The Prophet in the Quran

An incident which took place during the Makkan period is an extreme example. It concerned one Ammar ibn Yasir, who was at that time a slave of an idolatrous Makkan chief. During the Makkan period those believers who were ‘freed people’ (Makkan society being divided into freed people and slaves) remained largely safe from the oppression of the idolaters, for their tribe protected them. But those who belonged to the slave class, fell victim to severe persecution at the hands of their masters on account of their conversion. Ammar ibn Yasir was one such convert. His master tortured him and said that unless he expressed his belief in the tribe’s idols and denied Muhammad, he would continue to torture him. Under duress, Ammar uttered the words, which his idolatrous master wanted to hear. Then Ammar came to the Prophet and said he had uttered those blasphemous words under duress. The Prophet asked him what the true state of his mind was. Ammar replied that his heart was fully convinced of the truth of Islam. Then the Prophet said: If the idolaters force you to say those words again, you may utter them again. (Sunan alKubra by Al-Baihaqi, Hadith No. 16896) According to Islam, the Prophet of Islam serves as an example for all humanity. (33:21) In this capacity, it was essential that he led a life in the world as a human being, undergoing all those states that common people passed through in normal circumstances. If an angel had been placed at his command at all times, so that he could meet the challenges posed to him on a superhuman level, then he could not have served as an example for the common man. In such a situation it would have amounted to asking people to do something, which was beyond their capacity. It would have been like asking them to follow a Prophet who was not like them – a Prophet who was possessed of superhuman power. That was why the Prophet, throughout his life, took into account what in normal circumstances was practicable for people and what was not. He conducted his life, according to what was possible and practicable, and refrained from such actions as he thought were impossible for the average person to emulate. Verbal Dawah There are always two ways to solve a problem. One way is to plan one’s moves by making allowance for practical imperatives. Another way is to rush headlong into things without caring about the result. A study of the 23-year prophetic life of the Prophet shows that the Prophet opted exclusively for the former course. For instance, 360 idols were ensconced in the Kabah (the house of God). Although the Prophet’s mission was to remove them, he never attempted to smash them during his 13-year stay in Makkah after receiving his prophethood. Twenty years thus passed (13 in Makkah, 7 in Madinah), without his having taken any action, for throughout this period the Prophet confined himself only to verbal dawah. It was only twenty years later, when Makkah had been conquered, that he took practical steps to purify the Kabah of these idols. This shows that the Prophet drew a line between what was practicable and what was not. For