FIRST

REVELATION
 As the prophet approached the age of 40, he started
meditating in the cave of Hira, where he would spend time
in worship and solitude.

One such day when the Holy prophet was meditating in

the cave of Hira, the Angel Gabriel came to Him and
commanded to read.

The Prophet (P.b.u.h) replied that he could not read, the

angel then hugged him tightly and asked him again to
read. This was repeated once more after which the angel
recited the folloeing verses of Surah Alaq.
“Read in the name of your Lord who created. Created man
from a clot of blood. Read your Lord is most generous /
bountiful. He who taught man with the pen. Taught man
what he did not know.”
Holy Prophet (P.b.u.h) recited these verses after the angel and the
words were imprinted on his mind.
In confusion the Prophet (P.b.u.h) ran out of the cave . outside he
saw the angel filling the horizon and then he heard a voice. “O
Muhammad You are the messenger of Allah and I am Jibrael”
The prophet (P.b.u.h) ran to his house and asked Hazrat Khadija to
cover him up in a blanket.
He then narrated the entire incident to her.
On hearing the entire incident Hazrat Khadija comforted him by
saying
“You have never done any wrong to anyone. You are kind to
others and help the poor Allah will not let you down. ”
Hazrat Khadija then later took him to her cousin Warqah Bin Naufil.
Warqah confirmed the prophet hood of the prophet and said that he
had been visited by the same angel who had visited other prophets. He
also forewarned that the prophet will be expelled from his own city by
his own people.
Later Allah sent another revelation to Prophet Muhammad (P.b.u.h):
“O you who wrapped up (in a mantle)! Arise and deliver thy
warning! And thy Lord do though Magnify”
“And warn your relatives”
So the prophet started preaching secretly to people who were close to
him, his relatives and friends.
First people to accept Islam were:
His wife – khadija (first person also first woman to accept Islam)
His cousin – Ali (youngest person as he accepted Islam at the age of
10.)
His friend – Abu Bakr (first free male to accept Islam)
His slave – Zayd Bin Haritha (first slave to accept Islam)
CALL AT
SAFA
Later Prophet Muhammad
(P.b.u.h) assembled people of
Makkah at Saffa and announced
to the Makkans that they should
accept that there was no god but
Allah. This announcement
greatly upset them and they
turned away.
Holy Prophet (P.b.u.h) now started to address the people in public
and private gatherings and on approach routes to Makah which
were used by the pilgrims to the Holy city. His efforts were
successful and people started embracing Islam.

OPPOSITION AND
PERSECUTION
WHY QURAISH REJECTED
PROPHETS MESSAGE:

Quraish had their own belief system.

They worshipped many gods opposed to Prophet Muhammad's
message of monotheism.
By changing their ways, they faced losing their status and position as
leaders and keepers of the Kabbah.
They also feared loosing income.
They felt threatened by the prophets influence upon the youth of
Makkah, and his growing support.
Islam preached modesty while the Quraish were used to lavishness.
They didn’t believe in life after death.
Quran says:
“Also they say “why is not the Quran sent to some leading man
in either of the two (Chief) cities”
“Is this the one whom Allah has sent as a messenger!”
PERSECUTION
he newly converts were mainly slaves and poor thus they were
subjected to great physical torture.
Hazrat Bilal:
He was an Abyssinian slave – was tortured by his master Umaya Bin
Khalf.
Hazrat Bilal used to be tied down on the burning sand and a heavy
stone laid on his chest yet he remained steadfast and never
renounced his faith. Later Hazrat Abu Bakr freed him.
Zunaira:
She was a slave girl who was tortured till she turned blind.
Yasir and his wife Summaiya:
Summaiya was tortured to death by Abu Jahl. Thus she was the first martyr of
Islam.
Abu Bakr and Talha:
They both were also harassed and were once both tied up together by the
Quraishites.
Hazrat Usman :
Hazrat Usman was also tortured by his uncle.
PERSECUTION TO THE
PROPHET (PBUH)
When the Prophet Muhammad (P.b.u.h) first called them to Islam at
the mount Safa, he was ridiculed and made fun of.
The Quran Says:
“May the hand of Abu Lahab perish, doomed he is. His wealth
and his properties shall not save him; he shall be thrown into a
flaming fire of hell.”
Once when the Prophet (P.b.u.h) was praying, a Quraish threw
intestines of a camel on his back while he was prostrating.
They threw dirt and filth on him, his path was strewn with thorns and
brambles and he was even pelted with stones.
Abu Lahab told his sons to divorce their wives who were the
prophet’s daughters just to add to his worries.
During the time when there was a gap between the revelations,
Makkans used to mock the Prophet (P.b.u.h) that his God has
abandoned him.
They wrote poems to ridicule the Prophet (P.b.u.h) and called him a
magician, madman.
They also offered him bribes through Utba bin Rabia like making
him king or marrying him to the prettiest girl so that he would stop
preaching Islam.
When both of the prophet’s son passed away in infancy, they called
him “Abtar”- he who has no male descendants.
The quairsh approached Abu Talib (prophets’ uncle) and asked him to
restrain his nephew from preaching otherwise they will resort to
violence. Abu Talib asked Prophet Muhammad (P.b.u.h) not to bring
disaster on his family and his clan (Banu Hashim) He replied:
“Oh uncle even if they place the sun on my right hand and the
moon on my left to force me to renounce my mission, I would
not until God fulfills my mission or destroys me in the process”
Quraish sent another proposal that He should worship their gods and
they would worship His God. He replied by saying:
“You have your religion and I have my religion”
 As the hardships and suffering of the Muslims
increased. The Holy prophet gave permission to his
followers to migrate to Abyssinia in (615 AD
5TH Year of Prophet hood).

MIGRATIO So that Muslims would find a refuge from tyranny till

favorable circumstances prevailed and Islam would
N TO spread to other lands
King (Negus) of Abyssinia was a just man and
ABYSSINI thus, Muslims seek protection from him against the
hostile Makkans.
A The first to go were a group of ten to fifteen Muslims
including Ruayyah daughter of prophet and her
husband Uthman led by the prophet’s cousin Jafar bin
Abu Talib.
The Holy Prophet said about them:
“They are the first people to migrate in the cause of Allah after
Ibrahim and Lot.”
The Makkans didn’t liked the thought of the Muslims escaping from them,
thus they sent a delegation to Abyssinia. The Makkans delegation reached
Abyssinia and asked the king to return them, so the king had the Muslims
before him.
The Muslims side was represented by Jafar bin Abu Talib. He explained
Muslims beliefs to the Negus which Makkans were told by the Prophet
(P.b.u.h). The king then asked him to recite a portion from of the Quran, he
recited him Surah Maryam – which tells about Hazrat Maryam and her son
Isa (Jesus).
The king was very moved and realized that these people worship the
one God like he did, and he said: “By God this and the Gospel are the
lights of one candle.”
Therefore he rejected the request of the Makkans and allowed the
Muslims to stay. Later more Muslims about 70 joined this group in
Abyssinia. Hence, migration to Abyssinia, proved successful for the
Muslims.
 • The acceptance of Islam by Hamza, the prophet’s uncle
and Umar son of Khattab , greatly upset and engraged
the Makkans. The Quraish tried their best to harass the
Muslims and make them denounce their faith.
• Thus they decided to boycott- which meant that no one
from the other tribes of Makka was allowed to have any
dealings with them. Even food had to be bought in
secretly.

BOYCOTT OF • Banu Hashim was forced to live in a secluded valley,

known as Shib Abi Talib, in the outskirts of Makkah – a
BANU HASHIM property of Abu Talib. Their condition became so bad
that children cried with hunger, adults fed on boiled
leather and leaves of trees and the valley echoed with the
cries of helpless people.
• These conditions continued for three years, until a few
kindhearted men among the unbelievers moved by pity
decided to lift the ban.
 In the tenth year of prophet hood prophet’s wife
Hazrat Khadija died. In the same year his uncle Abu
Talib also died.
This year was known as “Am- al- Huzn” (Year Of
Greif).

YEAR OF These were very difficult times for Prophet

Muhammad (P.b.u.h) as both of these people had
SORROW provided him with help and support during the early
times of the revelation and the period of preaching.
IMPORTANCE OF ABU
TALIB
He took care of Prophet Muhammad (P.b.u.h) as a father and loved
him more than his own family.
His death worried the Prophet (P.b.u.h) a lot as his influential status
was a source of protection for the Prophet (P.b.u.h).
Death of Abu Talib provided an opportunity to the enemy, to harm
and persecute the Holy Prophet (P.b.u.h).
IMPORTANCE OF
HAZRAT KHADIJA
She had been a source of comfort and moral support for him. She had
provided him eith both financial and moral support and her death was
a saddening event for the prophet.
Prophet decided to take the message of Islam to the people of Al Taif.
Prophet(P.b.u.h) also married Hazrat Sawdah and Hazrat Ayesha
during the same year.
 Prophet (P.b.u.h) decided to focus on the expansion of
Islam.
Therefore he travelled to the valley of Taif along with his
adopted son Zayd bin Haris to spread Islam.
His message was not at all welcomed in fact young boys
hurled stones at him until he bled.
VISIT TO Eventually, the prophet along with Zayd took refuge in a
nearby orchard and when an angel asked about punishing
TAIF the people prophet (P.b.u.h) refused recognizing their
influence and infact prayed for them:
“Why should I pray for the destruction of these people? I
hope that their posterity will certainly be among the
believers in one Allah”
In 9 AH the whole of Taif embraced Islam.
After the visit to taif, he realized that he needed another place to preach Islam as it
was certainly not acceptable to the people of Taif.