The Prophetic Method

Once, the leaders of the Quraysh came to Abu Talib, another of the Prophet’s uncles. “Abu Talib,” they said, “your nephew enters our arenas and gatherings and says things which upset us. Please, if you can manage it, stop him from doing so.” Abu Talib sent his son, Aqil, to fetch the Prophet. When he told his nephew what the Quraysh had said, the Prophet raised his eyes to heaven. “By God,” he said, “can anyone among you light a fire from a flame of the sun? Well, I can no longer forsake the message God Himself entrusted to me.” Having said this, the Prophet broke down weeping. The Banu Hashim, to which tribe the Prophet belonged, were the cream of Arab society. Since his tribe was already in a dominant position in Arabia, some people thought that perhaps the Prophet wanted to consolidate his authority and be crowned king. But the Prophet’s actions showed he was interested in only one thing: to convey to people the importance of preparing themselves for the next world. So persistently would he emphasise this matter that sometimes the leaders of the Quraysh would plead with him in almost desperate terms to leave them alone. “Muhammad,” Abu Jahl once said, “will you stop insulting our gods? If you want us to witness that you have communicated your message, then all right: we bear witness; you certainly have communicated it.” The Prophet, however, was undeterred and went on delivering his message. This infuriated the Quraysh further, and they decided to ostracize the whole Banu Hashim