After the death of Abu Talib, the Holy Prophet (S) was faced with increasing difficulties and problems in Makka. Without his uncle's protection, his life was in constant danger, and there was not much opportunity to spread Islam.
He decided to try to preach Islam outside Makka. In those days the town of Ta'if was a busy and important centre of trade. The Holy Prophet (S) went to Ta'if alone and contacted the tribe of Bani Saqeef with a view to invite them to Islam.
After arriving in Ta'if, he met the chief and elders of that tribe and explained to them the belief in One God and asked them for their support. However, his words did not have any effect on them and they rejected his message. The Holy Prophet (S) realised that the people of the town could become a threat to him because he was alone and away from his home town. He therefore took a promise from the Bani Saqeef that they would not talk about his presence in Ta'if.
The elders of Bani Saqeef did not keep their promise to the Holy Prophet (S) and instead asked the loafers and hooligans of the town to harass him. The Holy Prophet (S) found himself suddenly surrounded by a mob who began to insult him. When they began to throw stones, he was forced to retreat and take refuge in a garden.
The garden belonged to two wealthy people of the Quraish. The Holy Prophet (S) had sweat on his face and parts of his body were hurt from the cruel attack. He sank down under a tree for some rest, and began the following prayer:
Although the owners were idol worshippers and enemies of Islam, they were moved by the condition of the Holy Prophet (S) and felt sorry for him. They told a Christian slave to take a plate of grapes to him.
When the Christian presented the grapes to the Holy Prophet (S), he took one and ate it, saying, "In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Most Merciful". The Christian was very surprised to hear these words and remarked that he had not heard the Arabs pray to anyone but Laat and Uzza, the great idols. The Holy Prophet (S) asked him about his birth place and his religion. He replied that he came from Naynivah and was a Christian.
On hearing his answer, the Holy Prophet (S) stated, "That is the place where my brother Yunus (Jonas) son of Mata (Matthew) lived". The Christian was very surprised to hear these names. He asked, "How do you know Yunus son of Mata? Nobody in this country has heard of them". The Holy Prophet (S) then said, "Yunus was a Prophet of Allah, like myself".
The words of the Holy Prophet (S) had a great effect on the slave and he immediately bowed and kissed the hands of the Holy Prophet (S) and expressed his faith in him.
When he returned to his masters, they asked him what the conversation was all about. He replied, "The person who is sitting in your garden is the chief of all humanity. He has told me things that only a Prophet can know." This reply annoyed them very much but all they said to him was that his own religion was better than Islam.
The Holy Prophet (S) left Ta'if disappointed that he had not been successful in bringing these stubborn and ignorant people to the right path. He decided to return to Makka. However, he could not enter Makka in safety because his life was in danger. He therefore sent word to Mu'tam bin Adi, a powerful Makkan, for help. Mu'tam was an idol worshipper but agreed to provide security for him, due to his respect for his family. He sent a message to the Holy Prophet (S) to enter Makka and come straight to his house.
On the next day Mu'tam told his sons to arm themselves and escort the Holy Prophet (S) to the Holy Ka'ba.
When Abu Sufyan and others who wanted to harm him saw that he had the protection of Mu'tam, they were disappointed, but did not harm him. After performing Tawaaf, the Holy Prophet (S) went to his own home.
Soon afterwards, the Holy Prophet (S) migrated to Madina. In the later years, the Holy Prophet (S) was to take over Ta'if and defeat the Bani Saqeef. However, he never forgot the services of Mu'tam in his time of need, and when news of Mu'tam's death reached Madina, the Holy Prophet (S) remembered him for his goodness.
Research Box
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Now You Know....
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Moral Box
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Suggested Teaching Plan
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Activity/Homework |
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Ask the children to go to different classes (range - older and younger) and explain about an aspect of Islam, e.g. fasting. Extend this to asking them if they would go to a different building (e.g. annex) and to classes of the opposite gender. For those who remain, ask them if they would be willing to go to nearby non-Muslim locations, eg the neighbourhood temple, etc. Ask them to write down how they would feel if they had to do this. Discuss this. When the children who went to different classes return, ask them for their experiences and how they felt. Responses will probably include embarrassment, nervousness, fear of ridicule, etc. Pont out thatthese feelings occurredm despite the fact that the environment was of people who shared the same beliefs and it was a safe environment with no threat to them. Relate the above to the Prophet's journey to Taif and the challenges that he faced. How was the Prophet's task much more difficult, yet similar to what they did. Conclude with highlighting the lessons learned: Not to be phased by the challenges that we come across when spreading the message of Islam. Relate to how Allah will help, like he helped the Prophet through the Quraysh garden and the idolators. Ask the children to find Ta'if on the map.
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Create a worksheet with two columns: Difficulties the Prophet faced, and How did he overcome them. Have the children fill this out. |