It is well-known that Makkah was the
centre for the Arabs, and housed the custodians of Al-Ka‘bah. Protection and
guardianship of the idols and stone graven images that received veneration on
the part of all the Arabs lay in the hands of the Makkans. Hence the difficulty
of hitting the target of reform and rectitude in a place considered the den of
idolatry. Working in such an atmosphere no doubt requires unshakable will and
determination, that is why the call unto Islam assumed a clandestine form so
that the Makkans should not be enraged by the unexpected surprise.
The Prophet (Peace be upon him)
naturally initiated his sacred mission right from home and then moved to the
people closely associated with him. He called unto Islam whomsoever he thought
would attest the truth which had come from his Lord. In fact, a host of people
who nursed not the least seed of doubt as regards the Prophet (Peace be upon
him), immediately responded and quite readily embraced the true faith. They are
known in the Islamic literature as the early converts.
Khadijah, the Prophet’s spouse, the
mother of believers, was the first to enter the fold of Islam followed by his
freed slave Zaid bin Harithah, his cousin, ‘Ali bin Abi Talib, who had been
living with him since his early childhood, and next came his intimate friend
Abu Bakr As-Siddiq (Abu Bakr the truth verifier). All of those professed Islam
on the very first day of the call. Abu Bakr, and from the first day he embraced
Islam, proved to be an energetic and most zealous activist. He was wealthy,
obliging, mild and upright. People used to frequent his house and draw nigh to
him for his knowledge, amity, pleasant company and business. He invited
whomever he had confidence in to Islam and through his personal efforts a good
number of people converted to Islam, such as ‘Uthman bin ‘Affan Al-Umawi,
Az-Zubair bin ‘Awwam Al-Asadi, ‘Abdur Rahman bin ‘Awf, Sa‘d bin Abi Waqqas,
Az-Zuhri and Talhah bin ‘Ubaidullah At-Tamimy. Those eight men constituted the
forerunners and more specifically the vanguard of the new faith in Arabia.
Among the early Muslim were Bilal bin Rabah (the Abyssinian), Abu ‘Ubaidah bin
Al-Jarrah from Bani Harith bin Fahr (the most trustworthy of the Muslim
Nation), Abu Salamah bin ‘Abd Al-Asad, Al-Arqam bin Abi Al-Arqam from the tribe
of Makhzum, ‘Uthman bin Maz‘oun and his two brothers Qudama and ‘Abdullah,
‘Ubaidah bin Al-Harith bin Al-Muttalib bin ‘Abd Munaf, Sa‘id bin Zaid Al-‘Adawi
and his wife Fatimah - daughter of Al-Khattab (the sister of ‘Umar bin
Al-Khattab), Khabbab bin Al-Aratt, ‘Abdullâh bin Mas‘ud Al-Hadhali and many
others. These were the Muslim predecessors. They belonged to various septs of
Quraish. Ibn Hisham, a biographer, counted them to be more than forty.
Ibn Ishaq said: “Then people
entered the fold of Islam in hosts, men or women and the new faith could no
longer be kept secret.”
The Prophet (Peace be upon him) used to
meet and teach, the new converts, the religion in privacy because the call to
Islam was still running on an individual and secret basis. Revelation
accelerated and continued after the first verses of “O you wrapped in
garments.” The verses and pieces of Sûrah (chapters) revealed at
this time were short ones with wonderful strong pauses and quite fascinating
rhythms in full harmony with that delicate whispering setting. The central
topic running through them focused on sanctifying the soul, and deterring the
Muslims from falling prey to the deceptive glamour of life. The early verses
used as well to give a highly accurate account of the Hell and the Garden
(Paradise), leading the believers down a new course diametrically opposed to
the ill practices rampant amongst their compatriots.
Muqatil bin Sulaiman said: “Salât
(prayer) was established as an obligatory ritual at an early stage of the
Islamic Call, a two rak‘ ah (unit of prayer) Salât in the morning and the same
in the evening;
“And glorify the praises of your Lord
in the ‘Ashi (i.e. the time period after the mid-noon till sunset) and
in the Ibkar (i.e. the time period from early morning or sunrise till
before mid-noon).” [40:55]
Ibn Hijr said: Definitely the
Prophet (Peace be upon him) used to pray before ‘The Night Journey’ but
it still remains a matter of controversy whether or not the prayer was
established as an obligatory ritual before imposing the rules of the usual five
prayers a day. It is related that obligatory prayer was established twice a
day, in the morning before sunrise and after sunset. It is reported through a
chain of narrators that when the Prophet (Peace be upon him) received the first
Revelation, Gabriel - the angel, proceeded and taught him how to observe Wudu
(ablution). When the Prophet (Peace be upon him) had finished, he took a
handful of water and sprinkled it on his loins.
Ibn Hisham reported that when it was
time for prayers, the Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him) and his
Companions went into a mountain valley to pray secretly. Abu Talib once saw the
Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him) and Ali praying, he asked them what they
were up to. When he got to know that it was obligatory prayer, he told them to
stay constant in their practice.
This stage of the Call, even though
conducted in a clandestine manner and on an individual basis, its news leaked
out and assumed a public interest all over Makkah. In the beginning, the Makkan
leaders did not care much about Muhammad (Peace be upon him) and took no
heed of his teachings. At first, they thought that Muhammad (Peace be
upon him) was merely a religious philosophist like Omaiyah bin Abi As-Salt,
Quss bin Sa‘idah, ‘Amr bin Nufail and their ilk who used to philosophize on
godship and religious obligations. But this attitude of indifference soon
changed into real apprehension. The polytheists of Quraish began to watch
Muhammad’s movements closely and anxiously for fear of spreading his Call and
producing a change in the prevalent mentality.
