First Converts||THE ADVENT OF DIVINE REVELATION

 

First Converts||THE ADVENT OF DIVINE REVELATION

 The advent of divine revelation

First Converts

recognize that angel Gibraeel had come with revelation from Allah (25).

The question before him was that how should he invite people to worship one Allah only and renounce hundreds of other gods? It was really a hard task to offer the people what was entirely contrary to their traditions and tribal practices. To begin with, the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) shortlisted for invitation to Islam those people who had been close to him and were certain of his veracity and integrity.

As already said, the very first to accept Islam was his wife, Khadijah (RAH), whose support and encouragement proved very crucial in the first few years of his mission. She is not only the first among all women but has the singular honor of being the first to accept Islam in the whole of the world. Next to her was his childhood friend, Abu Bakar (RAH), a highly respected citizen of Makkah. Like Khadijah (RAH), he also accepted Islam without asking any question. The Prophet's young cousin, Ali (RAH), who was just eleven years old then, was another brilliant addition to the infant Muslim community. Zaid bin Hartha (RAH), a freed slave of Khadijah (RAH), was the fourth in line to accept Islam. Later, through Abu Bakar's persuasion and guidance, Othman bin Affan, Zubair bin Awam, Abdul Rahman bin Auf, Saad bin Abi Waqas, and Talha bin Obedullah also accepted Islam. May Allah be pleased with them all (19). They were all noted nobles of Makkah.

 The period of secret preaching lasted for about three years. During this period, about forty people, the luckiest ones who ever walked on the earth, accepted Islam. The majority of them were men and women of position, rank, wealth, and culture, and they knew the ins and outs of his life. They believed their companion (PBUH) without any demand for any miracles. To them, this miraculous charade was enough evidence to believe in him. Three out of the first four caliphs, with their towering personalities, were the converts of this early period (19). This was another proof of the truthfulness of his claim of prophethood. Sayed Ameer Ali, in his book "The Spirit of Islam," says, "If these men and women, noble, intelligent, and certainly not less educated than the fishermen of Galilee (early followers of Jesus), had perceived the slightest sign of earthiness, deception, or want of faith in the teacher himself, Mohammad's hopes of moral regeneration and social reform would all have crumbled to dust in a moment.".

The First Call to Islam

After about six months of the first revelation, he received the command from Allah: 

"O! You wrapped in the cloak,

Arise and warn!

And glorify the name of your Lord openly."

So far the movement of calling towards Islam has been under cover, and worship was performed secretly. But the sun, whose light was to brighten the world, had to rise and dazzle the world. In fulfillment of the command of Allah "Rise and Warn,"  the Messenger of Allah invited the whole clan of Abdul Muttaleb to a feast. When the dinner was over, the Prophet (PBUH) addressed the guests. What did he say in that meeting details are not available? However, he must have told them about his experience at Hira and that he had been chosen by Allah to deliver His message to the world, like that of Ibrahim, Moses, and Jesus (peace be upon them) in olden times. He would have told them about the folly of pagan practices, with stress on pure monotheism. After a brief address, he asked who would support him in his divine task. He had hoped that members of his clan—his elders, uncles, and cousins—would respond positively, but silerice descended on the whole company. He had never expected such a cold response from his own family. So he repeated his call but got no response. Among them was the young Ali, son of Abu Talib (RAH), who was only 11 years old. He was sick at that time but rose to his feet, broke the silence, and innocently said, "My eyes are sore and my legs are thin, and in age I am younger than all of you; nevertheless, I shall stand by the Messenger of Allah" (31).

Elders of Bani Hashim wondered at the spectacle of these three persons (one of them a mere boy of eleven, the other being an elderly woman) deciding the fate of the world. Prophet's uncle Abu-Lahab flew into rage and began to shout. Over time, most of the clan of Hashim accepted Islam, but this man, jealous as he was, became one of the bitterest enemies of the Prophet (PBUH). In the end, they departed to their homes, not even thanking the prophet (PBUH) for the sumptuous dinner.

Undeterred by what happened, a few days later, one early morning the Prophet (PBUH) ascended to the top of the Saffa mountain near Baitullah, the house of God, built by his great grandfather Ibrahim some twenty-five centuries earlier. This was the mountain on which once our lady Hajrah beseeched for water for her infant child Ismael, son of Ibrahim (may peace be upon them). He cried aloud, Oh! The Calamity of Morning. Ohl The calamity of morning." In Arabia, this cry was used to be raised by a person who had seen an invader approaching his tribe in the early hours of the morning. On hearing this cry, people rushed towards him. When all had assembled, the Prophet (PBUH) called out each of the family members by name and said, "If I tell you that an army stands behind this hill, ready for "Yes, we will believe you. You are As-Sadiq. We have never found you telling a."

Thereupon the Prophet (PBUH) addressed them about the folly of idolatry, and with great concern stressed upon them, "Save yourselves from the fire of Hell, by worshiping the one and only One God alone."  On hearing this, Quraish was enraged and went away cursing him. Only a few people, mostly poor and slaves, remained there for a while, trying to understand what he had said.

From this moment onwards, Makkan chiefs decided to stop the Prophet from preaching Islam and punish his followers mercilessly, to strike terror in the hearts of those inclined to join the new faith.