Frustrated, the Quraish began to persecute the Prophet of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) physically, which they heretofore did not dare to do. So much so that pagan chiefs and their allies threw dust over him and placed skeletons of dead animals over him while he prostrated in prayer in the Holy Kaaba, Mo painful part of this episode was that his uncle Abu Lahab was one of the ringleaders of mischievous gangs and his wife covered the path to his home with thorny bushes, so that he might be injured when in the darkness of night he goes for prayer in the Holy Kaaba, Sometimes they threw heaps of dirt and stones over him while he walked through the narrow streets of Makkah.
He showed an extreme degree of patience and restraint. He took all that very boldly and continued his job without provocation. One wonders how he managed to control the emotions of his devoted followers to remain calm and not react. Modern-day leaders of the Islamic movements have a lot to learn from this policy of the Prophet of Allah (PBUH).
Despite threats and violence the Prophet (PBUH) boldly preached against social discrimination, falsehood of the pride of race, and rank with the power of argument, appealing to the fine feelings of people. He would ask them to end discrimination between people, and behave like one humanity, as Allah says in the Holy Quran, 49 (13):
"O mankind, most certainly, it is We (Allah) Who have created you all,
from a single (sperm) of a male and a female, And it is We who have made you into nations and tribes, That you may recognize each other, "Lo! The noblest of you, in the sight of Allah, is the best in conduct only" 49(13)
Makkans couldn't accept the philosophy of equality of human beings, "How could women be considered af human", they wondered. "How can a slave be equal to his master? Mohammad (PBUH) wants to destroy the fabric of our society; he wants to ruin our economy; he is the enemy of our gods. It is justifiable enough to torture him... torture all those who follow him", they violently responded.
Their main victims were the helpless poor and slaves who had accepted Islam. When the hour of high noon arrived, they would seize them. The glaring noon sun in Makkah turns the sandy terrain into a burning iron hotplate upon which they stretched them, placed heavy stones on their chests to prevent them from turning aside, sometimes branded them with hot iron, and then dipped their heads in water.
In one case they spread burning coal on the ground and stretched Khabbab bin Arth, (May Allah be pleased with him) on this bed of fire. Khabbab was kept in this position till the fire under the back was extinguished. Ammar bin Yasir and his mother Sumayyah (May Allah be pleased with them) were made to stretch on the burning ground and beaten so hard that they became unconscious. Finally, she (Sumayyah) died from this torture but was so contented that there was a smile on her face even on her deathbed (19). Abu Nakihya (RAH) was tied with a rope around his leg and dragged on rocky terrain by his master.
In this period of trial, only their patience and prayers were their weapon against the brutalities of their persecutors. Such were everyday stories. Muslim men and women were daily tortured mercilessly
Trial of the Truth but none of them gave up neither the Prophet nor their new faith. Why? This was the question, that puzzled the minds of their persecutors, they discussed all types of wild ideas but they could not see the Power of Reality.
The struggle grew in intensity. Prophet of Allah (PBUH) himself went on preaching with courage derived from inspired guidance. He emphatically told the people that their idols were lifeless objects and to no avail. He taught about the equality of mankind and that Man is the vicegerent of Allah on earth. Thus, it is below his/her dignity to bow before any authority other than Him, and that he/she is accountable for their doings of the earthly lifetime.
These were difficult concepts of life for Makkans to accept. Their traditions were steeped in polytheism and pockets were filled by the pagan pilgrims who visited the city's various temples. They regarded Muhammad's (PBUH) preaching as an attack on the religion of their ancestors, a threat to their cultural values , and an assault on the very honor of their tribal ways. Worse still, they saw that if Mohammad (PBUH) had his way the idols would be thrown out of the city, and they would be unable to make money from the devotees of the different cults. During the "Jahiliya" (the period before the enlightenment of Islam), such devotees crossed desert trails all over central and northern Arabia to visit Makkah.
The pagan chiefs did not want this to change. They responded to the Prophet's warning with savagery. They organized a propaganda campaign against the new religion, especially the Prophet of Allah (PBUH), by calling him a madman, one possessed by demons, and a master of witchcraft. They tried to persuade visitors in Makkah not to listen to him or even go near him, lest he should break them apart in his supposed madness. Thus, the greatest son of humanity was chased through the streets of Makkah by slaves and children
hired to chant, "Mad! Madi Mad Madl They threw dust and stones on this noble soul, not giving him respite to speak and convey to people the Message of Allah. For a while, in pain and weakness, he will sit down but soon get up again, to convey to the mob the message of Allah relentlessly.
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