The Prophet in the Quran

of realities. And it was thanks to this psychology that he could feel that, irrespective of the words written on paper, what would ultimately prevail would be the Truth. The Prophet’s unshakable conviction that he was God’s Prophet was enough for him not to attach importance to an error, which would surely be rectified by the sheer weight of realities. Defense and support of his position would eventually become immaterial. An Uncompromising Attitude As recorded in the traditions, some companions of the Prophet, on seeing signs of premature ageing in the Prophet, asked him: “O Prophet of God, what has aged you so soon?” The Prophet replied: “It is chapters (of the Quran) like Hud that have aged me.” (Musnad al-Bazzar, Hadith No. 92) What is there in particular in the chapter Hud which had such an extraordinary effect on him that he began to look old? Verse 113 gives us some idea: It says, “Do not incline toward those who do wrong, lest the Fire touch you. For [then] you would have none to protect you from God, and you will not be helped.” (The Quran, 11:113) This verse pertains to the time when the Prophet of Islam had communicated his message of dawah openly but had found the majority of the people unwilling to accept it. The chiefs and the leaders in particular were adamant in their denial of the message. At such a juncture the dayee feels that to bring the madu closer to accepting the message, some changes in the basic message of dawah might be made in order to make it acceptable. That is why the Prophet is adjured not to “incline towards those who do wrong,” i.e., the Prophet of Islam was strictly forbidden to show any kind of leniency towards the unbelievers, because what God desired more than anything else in the matter of dawah was the pure and simple proclamation of the truth. Now, this cannot be done where inclinations are yielded to or compromises are made. This is what made the Prophet of Islam old before his time. The truth is that in the present world the communication of the truth, based on compromises is the easiest, and ensures the popularity of the dayee, while the unadulterated communication of the truth is the most difficult task, making the preacher seem undesirable to others. If the former goes by smooth and even paths, the latter goes by stony paths strewn with thorns. The Prophet knew that the proclamation of truth could only be that which is pure, without any human interpolation or addition. It was the seriousness of this matter that affected the Prophet so greatly and caused him to age prematurely. Despite Victory Makkah was the birthplace of the Prophet of Islam. Yet the Makkans compelled him to leave what was his own hometown. That was the beginning of a bitter 20-year phase of oppression and violence. However, circumstances ultimately changed for the better, and in 8 A.H. Makkah was conquered. He now returned victoriously to the very city which, as a victim of oppression, he had been compelled to leave.