The Makkah years: calling to Allah with patience

9 min read

For thirteen years after the first revelation, the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, lived and taught in Makkah. These years were hard. The message was new, the believers were few, and many powerful people of Makkah fought against it. Yet this is where the strongest faith was built, and where the Prophet showed how to answer hardship with patience.

Starting with those closest to him

At first he invited people quietly: his family and close friends. Among the first to believe were his wife Khadijah, his close friend Abu Bakr, and his young cousin Ali ibn Abi Talib, may Allah be pleased with them. Then Allah commanded him:

And warn, [O Muhammad], your closest kindred.
Quran 26:214 (Saheeh International translation of the meaning)

He climbed the hill of Safa, near the Kaaba, and called the clans of Quraysh by name until they gathered. He asked them: if I told you that horsemen in the valley were about to attack you, would you believe me? They said yes, for they had only ever known him to tell the truth. Then he said:

I am a warner to you in face of a terrific punishment.
Sahih al-Bukhari 4770

His own uncle, Abu Lahab, answered him with insults, and many others turned away.

Persecution and patience

As more people accepted Islam, the opposition grew harsh. The Prophet was protected in part by his uncle Abu Talib, but the weakest believers, especially those who were enslaved or had no tribe to defend them, suffered the most. Bilal ibn Rabah, may Allah be pleased with him, was among those tortured for their faith. Through it all he kept repeating: "Ahad, Ahad", "One, One", meaning Allah is One (Sunan Ibn Majah 150). You will learn his full story in the lessons on the companions.

The Prophet himself was harmed. Once, while he was praying, a man named Uqbah ibn Abi Mu'ayt twisted his garment around the Prophet's neck and choked him hard. Abu Bakr rushed in, pushed him away, and recited words from the Quran (Sahih al-Bukhari 3678):

Do you kill a man [merely] because he says, 'My Lord is Allah' while he has brought you clear proofs from your Lord?
Quran 40:28 (Saheeh International translation of the meaning)

Looking back on those years, the Prophet said:

I have been intimidated in the path of Allah at a time when no one else was intimidated, and I have been harmed for the sake of Allah at a time when no one else was harmed
Sunan al-Tirmidhi 2472 (graded authentic)

"But you are rushing"

The companion Khabbab ibn al-Aratt, may Allah be pleased with him, came to the Prophet while he was resting in the shade of the Kaaba, and asked him to pray for their victory. The Prophet reminded him that believers before them had endured terrible torture without giving up their faith, and then said:

By Allah, Allah will bring this matter (Islam) to its completion until the traveler will walk from Sana'a to Hadramaut fearing none except Allah and the wolf for his sheep, but you are rushing things.
Sahih al-Bukhari 3612

This is a lesson for every new Muslim. Change takes time. Be patient with yourself, with your family, and with the people around you.

The year of sorrow

About ten years into his mission, the Prophet lost the two people who had supported him most. His uncle Abu Talib, who had protected him for years but never accepted Islam, was dying. The Prophet sat with him and pleaded:

O uncle, say: La ilāha illallāh (there is no god but Allah), a word with which I can defend you before Allah.
Sahih al-Bukhari 3884 and Sahih Muslim 24 (agreed upon)

Abu Talib died without saying it, and the Prophet grieved deeply. If you have family members who are not Muslim, you may feel this moment in your own heart: the Prophet loved his uncle and kept caring for him to the very end. Around the same time, Khadijah died, three years before the migration to Madinah (Sahih al-Bukhari 3896). Muslims often call this time the Year of Sorrow.

Around this time he also went to the town of Ta'if to invite its leaders to Islam, and they rejected him harshly. He later told Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, that this was the hardest day he faced. As he walked away in grief, the angel Jibril, peace be upon him, came with the angel of the mountains, who offered to crush the people who had hurt him between two mountains. The Prophet answered:

No but I hope that Allah will let them beget children who will worship Allah Alone, and will worship None besides Him
Sahih al-Bukhari 3231 and Sahih Muslim 1795 (agreed upon)

Even at his lowest moment, he chose mercy and hope.

When the angel of the mountains offered to punish the people who rejected him, what did the Prophet choose?

Remember

The Makkah years teach patience: the Prophet and his companions held firm through hardship, and he answered cruelty with mercy.

Next: the migration to Madinah, where the first Muslim community was born.

Sources

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Step 2: The life of the Prophet, 9 min

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