Anguish Inflicted Upon the Holy Prophet (sa) — Seal of the Prophets Vol. 1
Introduction
In this discourse from The Life & Character of the Seal of the Prophets (Volume 1), Hazrat Mirza Bashir Ahmad (ra) details the historical events and scholarly insights surrounding Anguish Inflicted Upon the Holy Prophet (sa).
Book Series: The Life & Character of the Seal of the Prophets (Volume 1)
Author: Hazrat Mirza Bashir Ahmad (ra)
Section: VI-Commencement of Prophethood
Pages: Book pp. 198–201 (PDF pp. 222–225)
Navigation: Book Table of Contents | « Previous: [An Illustration of Muslim Suffering] | Next: [Teachings For the Muslims of Steadfastness to Suffering] »
Historical Account
be upon him] is mad and tends to speak in the vehemence of his madness.” Walīd said:
“Who will believe us? And what symptoms of insanity can we possibly justify in Muḥammad [peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him]? There is no anxiety in him, no restlessness, nor does he possess the necessary distraction of mind that is found in an insane man. Who will believe our claim?”
A third person said, “We can say that this person is a poet, and is pulling people towards himself through his enchantingly persuasive couplets.” Walīd responded “By calling him a poet, how shall we display examples of poetic style such as Rajaz, Hazaj, Qarīḍ, Maqbūḍ and Mabsūṭ1 in his poetry.” Upon this, a fourth person said, “We should project him as a magician.” Walīd said, “Then how shall we show him as one who casts spells and performs tricks.” People said, “O ‘Abdu Shams, then you ought to tell us what we should do.” Walīd responded:
“In this regard, I am myself perplexed, as to the proper course of action. Whatever we suggest does not seem to apply to Muḥammad [peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him] and to make a statement that the people do not accept shall make us the target of laughter.”
In this way, discussions continued and it was ultimately decided that since nothing else comes to mind, the suggestion of declaring him a magician seems to hold more weight among the suggestions presented in the meeting. Hence, it was decided that on the occasion of Ḥajj, everyone would tell the people coming from outside that Muḥammad [peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him] was a magician who, through his secret magic was separating son and father, brother and brother, and husband and wife from one another. Therefore, on the occasion of Ḥajj, the talk of the town was that Muḥammad [peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him] is a magician who sows the seed of separation and divergence in every home that he enters. Moreover, this propaganda spurred a dangerous uproar throughout the tribes of Arabia against the Holy Prophetsa.
The Quraish did not rest at this, but instigated the vagabond and wilful people of Makkah to continue teasing the Holy Prophetsa. Therefore, caught up in this instigation, vagabond-mannered people would talk nonsense about the
Holy Prophetsa in front of him and behind his back. The purpose of this was none other than to cause grief and to raise tumult through provocation. The routine of the people who lived as neighbours to the Holy Prophetsa was that they would throw rocks into the home of the Holy Prophetsa and place thorns at the front of his door. They would place filthy and foul-smelling things in his home. Whenever their actions caused suffering to the Holy Prophetsa, they would be pleased and would chuckle and burst into laughter. One time, someone placed a very filthy and putrid thing in the Holy Prophet’ssa home. The Holy Prophetsa picked it up himself, and brought it outside, and said, “O Banū Abdu Manāf! Is this how you fulfill the right of your neighbour?” But the ears, to which this cry reached, were completely deaf to an appeal of decency. In those days, the Quraish also decided that the Holy Prophetsa would be called upon by the name ‘Mudhammam’, meaning ignominious and scornful instead of Muḥammad. As such, this name found great popularity in Makkah for some time and the Quraish were not even shameful enough to realize that this was the same person, who we used to call Amīn, prior to his claim to prophethood. When the Holy Prophetsa found out about this, he smiled and said, “My name is Muḥammad – how can someone who is Muḥammad be called Mudhammam? Look how God protects me from their cursing.”
[Tārīkhuṭ-Ṭabarī, By Abū Ja‘far Muḥammad bin Al-Jarīr Ṭabarī, Volume 2, p. 241, Bābu Dhikril- Khabri ‘ammā kāna min Amri Nabiyyillāhisa ‘inda Ibtidā’illāhi Ta‘ālā……, Dārul-Fikr, Beirut, Lebanon, Second Edition (2002)]
[Ṣaḥīḥ Bukhārī, Kitābul-Manāqib, Bābu Mā Jā’a fī Asmā’i Rusūlillāhsa, Ḥadīth No. 3533]
But in this time as well, the torture of the Quraish was not confined to verbal abuse alone. At times, in their fury or finding an opportunity, they would not think much of causing the Holy Prophetsa practical harm or inflicting bodily pain upon him as well. Therefore, there is an incident, perhaps during the same era, that one time when the Holy Prophetsa was offering his Ṣalāt near the Ka‘bah, ‘Uqbah bin Abī Mu‘īṭ stood up in rage and began to strangle the Holy Prophetsa with a cloth until his breath began to stop. When Ḥaḍrat Abū Bakrra was informed of this, he came running and saved the Holy Prophetsa from the evil of this wretched man and addressed the Quraish saying:
ُاَتَقْ تُلُوْنَ رَجُ لاً اَنْ یَّقُ وْلَ رَبِّیَ اللّٰه
“Do you murder a man only because he says
my Lord is Allāh?”
[Ṣaḥīḥ Bukhārī, Kitābu Manāqibil-Anṣār, Bābu Mā Laqiyan-Nabiyyusa wa Aṣḥābahu minal-Mushrikīna bi-Makkah, Ḥadīth No. 3856]
At another instance, when the Holy Prophetsa announced the unity of God in the courtyard of the Ka‘bah, the Quraish gathered around the Holy Prophetsa in their rage, and raised an uproar. When the step-son of the Holy Prophetsa (Ḥārith bin Abī Hāllah, the son of Ḥaḍrat Khadījahra) was informed, he came running and noticing this state of danger, tried to save the Holy Prophetsa from the Quraish. But the state of rage rampant among the young men of the Quraish was such as led an evil man to slay Ḥārith by his sword at the scene. Due to the noise and turmoil at the time, it could not be ascertained as to who was responsible for this.
[Al-Iṣābatu fī Tamīziṣ-Ṣaḥābah, Volume 1, p. 696, Al-Ḥārith bin Abī Hāllah, Dārul-Kutubil-‘Ilmiyyah, Third Edition (2005)]
Book Series: The Life & Character of the Seal of the Prophets (Volume 1)
Section: VI-Commencement of Prophethood | Navigation: « Previous: [An Illustration of Muslim Suffering] | Next: [Teachings For the Muslims of Steadfastness to Suffering] »