The Revolution of the Prophet

generosity and hospitality, regard for women and fulfilment of solemn promises.59 The Best Nation The nation that emerged from this 2500-year development process was the nation most richly endowed in human qualities that humanity had seen: You are the best nation that has ever been raised for humanity.60 Commenting on this verse, ‘Abdullah ibn al-’Abbas refers to those who emigrated from Makkah to Madinah along with the Prophet. That small group of Muhajirs represented all those Arabians who made up the group known as the Companions of the Prophet. Prophets of every age have confronted one major obstacle: the adherence of their people to an ancestral religion, which enjoyed unrivalled material grandeur. But, on the other hand, they were standing on the abstract ground of truth and reason. This nation that had grown up in the Arabian Desert had the unique ability to recognize truth abstractly—before it had gained any external lustre. They had been reared under open skies in the wilderness of the vast desert and had developed an extraordinary capacity for recognizing plain, unvarnished truth. Moreover, they were prepared to give up everything for the sake of truth when it was a solitary force and one that appeared to have nothing to offer them in return. ‘Abdullah ibn Mas’ud summed up these qualities of the Companions in the following words: