Public preaching of Islaam and its opposition

When Nabi ﷺ (peace and blessings be upon him) was commanded to preach Islaam in public, the first thing that Nabi ﷺ (peace and blessings be upon him) did was to gather his family members from the Quraish at Mount Safa. He then told them:

“I am presenting to you such a gift which no person had presented to his people. I have brought that which will grant you success in your Deen (religion) and dunya (world). I take an oath in the name of Allah ﷻ (exalted is His majesty) that He has sent me to the world as a Nabi.”

The Quraish did not appreciate this and spoke very harshly to Nabi ﷺ (peace and blessings be upon him) and rebuked him. They began opposing him. The person who opposed Nabi ﷺ (peace and blessings be upon him) the most was his uncle, Abu Lahab, regarding whom Surah Lahab was revealed. Nabi ﷺ (peace and blessings be upon him) did not worry about his opposition in any way and continued inviting the people to the straight path. The disbelievers caused such great difficulties and hardships to Nabi ﷺ (peace and blessings be upon him) and to the Sahaabah رضي الله عنهم (may Allah be pleased with them), that listening to it will make the hair on one's body stand.

When Nabi ﷺ (peace and blessings be upon him) performed Salaah in the Ka`bah, the disbelivers tied a cloth around his mubaarak neck and pulled it. This would cause him to suffocate and his eyes would bulge out. At times the intestine’s of a camel which was full of impurity was placed on his head. They even planned to smash Nabi’s ﷺ (peace and blessings be upon him) mubaarak head and make him a shaheed (martyr). They threw stones at him. They stood on guard to ensure that nobody visited Nabi ﷺ (peace and blessings be upon him).

They inflicted severe punishments on the companions رضي الله عنهم (may Allah be pleased with them) of Rasulullah ﷺ (peace and blessings be upon him). The Sahaabah رضي الله عنهم (may Allah be pleased with them) were placed on burning hot coals. They were made to lie naked on the scorching hot desert sand and a boulder would be placed on them. They would be lashed throughout the night and during the day a rope would be tied around their necks and they were then dragged on the rocky grounds. Some of them used to be locked up in a room where they were made to inhale the smoke of a fire so that they could not breathe. Some of them were wrapped in animal skins and placed in the scorching sun. Some were tied to two camels and the camels were driven to run in opposite directions. When the camels ran, the bodies of the victims split in two. Hadhrat Sumayya رضي الله عنها (may Allah be pleased with her) was stabbed in her most sensitive part of her body and was killed in this manner.

Nabi ﷺ (peace and blessings be upon him) and his Sahaabah رضي الله عنهم (may Allah be pleased with them) were boycotted for three years. The disbelievers made every effort not to allow even a morsel of food or a sip of water to reach these Sahaabah رضي الله عنهم (may Allah be pleased with them) who believed in Allah ﷻ (exalted is His majesty). The children cried out of hunger but these oppressors never felt any pity for them. Their only crime was that they believed in Allah ﷻ (exalted is His majesty) and were not worshipping the stones that these disbelievers were worshipping. They did not join them in their theft, drinking, gambling, shameless and evil actions.

When the kuffar of Makkah could not achieve their objective of stopping Rasulullah ﷺ (peace and blessings be upon him) from making Tableegh-e-Deen (spreading the word of Deen), through oppression and persecution, they then decided to distract him with wealth and position.

They told him: “If you desire wealth we will grant you abundant wealth. If you desire leadership, we will appoint you as our king. If you wish to marry, we will marry you to the woman of your choice.”

Nabi ﷺ (peace and blessings be upon him) had one answer: “I do not desire any of that. I cannot stop that Mission which I was sent with. If you place the sun in my one hand and the moon in the other, then too I will not abandon this work.”

In short, the call towards the truth continued under every trying condition. Up to this day no power on earth can stop it. The opposing parties were destroyed and disgraced. Until Qiyaamah it will continue in this manner. So long as we stay firm on the path of Islaam and continue practising upon the teachings of our beloved Nabi ﷺ (peace and blessings be upon him), we will never be overcome.