The Revolution of the Prophet

emperor heard about him and instructed Bazan to order the new prophet to desist from his claims; “Otherwise,” the emperor said, “bring me his head.”65 This shows how great the problems posed by foreign domination on the borders of Arabia had become when the Prophet Muhammad commenced his mission. The Prophet could have incited his people to rise against the foreign invaders and drive them out of the Arabian territory. But to have done so would have been contrary to God’s scheme. It was His will that the Prophet should not clash with others over peripheral issues but should concentrate on the central theme of his mission, which was to spread the word of God. As history bears witness, the consequence was that Bazan, as well as most Christians residing in Yemen, accepted Islam. What a leader in his place taking up national issues would have attempted to solve unscrupulously through political activities, the Prophet successfully solved by communicating to others the ideas of Islam. After the death of Abu Talib, Abu Lahab became the leader of the Banu Hashim tribe. Since the new chieftain refused protection to the Prophet, the latter was forced to seek the patronage of some other tribe. For this purpose, he visited many tribes, including the frontier-based Banu Shayban ibn Tha’labah. The chief of this tribe, Musanna ibn Harithah, explained to the Prophet that his people lived close to the Persian border, a territory which the Sassanian Emperor had allowed them to occupy only on receiving assurance that they would not preach any new doctrine or give refuge