The Prophetic Method

except for Abu Lahab, were besieged in a mountain ravine called Shi’b Abi Talib. How these people quietly endured all this cruel oppression was bound to affect the conscience of others. And it did. Within three years, people like Abu’lBakhtari, Hisham ibn ‘Amr, Zubayr ibn Umayyah, Zam’ah ibn al-Aswad and Mut’am ibn ‘Adi broke away from the ranks of the enemy, openly challenging the propriety of the pact by which this boycott had been imposed on the Banu Hashim. The pact collapsed, and the Banu Hashim were rescued from their terrible plight. The most important thing about patience is that it qualifies one for divine succour. Patient perseverance in pursuit of a worthy cause means putting one’s affairs in the hands of the Lord of the Universe. It is inconceivable that those who trust in Almighty God for the sake of a just cause should find themselves forsaken. There are various ways in which this divine succour manifests itself. But, unfortunately, the human mind can neither understand nor fathom them. Some of the forms which divine help takes, however, have been mentioned in the Quran. When Muslims confront non-Muslims in the field of battle, for instance, divine succour compensates for their insufficient resources: calmness and confidence enter the hearts of the believers, while fear weakens their opponents: Believers, remember God’s goodness to you when there came against your hosts. We unleashed