The Prophet in Makkah

this Quraysh from Tahamah preaches has no affection or graciousness.” He then went on to recite three verses, the last of which went like this: He seeks to prove that our forefathers were fools. One who acts thus can never prosper.118 Some people were prevented by jealousy from accepting the message of Islam. The Prophet made no secret of the fact that God sent him; he proclaimed the truth to all and sundry. But people always find it very difficult to accept that someone else has been given a knowledge of reality that they have been denied. Bayhaqi has related, on the authority of Mughirah ibn Shu’bah, how Abu Jahl once took the Prophet aside and said to him, “By God, I know full well what you say is true, but one thing stops me from believing. The Banu Qusayy say that they are the gatekeepers of the Ka’bah, and I agree with them. They say that it is their job to bear water for pilgrims, and again I agree. They claim a place in the Dar al-Nadwah, and I agree they have every right to it. They say it is their responsibility to carry the standard in battle, and again I agree. Now they say that there is a Prophet among them. This I cannot accept.”119 For some people, the threat of financial loss prevented them from accepting the message of Islam. The House of God at Makkah had been turned into a house of idol worship before the coming of the Prophet. People of every