The Prophet in Makkah

in those days was responsible for its citizens’ safety. There was only the tribal system, and one could only live under the protection of a tribe. In the pilgrims’ tents in Mina, the Prophet once preached his message to a particular tribe, but they refused to accept it. Still, one can tell from what one of their number, Maysirah ibn Masruq al-‘Abbasi, had to say that the Prophet’s words had impacted him. Ibn Kathir explains how the Prophet’s hopes were raised about Maysirah. “How well you have spoken and how enlightening your words are. But my tribe does not agree with me, and one cannot go against one’s tribe.”127 That was how much a tribe meant to a person. What a grave matter it must have been to be expelled from one’s tribe. The Prophet now had nowhere to go in his land. There was no other option but to seek the protection of some other tribe. His first attempt in this direction was his journey to Ta’if. Later, he explained the episode to his wife ‘Aisha, saying he had “presented himself before Ibn ‘Abd Yalil.” In the words of ‘Urwah ibn Zubayr, “When Abu Talib died, and the Prophet’s affliction became more intense, he betook himself to the Thaqif tribe, hoping they would grant him asylum and support.”128 But one can tell what savage treatment the Prophet received at their hands from this prayer that he made on his return to Makkah: Lord, I complain to you of my weakness and helplessness. How vulnerable I am among men, most Merciful one! 129 After his return to Makkah, the Prophet commented that it was just as well that the people of Makkah had not