Divine Succour

Those who serve God alone shall be raised above other men In the beginning, Abu Talib had provided his nephew, the Prophet Muhammad, with the patronage necessary to the continuance of his public mission. But as Abu Talib lay on his death-bed, a group of Qurayshite chieftains gathered around him with a request. “You well know the position you hold among us,” they began, “but now, as all men must, you have reached the end of your days. You know the matter still at issue between your nephew and ourselves. We wish you to take a covenant both from him and from us, that he will not interfere with us and we will not interfere with him. If he leaves us to our religion, we shall leave him to his own religion.” Abu Talib called the Prophet and told him that these chieftains had come to offer him a pledge for a pledge. “What is it that you want of them?” asked Abu Talib. “Just one thing,” replied the Prophet, then, turning to the assembled chieftains, he said: “If you accept this one thing, you will become lords over Arabia; all Asia shall yield to you.” Abu Jahal then swore an oath by the Prophet’s father that they would accept more by far than just one demand on the part of Muhammad, but, when he heard that the Prophet demanded that they bear witness to there being no god besides God, and forsake all that they worshipped besides Him, he wrung his hands in dismay and left, saying as he went: “Should we forsake our gods for one God? What an extraordinary demand to make! This man is not going to give anything away, so come, let us adhere to our religion until God settles this between him and us.”