The Prophet in Makkah

THE PROPHET IN MAKKAH highest moral calibre. Moreover, he spent his whole time preaching the word of God. Even the opposition to the Prophet proved to be a factor in his favour: it meant that his personality and message were conversation topics. All these things contributed to planting the seed of Islam in the minds of many Arabs. Adherence to tribal tradition and ancestor worship was still extant, and this sometimes made it appear that there was stiff opposition to Islam, but all the while, in people’s hearts, the seed of Islam was silently growing. It is generally thought that ‘Umar’s acceptance of Islam, for instance, came suddenly, under the influence of a particular event. It would be more accurate to say that this event put the final seal on his faith, which had been developing for some time within his soul. Well before ‘Umar had accepted Islam, when he appeared to be at the forefront of the opposition to the Prophet’s mission, some Muslims emigrated to Abyssinia. Umm ‘Abdullah bint Abi Hathmah was one of them. She tells her own story in these words: We were setting off for Abyssinia. My husband, ‘Amir, had collected some of his belongings. Suddenly, ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab, a man who had subjected us to untold suffering and torment, came and stood beside me. Until then, he had not accepted Islam. “Umm ‘Abdullah,” he said to me, “are you going away somewhere?” “We are,” I replied, “for you, people inflict such suffering upon us, and torment us so, that we must go