Islamic Activism

letting things remain as they were, the Prophet began to communicate the call of monotheism to the people who used to visit the Kabah daily, it being a central place. The Prophet availed of these large gatherings by going there every day and reading out to them passages from the Quran. In this way Islam began to spread gradually in the country. 2. Avoidance of Protest Gradually Changes the Status Quo: The Prophet lived in Makkah for thirteen years after he received his prophethood. During this period, a group of people embraced Islam, but the majority continued to be diametrically opposed to it. At that time in Makkah, Dar-al-Nadwa was its political centre. The Makkan leaders held meetings here and decided unanimously to boycott Prophet Muhammad. When they failed to apply a brake even with this method, they decided to assassinate him. At that time, Prophet Muhammad did not launch a campaign to capture Dar-al-Nadwa, the centre of his opposition. The Prophet did not even commence hostilities against these Makkan leaders. There was no fight to the finish. Instead what he did once again was to accept the status quo and quietly leave that place for Madinah, which became the centre of his activities. As history tells us, extraordinary results were produced through this superb and far-sighted strategy. 3. Internal Harmony Results in External Expansion: At that time in Madinah, three religious groups existed: Muslims, Idolators and Jews. Here too Prophet Muhammad did not directly confront the status quo. Instead, he issued a charter which is known as Sahifa-al-Madinah in the