| Abu Talib and Khadija were the main
supporters of the Prophet (SAW). It was so destined that they passed
away within a few days of each other, leaving the Prophet (SAW) to
lament the bereavement. He had lost a caring uncle and a loving
wife. The enemies were now relieved, because Abu Talib was no more
to protect. A few days after Abu Talib's death, when the Prophet was
once passing through a lane, a woman emptied her garbage from a
window upon his head. He returned home with his head soiled. His
young daughter Fatima sat beside him, consoling and washing off the
dirt.
As things became intolerable in Mecca, the Prophet (SAW) decided
to move to Taif where he thought he would convey the message of
Allah to the tribe of Thaqeef. Taif was known for its pleasant
climate and beautiful scenery.
The Prophet (SAW) knew very well that people at Taif were no
different from Meccans. They also worshipped idols and were in
constant contact with the people in Mecca. But he did not despair.
As he entered Taif, and proclaimed his prophet hood, people jeered
at him. One said: "God did not find anyone else for His message
except you?" Another said: "I must be naive or a thief if I believed
you to be a prophet." And so it went on.
Then in order to prevent him from preaching Islam, people of Taif
set a group of children and vagabonds behind him. They pestered him
and threw stones at him. Tired, forsaken and wounded, he sought
refuge in a nearby garden. It belonged to Atabah and Shaibab, two
wealthy chiefs of Quraish. They were both there when the Prophet
entered and sat under a distant tree. He was alone. Then he raised
his face towards heaven and prayed: "O Allah! I raise unto you my
complaint for my weakness, my helplessness, and for the ridicule to
which I have been subjected. O Merciful of all the Mercifuls! You
are the Master of all oppressed people, You are my God! So to whom
would You consign me? To the strangers who would ill-treat me, or to
the enemies who have an upper hand over me? If whatever has befallen
me is not because of Your wrath, then I fear not. No doubt, the
field of Your security and care is wide enough for me. I seek refuge
in Your light which illuminates darkness and straightens the affairs
of this world and hereafter, that Your displeasure and wrath may not
descend upon me. For the sake of Your pleasure, I remain pleased and
resigned to my fate. No change in this world occurs without Your
Will."
Atabah and Shaibah were watching. They sent for their servant
named Adaas and gave him a plate full of grapes. "Take this to that
man under the tree," they ordered.
Adaas was a Christian. He brought the grapes to the Prophet (SAW)
and bid him eat. As the Prophet (SAW) picked a bunch he said: "Bismillahir
Rahmaanir Rahiim," (In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the
Most Compassionate). Adaas had never heard this before. He was
impressed by it, because the man was invoking mercy and compassion
of Allah in spite of his desolate state.
"Who are you?" he asked.
"I am the Prophet of God. Where do you come from?"
The servant said: I am Adaas, a Christian. I come from Nainava."
"Nainava? You come from a place where my brother Yunus b. Mati
lived," the Prophet said.
Adaas was surprised to hear the name.
"What do you know of Yunus? Here no one seems to know him. Even
in Nainava there were hardly ten people who knew his father's name."
The Prophet said: "Yes, I know him because just like me, he was a
Prophet of God."
Adaas fell on his knees before the Prophet, kissed his hand and
embraced Islam. |