The Prophet in Makkah

THE PROPHET IN MAKKAH devour his wealth. God, however, helped His Prophet, first through the Prophet’s wife, Khadijah bint Khuwaylid, and later through Abu Bakr, whose wealth saw the Prophet through the years in Madinah. The Prophet displayed boyish enthusiasm to communicate the faith to others. On the authority of ‘Abdullah ibn al- ’Abbas, the historian Ibn Jarir tells how the Quraysh nobles gathered around the Ka’bah one day and called for the Prophet. He came quickly, thinking that they might be feeling some leanings towards Islam. He was always eager that his people should accept the guidance of Islam. The thought of their being doomed was a great distress to him. It transpired, however, that they had just wanted to pick a quarrel. Acceptance of Islam was the last thing on their minds. The Prophet talked to them at length, then went away in distress. Ibn Hisham takes up the story: The Prophet returned to his home sad and disillusioned, for his hopes for his people when they called him had been dashed. He had seen how far people were from accepting his message.94 When the Prophet’s uncle, Abu Talib, lay dying, people came to him and asked him to settle matters between his nephew and themselves before he died. “Take an undertaking from him on our behalf, and one from us on his behalf, so that he should have nothing to do with us, nor us with him,” they said. Abu Talib called his nephew and asked him what he wanted of the people. The Prophet