Quraysh had assembled in the sanctuary, Zuhayr whose mother ‘Atika was daughter of
‘Abdul Muttalib, cried out to the people, “O ye people of Makkah, shall we eat and drink
while Bani Hashim should die of hunger, unable even to buy or sell? By God I will not take
rest until this cruel and unjust decree is torn into pieces.”
Abu Jahl tried to intervene but found everybody against him. Mut’im Ibn ‘Adiy then went
up to tear the document into pieces but discovered that with the exception of the words “In
Your Name, O Allah” the rest of the document had already been eaten up by white ants. The
Prophet (r) had already told his uncle, Abu Talib, that God has given the white ants power
over the document.
The blighted document was, however, taken out and thrown away and thus ended the
boycott and everything that was written on it. (Ibn Hisham, Vol. I, pp. 350-51)
Lessons to be Learned from this Period of History:
Muhammed was neither seeking Prophethood nor was he dreaming about it. Allah used to
inspire his heart to seek seclusion in order to worship and purify his soul, and to prepare his
spirit to carry out the duties of the message. If Allah's Messenger was seeking for it, he
would not have been frightened when it came to him. When Muhammed came from the
mountain in order to ask Khadijah (May Allah be pleased with her) about the incident, which
took place in the cave, he was not assured that he was a Messenger until he saw Gabriel and
heard him say, "O Muhammed, you are Allah's Messenger and I am Gabriel." Waraqah ibn
Naufal and Khadijah (May Allah be pleased with her) assured him that what he saw in the
cave was the same revelation as that which came to Moses.
Allah's Messenger surprised the Arabs with something unfamiliar, thus they objected to it
vehemently. Their primary concern was to put an end to the Prophet (r) and his compa-
nions. This is a historical refutation to those who claim that Muhammed was a preacher of
nationalism and that he represented the hopes and aspirations of the Arabs at that time.
This is a ridiculous claim because the historical events belie this notion, as we have wit-
nessed. Those who made such remarks were simply biased in their nationalistic views and
this led them to claim that Islam was a matter that originated from the Arabs and their
thought. This is a clear denial of the prophecy of the Messenger and an insult to the mes-
sage of Islam.
The phrase, which the Prophet (r) uttered to his uncle and his rejection of the offer of the
Quraysh, is evidence that the Prophet (r) was truthful in his proclamation of Allah's mes-
sage and his desire to guide the people to the straight path. In the same way, the caller must
be persistent and determined with their call no matter how gravely the wrongdoers oppose
them. They must turn away from their temptations of honor and positions because the
adversities disputing the path of truth should bring comfort to their consciences and hearts.
Furthermore, Allah's pleasure and His Paradise should be more valuable to them than the
entire honor, positions, and wealth combined in this world.