The Mmll~ Illld Ad1Jmj~,^39
me to admonish my near es t kinsmen. [ have no power to protect you
from anything in this life, nor to g rant you blessings in the life to come,
unless you believe in the Oneness of God." He added: "My position is
like that of he \vho sees the enemy and runs to his people to warn them
before they are taken by surprise, shouting as he runs: 'Beware! Beware!"'z
His uncle Abu Lahab's response was immediate and sc athing: "\'(foe to
rou [taban laka]! Is this why you have gathered us?" He rurned away
instantly, taking the assembled chiefs with him: he was thus to come to
epitomize those who rejected i\'luhammad's me~sage and opposed him
most fiercely.} Later on, '\vhen the Prophet organized two meals to pres-
ent the same message, the first was a failure because Abu Lahab again
intervened to prevent his nephew from speaking. During rhe second meal,
JVluhammad was able to convey the substance of his message, which was
heard and secretly accepted by some members of the clans he had invited.
His kinsmen and the tribe's elders had reacted in a rather cold and dis-
tant manner because they understood that the nature of i\'luhammad's
message th reatened the age-old balance in their society. Both their gods
and their power could be challenged, and the danger was serious.
Muhammad continued to speak to his kinsfolk until he received another
Revelation o rdering a forthright, determined attitude: "Therefore expound
openly what you arc commanded, and turn away from those who join
false gods v,rith God."4
The prophetic mission was entering a new phase. Now the message
was addressed to all and required a clear-cut distinctio n between tall/hid,
faith in one God, and the polytheism of the Quraysh. T he Prophet had
gathered around rum a solid core of trustworthy women and men; som e
were his relatives, bur many came from different social categories and
tribes, and he had been providing them spiritual and religious education
for the previous three years. \'\/ith steadfastness and forbearance, they
were to face rejection, per secution, and exclusion in a J'vleccan society that
was beginning to split apart.The Message
During the first years of Revelation, the Quranie message had gradually
taken shape around four m ain axes: the oneness of God, the status of the