The Prophet in the Quran

The Prophet then asked the people to bring a sheet of cloth. When it was produced, he spread it on the ground and placed the black stone on it. Then he asked the people to hold the sheet by the edges and carry it to the wall of the Kabah. The Prophet then placed the black stone in the wall with his own hands. This act of the Prophet serves as a fine example of how a controversial matter can be amicably solved, and to everyone’s entire satisfaction, by having everyone participate. Such matters often turn into prestige issues. But if the matter is wisely handled and people are assured that they will not lose face, no difficulty will be faced in addressing the problem. The Starting Point When the Prophet of Islam received prophethood in Makkah, he opted for a particular line of action in the spreading of his message. He used to go to the people and tell them: “Say there is no God but the one God and you will be saved.” (Musnad Ahmad, Hadith No. 16022)That is, abandon idolatry and worship only one God and you will earn salvation. This shows the correct prophetic method of Islamic dawah (or Islamic movement). That is, first of all, to bring about a change in the character and thinking of the people through peaceful intellectual campaigns. Only when this initial work has been performed to a considerable extent should practical steps be taken and only if circumstances permit. Tolerating Insult Ibn Ishaq, the Prophet’s earliest biographer, says that the Quraysh had given the Prophet the nomenclature of Mudhammam (the condemned one), then they used to heap abuses on him using this derogatory name. The Prophet said to his companions, “Don’t you wonder how God has saved me from the abuses of the Quraysh? They abuse and condemn a person named Mudhammam, while I am Muhammad.” (Seerah Ibn Hisham, Vol. 1, p. 356) During the Makkan period when the Quraysh developed enmity and hatred for the Prophet, they did not like calling him by his actual name, which was Muhammad, because it meant ‘praiseworthy.’ Therefore, to satisfy their inimical feelings, they named him Mudhammam, meaning condemned. So, when the Quraysh abused and condemned him, they did not use the word Muhammad, but heaped abuses on one called Mudhammam. Even Abu Lahab’s wife Umm Jamil herself came to the prophet and said: You are Mudhammam and we reject you (Seerah Ibn Hisham, Vol. 1, p. 356) This was undoubtedly an act of great provocation and calculated to cause humiliation. But the Prophet of Islam gave a simple, positive reply. He said that since they abused one they called Mudhammam, their abuses did not fall on him, as his name was Muhammad, not Mudhammam. When the Prophet of Islam came to Madinah after migration, Abdullah ibn Ubayy, a tribal chief, turned a dire opponent of the Prophet. He had accepted Islam, but out of jealousy he became his enemy. Defaming, disparaging and slandering the Prophet became his pastime. He was also responsible for the false propaganda against him. It would not be wrong to say that he was his