TRIAL OF THE TRUTH AND PASSIVE RESISTANCE
Commencement of Persecution
Strong in his resolve, the Prophet (PBUH) disregarded opposition and went on warning, pleading, and spreading the Message of Allah openly, with great courage and wisdom, while the Quraish did all they could to ridicule his teachings. Some perceived him as a rebel, some thought he had gone astray and some considered him possessed by the devil. Thus, according to their whims, each one thought it his/her duty to set him right.
Undaunted by the opposition from the disbelievers, the Prophet (PBUH) preached boldly and untiringly the revealed truth, individually and publicly, pointing out the wretched folly of idolatry in the face of the laws of life and death, of growth and decay, which manifest the power of Allah and attest to His Sovereignty and as an indirect proof of life after death. As he began to speak against their gods openly, Quraish became actively hostile, persecuting his poorer disciples, mocking and insulting him openly as you can see from Ayat 25 (41).......
Whenever they consider you (O Muhammad) They make you a target of their mockery, Saying, "Is this the one whom Allah has sent as an apostle?" 25(41)
The one consideration that retrained them from the physical attack on the Prophet (PBUH) was the fear of revenge on his clan, Bani Hashim, who enjoyed considerable revenge and power in Makkah and surrounding areas. Even the majority of them had not yet declared their faith in him but were sympathetic to him personally. Moreover, according to Butir's tribal traditions, they were honor-bound to protect him, being a family member.
The new religion, with its message of unity of God and equality of mankind, was readily accepted by the poor, but, as said already, it hit directly at the vested interests of the priestly class of Makkah, who were rich and powerful. The source of their power and riches was the idolatry and pagan rites performed to please their gods. The Holy Kaaba itself housed 360 idols of different kinds for different jobs. They, therefore, opposed the prophet and his religion tooth and nail. It is remarkable that amidst all the bitterness and controversy, his adversaries never doubted his honesty. Abu Jehl, the ringleader of the opponents, used to say to him,
"You are not a liar. But how can I believe that God has chosen you as His prophet instead of me?"
In general, the opposition of the non-believers was either out of ignorance, jealousy, and pride in their traditions or due to their vested interests. The same has indeed been the story throughout history. In modern times, if the Prophet of Islam (PBUH) has been accused of falsehood by some of the non-Muslims, this has also been the result of misguided religious and political revenge or sheer ignorance. However, in recent times, with growing knowledge about Islam, some of the more objective Christian scholars have started admitting this folly. Among them, W. Montgomery Watt, although a zealot Christian missionary could not but acknowledge;
"Not merely we must credit Muhammad with essential honesty and integrity of purpose; if we are to understand him at all we must correct the errors we have inherited from the past"(7).
Professor Krishna Rao, a Hindu, quotes from "Cambridge Medieval History": (14)
"The accounts of Muhammad and Islam which were published in Europe before the beginning of the 19th Century are now to be regarded as literary curiosities" (14).
One remarkable aspect of the new movement of Islam was that given all types of atrocities from his opponents, the Prophet of Allah (peace be upon him) had forbidden his followers to react or to be provoked. His policy was passive resistance to this. respect, he set the example of the highest degree of patience, perseverance, and restraint. He did not want to give a chance to the disbelievers to get provoked and crush Islam on charges of militancy to Allah for help, as it was revealed to him "Seek the help of Allah through prayer and patience".
However, so cruel was the persecution that in the fourth year of Revelation the Prophet (PBUH) advised all who could contrive to do so to emigrate silently across the Red Sea to Abyssinia, ruled by a just Christian king called by his title An- Najashi. The first contingent of eleven men and four women prepared to emigrate and set out on their journey in the month of Rajab in the fifth year of the Revelation (615 AD). The Quraish, on hearing of the Muslim emigrants' journey to
Abyssinia was infuriated. They pursued them, but as Allah willed, the boats had already sailed and thus they failed to catch the fugitives. The King of Abyssinia allowed the Muslims to live in peace and security in his land.
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