The Life of Prophet Muhammad: Chapter 9 Summary

Summary of Chapter 9 of Adil Salahi's book 'Muhammad – Man and Prophet' published by Islamic Foundation. The title of the chapter is "Misrepresentation" and it covers the fifth year of Prophethood.

Transcript

1. The Life of the Prophet (ﷺ) Summary of Chapter 9: Misrepresentation (5th year of Prophethood)
2. • The Prophet’s efforts to mould his followers into a closely-knit community prompted him to establish a centre for the Muslims • He chose the house of one of his companions, Al-Arqam, near al-Safa, in the centre of Makkah • The Prophet was able to meet his companions here, teach them the principles of their faith and strengthen their bond of brotherhood The First Islamic School
3. • The chiefs of Makkah realised that despite their opposition, the followers of Muhammad were increasing and moulding into a separate community • One of them, Utbah ibn Rabi’ah, recognised that the problem was unlikely to fade away or disappear • With the approval of the other leaders, Utbah made some offers to the Prophet in the hope that he would accept one or the other Which Approach to Follow
4. • Utbah ibn Rabi’ah said, “My nephew, if you have started this affair hoping to make some money out of it, we are all willing to give you some of our own wealth so that you would be the richest among us. If it is honour and position you want, we will make you our master and seek your advice in all matters. If it is a throne you are after, we will make you our king. If, on the other hand, you are possessed and are unable to resist what overwhelms you, we will spare no expense in seeking a medical cure for you.” Which Approach to Follow
5. • When Utbah stopped, the Prophet asked him whether he had finished • The Prophet responded to Utbah by reciting the first 38 verses of Surah 41 of the Qur’an • Utbah listened attentively and then returned to his people Which Approach to Follow
6. • Utbah advised his people, “I have heard something the like of which I have never heard in my life. It is neither poetry nor sorcery. Take up the suggestion I am making to you, and lay the blame for the outcome at my door. Leave this man alone. What I have heard from him will certainly bring about great events. Should the rest of the Arabs kill him, you would have been spared the trouble. If he wins, whatever glory he achieves will be yours.” Which Approach to Follow
7. • Utbah’s people retorted that he had been bewitched • Once again the Quraysh seemed totally unable to listen to words of wisdom • Utbah advised them with a win-win suggestion but they preferred instead to suppress the new call Which Approach to Follow
8. • As the days and weeks passed, the torment and abuse of the Muslims by the Quraysh continued • The victims of this abuse were numerous and included the Prophet himself, despite the protection afforded to him by his uncle and clan • They accused him of being a magician, a poet, and a fortune-teller, and told to his face that he was mad A Tilt Towards the Hard Line
9. • One day Abu Jahl passed by the Prophet while he was alone and assaulted and abused him • The Prophet did not say a single word in reply • The incident was witnessed, however, by a maid looking through a window of a house in which she worked A Tilt Towards the Hard Line
10. • Soon afterwards, Hamzah, an uncle of the Prophet was returning from a hunting trip • It was his habit, whenever he returned from hunting, to go first to the Ka’bah, to do a Tawaf and then to greet every group of people who sat by the Ka’bah • This time, the maid stopped him as he passed by her and related to him what she saw between Abu Jahl and his nephew, Muhammad A Tilt Towards the Hard Line
11. • Hamzah was furious and went straight to the Mosque in search of Abu Jahl • When he saw him with his kinsfolk, he went straight up to him and struck him with his bow • He then said, “Do you abuse him when I follow his religion? I say the same as he says. Try to stop me if you can.” A Tilt Towards the Hard Line
12. • As Abu Jahl’s wound started to bleed, his comrades stood up to avenge him • Abu Jahl, however, realised that the situation could deteriorate, so he told them to leave him alone • Hamzah’s declaration that he was a Muslim was made in a moment of anger and Abu Jahl hoped he could be persuaded to forget the matter A Tilt Towards the Hard Line
13. • Unfortunately for Abu Jahl, Hamzah went straight to his nephew and learnt from him about Islam • As he listened, a feeling of reassurance grew stronger and stronger within him • His decision gave the Prophet and the Muslims a feeling of strength, because he was one of the most courageous fighters in Arabia A Tilt Towards the Hard Line
14. • With the Hajj season approaching, people from all over Arabia would be coming to Makkah to perform their pilgrimage rituals • The Quraysh realised that they had better take some preventative measures with regards to the Prophet and his contact with incoming pilgrims • At a meeting attended by a large number of Makkans, a well-defined strategy was agreed A Hostile Conference
15. • The Makkan leaders realised that they had to agree on what to say when asked about Muhammad • Descriptions like ‘fortune-teller’, ‘madman’, ‘poet’ and ‘magician’ were proposed but none were considered convincing • When nobody could suggest anything more plausible, they asked Al-Walid ibn al-Mughirah, the chair of the meeting, if he had a better suggestion A Hostile Conference
16. • Al-Walid said, “What Muhammad says is certainly beautiful. It is like a date tree with solid roots and rich fruit. Every one of these suggestions you have made is bound to be recognised as false. The least disputable one is to claim that he is a magician who repeats magic words which make a man fall out with his father, mother, wife and clan.” A Hostile Conference
17. • The Quraysh launched its smear campaign against Islam and the Prophet, charging the latter with being a magician who could only bring about discord within people’s families and clans • They made a special effort to meet as many pilgrims as possible to explain to them their problem with Muhammad and to warn them against his magic A Hostile Conference
18. • The Quraysh’s campaign was successful in deterring pilgrims from speaking with Muhammad and from learning about Islam • However, those very pilgrims who listened to the warnings and avoided the Prophet carried the news back to their people • And thus the whole of Arabia began to learn about the existence of Islam Evil Tactics Backfire
19. • Source: ‘Muhammad – Man and Prophet’ by Adil Salahi End