in Arabic) – completely transformed Muhammad, and he went out to invite his fellow countrymen to the worship of One God. From that day on, the promulgation and propagation of Islam became his main preoccupation in life.
As soon as the Prophet publicly announced the message of Islam some, especially those who had suffered hardship under the oppressive rule of the Makkan oligarchy, responded positively to his call. However, the ruling Makkan elites became very hostile and abusive towards Muhammad as soon as the implication of his new message became clear to them. In a fiercely feudalistic, tribally entrenched and paternalistic Makkan society, the message of Islam advocated the need for a different approach to politics, social justice, economics and human spirituality. Indeed, in a grossly unjust and unfair Makkah (and Arabian society as a whole), the Prophet’s message of freedom, equality, justice, fair play and brotherhood was nothing short of a breath of fresh air. Not surprisingly, the status quo maintained and perpetuated by a handful of tribal chieftains in order to protect their own politico-economic interests soon came under direct threat from Islam. Thus the Prophet and his message became the main target of their hostility and enmity. Undaunted by the severity of the hardship and hostility directed towards him and his small band of followers, Muhammad continued to proclaim the message of Islam in and around Makkah for more than a decade.
In 622, the Prophet was invited by a delegation from the nearby oasis of Yathrib to move to their city. The Prophet accepted their offer and moved to Yathrib, which later became known as madinat al-nabi (or the ‘city of the Prophet’). The Prophet’s migration to Madinah (hijrah) thus became a momentous event in Islamic history. The Islamic calendar, known as the hijri calendar, is dated back to the day the Prophet left his native Makkah for Madinah. In this beautiful Arabian oasis, the Prophet received a hero’s welcome, as its inhabitants came out in their droves and pledged allegiance to him by embracing Islam. From that day on, Madinah became a very special place for all Muslims; and it also became the hub of Islamic learning, culture and civilisation for all times to come.
When the Makkan chiefs were informed about the Prophet’s success in Madinah, they became very shocked and alarmed. Having tried to undermine him and his mission in Makkah and failed most miserably, they now conspired to create unrest in Madinah by setting factions of hypocrites, rival tribes of pagans, Jews and the new immigrants (muhajirun) from Makkah against each other. But, thanks to the Prophet’s polished diplomatic skills, their strategies came to nothing. Undeterred, the Makkan chieftains then marched to Madinah with a large contingent in order to obliterate the nascent Muslim community. The Prophet and his small band of followers met the advancing Makkan army at the plain of Badr, located on the outskirts of Madinah. More than one thousand strong, the well-equipped Makkah army fought just over three hundred ill-equipped and unprepared Muslims. Miraculously, the Prophet and his followers inflicted a crushing defeat on their Makkan foes. The Muslims returned to Madinah in elation, while the Makkan army returned home in total disarray. Determined to avenge their humiliation, the unrelenting Makkan chiefs attempted to obliterate the Muslims on a few other occasions, but they failed to breach the stiff defence put up by the Muslims. Demoralised by their failure to wipe out the Muslims, the Makkans were eventually forced to agree to a treaty with the Prophet and make peace. Even though the terms and conditions of the treaty were biased in favour of the Makkans, the Prophet agreed to sign it, despite protestations from some of his companions. This was a shrewd move on his part, because this period of peace gave the people of Makkah the opportunity to see Islam in action in Madinah for the first time. During their journeys to Madinah, the Makkans saw a society utterly transformed. The Prophet had turned a warring and bitterly divided oasis into a thriving civil society.
For the first time in its history, tribal factionalism, social injustice, economic inequality, political oppression, physical torture and abuse, maltreatment of women and cruelty towards slaves were no longer the order of the day in Madinah. On the contrary, brotherhood and fraternity between the believers; love, understanding and co-operation between kith and kin; respect for the rights of women; freeing of slaves and an unrivalled interest in learning and education became the key features of the new society created by the Prophet only a few hundred miles away from Makkah. This unparalleled transformation of a tribal society and its people’s hearts, minds, thoughts, morals and customs was accomplished by the Prophet and done so within a matter of a decade. Muhammad led the people of Madinah by his personal example. He did not say one thing and do another. Whether it was in the intense heat of the battlefield or during prayers in the mosque; during the daylight or in the middle of the night; at times of hunger and hardship or in times of happiness and joy, he was at the forefront of everything. The people of Madinah became so fond of him that they meticulously moulded their actions, behaviour and even their style of dressing, eating, drinking and sleeping in accordance with the Prophet’s norms and practices. To them, the Prophet Muhammad was simply al-insan al-kamil or ‘the perfect human being’. Such unfailing love and devotion shown to their leader by a people was not only unheard of, it was also unprecedented in the annals of history.
In the year 630, the Prophet and a large contingent of his devout followers marched into Makkah, the city of his birth, without a single drop of blood being shed. On seeing him enter Makkah, the people of the city came out in their droves and pledged allegiance to him by embracing Islam. The Prophet’s most inveterate opponent, Abu Sufyan ibn Harb, was, however, offered protection by none other than the Prophet’s uncle, Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib. Typical of the Prophet, on entering Makkah he announced that anyone who took shelter in the courtyard of the sacred Kabah, in the house of Abu Sufyan, or remained indoors would be safe. Even Abu Sufyan knew when Muhammad made a promise, he would stick to it come what might. The next morning, accompanied by Abbas, he went straight to the Prophet and most willingly pledged allegiance to him. The Prophet forgave him for his persistent past misdeeds and told him that he was free to go about his business as a free man. This was an extraordinary act of clemency and compassion. Hitherto, Abu Sufyan had been unrelenting in his pursuit of the Prophet and his followers, but Muhammad chose to forgive and forget rather than seek retribution. That was the quality and greatness of the man called ‘a mercy to mankind’ (rahmatun lil alamin).
With the conversion of Makkah and its neighbouring towns to the fold of Islam, the Prophet accomplished a feat never achieved by an Arab before him, namely to unite the constantly bickering and rival Arabian tribes under the banner of a common denominator. That common denominator was Islam, which transcended all tribal affiliations and internal factionalism, as it collectively channelled the Arabs’ might and energy in one direction, namely the dissemination of Islam, and in so doing they transformed the course of human history forever. Muhammad, the Prophet par excellence and the Qur’an, the Divine revelation, thus combined to inspire the Muslims of Arabia to achieve the unprecedented success which they subsequently achieved. In just over two decades, Muhammad radically transformed a hitherto neglected, barren and primitive Arabian peninsula into a thriving centre of learning, culture, commerce and civilisation. By all accounts, this was a truly remarkable achievement, unprecedented not only in Arab history, but also global history. As he approached his sixtieth birthday, he knew his mission was drawing to an end. In the tenth year of the hijrah, the Prophet performed his farewell pilgrimage and delivered one of the most powerful, eloquent and inspiring sermons ever composed by a religious leader. Standing on the plain of Arafat in front of around one hundred and twenty thousand people, he began by praising and thanking God, and said:
‘O people, lend me an attentive ear for I do not know whether, after this year, I would meet you again. Therefore, listen to what I am saying to you very carefully and take these words to those who could not be present here today. O people, just as you regard this month; this day; this city as sacred, so regard the life and property of every Muslim as a sacred trust. Return the goods entrusted to you to their rightful owners. Hurt no one so that no one may hurt you. Remember that you will indeed appear before God and answer for your actions. All dues of interest shall stand cancelled and you will have only your capital back; God has forbidden interest. You will neither inflict, nor suffer, inequity…’
‘Beware of Shaytan (Satan) for the safety of your religion. He has lost all hope that he will ever be able
