The Public Propagation and the Start of Oppositions

The Start of the Public Invitation

Having made the public invitation for some time, the Holy Prophet received an order from God to make his propagation public and not to be afraid of the infidels:

Therefore, declare openly what you are bidden and turn aside from the polytheists. Surely, We will suffice you against the scoffers. (15:94-95)

Having received this revelation, the Holy Prophet rose up in the Ab§a¦[1] and declared:

I am God's apostle. I invite you to my new faith to worship the One and Only God. Stop worshipping idols which are neither useful nor can they create, nor provide you with sustenance, nor give you life, nor cause you to die.[2]

From then on, the Prophet's invitation entered a new stage as he was engaged in the propagation of his faith in social gatherings, at the °ajj ceremonies, at Min¡, and among the tribes living in the outskirts of Mecca.

Struggle with Quraysh

People of Quraysh did not show any severe reactions during the early stages of the propagation for Islam. However, as soon as the Holy Prophet started explicitly negating their idols, calling them senseless and useless entities, they became exasperated; they started animosity against him.[3] With regards to the tribal system which existed in Mecca, attacking Mu¦ammad (¥) would entail revenge-taking of Ban£-H¡shim. Therefore, the chiefs of Quraysh, after much deliberation, came to the conclusion that they would better make use of his uncle, Ab£-±¡lib, and talk to him is such a way so that he could discourage his nephew from the way he was following. To this end, they arranged for several meetings with Ab£-±¡lib during which they reminded him of his dignity and high social status. They asked him to discourage his nephew from cursing their idols, humiliating their customs and belittling their ancestors. They used threats at times and tried to bribe him by offering wealth and social ranks. Receiving no positive feedback from him, they offered to exchange Mu¦ammad with `Im¡rah ibn al-Wal¢d ibn al-Mugh¢rah, the young, powerful, and handsome poet. Ab£-±¡lib did not accept either. Once, when Ab£-±¡lib and his nephew were threatened with death, the Holy Prophet had the following reaction:

“If they put the sun in my right hand and the moon in the left, I would not stop my way. I have two options, either God will help me or I will be destroyed.”[4]

Ab£-±¡lib's Announcement of Assistance

Upon these threats, Ab£-±¡lib announced his support to Mu¦ammad (¥) and mobilized the members of Ban£-H¡shim, both Muslims and non-Muslims, to protect Mu¦ammad (¥). He warned the chiefs of Quraysh against a bloody revenge by Ban£-H¡shim in case anything would happen to his nephew.[5] Since tribal wars were hazardous and their consequences unpredictable; and due to the fact that the chiefs of Quraysh lacked the capacity for such a war, they could not carry out their threats; rather, they became disillusioned. Out of Ban£-H¡shim, only Ab£-Lahab joined the enemy front.

Motives of Quraysh's Oppositions

A question is raised here as to why the Quraysh did not show animosity toward Mu¦ammad (¥) in the first years of his propagations during which not many verses of the Holy Qur'¡n were revealed to him yet. What kind of threats did they feel in the first verses revealed during the early days of prophethood? Did they oppose him because of their insistence on their idolatry or were there other reasons?

Of course, we are talking about the motives of the chiefs of Quraysh, because the general publics were simple and naive followers of those chiefs; and to mobilize them against the new religion was not a hard job. This is because they were not strong believers of their sect and customs anyhow.

Considering Quraysh's influence and high social status in Mecca, we could easily find the reasons behind their opposition. This is because, as we have seen above, Quraysh had monopolized some social privileges related to Mecca, such as social and economic power; they would not tolerate any rival. They used to receive tribute and toll from other tribes by force and imposed their own policies over other tribes related to the pilgrims.

Thus, it was natural for them not to tolerate Mu¦ammad (¥), because they found out very early in Mu¦ammad's propagations that the new faith was in conflict with their ideology. They could also anticipate that one day, the Holy Prophet would become famous and this was in conflict with their pride.

However, an investigation of the content of some s£rahs and verses revealed to the Holy Prophet at Mecca, we could pinpoint some of the most significant motives for the opposition of Quraysh to the Holy Prophet during the first years of propagations: