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Bargaining and Renunciation 
If Muhammad could not be tempted to renounce his 
religion, the Makkans thought, perhaps he would compromise. 
They sent a group of men to Muhammad with a 
suggestion as to how each side in the dispute could be made 
happy. “We wish to place before you something which will set the 
matter right for you,” they proudly announced to the Prophet . 
“What’s that?” The Prophet asked. 
“You worship our gods for one year,” they explained, “and 
we worship your God for one year. That way, if our religion is 
true, you will have a share of the reward, and if your religion is 
true, we will have a share.” 
In reply to this suggestion from the Quraysh, Surah Al-
Kafiroon (The Unbelievers) was revelaed: 
“Say: O you who reject faith. I do not worship that which 
you worship. And you do not worship that which I worship. And 
I will never worship that which you worship. Nor will you ever 
worship that which I worship. To you be your religion, and to me 
be mine.” (109: 1-6) 
Allah also revealed two additonal verses stressing the 
monotheistic purity of Islam: “Say: Is it someone other than Allah 
that you order me to worship, O ignorant ones?” (39: 64) 
The next verse was also revealed in connection with the 
Quraysh’s suggestion, and further drives home the point: “Say: I 
have forbidden to worship those whom you pray to.” (6: 56) 
The Makkans, however, still believed that they could bargain 
with the Prophet . “Bring another Qur’an in place of this one,” 
they haggled. “Or make some changes in the present one.” 

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In response to this request, Allah told the Prophet : “And 
when my clear evidences are recited to them, those who do not 
look forward to meeting Me, say, ‘Bring another Qur’an or 
change this one.’ Say to them: It is not for me to change it of my 
own accord. I only follow what is revealed to me. And I fear that 
if I disobey my Lord, I will meet with a terrible punishment on 
the Day of Judgment.” (10: 15) 
Other verses were also revealed which made it clear that the 
Prophet’s role was not to bargain with the pagans, but to convey 
the message just as it was revealed to him: They were about to 
tempt you away from that which I revealed to you, hoping to 
fabricate something in My name. They would certainly have made 
you their friend. And if I had not strengthened you, you would 
have inclined to them a little. And if you had done so, I would 
have made you taste a double portion of punishment in this life 
and a double portion after death, and you would not have found 
anyone to help you against Me.” (17: 73-75) 
Once the Makkans understood that the Prophet was 
sincere in his beliefs and was not prepared to compromise, they 
were determined to find out whether he was an actual prophet or 
just imagined himself to be one. 
In order to find out how to test Muhammad , the Makkans 
sought guidance from some Jewish rabbis. These learned men 
told the Makkans to ask Muhammad three questions, and if he 
answered them correctly, then he was indeed a prophet. If, 
however, he could not answer them, then he was certainly an 
imposter. 
First the rabbis told the Makkans to ask Muhammad the 
incredible story in their scriptures about some youths. The second 
question concerned a person who travelled throughout both the 
East and the West. Thirdly, they instructed the Makkans to ask 
Muhammad about the soul. 

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The chieftains of the Quraysh put these questions to the 
Prophet , 
and 
Sutah Al-Kahf (The Cave) was revealed in 
response. 
The Surah tells the story of a few young boys who, upon 
being persecuted by polytheists, sought refuge in a cave. Allah 
caused them to go into a deep sleep for hundreds of years, and 
then raised them up again as a sign of the coming Day of 
Resurrection. 
The chapter also tells the story of Dhul Qarnain, the man 
who roamed throughout the world. Finally, the last question was 
answered in Surah Al-Israa: “They ask about the spirit. Say: The 
spirit is My Lord’s affair, and man has been given but little 
knowledge.” (17: 85) 
Muhammad had correctly answered all three questions put 
to him by the rabbis through the Quraysh. Now that the Quraysh 
had evidence that Muhammad was a true prophet, they were 
faced with a difficult decision. They were still not prepared to 
embrace Islam without reservations as Muhammad’s followers 
had. The solution, they believed, was to ask the Prophet to let 
them enter Islam not as typical Muslims, but as Muslims with 
special status. The majority of the Prophet’s followers being from 
the lower strata of Makkan society, the elite of the Quraysh could 
not consider interacting with their inferiors on equal terms. 
They met with the Prophet to discuss this idea. The Prophet 
was so eager to have Makkan nobility embrace Islam that he 
may have been on the verge of accepting their proposal. But Allah 
ordered him to resist the temptation in the following verse: “Send 
not away those who call their Lord morning and evening, seeking 
His Face. You are not accountable for them, nor they for you. If 
you turn them away, you will be among those who are unjust.”
(6: 52) 
The Prophet was thus forbidden to give the nobility 
among the Quraysh any special consideration within the fold of 

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Islam, thus effectively ensuring the complete absence of a class 
system. This meant that no Muslim could be superior to his 
brother in Islam except through faith and good deeds.