for the inter-tribal fights rested on the seizure of pastures and most often on their long-standing prejudices.

The Land of Arabia used to train hard-working warriors. If you added this spirit of being warriors to the tribal prejudices and clan nationalism, you would find the root for many blood-sheddings.

It was lawful for any member of a tribe to hunt the wife, wealth or life of any member of the opposing tribe and any tribe which was harassed in this way was rightful to take revenge.

It was a common saying among the nomads that the only remedy for blood-shed is blood-shed. The story of Shanfarah clearly shows the degree of prejudice in taking revenge. He was once insulted by one of the members of Bani Salman tribe and decided to kill one hundred of them. Finally, after encountering a lot of hardships in setting ambushes, he was able to kill only ninety nine of them!

The Arab Era is synonymous with the war events of the nomad Arabs. These fights usually were sparked by a small conflict among two memembers of two tribes and usually lasted for forty years. One such case was the fight called “Besus”. This continued until there was no warrior left and then peace would follow through arbitration.

The greatest disaster occurred to a person if he was rejected by his own tribe. He then was left alone, subject to any mischievous action. He might even get sold as a slave or his wealth would got stolen. Anybody could then dispense with him.

Plundering through formal means was considered a way of life. This was because the wealth, life and safety of others were not respected. Theft and looting was common even among the Christian tribe of Bani Taqleb. But blood-shed was not allowed while plundering was going on. An Arab poet called Qotami, has written the following poem: “It is our job to plunder the neighbors and to assault them”

The nomadic Arab, in his lyrics and odes, considers a great sign of pride to involve in plunder and blood-shed.

Marriage was usual for a girl at the age of eight or nine. The only conditions were the parents' consent and the payment of the marriage portion.

Polygomy was extremely prevalent. A wife was considered as an asset among a father's or husband's or a boy's other assets. She was handed down to the heirs after the husband's death. Thus, one could easily marry the wife of one's father.

It was forbidden to marry girls from other tribes. This did not apply to Qoraish tribe which was allowed to marry any girl outside their circles.

One other way to lawfully possess another man's wife was to set a fight. If he defeated his husband, then he could posses his wife. Some Arab tribes, notably Bani Assad and Tamim, used to put their daughters alive in graves.

Idolatry was practiced among the nomadic Arabs in different shapes.

Idolatory took different shapes: animals, plants, human beings, jinn, angels, stars and even stones were common models for idolatory.

A cubic stone called “Lot” was used among the Tayef tribes as an idole. It was surrounded by pastures and trees. Cutting trees, hunting and blood-shed were forbidden around this idol. The Meccan people used to pay pilgrimage to this location.

The dearest god was Ozza which was equal to Venus. It was in a place called Nakhleh, in the eastern part of Mecca. It was worshipped more than other idols. The shrine of Ozza consisted of three trees and human sacrifices took place there.

Manta was the god of chance and destiny. Its temple was a black stone in Qadaid on the way of Mecca to Yathreb. It belonged to Oos and Khazraj. These three idols were goddesses and assembled the angels.

Ba'al was the symbol for the spirits of the springs and subterraneal canals. Most probably a well full of clean water in adesert could easily be worshipped.

Since caves were connected with under-ground forces and gods they were considered sacred. The Qabqab idol-temple at Nakhleh was discovered because it was in a cave.

Zat Anvat in Nakhlen, on which people used to hang articles, was worshipped for years by the people of Mecca.

Zavel Shara, a mass of carved four-angled rocks, was respected by people.

“The spirit of the cultivable land” was a well-wisher god to whom sacrifices should be offered.

“The spirit of the barren land” was a viscious bevel which had to be avoided.

Besides these public gods, each nomadic Arab had an idol at home. When he or she got home, he or she would go around the god and at the time of a trip, they first got the permission from the god and then took it with them.

The nomadic Arabs used to put aside some portions of their agricultural produce and the cattle off springs for their idols.

Azlma were wooden rods used for telling one's fortune and making consultation. They played a significant role in people's destiny and they were even used to find out the identity of the true parent for a child.

These rods were located in front of Hobal and the ceremonies were carried out by a monk.

These rods were also used for a special kind of gambling.

Once Amraolqeis, the well-known poet, consulted these rods to revenge his father's blood. The results were negative for three consecutive times. Throwing the rods to the face of the idol, the poet said: the hell with you! If your own father had been killed, would you still have forbidden yourself from taking revenge?[1]

It was under such abhorring situations that Muhammad(s) got the mission of a prophet.

Mohammad(s) started his sacred mission when the clouds of ignorance had made dark the sky of humanity, when corruption was widespread, when idoltry had taken the place of monotheism, when figures such as Mazdak and Mani had their ideology and were governing over the people's thoughts, when debauchery and lawdness were considered to be honorable acts, when bloodshed and tyranny were commonplace, when humanity was put on the threshold of annihilation, when women were deprived of their rights and were buried alive with their dead husbands.

People such as Abujahl and Abu Sofyan were dominating over the life and wealth of people in a desert, barren land on the hot rocks of which the blood of the innocent ones was seen and its graves were filled with the girls being buried alive.

The Prophet(s) got his mission in a land where rocks and wood were people's idols, people whose job it was to engage in robbery, and plundering, who lived under deplorable conditions, whose main source of sustenance was raising camels and grazing them and were surrounded by poisonous snakes; people who drank filthy water and fed on barley bread mixed with the powder of the date seeds and on locusts and lizards; people who were in the habit of killing their brothers and were drowned in the murky water of superstitions.

In such a quagmire the boat of man's abominable life was wandering aimlessly. Everybody was dissatisfied with his life; everybody lived with no hope. Ignorance had made life miserable for humanity.[2]

Under such conditions did the Prophet(s) of Islam bigin his mission and endeavored to change man's life through the Holy Quran. The people who had got the habit of worshipping idols, who had been engaged in all sorts of family and social problems made numerous unsurmountable barracks on the may of the Prophet's teachings; hardships which in the word of the Holy Quran were devastating. But helped by God, and due to his perseverance, patience, and prudence, the Great Prophet(s) could resolve all these Problems and was able to lead people in the right path.

The Qoraish chiefs, who were involved in usury, corruption, aggression, injustice, amassing wealth through keeping the idols, got alarmed at the teachings of Islam. God's right way and the Quranic verses and Mohammad's invitiations to Islam frightened these chiefs tremendously. They were well aware that they would lose their social dignities through Mohammad's invitations.

Abu Lahab, Abu jahl, Abu Sofyan, Valid, Shibeh, Atabeh and other despots were well aware that the hand-made idols were useless for themselves and for the people. But since they earned great fortunes through keeping these idols, they preferred to keep people in the dark altogether.

The closing down of the idol-temples was translated into losing Jobs and incomes. They had already kept people in the dark for a long time for their own pleasure-seeking lives.

الَّذِينَ يَتَّبِعُونَ الرَّسُولَ النَّبِيَّ الْأُمِّيَّ الَّذِي يَجِدُونَهُ مَكْتُوبًا عِنْدَهُمْ فِي التَّوْرَاةِ وَالْإِنجِيلِ يَأْمُرُهُمْ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَيَنْهَاهُمْ عَنْ الْمُنكَرِ وَيُحِلُّ لَهُمْ الطَّيِّبَاتِ وَيُحَرِّمُ عَلَيْهِمْ الْخَبَائِثَ وَيَضَعُ عَنْهُمْ إِصْرَهُمْ وَالْأَغْلَالَ الَّتِي كَانَتْ عَلَيْهِمْ فَالَّذِينَ آمَنُوا بِهِ وَعَزَّرُوهُ وَنَصَرُوهُ وَاتَّبَعُوا النُّورَ الَّذِي أُنزِلَ مَعَهُ أُوْلَئِكَ هُمْ الْمُفْلِحُونَ.

“Those who follow the Apostle-Prophet, the Umme, whom they find written down with them in the Tavrat and the Injeel, who enjoins them good and forbids them evil and makes lawful to them the good things and makes unlawful to them impure things, and removes from them their burden and the shackles which were upon them; so as for those who believe in him and honor Him and help Him, and follow the light which has been sent down with Him, these it is that are the successful. 7:156”

They would have lost all the privileges and prerogatives if the shackles had been removed from their wisdom, if they had known that God is not inclusive goods in the hand of the monks, idol-temple keepers and others, and they had known that everybody is on the same relations with God, and finally if they had known that all are created equal.

These chiefs could not stand the wise attacks of the Prophet(s) over their false idols. But Abulahab, Abujahl and Valid who were the pioneers of this atheistic movement looked at the scene rather differently:

They were aware that people would not undergo slavery if they felt the taste of freedom.

What would you think those people who consider wealth as prosperity would do under such conditions? Definitely they would look at money as a solution. So they decided to hinder Mohammad's teachings through their wealth. So they had to resort to money to extinguish the God's light.

We will read in the Ya'aqubi History: “The Qoraish told Abutalib: Your nephew insults our gods; he calls us maniacs; he accuses our followers as idiots. Tell him to stop instigating against us. We will, in return, supply him with ample amounts of money. When Mohammad(s) heard this, he replied: God has not appointed me to collect money or to invite people to be world-mongers; rather, He has commissioned me to give people His invitation to the right way.

Now that the Qoraish leaders saw that they could not tempt Mohammad(s) through money, they decided to force Abu Talib to cut his relation with the Prophet(s). A group of this tribe came up to Abu Talib and said: We will give you Omarat Ibn Valid Ibn Moqayreh, who is a strong and wise youth, as your own son and give us Mohammad(s) so that we will kill him.”

This story is recorded by most historians. It clearly depicts the Qoraishi's mannerisms and their lust for money and usury.

In the eyes of those money-mongers, Omarat was more appropriate than Mohammad(s) to attract money and to repel loss. When the Qoraish chiefs repeated their demand and got nothing from Abu Talib, he was told by Mo'atam Ibn Oday: “Abu Talib, I swear to God your relatives told the truth and they were just.”

But Abu Talib replied: what an unjust demand? You want me to accept your son as my own son, but instead receive my son to kill him? This is sheer tyranny. I would never accept your proposal. Go away and do anything you wish.

Now that they did not succeed in this way, the Qoraish chiefs thought of another plot, a way which is usually adopted by the stupid ones at the time of danger. It is the customs of the idiots to call names or to ridicule others when confronted with an impasse.

The Qoraish, too, rose to insult and assault Mohammad(s) and in this way they spared nothing. Abu Lahab, his wife Omme Jameel, Hakam Ibn Abi Al-As, A'qaba Ibn Abi Moi't are among those who hurt Mohammad(s) most.

When Mohammad at the Okaz Market invited people to Islam, Abu Lahab used to follow him and tell people that his nephew was a liar and urged people not to take him seriously. Another plot they used was to ask children to harass Mohammad(s).

Once when Mohammad(s) was praying, some of these aggressors gave their servant a camel's rumen filled with dung to put over the body of Mohammad(s) when he bent to perform adoration. This contaminated his sacred shoulder and back.[3]

Following their continual harassments, the Qoraish decided to murdr Mohammad(s). And they told Abu Talib to warn him not to continue with his work or he should be ready to die. Abu Talib told Mohammad(s) what he had heard. Mohammad(s) replied: My dearest uncle: If they put the sun in my right hand and the moon in my left hand, I would not quit inviting people to this faith.

Abu Talib left home and courageously told the Qoraishi what he had heard.

Upon realizing that Abu Talib would not cease protecting his nephew, the Qoraish leaders gathered at their usual meeting-place at Dar Al-Nadvah. After a lot of discussions, they signed a treaty with the following content: From then on no one of the Qoraish was allowed to enter into any trade transaction with any member of the Bani Hashim, nor was he permitted to have a dialogue with anyone of the latter tribe. They signed it and hung it at the Ka'aba.

When Abu Talib heard of the content of the treaty, he hurriedly left home and asked the Qoraish: what is this horrible news? They replied: O Abu Talib, surrender your nephew to us and be our chief. He replied: How unjust you are! Should I submit my son to you to kill him?

Then Abu Talib went upto Bani Hashim Saying:

عَلَيْكُم يا بَني هاشِمِ وحِصْنَ الشَّعْبِ.

“O Bani Hashim, to save your life, enter the Abi Talib Sha'ab.”

Then all of them took refuge to Sha'ab of Abi Talib, which was a valley between two mountains.

Abu Jahl, As Ibn Vae'l, Nathr Ibn Harith, and Aqaba Ibn Abi Moi't guarded the entrances to the valley so that nobody could bring food to the Moslems taking shelter in the Sha'ab.

Nobody could openly take provisions to the sha'ab, but Abu Al-As Ibn Rabi', the Prophet's son-in-law, during the nights, would put some provisions including food, wheat, and dates over his camel and painstakingly would take it to the sha'ab and then would release the camel to go to the Sha'ab to to take its goods and items there.

Since Abu Talib feared Abu Jahl and his associates, he used to change the prophet's sleeping-place several times each night, so that he could stay alive.

They stayed in the Sha'ab for three years, living in pure poverty. They had to endure a lot of sufferings and their children's crying for food could be neard all over the sha'ab.

As long as Abu Talib and khadijeh Kobra were alive, the Prophet(s) could tolerate the harassments of the infidels, but when these two passed away, the Prophet(s) could tolerate no more and could stay in Mecca no longer. Towards the end of the month of Shavval he went to Tae'f accompanid by Zeid Ibn Harithe and met with three of the chiefs of thaqif: Abd Ibn Amr, Mas'ud Ibn Amr and Habib Ibn Amr, who were three brothers, and invited them to Islam. Each one of them answered to the Prophet(s) harshly. One of them answered impolitely: Your telling the truth resembles my having stolen the curtain of ka'aba. Your prophethood is sheer hoax. The other said: Was your God that weak to have appointed you as His Prophet? The third one said shamelessly: I swear to my god that I am not willing to listen to your statements. It is because if you sere the prophet(s), I would not be allowed to talk to you because of our rank; and if you were not a prophet, then I would not talk to you since you are not my equal. The Prophet(s), being disillusioned, asked them not to reveal his invitation. But they let everybody know and betrayed him. People then ridiculed and harassed him and threw so many rocks at his feet that they started bleeding.

Musa Ibn Aqabe says: the extent of blood was so great that his sandles were covered with blood. He fell to the ground because of bleeding excessively. People then would take him up and continue making fun of him.

According to some narrations, only Zeid Ibn Harithe defended the Prophet(s). His head, too, was hurt several times. Then the Prophet(s) had to leave Tae'f.

There was a garden in the outskirts of Tae'f. In that garden Atabah, and Sheiban, the sons of rabia', together with their servant Edas, used to live. The prophet sat in the shade of the garden wall, still bleeding. When Atabah and Sheibah saw him in that horrifying situation, they let their servant take some grapes to the Prophet(s). The prophet said:

ijk.

“In the Name of Allah, the Beneficient, the Merciful.”

Edas asked: This statememen I have never heard before. The Prpohet(s) asked where are you from? He replied: from Neinava. The Prophet(s) asked: the city of Yunus Ibn Matta, the God's true servant?

Edas asked the Prophet(s): How did you recognize Yunus? The Prophet(s) replied: My God has informed me. Then he invited Edas, and Edas became a Moslem and fell to the ground, performing adoration. He then started kissing the bleeding feet of the Prophet(s). When he went back to his masters, they asked him: what had this man done to you that you kissed his legs? Edas replied: He let me know something that only the Prophet is aware of. They laughed at him telling him: “This man let you forget about your Christianity.”

The Prophet(s) stayed in Tae'f nearly one month. He carried out his mission of iniviting people to Islam. Nobody accepted this faith in that city. The Prophet(s) had to return to Mecca. On his way back, he sat in the shade of a vine, supplicating and saying:

اللَّهُمَّ أشْكُو إليكَ ضَعْفَ قُوَّتي، وَقِلَّةَ حِيلَتي، وَهَواني عَلَى النّاسِ، أنْتَ أرْحَمُ الرّاحمِينَ، أنْتَ رَبُّ الْمُسْتَضْعَفِينَ، وَأنْتَ رَبّي، إلى مَنْ تَكِلُني؟ إلى بَعِيدٍ يَتَجَهَّمُني، أو إلى عَدُوٍّ مَلَّكْتَهُ أمْري؟ إنْ لَمْ يَكُن بِكَ عَلَيَّ غَضَبٌ فَلا أبالي وَلكِن عافِيَتُكَ هِيَ أوْسَعُ لي. أعوذُ بِنُورِ وَجْهِكَ الّذي أشْرَقَت لَهُ الظُّلُماتُ، وَصَلَحَ عَلَيْهِ أمْرُ الدّنيا وَالآخِرَةِ مِنْ أن يَنْزِلَ بي غَضَبُكَ أو يَحُلَّ عَلَيَّ سَخَطُكَ، لكِن لَكَ العُتْبى حَتّى تَرْضى، وَلا قُوَّةَ إلا بِكَ.

O God! I complain to you of my wretchedness, lack of stamina and my inabilities in front of people. You are the kindest of all kinds; you are the God for the wretched ones; you are my God. Are you going to leave me alone in front of the infidels who reject me altogether? If you are not angry with me, then I will not fear others. Your kindness is what I desire for. I take shelter in your light by which everything is illuminated and through which all the worldly affairs are organized. I will ask for your pardons and forgiveness to the degree that you get satisfied with me. There is no power beyond yours.[4]

Thus, as Imam Zain Al-Abedin(s) has stated: the Prophet(s) suffered a lot of hardships and endured many disasters in order to invite people to the right ways of Islam. But he carried out his mission with love and energy. This he explicitly refers to in the following statements:

وَأذابَ نَفْسَهُ في تَبْليغِ رِسالَتِكَ، وَأتْعَبَها بِالدُّعاءِ إلى مِلَّتِكَ، وَشَغَلَها بِالنُّصْحِ لِأهْلِ دَعْوَتِكَ، وَهاجَرَ إلى بِلادِ الْغُرْبَةِ وَمَحَلِّ النّأي عَنْ مَوطِنِ رَحْلِهِ وَمَوْضِعِ رِجْلِهِ وَمَسْقَطِ رَأسِهِ وَمَأنَسِ نَفْسِهِ، إرادَةً مِنْهُ لإعْزازِ دِينِكَ، وَاسْتِنْصاراً عَلى أهْلِ الكُفْرِ بِكَ، حَتّى استَتَبَّ لَهُ ما حاوَلَ في أعْدائِكَ، وَاستَتمَّ لَهُ ما دَبَّرَ في أوْلِيائِكَ، فَنَهَدَ إليهِم مُسْتَفْتِحاً بِعَونِكَ، وَمُتَقَوِّياً عَلى ضَعْفِهِ بِنَصْرِكَ، فَغزاهُم في عُقْرِ دِيارِهِم، وَهَجَمَ عَلَيهِمْ في بُحْبُوحَةِ قَرارِهِم، حَتّى ظَهَرَ أمْرُكَ، وَعَلَتْ كَلِمَتُكَ وَلَو كَرِهَ المُشْرِكُونَ.

In order to put out your messages, that person (the Prophet) made himself tired and hurt and suffered a lot in order to publicize the new faith and got involved in offering advice to improve humanity.

He then migrated from his homeland, where his relatives used to settle and headed for unknown districts. All this he did to publicize your faith.

The Prophet asked Your assistance to overcome the infidels and succeeded with your help. All was done for the prosperity of those who are your true servants.

While he was asking for your assistance He entered the wars with your adversaries. He staged war against them even in their houses. He made an assault on them in their residence, till your faith was revealed to them, although the infidels did not like it.

اللَّهُمَّ فَارْفَعْهُ بِما كَدَجَ فيكَ إلى الدَّرَجَةِ العُلْيا مِنْ جَنَّتِكَ، حَتّى لا يُساوى في مَنْزِلَةٍ، وَلا يُكافَأُ في مَرْتِبَةٍ، وَلا يُوازِيه لدَيْكَ مَلَكٌ مُقَرَّبٌ، وَلا نَبِيٌّ مُرْسَلٌ، وَعَرِّفهُ في أهْلِهِ الطاهِرِينَ وَاُمَّتِهِ المُؤْمِنِينَ مِنْ حُسْنِ الشّفاعَةِ أجَلَّ ما وَعَدْتَهُ، يا نافِذَ العِدَةِ، يا وافيَ القَولِ، يا مُبَدِّلَ السَّيّئاتِ بِأضْعافِها مِنَ الحَسَناتِ، إنَّكَ ذُو الفَضْلِ العَظِيمِ.

O God! For the hardships that Mohammad(s) has gone through to advance and publicize your faith, put him in the loftiest place of your paradise, a place unoccupied by any other one, either the angels or other Prophets.

Please be kind towards him and his infallible ones, and towards the believers. You have always carried out your promises and have never broken anyone of them. You change the evils into good things, you are the most generous.