Events from the Prophet’s Life in Makkah and Madinah

Events from the Prophet’s Life in Makkah and Madinah The Prophet’s wife Khadijah, his freed slave, Zayd, his cousin Ali, and his childhood friend Abu Bakr were the first converts to Islam. In the first stage, the Prophet was asked to spread the message of Islam quietly to avoid arousing any hostility. Abu Bakr, being an influential merchant, was able to bring some of his friends, also rich merchants, into the fold of Islam. In the second stage the Prophet received the command from God to spread the message publicly. There was one main reason for the Quraysh to oppose the Prophet, and to keep him from spreading his message. Makkah was a centre of pilgrimage because of the Kabah, which housed 360 idols of the neighbouring tribes and nations. Since Islam believed in one God, the Quraysh feared that once the concept of one God became popular, the tribes would stop visiting the Kabah to pay homage to the idols. This would deprive them of the respect they commanded as guardians of the Kabah. Besides, the