As the tribe of Quraish collided with the positions of Abi Taleb and his nephew Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) which rejected all forms of compromise and negotiations, a question rises after the failure of the negotiations

Edited and Translated by Mohamed Salami

Quraish Methods of Deterring Prophet from His Call


As the tribe of Quraish collided with the positions of Abi Taleb and his nephew Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) which rejected all forms of compromise and negotiations and after the failure of the negotiations, what were the new steps and methods which Quraish adopted in facing Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) in order to deter him from pursuing reporting Islam?

Who examines thoroughly the history finds that the polytheists carried out many steps and policies to weaken the Prophet (PBUH) and to face His Call. The military war against the Prophet and his followers was not one of these policies because the military option was unthinkable during that stage for reasons tackled in previous articles. So, the polytheists firstly held direct negotiations and compromise with the Prophet on the Call through luring Him by money positions, wealth and so on. Consequently, the sent Otba bin Rabiha, one of Quraish masters, to meet the Prophet in order to convey Quraish's tempting offer.

Otba used a delicate language in order to tempt the Prophet who surprised Quraish's envoy by His bold rejection for all the tempts and by proving that He is not interested in money, positions as well as  wealth and that He does not approve adultery, usury, murder, pride of the rich and domination of the arrogant and the tyrants.   

Otba told his companions about the Prophet's stances, asking them to abandon Him and asserting that He may never any harm to them.

"If the Arabs hurt Him, they will exempt you from doing anything to Him."

Otba's companions got shocked, asking him if the Prophet charmed him. "This is my opinion; do what you like to do," Otba answered.

Books of Islamic history and biography assert that the polytheists tried several times to convince the Prophet to abandon His Call by luring Him, yet that they failed because of the Prophet's insistence on raising the Islamic slogans.

Secondly, the polytheists started to prevent people from meeting the Prophet (PBUH) and from listening to Holy Koran verses in order to block the pervasion of His Call. When all these steps failed, the polytheists commenced ridiculing and victimizing Him directly and with grudge by throwing stones and wastes on Him and on His house.

These actions used to be done by their fools and slaves and sometimes by their leaders, as Abu Jahl and his wife who were condemned by Holy God in the Holy Koran for their role in harming the Prophet (PBUH).

Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) was harmed by Quraish in a way that is much harsher than that of the other prophets, yet He used to encounter that patiently and to consider it as part of his sacrifices for the sake of God.

When the polytheists realized that the Prophet would not abandon His Call despite all the harms, they started to adopt a new policy to pressure the Muslims to in order to force them to give up Islam, knowing that people started to embrace the religion on daily basis. Terrorizing, torturing and abusing the elite believers, especially the poor who do not affiliate with any clan to protect them, distinguished the actions of the polytheists who ordered each tribe to torture its Muslims in order to avoid the clash of clans. So, the polytheists hit, jail and stoned them savagely.

Among those who were tortured by Quraish were Ammar bin Yasser and his wife and parents. Abu Jahl and his followers raided and incinerated their house before they dragged them all to their residents in Mecca where they persecuted them till murdering Yasser and his wife who turned to be the first two martyrs in Islam.

There are further Muslims, including Bilal al-Habashi, Amer bin Muheira, Mosaab bin Omayr and others, who were tortured by the polytheists. Those Muslims presented the instance of steadfastness for the sake of God and Islam despite the fact that they do not possess eminent human and materialistic power to defend themselves. They relied on God and challenged the whole world for the sale of Islam.