#13 Prophet Muhammad: the Meccan Period

In 611 C.E.. Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, began the Meccan phase of his prophetic mission, a thirteen year period starting with the first Quranic revelation.

The short, powerful Quranic verses revealed in this period touched the Bedouin Arabs, a people of high oratory skills, whose character had been formed in the austere desert. In concise, profound verse, the Quran described the essence of man, God and creation, and their interrelationship. It pointed to the hope of heaven and the warning of punishment for those who turned astray from truth and goodness, at the expense of their souls.

The initial call of Islam beckoned a return to faith. Intensely personal and spiritual, the call focused on the need to order one’s life in right relation to God. The first to respond was the Prophet’s faithful wife and companion, Khadijah (pbuh). Others of his household and friends were soon to follow.

For the first three years, this small group worshipped in secret, until the command was given to spread the message of Islam. The Prophet (pbuh) assembled his kinsmen, asking them to give up idols and evil practices, and worship Allah alone. The tribal leaders recoiled from this message that would require the forfeit of many exploitative privileges. They dealt harshly with him, subjecting him to daily humiliations. The Prophet’s path was strewn with thorns; animal intestines were draped over his back when he prayed. All of this he bore with patient humility, returning cruelty with kindness, while the faith he preached continued to spread.

The Meccans tried bribery, offering the Prophet (pbuh) power and privilege. Even if they were to offer to sun in his right hand and the moon in his left, he responded, never would he turn from obeying the command of his Lord.

The Meccans hoped to dissuade the believers through intimidation. The slave woman, Sumayya, was the first to die under their torture, refusing to relinquish her faith. Bilal, the black Ethiopian slave, nearly expired as he lay staked to the burning desert sand for hours at a time, his chest crushed under the weight of heavy stones. Yet persecution of the believers only strengthened the resolve of their faith.

Seeing this suffering, the Prophet (pbuh) instructed the weakest among them to take refuge in Abysinnisa (Ethiopia), the land of the Negus, a righteous Christian king. The Meccans pursued them; hence the Negus asked the Muslim refugees to explain their faith. One among them recited the Quranic chapter “Maryam,” describing the birth of Jesus (peace be upon him). On hearing this, the Negus and his Christian bishops wept. “This has truly come from the same source as the message that Jesus (pbuh) brought,” declared the Negus, vowing never to deliver the Muslims into the hands of their oppressors.

The Meccans attempted to stifle the growing community through a severe boycott. The believers spent three years confined to a desolate valley outside of Mecca, reduced to eating thorny desert plants while their children cried in hunger. Despite this suffering, Islam continued to spread, as many from outside of Mecca were drawn to this message of guidance.

After all attempts to wipe out Islam had failed, the Meccans conspired to murder the Prophet (pbuh). It was at this point that the divine call was given to relocate the community–‎a community strengthened and purified through sacrifice and suffering–‎to the city of Medina. In 622, the Prophet embarked on “Hijrah”, a journey of emigration so significant that it marks the beginning of the Muslim calendar and the birth of the first complete Islamic society.