(Cont.) Opposition From the Quraysh
What else did the Quraysh do to prevent the Message from being spread?
3. Banning of the Recitation of the Quran in Public
The third thing we will mention is that they tried to ban the recitation of the Quran in public. When the Quran was recited, they would try to drown it out with their voices or stop it from being recited. Ibn Abbas mentions whenever the Prophet PBUH recited the Quran in front of the Ka'bah, the Quraysh would begin shouting and making noise, and they would curse the One who revealed it, and the one upon whom it was revealed. Thus if someone wanted to listen to the Quran, he would have to pretend as if he isn't listening and hear it over the noise. Because of the shouting, the Prophet PBUH often tried to raise his own voice above theirs. But this is when Allah revealed:
وَلَا تَجْهَرْ بِصَلَاتِكَ وَلَا تُخَافِتْ بِهَا وَابْتَغِ بَيْنَ ذَٰلِكَ سَبِيلًا
"Do not say it loudly, nor in a whisper, but say it in a moderate voice" [Quran, 17:110].
Once, the Companions came together in Dar al-Arqam (دار الأرقم - House of al-Arqam), and they said, "No one has recited the Quran in public except the Prophet PBUH. Who among us shall step forward and take up this task?" Abdullah ibn Mas'ud said, "I will do it." But they said, "O Ibn Mas'ud, we want somebody else because you don't have family members/tribe to help and protect you." Recall during those times, tribal affiliation held paramount importance, providing individuals with protection and assistance. And being of Yemeni origin rather than belonging to the Qureshi or Makkan tribes, Ibn Mas'ud did not enjoy the safeguard of a tribe. However, undeterred, he remained resolute and unwavering in his desire, and said, "I put my trust in Allah — Allah will protect me," and went to the Ka'bah the next day when the people had gathered. (Side note: Ibn Mas'ud is the one whom the Prophet PBUH said, "If you want to read the Quran as it was revealed, go to Ibn Mas'ud.")
Of course, the Ka'bah was the place where the Makkans socialized. When they finished their chores, when they finished their buying and selling, they would gather in the shade and spend leisure time together. So Ibn Mas'ud went at that time, stood at the Maqam of Ibrahim, and began reciting in a loud and beautiful voice Surah al-Rahman (سورة الرحمن). And it was so beautiful that people began gathering around him to listen. One of them asked, "What is this that he is reciting?" Realize the whole science of tilawah (تلاوة) and tajwid (تجويد) is specific to the Quran — the Arabs didn't use to speak in ghunnahs (غنة) and mudud (مدود). The whole art of tilawah and the words of the Quran — all of it is at a different level. And it is mesmerizing. So they all began talking, until one of them said, "Oh, this is what Muhammad has claimed has been revealed to him." Now the cat is let out of the bag. So immediately, people pounced on Ibn Mas'ud and began beating him — because, again, he was not from the Quraysh and had no protection. And they continued to beat him until he could not continue reciting. He wasn't able to finish two pages of Surah al-Rahman. And he came back bloodied and battered and bruised and the sahaba said, "This is exactly why we didn't want you to go." But Ibn Mas'ud said, "Wallahi, after today, nothing has increased other than my contempt for the Quraysh — I am willing to do this again tomorrow." But to this, the sahaba said, "Enough. You have done enough to distress them. They have heard the Quran; and you have caused them to be distressed."
We also know the famous story in which the three leaders of the Quraysh went in secret to hear the recitation of the Prophet PBUH:
Reported in Ibn Ishaq[1]: "Ibn Shihab al-Zuhri told me that it happened that Abu Sufyan ibn Harb, Abu Jahal ibn Hisham, and al-Akhnas ibn Shurayq ibn Amr ibn Wahb al-Thaqifi (الأَخنَس بن شُرَيْق بن عمرو بن وهب الثقفي), the ally of Bani Zuhrah, went out one night to listen to the Messenger of Allah when he was praying at night in his house. Each one of them took up a position for listening, and none of them knew that the others were also there. They stayed listening to him all night until dawn came. When they left, they met up on the road, each of them blaming the others, saying to one another; 'Do not come back again, lest you give the wrong impression (i.e., that you like what you hear).' Then they went away until the second night came, when each of them came back to his place and spent the night listening. When dawn came, they left, then when they met up on the road, each of them blamed the others, saying the same as they had said the previous night. Then they went away until the third night came, when each of them came back to his place and spent the night listening. When dawn came, they left, then when they met up on the road, they said to one another, 'Let us not leave until we promise not to come back,' so they made a promise to that effect, and went their separate ways. In the morning, al-Akhnas bin Shurayq took his stick and went to the house of Abu Sufyan bin Harb, where he said, 'Tell me, O Abu Hanzala (أبو حنظلة) (i.e., Abu Sufyan), what do you think of what you have heard from Muhammad?' Abu Sufyan said, 'O Abu Tha'laba (أبو ثعلبة) (i.e., al-Akhnas), by Allah, I have heard something I understand and I know what is meant by it, and I have heard things I do not understand and do not know what is meant by it.' Al-Akhnas said: 'Me too, by the One by Whom you swore.' Then he left and went to Abu Jahal, and entered his house. He said, 'O Abu al-Hakam (أبو الحكم) (i.e., Abu Jahal), what do you think of what you have heard from Muhammad?' He said, 'What did you hear?' He said, 'We and Banu Abd Manaf competed for honor and position: They fed people, so we fed people; they engaged in battle, so we engaged in battle; they gave, so we gave; until we were neck and neck like race horses. Then they said, 'We have a prophet among us who receives revelation from heaven'? How could we compete with that! By Allah, we will never believe in him.' Then al-Akhnas got up and left him.''
Subhan'Allah, from this incident, we realize how beautiful the recitation of the Prophet PBUH must have been — it mesmerized and moved the hearts even of these three leaders, including Abu Jahal the Fir'awn of the Ummah. And Abu Sufyan was too embarrassed by the profound impact that the recitation had on him; thus, he simply said, "I understood some of it, but other parts, I didn't understand"—he gave a wishy-washy answer even though he knew it was the Truth — being a politician, he didn't want any 'slip' to come out. Al-Akhnas then asked Abu Jahal's opinion, and he gave an honest answer as to why he would never accept the Prophet PBUH: "Us (the Banu Makhzum) and the Banu Abd Manaf (the Prophet's PBUH tribe) have always been in competition. When they feed people, we feed people, etc., and we are right at the end of the race. But now they tell us they have a prophet whom Allah inspires from the heavens?! How can we compete with that? So by Allah, as long as I live, I will never accept him." Notice he is being honest here that his refusal stems from an arrogant attachment to tribal competition.
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4. Ridiculing the Prophet PBUH and the Believers
The fourth tactic was to ridicule the Prophet PBUH and the believers. Many reports are reported. Once, the Prophet PBUH did not receive a new revelation for weeks or months, so one of the ladies of the Quraysh, perhaps the wife of Abu Jahal, said to the Prophet PBUH, "I see that your shaytan (Jibril AS) had abandoned you. I don't see you recite anything new." At this, the Prophet PBUH felt very grieved. And this is when Allah revealed Surah al-Duha which contains the verses, "Your Lord has not abandoned you, nor has He detested you. The Hereafter is better for you. And your Lord will give you, and you will be satisfied" [Quran, 93:3-5].
Abu Jahal especially, would go out of his way and personally try his best to smear the religion. If it's a person of status, he would make fun of him and say to him, "How can you leave the religion of your forefather? Are you better than your father and grandfather?" And if it's a person of low status, he would get physical and abuse them. It's mentioned in Ibn Ishaq that once, Abu Jahal purchased something from someone, but he (Abu Jahal) refused to pay him the amount and kept on stalling. And one day, he (Abu Jahal) said to him, "Go to Muhammad and he will get it for you (he will give the money to you)." He said this basically as a joke, but the man didn't know it was a joke, so he went to the Prophet PBUH and told him, "Abu Jahal owes me money, and he has told me to come and collect it from you"—he basically thought, "The Prophet PBUH might owe Abu Jahal money, so instead of giving it back to Abu Jahal, he would give it to me." The Prophet PBUH said, "Don't worry. I will get your money back for you." And he took the man by the hand and walked right then and there to the house of Abu Jahal, knocked on the door, and when the door was opened, he said, "O Abu Jahal, give the man his money back. Now." And Abu Jahal's face changed to complete white — he began trembling, ran all the way back, and threw money in the person's face without even counting it. And it is reported that Abu Jahal later said he did this because he saw behind the Prophet PBUH what anyone else couldn't see —a herd of angry camels waiting to pounce on him— and that terrified him. This of course was a miracle from Allah SWT.
He tried to smear the Prophet PBUH, but it backfired.
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5. False Accusations and Slanders
The fifth tactic was false accusations and slanders. This is where the Quraysh stooped to a very low level that they have never stooped to before. The Quran mentions 3~5 of their particular lies — and it's amazing that to this day, whoever lies about the Prophet PBUH has to say one of these lies; they cannot get out of the same lies that are recorded in the Quran.
Of these lies, they said, "He is crazy" [68:51]. To which the Quran says, "[Tell them] I lived a whole lifetime amongst you (you know who I am) — can't you think?" [10:16]. And to this day, those people who reject Islam say similar things; and the most common understanding among non-Muslim academics who study Islam in depth is that the Prophet PBUH was deluded into thinking he was a prophet — which is a type of madness — because even they cannot doubt the sincerity of the Prophet PBUH. So they say he was mad. And to this we respond: it's impossible for a man to be crazy in only one area and completely sane in every other area (e.g., as a family man, leader, etc.).
And of other accusations, they said he is "a soothsayer" [69:42].
Yet another accusation, they said he is either "a magician" [15:15, 51:52] or "magic has been done on him" [17:47].
They also accused him of being a poet. And this too is standard to this day — they say the Prophet PBUH was a marvelous poet who had a command of the Arabic language. But Allah tells us in the Quran [36:69] that the Prophet PBUH is not a poet: "We have not taught him poetry, nor is it fitting for him." And indeed, until his death, the Prophet PBUH hardly mentioned any lines of poetry — perhaps only two or three lines ever crossed his mouth PBUH; and one scholar said: "Never did the Prophet PBUH give a full couplet of poetry (at most, only one half)"—showing he PBUH was never a poet. And yet the unrivaled eloquence of the Quran is such that those who endeavor to challenge the Prophet's PBUH truthfulness are compelled to resort to the baseless accusation that he was a poet.
The main story that illustrates this point is the story of al-Walid ibn al-Mughira, the father of Khalid ibn al-Walid. Again, the Quran was completely unprecedented. Its tone, style, language, etc., exhibit exceptional qualities that transcend conventional standards. So imagine the Quran being recited to the masters of the Arabic language. And the greatest poet of Makkah was al-Walid ibn al-Mughira who was the chief of the Banu Makhzum (the tribe of Abu Jahal). He was the Shakespeare of Makkah. Once, the Prophet PBUH was reciting the Quran, and al-Walid ibn al-Mughira managed to listen uninterrupted for the first time. And he is mesmerized — he stops in his tracks and listens until the Prophet PBUH finishes. And he goes away a changed man. And as he walks away, he mutters a beautiful prose describing the beauty of the Quran as a pagan:
ﻭﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﻟﻘﺪ ﺳﻤﻌﺖ ﻣﻦ ﻣﺤﻤﺪ ﺁﻧﻔﺎً ﻛﻼﻣﺎً ﻣﺎ ﻫﻮ ﻣﻦ ﻛﻼﻡ ﺍﻷﻧﺲ ﻭﻻ ﻣﻦ ﻛﻼﻡ ﺍﻟﺠﻦ
ﺇﻥ ﻟﻪ ﻟﺤﻼﻭﺓ ﻭﺇﻥ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻟﻄﻼﻭﺓ ﻭﺇﻥ ﺃﻋﻼﻩ ﻟﻤﺜﻤﺮ ﻭﺇﻥ ﺃﺳﻔﻠﻪ ﻟﻤﻐﺪﻕ ﻭﺃﻧﻪ ﻳﻌﻠﻮ ﻭﻣﺎ ﻳﻌﻠﻰ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ
"By Allah, I have heard a speech from Muhammad right now that is neither from the speech of man nor jinn; It has a rhythm, the top of it is fertile, the height of it is beautiful, and it surpasses everything I have heard, and nothing can surpass it."
And this spread among the people of Makkah, and they began to panic that their greatest poet had admitted defeat. When the news reached Abu Jahal, he went to al-Walid ibn al-Mughira and said, "Your people have heard that you have praised the Quran, and they will not be satisfied with you until you dissociate from Muhammad." Al-Walid ibn al-Mughira said, "What do you want me to say? Tell me, I will say it." (Side note: Subhan'Allah. Compare this to Abu Talib: When the people of Makkah demanded "hand over your nephew," he stood his ground without yielding or cowering. He firmly said, "Do as you please, I will not budge from my position." This exemplifies true leadership. Al-Walid on the other hand represents a typical politician who is swayed by popular opinion. He was willing to conform to the desires of his 'constituents' when he was told that he would not receive their support. As we repeatedly emphasize, when one truly understands the concept of tawhid, one cannot hold respect for those who do not fear Allah SWT. Politicians are among the most servile individuals, adjusting their principles to match prevailing sentiments. They are not true 'leaders'; they are, as Ibn Taymiyyah states, 'followers.' They succumb to the whims of society, and al-Walid serves as a prime example. As soon as he realized his popularity was waning, he said, "What do you want me to say? Tell me.") And Abu Jahal said, "Call him (the Prophet PBUH) a madman." But al-Walid ibn al-Mughira said, "But he is not a madman, and everybody knows he is not a madman. We have seen crazy people, but he has no symptoms of a crazy man." Then Abu Jahal said, "Say he is a fortune teller." But al-Walid ibn al-Mughira says, "He isn't a fortune teller (he doesn't have the dandana [دندنة - mumbling] of the fortune tellers)." So Abu Jahal said, "Call him a magician." But again al-Walid ibn al-Mughira said, "He isn't a magician." Then Abu Jahal said, "Say he is a poet." But al-Walid ibn al-Mughira said, "By Allah, I am the best poet amongst you. And I am telling you that this is not the type of poetry that we are used to." So Abu Jahal said, "You need to say something, and we won't be satisfied with you until you say something." So al-Walid ibn al-Mughira said, "Leave me alone for a few days."
And he began walking around in his house, thinking about what he is going to say. He is frowning, he is going about back and forth, until he comes across an idea, "I know what I am going to say!" But before he could say it, Allah revealed in the Quran verses that describe exactly what is happening in the privacy of his house, the feelings in his heart, and the expressions on his face that nobody, not even his family, knew. Look at the beauty of the Quran — coinciding with reality, that before he could say something, the Prophet PBUH recited the verses and exposed him. Surah al-Muddaththir, the second portion. Allah AWJ speaks directly to al-Walid. This is a miracle. No one could have known this, yet it's in the Quran:
ذَرْنِي وَمَنْ خَلَقْتُ وَحِيدًا
وَجَعَلْتُ لَهُ مَالًا مَّمْدُودًا
وَبَنِينَ شُهُودًا
وَمَهَّدتُّ لَهُ تَمْهِيدًا
ثُمَّ يَطْمَعُ أَنْ أَزِيدَ
كَلَّا ۖ إِنَّهُ كَانَ لِآيَاتِنَا عَنِيدًا
سَأُرْهِقُهُ صَعُودًا
إِنَّهُ فَكَّرَ وَقَدَّرَ
فَقُتِلَ كَيْفَ قَدَّرَ
ثُمَّ قُتِلَ كَيْفَ قَدَّرَ
ثُمَّ نَظَرَ
ثُمَّ عَبَسَ وَبَسَرَ
ثُمَّ أَدْبَرَ وَاسْتَكْبَرَ
فَقَالَ إِنْ هَٰذَا إِلَّا سِحْرٌ يُؤْثَرُ
إِنْ هَٰذَا إِلَّا قَوْلُ الْبَشَرِ
سَأُصْلِيهِ سَقَرَ
"And leave to me [O Prophet] the one I created all by Myself,
and granted him abundant wealth,
and children always by his side,
and made life very easy for him.
Yet he is hungry for more.
But no! [For] he has been truly stubborn with Our revelations.
I will make his fate unbearable,
for he contemplated and determined [a degrading label for the Quran].
May he be condemned! How evil was what he determined!
May he be condemned even more! How evil was what he determined!
Then he re-contemplated [in frustration],
then frowned and scowled,
then turned his back [on the Truth] and acted arrogantly,
saying, 'This [Quran] is nothing but magic from the ancients.
This is no more than the word of a man.'
Soon I will burn him in Saqar!" [74:11-26].
These are so powerful, that Allah is saying do you think you can challenge My speech?
It's also narrated that Abu Jahal would stand outside of Makkah and tell the pilgrims, "Careful, there is a madman in town." And sometimes Abu Lahab would do this as well, "He is my own nephew and he has gone crazy. And I warn you, do not listen to him because if you do, you will be mesmerized." "He is a magician who will captivate you. So when you see him, turn around, put your hands in your ears, and do not listen to him." But subhan'Allah, ironically, this was the cause of the conversion of more than one person — one of them said, "So he is deemed a madman? I am a doctor. I shall cure him." So he went to the Prophet PBUH and said, "I have heard that you are afflicted by madness or possession, and I am a doctor. I am willing to treat you." The Prophet PBUH said, "No, I am not a madman; but listen to my Message." And he PBUH recited khutbat al-hajah:
إن الحمد لله نحمده، و نستعينه، ونستغفره، ونعوذ بالله من شرور أنفسنا، ومن سيئات أعمالنا, من يهده الله فلا مضل له
And even before delving into the core Message, the man was intrigued and interjected, "Stop. Repeat what you have just said." So the Prophet PBUH repeated the khutbat al-hajah. (Note this is not even the khutbah, but rather, what you would say at the beginning of a khutbah.) And the man said, "By Allah, I have never heard anything more beautiful than this." And similar to the encounter with Amr ibn Abasah al-Sulami, the man proceeded to ask a series of questions, and upon receiving convincing answers from the Prophet PBUH, he embraced Islam.
But of course, the bulk of people listened to Abu Jahal and the other leaders, and were persuaded to avoid the Prophet PBUH.
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6. Challenging the Prophet PBUH for a Miracle
The sixth tactic was to challenge the Prophet PBUH for a miracle. And they demanded to see something with their eyes. Allah mentions many such challenges in the Quran. In Surah al-Isra' (سورة الإسراء):
وَقَالُوا لَن نُّؤْمِنَ لَكَ حَتَّىٰ تَفْجُرَ لَنَا مِنَ الْأَرْضِ يَنبُوعًا
أَوْ تَكُونَ لَكَ جَنَّةٌ مِّن نَّخِيلٍ وَعِنَبٍ فَتُفَجِّرَ الْأَنْهَارَ خِلَالَهَا تَفْجِيرً
أَوْ تُسْقِطَ السَّمَاءَ كَمَا زَعَمْتَ عَلَيْنَا كِسَفًا أَوْ تَأْتِيَ بِاللَّهِ وَالْمَلَائِكَةِ قَبِيلًا
أَوْ يَكُونَ لَكَ بَيْتٌ مِّن زُخْرُفٍ أَوْ تَرْقَىٰ فِي السَّمَاءِ وَلَن نُّؤْمِنَ لِرُقِيِّكَ حَتَّىٰ تُنَزِّلَ عَلَيْنَا كِتَابًا نَّقْرَؤُهُ ۗ قُلْ سُبْحَانَ رَبِّي هَلْ كُنتُ إِلَّا بَشَرًا رَّسُولًا
"And they say, 'We will not believe you until you break open for us from the ground a spring.
Or [until] you have a garden of palm trees and grapes and make rivers gush forth within them in force [and abundance].
Or you make the heaven fall upon us in fragments as you have claimed or you bring Allah and the angels before [us].
Or you have a house of gold or you ascend into the sky. And [even then], we will not believe in your ascension until you bring down to us a book we may read.' Say, 'Exalted is my Lord! Was I ever but a human messenger?'" [17:90~93].
Allah tells the Prophet PBUH to say: "Exalted is my Lord! I am only a rasul (not God walking on earth)."
A question arises, why didn't Allah show them these miracles?
To respond:
i) Firstly, Allah did show them many miracles. The major one was the splitting of the moon [Quran, 54:1]. And when Allah did this, they said, "He bewitched our eyes" [Quran, 54:2].
ii) Secondly, Allah has already revealed the *greatest* miracle, and that is the Quran. And Allah kept on emphasizing that Quran is His miracle.
iii) Thirdly, Allah knew they were just asking out of stubbornness and arrogance. And this is proven by the fact that when the miracle was shown, they rejected it, such as the splitting of the moon. Allah says in the Quran, "And even if We had sent down to them the angels [with the Message] and the dead spoke to them [of it] and We gathered together every [created] thing in front of them, they would not believe unless Allah should will" [6:111].
iv) Allah AWJ is above being so petty that every time somebody challenges Him, He has to engage with the challenge.
v) Allah AWJ does not engage with a challenge except with a counter-challenge. And that is if you still reject [the prophethood of the Prophet PBUH after the miracles have been shown to you], you will face the punishment. Narrated in Sahih Bukhari: Once, they begged the Prophet PBUH to convert the Mountain of Safa into gold. And the Prophet PBUH felt they were very sincere, so he made a special du'a to Allah to convert it into gold. However, Allah sent Jibril AS down and said through him, "If you want, I will convert Safa into gold, but if they [still] refuse [to believe in your prophethood afterward], they will not have a second chance." Of course Allah doesn't play games [see Quran, 44:38]; He is beyond this. So if they still refuse, the punishment will come instantaneously. And upon realizing this implication, the Prophet PBUH chose not to pursue the conversion of the Mountain of Safa into gold.
There are at least 20 verses in the Quran about this where Allah says, "The only reason We don't send the [demanded] signs (i.e., miracles) is because the earlier nations rejected them" [17:59]. "What will make you realize [ya Rasulullah], that even if a sign were to come to them, they still would not believe?" [6:109].
So the Prophet PBUH is being told that there is a reason why Allah is not responding to all the demanded miracles; and that he PBUH has enough miracles with him.
So the Prophet PBUH was given some miracles, and denied others.
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7. Attempts of Middle Ground/Bribery
The seventh tactic was attempts of a middle ground/bribery — negotiating directly with the Prophet PBUH. Because it's getting out of their hands now. People are converting and society is 'breaking up'. So they told the Prophet PBUH, "Let's reach a compromise. One day we will all be Muslim, the next day we will all worship our idols." This is the compromise they wanted. But of course, there is no compromise in tawhid. So Allah revealed Surah al-Kafirun (سورة الكافرون):
قُلْ يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلْكَـٰفِرُونَ
لَآ أَعْبُدُ مَا تَعْبُدُونَ
وَلَآ أَنتُمْ عَـٰبِدُونَ مَآ أَعْبُدُ
وَلَآ أَنَا۠ عَابِدٌۭ مَّا عَبَدتُّمْ
وَلَآ أَنتُمْ عَـٰبِدُونَ مَآ أَعْبُدُ
لَكُمْ دِينُكُمْ وَلِىَ دِينِ
1. "Say, 'O you disbelievers,
2. I do not worship what you worship,
3. nor do you worship what I worship.
4. I will never worship what you worship,
5. nor will you ever worship what I worship.
6. You have your way, and I have my Way'" [Quran, 109:1-6].
Question: What does it mean "nor do you worship what I worship" when the Quraysh did worship Allah? Response: When you worship Allah via shirk, you are not worshiping Allah.
The scholars have differed, and there are over 10 opinions, about what is the difference between the third and the fifth verses, both of which say "وَلَآ أَنتُمْ عَـٰبِدُونَ مَآ أَعْبُدُ." Shaykh al-Islam (شيخ الإسلام) Ibn Taymiyyah has a position that the second and the third verses refer to Allah and the idols, i.e., the object of worship; whereas the fourth and the fifth verses refer to the actions of worship — what you do to worship, e.g., Muslims pray, fast, give zakat, etc., and the mushrikun throw arrows in front of the idols, clapping, and whistling [see Quran, 8:35].
Once, they called for a meeting with the Prophet PBUH in Abu Talib's house and propositioned to him directly, "What can we do so that you get rid of this Message?" The Prophet PBUH said, "I only want one word from you." They stood up, "One word?! We will give you ten!" Of course, they understood it as 'just one condition' — but the Prophet PBUH said, "What I want is the kalimah 'la ilaha illaLlah (there is none worthy of worship except God).'" And then they said, as revealed by Allah in the Quran, "Has he made our objects of worship into one? This is something that is crazy (we have never heard of this before)" [38:5].
And of course, the most famous incident of outright bribery is that of Utbah ibn Rabi'ah (عتبة بن ربيعة). Utbah was from the Banu Abd Shams and was a man of wisdom. He is a distant uncle of the Prophet PBUH (the Prophet's PBUH second cousin once-removed). (Side notes: Utbah is the one who commanded the Christian servant boy to give the grapes to the Prophet PBUH after the Incident of Ta'if [see episode 20]. And he is also the person who, before the Battle of Badr [episode 38], when the Prophet PBUH was looking and saw a man racing back and forth on a red camel, he PBUH said, "If the Quraysh have any good in them, they will listen to the wise man on the red camel"—and the man was Utbah ibn Rabi'ah, who was saying to his people, "O people, there is your brother, there is your father, there is your uncle, how can you fight them?! Are you going for war?! You are going to kill these people?! Who is going to be the victor?! If you die, you die; and if you win, you have killed your own brother! How would you like to be the murderer of your own brother?!"—he tried to stop the Battle of Badr from happening with a moving sermon. But of course, Abu Jahal stood up and told the people to ignore him. And Utbah fought in the Battle of Badr [on the side of the Quraysh], and was killed — him, his brother, and son, were all killed at the very beginning of the battle.) [Getting back to the story of bribery:] The Quraysh are sitting in their gathering, and they are simply cursing the Prophet PBUH and making fun of him: "Things have gone too much," etc. So Utbah says to them, "Have any of you actually tried to negotiate with him?" They say, "No, we haven't." So Utbah said, "Okay then, that's what needs to be done. Send me as your representative, and allow me to speak on your behalf. We know him to be a good man. I'm sure we can work something out." So they say, "Khalas (خلاص - okay/alright), you are our representative. Go and try to negotiate a treaty with the man." So Utbah goes to the Prophet PBUH who was sitting in front of the Ka'bah and says, "O my nephew, you know your status and lineage. But now you have come forth with a matter that has caused havoc in our society. O Muhammad, are you better than your father Abdullah? Are you better than your grandfather Abdul Muttalib?" Subhan'Allah, these are trick questions with loaded implications — of course the Prophet PBUH is better, but in that society, it was blasphemy to say that you are better than your own father and grandfather, *especially* Abdul Muttalib, the most respected chieftain in their history.
So the Prophet PBUH did not even answer — and there is a beautiful point of wisdom in this. When you are asked trap questions, you don't have to answer. We as Muslims are not allowed to lie. Our religion does not allow us to have double faces. And you can't answer every question to satisfy the questioner, because their intellectual level is different. Utbah is steeped in Jahiliyyah; and for him, it is just completely a given that Abdul Muttalib was the greatest Arab ever, and the Prophet PBUH is just his grandson. It's a trick question. And the Prophet PBUH understood this — so he remained silent — and this is wisdom.
And Utbah kept on going and said, "We have never seen any young man as promising as you flip around and become so unpromising. What a desolate failure you have become — you have broken our society. We have not seen any young man bring forth more harm to his people than you have. The Arabs are all making fun of us, the people are mocking your call, you have split us up, and 'we are now waiting for the cry of the pregnant woman' to have civil war (meaning it's just a matter of time before civil war breaks out). You are an intelligent man, so listen to me. I will propose certain conditions, perhaps you will agree to one or more of them: (1) If you wish for money, I have the power of the Quraysh invested in me, and we will give you more money than anybody of us have. You shall be the richest of the Arabs. (2) If you want power, we will make you our king. (Note: The Quraysh didn't have a king, but in their hatred of Islam, now they are willing to unify. Can you believe this?) (3) If you want women, go choose any woman you want, and we will make sure she is married to you. (Note: After all, these are the three things that most men want: power, money, and woman.) (4) And if you think you are unwell (mentally), we will hire doctors to cure you."
When he is finished, the Prophet PBUH said, "Are you done, ya Aba al-Walid (يا أبا الوليد - O father of al-Walid)?" (Again this is wisdom — you do not interrupt a person when they are speaking. Let them finish. Not just that, you then ask, "Are you done? Or anything else?") Utbah says, "No. That is all I have." So then the Prophet PBUH said, "Now listen to me," and he began reciting Surah Fussilat (سورة فصلت). And just like the rest of the Quraysh, Utbah has never listened to the Quran wholeheartedly. Initially, he was sitting back after concluding his negotiations, but as the Prophet PBUH continued reciting verse after verse, Utbah's expression began to change. He began to palpitate. And notably, a verse resonated powerfully: "But if they turn away, then say, 'I have warned you of a thunderbolt like the thunderbolt [that struck] Ad and Thamud'" [41:13]. When the Prophet PBUH reached this verse, it was so powerful and frightening that Utbah jumped up and put his hand on the Prophet's PBUH mouth and said, "I beg you, by Allah and by the rights that I have over you as your blood relative, to stop! And do not send this punishment!" It has moved him so much that he is now trembling. And he turns and runs back to the same group who has sent him as their representative and says to them, "Listen to me. Leave this man alone. Because I have heard a speech from him that I have never heard before. I could not comprehend all of it; however, he is going to have a sha'n (شأن - importance)." (Side note: Some scholars say the reason why some mushrikun could not understand some verses of the Quran was because when they are immersed in so much shirk, there is a ghishawa [غشاوة - veil] on their hearts — as Allah says in the Quran [2:7].) Utbah further says: "If the Arabs get rid of him for us, then our hands are clean (we won't have to kill our own tribesman); but if he wins over the Arabs, then by Allah, his victory is our [own tribe's] victory; and his power is our power." (Note: Indeed, within a few decades, the Arabs were given the honor through the Quran to rule the world; as Allah says in Surah al-Anbiya' (سورة الأنبياء), "We have sent down to you a Book; in it will be your honor" [Quran, 21:10] — meaning "your legacy will be through the Quran." And that is exactly what happened.) But when Utbah said this, they told him, "He has bewitched you as he has bewitched everyone else!" And their stubborn refusal to accept the Truth persisted.
[Transcribed by Br. Safwan Khan & Faizan]
safwan-khan@hotmail.com
[Re-revised, May 2023]
safwan-khan@hotmail.com
[Re-revised, May 2023]
