Peaceful Beginning of the Prophetic Mission

from God to spread the message publicly, but first to his kin. When Prophet Muhammad started communicating his mission to the general public, he met with a strong reaction. The people considered Islam’s teachings as insulting their forefathers’ religion. Some remarked that he had gone mad. Soon they all went away without considering the Prophet’s words. There was one main reason for the Quraysh to oppose the Prophet and keep him from spreading his message. Makkah was a pilgrimage centre because the Kabah housed 360 idols of the neighbouring tribes and nations. Since Islam believed in only 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 prosperity of Makkah depended mainly on these idols, to whom offerings were made all year round by significant numbers of the neighbouring tribespeople. Trade flourished alongside