Muhammad: His CallThe Sira traditions are generally in agreement that the Meccans did not
really reject or oppose Muhammad until he denounced their deities^158 and
said that their forefathers were in Hell.^159 According to these hadith, some
of the Quraysh came to Abu Talib to persuade him to give up his support of
Muhammad and some spoke of wanting to kill the latter, because he had
reviled their gods, derided their customs and caused disunity in the tribe.^160
Abu Talib, however, continued to protect and support Muhammad.
Occasionally, Muhammad was insulted or even threatened while at the
Kaba,^161 and although Muhammad was accused of having been a kahin, poet or possessed,^162 others of his relatives also began following him.^163 The Quraysh later tried to dissuade Muhammad from continuing to preach his message,^164 while others charged him with being taught by others.^165 The first public recitation of the Qur'an by Ibn Masud did not go well,^166 and
his being from the lower classes, as many of Muhammad's early followers
were,^167 may have also negatively affected the already meager chances of
being heard.
The most obvious Qur'anic evidences for Muhammad's rejecting the
Meccan deities are the suras 112suras 112suras 112suras 112 and 109 109109 109, which although not easy to date,
are generally considered to have been early Meccan.^168 Some Western
Qur'an scholars regard the suras 113suras 113suras 113suras 113 and 114 114114 114 as having been magical
formulae, which may have been intended to seal and protect the Qur'an.^169
One of the main texts for the Islamic ritual prayers, Qur'anQur'an 1Qur'an 1Qur'an 1, also remains a 1
chronological enigma for most Qur'an scholars, even though practically
every phrase and idea of this sura appears to have its source in Judaism or
Christianity.^170 At least one pre-`Uthmanic Qur'an codex contained none of
the suras 1, 113 or 114, and one reason for this may have been that these
were considered to have been liturgical, and thus not part of the Qur'an.^171
Two additional "prayer" suras were found in another famous pre-`Uthmanic
Qur'an codex.^172