The Life of Prophet Muhammad as A Preacher of Islam (1/7)

It is not proposed in this chapter to add another to the already numerous biographies of Muhammad, but rather to make a study of his life in one of its  aspects only, viz. that in which the Prophet is presented to us as a preacher, as the apostle unto men of a new religion. The life of the founder of Islam and the inaugurator of its propaganda may naturally be expected to exhibit to us the true character of the missionary activity of this religion. If the life of the Prophet serves as the standard of conduct for the ordinary believer, it must do the same for the Muslim missionary.

From the pattern, therefore, we may hope to learn something of the spirit that would animate those who sought to copy it, and of the methods they might be expected to adopt. For the missionary spirit of Islam is no after-thought in its history; it interpenetrates the religion from its very commencement, and in the following sketch it is desired to show how this is so, how Muhammad the Prophet is the type of the missionary of Islam. It is therefore beside the purpose to describe his early history, or the influences under which he grew up to manhood, or to consider him in the light either of a statesman or a general: it is as the preacher alone that he will demand our attention.

When, after long internal conflict and disquietude, Muhammad was at length convinced of his divine mission, his earliest efforts were directed towards persuading his own family of the truth of the new doctrine. The unity of God, the abomination of idolatry, the duty laid upon man of submission to the will of his Creator,—these were the simple truths to which he claimed their allegiance.

The first convert was his faithful and loving wife, Kha'dijah, she who fifteen years before had offered her hand in marriage to the poor kinsman that had so successfully traded with her merchandise as a hired agent, with the words, " I love thee, my cousin, for thy kinship with me, for the respect with which thy people regard thee, for thy honesty, for the beauty of thy character and for the truthfulness of thy speech."  She had lifted him out of poverty, and enabled him to live up to the social position to which he was entitled by right of birth; but this was as nothing to the fidelity and loving devotion with which she shared his mental anxieties, and helped him with tenderest sympathy and encouragement in the hour of his despondency.     

Up to her death in A.D. 619 (after a wedded life of five and twenty years) she was always ready with sympathy, consolation and encouragement whenever he suffered from the persecution of his enemies or was tortured by doubts and misgivings. "So Khadijah believed," says the biographer of the Prophet," and attested the truth of that which came to him from God and aided him in his undertaking. Thus was the Lord minded to lighten the burden of His Prophet; for whenever he heard anything that grieved him touching his rejection by the people, he would return to her and God would comfort him through her, for she reassured him and lightened his burden and declared her trust in him and made it easy for him to bear the scorn of men."

Among the earliest believers were his adopted children Zayd and 'Ali, and his bosom friend Abu Bakr, of whom Muhammad would often say in after years, " I never invited any to the faith who displayed not hesitation, perplexity and vacillation - excepting only Abu Bakr; who when I told him of Islam tarried not, neither was perplexed." He was a wealthy merchant, much respected by his fellow citizens for the integrity of his character and for his intelligence and ability. After his conversion he expended the greater part of his fortune on the purchase of Muslim slaves who were persecuted by their masters on account of their adherence to the teaching of Muhammad (Peace be upon him).

Through his influence, to a great extent, five of the earliest converts were added to the number of believers, Sa‘d b. Abi Waqqas, the future conqueror of the Persians; al-Zubayr b. al-'Awwam, a relative both of the Prophet and his wife; Ṭalhah, famous as a warrior in after days; a wealthy merchant 'Abd al-Rahman b. 'Awf, and 'Uthman, the third Khalifah. The last was early exposed to persecution; his uncle seized and bound him, saying, "Dost thou prefer a new religion to that of thy fathers? I swear I will not lose thee until thou givest up this new faith thou art following after." To which 'Uthman replied, "By the Lord, I will never abandon it!" Whereupon his uncle, seeing the firmness of his attachment to his faith, released him.

With other additions, particularly from among slaves and poor persons; the Prophet succeeded in collecting round him a little band of followers during the first three years of his mission. Encouraged by the success of these private efforts, Muhammad (Peace be upon him) determined on more active measures and began to preach in public. He called his kinsmen together and invited them to embrace the new faith. "No Arab," he urged," has offered to his nation more precious advantages than those I bring you. I offer you happiness in this world and in the life to come. Who among you will aid me in this task? "All were silent. Only 'Ali, with boyish enthusiasm, cried out, "Prophet of God, I will aid thee." At this the company broke up with derisive laughter.     

Undeterred by the ill-success of this preaching, he repeatedly appealed to them on other occasions, but his message and his warnings received from them nothing but scoffing and contempt.     

More than once the Quraysh tried to induce his uncle Abu Ṭalib, as head of the clan of the Banu Hashim, to which Muhammad belonged, to restrain him from making such attacks upon their ancestral faith, or otherwise they threatened to resort to more violent measures. Abu Ṭalib accordingly appealed to his nephew not to bring disaster on himself and his family. The Prophet replied: "Were the sun to come down on my right hand and the moon on my left, and the choice were offered me of abandoning my mission until God himself should reveal it, or perishing in the achievement of it, I would not abandon it." Abu Ṭalib was moved and exclaimed, " Go and say whatever thou wilt: by God! I will never give thee up unto thy enemies."

The Quraysh viewed the progress of the new religion with increasing dissatisfaction and hatred. They adopted all possible means, threats and promises, insults and offers of worldly honour and aggrandisement to induce Muhammad to abandon the part he had taken up. The violent abuse with which he was assailed is said to have been the indirect cause of drawing to his side one important convert in the person of his uncle, Hamzah, whose chivalrous soul was so stung to sudden sympathy by a tale of insult inflicted on and patiently borne by his nephew, that he changed at once from a bitter enemy into a staunch adherent. His was not the only instance of sympathy for the sufferings of the Muslims being aroused at the sight of the persecutions they had to endure, and many, no doubt, secretly favoured the new religion who did not declare themselves until the day of its triumph.

The hostility of the Quraysh to the new faith increased in bitterness as they watched the increase in the numbers of its adherents. They realised that the triumph of the new teaching meant the destruction of the national religion and the national worship, and a loss of wealth and power to the guardians of the sacred Ka'bah. Muhammad himself was safe under the protection of Abu Ṭalib and the Banu Hashim, who, though they had no sympathy for the doctrines their kinsman taught, yet with the strong clan-feeling peculiar to the Arabs, secured him from any attempt upon his life, though he was still exposed to continual insult and annoyance. But the poor who had no protector, and the slaves, had to endure the cruelest persecution, and were imprisoned and tortured in order to induce them to recant. It was at this time that Abu Bakr purchased the freedom of Bilal, an African slave, who was called by Muhammad (Peace be upon him) "the first-fruits of Abyssinia." He had been cruelly tortured by being exposed, day after day, to the scorching rays of the sun, stretched out on his back, with an enormous stone on his stomach; here he was told he would have to stay until either he died or renounced Muhammad (Peace be upon him) and worshipped idols, to which he would reply only, " There is but one God, there is but one God." Two persons died under the tortures they had to undergo. The constancy of a few gave way under the trial, but persecution served only to re-kindle the zeal of others. 'Abd Allah b. Mas'ud made bold to recite a passage of the Qur'an within the precincts of the Ka'bah itself, an act of daring that none of the followers of Muhammad had ventured upon before. The assembled Quraysh attacked him and smote him on the face, but it was some time before they compelled him to desist. He returned to his companions, prepared to bear witness to his faith in a similar manner on the next day, but they dissuaded him, saying, "This is enough for thee, since thou hast made them listen to what they hated to hear."

The virulence of the opposition of the Quraysh is probably the reason why in the fourth year of his mission Muhammad took up his residence in the house of al-Arqam, one of the early converts. It was in a central situation, much frequented by pilgrims and strangers, and here peaceably and without interruption he was able to preach the doctrines of Islam to all enquirers that came to him. Muhammad's stay in this house marks an important epoch in the propagation of Islam in Mecca, and many Muslims dated their conversion from the days when the Prophet preached in the house of al-Arqam.

(Continued)