Mūsā al-Ashʿarī to Ashʿar tribe; Ṭufayl ibn ʿAmr al-Dawsī to Daws; Ashajj ʿAbd al-Qays to ʿAbd al-Qays tribe of Bahrain and many others in different parts.17
Two Modes of Da‘wah
Two basic modes were used for preaching Islam in the Makkan phase. One was the secret mode of preaching and the other was public. These were not some temporary measures. Rather, these constituted an eternal practice. Both were interrelated in that one was to be followed by another. First, preaching was done privately and after its success it was carried out publicly. This order cannot be reversed. For there are many considerations behind this arrangement. In a non-Muslim society it is always imperative to preach in private. For it alone ensures success. This was the practice of earlier Messengers. The Prophet (peace be upon him) did so for three years, avoiding any public preaching. This secret exercise helped increase the number of Muslims. It avoided any unrest in the non-Muslim society. Nor did it incur any hostility which would have hampered the progress. After the success of this phase, public preaching was allowed. During the three years there was a sizeable number of Muslims. Reports make it plain that it was not a strictly surreptitious activity. The Quraysh chiefs as well as the general public knew about this call. However, they did not react publicly. They did not oppose the Prophet (peace be upon him) vehemently, for his call was in a low key. According to Ibn Isḥāq, many Makkan elites had accepted Islam owing to the Prophet’s secret preaching. He provides a list of these converts and clarifies that at a later date men and women accepted Islam en masse. As a result, Islam gained currency in Makkah and was a common topic of discussion.18
It may be argued that a nucleus community should exist prior to making a call for preaching. Otherwise, non-believers might react so furiously that the nascent community of believers would perish altogether. This had happened prior to the emergence of the Muslim community. When the Prophet took to preaching Islam publicly, it evoked the ire of the Quraysh chiefs which shook the foundation of the Muslim community. In the first phase of preaching many Muslim groups had emerged in and around Makkah. It was no longer possible to obliterate them altogether. In number they were formidable and in terms of their resources and conviction too, they were too firm to be removed. Islam had spread in Arabia in the three year long phase of preaching privately.19
After this private phase, there was a switch over to making the call publicly. It led to the inevitable opposition. However, Muslims, by then, were able to withstand the hostility. As a result of public preaching, new dimensions were added. The message of Islam reached every part of the Arabian Peninsula. Rather, it moved into even foreign lands. This ten year long phase of public preaching in Makkah stands out as the golden period in terms of quantity and quality, efficacy and deep rooted results.
Settlement of New Muslims in a Safe Area
This consideration was central to the Prophet’s strategy that whenever he realized that new Muslims would not be able to maintain their faith in their tribe or region, he would settle them in a safe area. They were settled mostly in Makkah or other areas. In so doing, he resorted to the traditional Arab practices of extending protection and amnesty or agreement. The weaker individuals or sections were placed in the custody of a Makkan family while those of strong descent were made allies of an Arab family. His objective was to place new Muslims in a safe ambience, away from hostility and such forces that attacked their faith. Further discussion on this issue follows in the chapter on the construction of the society.20
The Prophet (peace be upon him) followed all the prevailing norms and practices in preaching Islam. The following are some of the most important ones adopted in the Makkan phase:
| a. | Reciting the Qur’ān and instructing people who visited him. |
| b. | Joining non-Muslim gatherings and reciting the Qur’ān and instructing them there. |
| c. | Having discussions with the local chiefs with a view to conveying the message of Islam to them. |
| d. | Arranging for meals for his kith and kin and community leaders for teaching them about Islam. |
| e. | Winning people’s good will by presenting them gifts and endearing himself to them. |
| f. | Engaging in public welfare acts for bringing home the excellence of Islam. |
| g. | Bringing them closer to Islam by acts of mutual cooperation and interaction and presenting Islam as the faith of peace and amity. |
| h. | Professing and practising high moral standards in trade and business and social relations for persuading them of the truth of Islam and the moral superiority of Muslims. |
| i. | Removing the objections against Islam and issuing rejoinders to the queries and charges about Islam. |
| j. | Convincing non-Muslim chiefs about the goodness of Islam and persuading them of their own success on accepting Islam.21 |
Right to Practise Faith
The Prophet (peace be upon him) set a glowing example during his Makkan phase on how to live in a non-Muslim majority society while adhering to Islam and its sharʿīah and observing all Islamic commands related to its moral, religious and legal system. Muslims are entitled to profess their faith notwithstanding the opposition and hostility against them. By the same token, non-Muslims are free to follow their faith. ‘For you your faith and for me my faith.’22 That is the standing principle valid for all time and place. No civilized society can dare deny it.23
Performance of Prayer
After the Prophet’s advent and revelation of the Qur’ān, the Prophet (peace be upon him) and all Muslims were obliged to offer prayer. Wuḍū’ (ablution) was prescribed as a prerequisite for prayer. Gabriel instructed the Prophet (peace be upon him) in both of these, a point borne out by ḥadīth and sīrah studies.24Regarding the obligatory duty of prayer Ibn Isḥāq and Ibn Hishām clarify that Gabriel instructed the Prophet (peace be upon him) in prayer and wuḍū’. The latter then taught the same to Khadījah. Prior to his acceptance of Islam, ʿAlī had observed the Prophet (peace be upon him) praying inside the home and asked him about the same. As already noted, at the appointed hours of prayers the Prophet (peace be upon him) and his Companions would go to a valley in Makkah and pray there. We will revert to this point later.
As in the case of preaching, initially the Prophet (peace be upon him) prayed privately at home or at a secluded spot. As Muslims grew into a small group, they went to a Makkan valley and offered prayer there in congregation. The Companions had the standing instruction to pray privately.25 Prior to the night journey only Fajr and ʿAṣr prayers were obligatory. Later on, five obligatory prayers were prescribed. In the Makkan period only two rak‘ahs were prescribed for ʿAṣr prayer. The rationale was not to provoke undue hostility on the part of the opponents.26
Yet the Muslims had the right to worship and pray in their own way which they held very dear. For them it was a religious duty which served as the dividing line between faith and unbelief. This explains when ʿUqbah ibn Abī Muʿīṭ, an utterly hostile Quraysh member sought to prevent Muslims from praying in a valley, a Muslim youth Saʿd ibn Abī Waqqāṣ al-Zuhrī took him to task and made him concede his mistake in denying Muslims their basic right. ʿUqbah did try to mobilize the Quraysh chiefs for preventing them from offering prayers. He was, however, reprimanded by them. Thus the non-Muslim dominated society and its chiefs acknowledged this right of the Muslim minority.27
Praying Together
Another wise step taken by the Prophet (peace be upon him) was that at the time of praying together he offered Ẓuhr prayer in the Kaʿbah courtyard inside the Sacred Place of worship.28 The Quraysh also prayed at that hour and did not object to the Prophet’s prayer. According to a report, Muslims initially offered only Ẓuhr and ʿAṣr prayers, the former together with the Quraysh and the latter at a secluded place lest the Quraysh might object. Ẓuhr prayer was one of the remnants of the Abrahamic faith and was performed with all its components by
