For nine years, since his selection by Allah for His mission, theProphet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) had been delivering the message ofAllah in Makkah and making all-out efforts to guide and reform hiscommunity. Excepting a few persons who had either embraced Islam or whohelped him though not accepting his creed, all the rest in Mecca leftno stone unturned in persecuting and deriding him and his followers.His uncle Abu Talib was one of those good-hearted people who helpedhim, in spite of his not entering into the fold of Islam.

The following year, on the death of Abu Talib, the Qu-reysh got afree hand and therefore accelerated their sinister pursuits withoutcheck and hindrance. At Taif, the second biggest town of Hijaz, therelived Banu Thaqif, a clan strong in number. The Prophet (Sallallahoalaihe wasallam) left for Taif with the hope of winning them over toIslam, thus giving quarter to Muslims from the persecution of theQureysh, and also establishing a base for the future propagation ofIslam. On reaching Taif he visited the three chieftains of the clanseparately, and placed before each of them the message of Allah, andcalled upon them to stand by his Prophet's (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam)side. Instead of accepting his message, they refused even to listen tohim and, notwithstanding the proverbial Arab hospitality, each of themtreated him most contemptuously and rudely.

They plainly told him that they did not like his stay in their town.The Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) had expected a civil, even acordial treatment and due courtesy in speech from them, as they werethe heads of the clan. But one of them sneered:

"Hey, Allah has made you a Prophet!" The other exclaimed with derision:

"Could Allah not lay His hand on anyone else, beside you to make him His Prophet?"

The third one gibed at him:

"I do not want to talk to you, for if you are in fact a Prophet,then to oppose you is to invite trouble, and if you only pretend to beone, why should I talk with an impostor?"

The Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam), who was a rock ofsteadfastness and perseverance, did not lose heart over this check fromthe chieftains, and tried to approach the common people; but nobodywould listen to him. Instead they asked him to clear off from their owntown and go wherever else he liked. When he realised that furtherefforts were in vain, he decided to leave the town. But they would notlet him depart in peace, and set the street urchins after him to hiss,to hoot, to jeer at, and to stone him. He was so much pelted at withstones that his whole body was covered with blood, and his shoes wereclogged to his feet. He left the town in this woeful plight. When hewas far out of the town, and safe from the rabble, he prayed to Allahthus:



"O, my Allah! To Thee I complain of the feeble-ness of my strength,of my lack of resources and my being unimportant in the eyes of people.0, Most Merciful of all those capable of showing mercy! Thou art theLord of the weak, and Thou art my own Lord. To whom art Thou to entrustme; to an unsympathetic foe who would sullenly frown at me, or to analien to whom Thou hast given control over my affairs? Not in the leastdo I care for anything except that I may have Thy protection formyself. I seek shelter in Your light-the light which illuminates theHeavens and dispels all sorts of darkness, and which controls allaffairs in this world as well as in the Hereafter. May it never be thatI should incur Thy wrath, or that Thou should be displeased with me. Imust remove the cause of Thy displeasure till Thou art pleased. Thereis no strength nor power but through Thee."

The Heavens were moved by the prayer, and Jibrail (Alayhis salaam)appeared before the Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam), greeting himwith Assalamu Alaikum and said:

"Allah knows all that has passed between you and these people. Hehas deputed an angel in charge of the mountains to be at your command."

Saying this, Jibrail (Alayhis salam) ushered the angel before theProphet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam). The angel greeted the Prophet(Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) and said:

"0, Prophet of Allah! I am at your service. If you wish, I cancause the mountains overlooking this town on both sides to collide witheach other, so that all the people therein would be crushed to death,or you may suggest any other punishment for them."

The merciful and noble Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) said:

"Even if these people do not accept Islam, I do hope from Allahthat there will be persons from among their progeny who would worshipAllah and serve His cause."

Behold the conduct of our noble Prophet (Sallallaho alaihewasallam), whom we profess to follow! We get so much irritated over alittle trouble or a mere abuse from somebody that we keep on torturingand taking our revenge throughout our lives in every possible manner.Does it become people who claim to follow the magnanimous

Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam)? Look, even after so muchsuffering at the hands of the Taif mob, he neither curses them nor doeshe work for any revenge, even when he has the full opportunity to do so.