Ta’if : A Lesson in Persistence

It had been a year of sorrow and misfortune for Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). First, his beloved wife Khadijah died. She was, from all people, the best supporter he had. Soon afterwards, his uncle Abu Talib died. As the head of the Prophet’s clan, he was the only person who was able to give him protection from the rest of the tribe of Quraysh. Abu Talib loved his nephew Muhammad intensely, and it pained Prophet Muhammad all the more that his uncle died a disbeliever.

The death, in the same year, of the Prophet’s wife Khadijah and his uncle Abu Talib magnified the Prophet’s sorrows and doubled his feelings of estrangement and alienation and filled his heart with pain. Moreover, it left him and his followers politically isolated in Makkah, without support.

The tribe of Quraysh seize this opportunity to increase their abuses and tighten their grips on the Muslims. Abu Lahab succeeded Abu Talib as the leader of the Prophet’s clan Banu Hashim, and he harbored the bitterest hatred for Islam and the Prophet (peace be upon him). He used to go up to the Prophet (peace be upon him) during the pilgrimage and in the marketplace and throw dirt and stones upon him, calling him a Sabian and a liar and warning people against following him.

Makkah became unbearable. Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) had to seek support from outside of Makkah. He first headed for the neighboring town of Ta’if, looking for this support. But what did he meet with there?

The people of Ta’if ordered their children to throw rocks and stones at prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) to drive him out of the city. The rocks that were thrown at him by the children caused him to bleed seriously, so much that his feet became stuck to his shoes by the drying blood.

When Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was outside the city walls, he almost collapsed. They went a short distance outside of the town and stopped in a vineyard that belonged to two Makkans who were there at the time.

The owners of the vineyard had seen how he had been persecuted in Makkah and on this occasion they felt some sympathy toward their fellow citizen. They had his wounds dressed, and let him rest and recuperate until he felt strong enough to resume his journey across the rough terrain between Ta’if and Makkah. It was there that he had the famous encounter with the angel of the mountains.

We have the following account from A’ishah, the wife of the Prophet (peace be upon him), when she asked him: “Was there ever a day that was worse for you than the Battle of Uhud?” 

The Prophet replied:

Your tribe (Quraysh) had troubled me a lot, and the most severe of this trouble was on the day of ‘Aqaba when I presented myself to Ibn `Abd Yalayil b. `Abd Kulal and he did not respond to my request. So I departed, overwhelmed with sorrow, and proceeded on, without rest until I found myself at Qarn al-Tha`alib where I lifted my head towards the sky to see a cloud shading me unexpectedly. I looked up and saw within it Gabriel. He called me saying: “Allah has heard what your people have been saying to you, and how they have disputed you. Allah has sent the Angel of the Mountains to you so that you may order him to do whatever you wish to these people.” 

The Angel of the Mountains called and greeted me, and then said: “O Muhammad! Order what you wish. If you like, I will cause the two mountains to fall upon them.”

I said: “No, for I hope that Allah will bring forth from their progeny people who will worship Allah Alone, and none besides Him.” [Sahih al-Bukhari (4/81, 8/168). Sahih Muslim (3/1420)]

The people of Ta’if rejected the Prophet (peace be upon him) and what he came with most harshly. He departed from them in sadness and returned to Makkah only to find that its people had become even more enraged and infuriated with him. He was not even able to enter the city until he received the protection of al-Mut`im b. `Udayy. He had first sought the protection of al-Akhnas b. Shurayq and Suhayl b. `Amr, but they had refused.

Presenting the Message to the Tribes

But he persisted in calling to Allah. After returning from al-Ta’if, he began to approach the tribes during the festivals and explain to them Islam. He would ask them for protection and support so he could convey the word of Allah.

Salim b. Abi al-Ja`d relates the following from Jabir:

“Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) used to approach the people at the ground where they would settle, saying: ‘Is there any man who will take me to his people? For verily Quraysh has forbidden me from conveying the words of my Lord.” [Sunan Abi Dawud (5/103), Sunan al-Tirmidhi (5/184), Sunan al-Nasai (101), and Sunan Ibn Majah (1/73)]

Jabir continued: “A man from Hamdan approached him. The Prophet (peace be upon him) asked him: ‘From whom are you?’ He replied: ‘I am from Hamdan.’ He said: ‘Do your people have power?’ He said: ‘Yes.’ Thereafter, the man began to fear that his people would scorn him. He went to the Prophet (peace be upon him) and said: ‘I will return to you and inform you.’ The Prophet (peace be upon him) agreed. In the month of Rajab of the following year, a delegation came to him from Madinah.” [Musnad Ahmad (3/390)] 

One of the great achievements of calling the tribes to Islam was the meeting between Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) and the delegation from Madinah and the oath of allegiance they gave to him at `Aqabah. This was followed by the emigration to Madinah where the Muslims were finally able to practice Islam in peace and freedom.

This was the turning point for the Muslims. It was so significant that the emigration marks the first year of the Muslim calendar.