(1) Worry over the disintegration of the social order
Concerning the tribal system dominating the social order in Mecca and due to Quraysh’s special prerogatives, a form of aristocratic government was prevailing there. The chiefs of Quraysh were accustomed to this system; they did not expect any blow to be leveled against it. This was the social condition while the first followers of Mu¦ammad (¥) were the youths, the impoverished, the deprived and the slaves. Mu¦ammad (¥) did not belong to the nobility. From his childhood, he was an orphan; and during his youth, he was poor belonging to the second class inside Quraysh. His uncle, Ab£-±¡lib, despite his ancestral prestige and dignity, was insolvent. All these were warnings to the tribal system of Quraysh that the very basis of their social order would be shaken. Having noticed that, they worried about the youth and the deprived for their inclinations towards the new faith. The envoy of Quraysh to Abyssinia to bring back the Muslim migrants introduced themselves to the king as the special envoy of the Meccan nobility.
The Holy Qur'¡n reveals the Quraysh's aristocratic attitude in their objection to the idea of prophethood not being offered to one of the noblemen of either Mecca or ±¡’if:
And they say: Why has not the Qur'¡n been revealed to a man of importance in the two towns? (43:31)
According to an interpretation, by men of importance is meant Wal¢d Ibn Mugh¢rah, the head of Ban£-Makhz£m in Mecca, and `Urwah ibn Mas`£d al-Thaqaf¢, the well-known wealthy man of ±¡’if.[1] The reason behind the revelation of this verse is said to be the following event:
Once, Wal¢d said, “Why should the Qur'¡n be revealed to Mu¦ammad and not to me while I am the head of Quraysh?”[2] Thus, the Quraysh showed their animosity to Mu¦ammad (¥) because his faith was a real threat to their social order.
(2) Economic Worries
Some recent researchers have considered the economic factor among the motives for Quraysh’s opposition to Islam. This is because a series of Meccan verses of the Holy Qur'¡n[3] severely reprimand the hoarders and money-mongers of those days. The great Meccan wealthy men, who had earned their huge wealth in the trades and through the supervision over the Kaaba, felt a great danger when they heard these verses. The progress of Islam would jeopardize their benefits badly. Here are some samples of such verses:
Leave Me and him whom I created alone, and give him vast riches, and sons dwelling in his presence, And I adjusted affairs for him adjustably; and yet he desires that I should add more, By no means! Surely, he offers opposition to our communications. (74:11-16)
I will cast him into hell. And what will make you realize what hell is? It leaves naught nor does spare naught. It scorches the mortal. (74:26)[4]
Perdition overtake both hands of Ab£-Lahab, and he will perish. Neither his wealth nor what he earns will avail him. He shall soon burn in fire that flames, and his wife, the bearer of fuel. (111:1-4)[5]
Woe to every slanderer, defamer, who amasses wealth and considers it a provision against mishap; He thinks that his wealth will make him immortal. Nay! He shall most certainly be hurled into the crushing disaster, and what will make you realize what the crushing disaster is? It is the fire kindled by Allah, which rises above the hearts. Surely, it shall be closed over upon them, in extended columns. (104:1-7)
Then as for him who gives away and guards against evil, and accepts the best, We will facilitate for him the easy end. And as for him who is niggardly and considers himself from need of Allah, and rejects the best, we will facilitate for him the difficult end. And his wealth will not avail him when he perishes. (92:4:11)[6]
A careful observation of the content of these s£rahs reveals that they were revealed to the Holy Prophet after Quraysh’s opposition. The increase in number of opponents might have been the reason for the revelation of these verses. However, the toughest opponents of the Holy Prophet were the traders and the wealthy. In accordance with a historical report, when the Messenger of God started guiding his people towards the light of the Religion, they at first did not go away from him; rather, they were about to accept his ideology. Then he started insulting their idols and the wealthy people from ±¡’if.[7] These people did not like his statements; they began struggling against him and invoking their followers against him. Then, the mass offended and deserted him.[8]
[1] ±abars¢, Majma` al-Bay¡n 9:46.
[2] Ibn Hush¡m, al-S¢rah al-Nabawiyyah 1:387; Ibn Shahr¡sh£b, al-Man¡qib 1:50.
[3] The Holy Qur'¡n’s chapters (i.e. S£rahs) are divided according to their revelation into Meccan and Medinan.
[4] This holy S£rah is the fourth in revelation. See al-Tamh¢d f¢ `Ul£m al-Qur'¡n 1:104.
[5] This S£rah is the sixth.
[6] This S£rah is the ninth.
[7] These people, most probably, had invested their money in a Mecca economic center.
[8] ±abar¢, T¡r¢kh al-Umam wa’l-Mul£k 2:221.
Those who look at man from a material prospect only concentrate all their attentions to the economic motive and base all other motives to it. The analysis of Petroshfsky, a famous Russian analyst of Islam and Iran and a professor of Oriental Studies Department at the University of Leningrad writes, “Meccan chiefs were among the traders and usurers. They opposed Mu¦ammad openly. We could not say that the cause of this opposition was religious dogmatism; rather, the Prophet's propagation against their idolatry was the real motive of their opposition because their trade and political supremacy was greatly jeopardized. They assumed that his religious propagation would cause the fall of the Kaaba and the worship of their idols. This might result in fewer pilgrims to visit the Kaaba and a financial loss for them. In this way, the Kaaba might lose its political supremacy. For this reason, the Meccan chiefs interpreted Mu¦ammad's religious propaganda as a direct threat to their own interests. They hated him for these reasons. See Islam in Iran, pp. 26. In view of our previous discussions, we do not have to say how baseless the statement of this professor is.
