Miracles Versus Nature
The pagans would ask him to show miracles as a proof of evil, but after having seen them, they would say, Proof of Magician. proof of his prophethood. Hoping that they might believe, he prayed to Allah for this very extraordinary happening. Allah did oblige him, and, to the scarprise of everyone, they saw the moon breaking into two fragments and then joining again. Even the travelers on their arrival in Makkah confirmed this extraordinary event, while most of them rejected, saying Muhammad (PBUH) had mesmerized them.
He repeatedly said that miracles were not the basis of Islam. In fact, miracles can never form the basis of any permanent truth. The truth itself is the eternal miracle. The Prophet of Allah (PBUH) always said that his greatest miracle was the Holy Quran. He never attributed any miracle to his own powers. According to a western writer, "The most miraculous thing about him is that he never claimed the power of working miracles" (14). He would plainly say that he was a man like others. All this was in an age when miracles were supposed to be ordinary occurrences, at the beck and call of the commonest Saint.
TRIAL OF THE TRUTH AND PANE
Instead of encouraging them about miracles, he draws the attention of his followers towards nature and its understanding and appreciation of the glory of the Creator, through the study of His creations, each of which is the astonishing mirage. The Holy Quran said
"LO! In the creation of the heavens and the earth, And the difference of night and day, And the ships which run upon the sea With that which is of use to mankind, And the water which Allah sent down from the sky, Thereby reviving the earth after its death, And dispersed all types of living creatures thereby, And in the ordinance of the winds, And the clouds obedient between the heaven and the earth., There are signs (miracles) for people who have sense".
Thus, the Messenger of Allah asked mankind not to look for the miracles but to base their belief on the strong foundation of reason and logic. In fact, he strongly discouraged the temptation of falling into superstition. When his infant son Ibrahim died in Madinah, a solar eclipse occurred and rumors of God's personal condolence quickly arose. He immediately corrected them and announced, "An eclipse is a phenomenon of nature. It is wrong to attribute such things to the death or birth of a human being".
Essence of the Revelation was to convey the true perception of Allah Subhana-Hu, the Absolute One, who does not depend upon anything, who is self-sufficient, who is neither begotten nor begets, and there is nothing like unto Him. He is unique in all respects, above Time and Space. You cannot understand Him, but feel His presence everywhere through His creations.
So the Revelation assured the material as well as spiritual development of Man, encouraged logical thinking, sciritual reasoning and study of nature, alongside the teachings for the spiritual purification, so that Man may know the Creator through the study of His creations. One is surprised to see that the number of ayaat in the Holy Quran inviting to study nature are several times more than those that relate to prayers, fasting, pilgrimage etc, put together. It taught that creation of the Universe has a purpose as Allah says in the Holy Quran:
"We have not created the heaven and the earth, And all that is between them, in mere idle play, None of this we have created without truth, But most of mankind do not understand it".
Although the process was slow but gradually Divine Revelation was attracting right-minded people. Thus, brute opposition was slowly losing heart and Islam was winning, every new day more and more people were coming to its fold.
Offer of Compromise
When persecution did not work, disbelieving chiefs of Makkah tried to bring the Prophet (PBUH) to a compromise, offering to accept his religion if he would so modify it as to make room for their gods as intercessors with Allah, and give up attacking idolatry. They unanimously elected Utba bin Rabia as their spokesperson, a man of prominence and wisdom. Utba went to him and said, "If the purpose of your mission is to gain wealth, we shall collect enormous amount of wealth for you and make you the richest man of Arabia. If you want to be the chief of Arabia, we shall be happy to accept you as our chief. If you aspire to be a king, we agree. If you are under some spell, we shall arrange the best physician for you".
When Utba finished speaking, the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) recited the opening ayaat of Surah Ha-Mim-Sajda inviting mankind to Allah alone. These are:
Ha Mim. It is a Revelation from Allah Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
Utba had never heard such a thing before. Speechless, he looked at the Prophet in awe and wonder, who broke the silence and said. "Even if you bring the sun and the moon for me, I will not forsake what Allah has destined for me".
When their efforts at negotiation failed, they went to his uncle Abu Talib, requesting him to intervene. He called the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) and the proposal was put up to him again. He observed, "I can discuss, provided you agree with me on one point. Then the whole of Arabia will come under your feet and even non-Arab lands will become your tributary". At this Abu Jahal said, "For this we will agree not merely to one but ten points".
"Pronounce there is no god but Allah and cast away from your necks the shackles of devotion to idols", said the Messenger of Allah (PBUH). The Quraish went back disappointed, saying, "This man will accept none of our conditions". Abu Talib also turned down the proposals and declared his unqualified support to the Prophet, and refused to hand him over to the infidels (9) (Ibn-e-Ishaq)
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