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Polytheists are outraged 
The Quraysh were very angry about what had happened in 
Abyssinia. They had been mocked in the King’s court, and the 
name of their tribe had been tarnished – all because of a small 
band of refugees. The Muslims, they determined, would pay for 
this with their blood. 

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74 
Yet, how were they to be avenged for this humiliation? Abu 
Talib was steadfast in his support for his nephew, no matter how 
hard the Quraysh tried to manipulate him. With his uncle’s 
protection, The Prophet continued with his mission. The 
Quraysh tried everything to destroy Islam: persecution, 
assassination, bribary, debate, and even compromise. Nothing 
worked. 
More persecution for the Prophet
The defeat the pagans suffered at the Abyssinian court gave 
them further cause to hate Islam. Naturally, they took out their 
frustrations on the Muslims who still lived in Makkah. 
Once, Atiba bin Abi Lahab, who at this point was divorced 
from the Prophet’s daughter, Umm Kulthoom, came to the 
Prophet and quoted a verse from Surah Al-Najm, only to say, “I 
disbelieve in the one who revealed this verse.” He reiterated that 
although the Quraysh had prostrated along with the Prophet
after a recitation of this Surah they clung to their disbelief in the 
divine source of Muhammad’s prophethood and of the 
revelations he received. 
From this point onward, Atiba became a source of constant 
irritation for the Prophet . He once tore the Prophet’s clothes 
and spat in his face. “O Allah,” the Prophet said in response, 
“set one of your dogs on him.” Soon after that, Atiba went to 
Syria along with a caravan. When the caravan halted at Zarqaa, a 
lion began to circle them. Atiba panicked and cried, “By God, it 
will devour me, just as Muhammad prayed. I am in Syria and he is 
in Makkah, but he will still kill me.” 
When they went to sleep that night, the other members of 
the caravan let Atiba sleep in the middle. Despite this arrangment 
the lion passed by the camels and other men and pounced on 
Atiba. It took his head in its jaws and killed him on the spot. 

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75 
One enemy was vanquished. Others remained to plague the 
Prophet . Uqba bin Abi Mu’ayt, who had placed the camel 
intestines on the Prophet’s back, once saw the Prophet praying 
and waited for him to palce his forehead on the ground. He then 
placed his foot on the Prophet’s neck and pressed down with all 
his weight until finally the Prophet’s eyes bulged. 
Finally, when nothing seemed to deter the Prophet from 
accomplishing his mission, the pagans began to think seriously 
about assassinating him. They were willing to do this although it 
could lead to great bloodshed. Abu Jahl rose before the Quraysh 
one day and proclaimed: “You all see that Muhammad is forever 
devoted to denouncing our forefathers, calling us ignorant and 
backward, and insulting our gods. Therefore, I give my word to 
Allah that one day I shall lie in wait for him with a heavy stone. 
When he prostrates, I will crush his head. Following this you may 
save me or leave me at the mercy of the Banu Abdu Munaf.” 
The people then assured him, “By God, we will never 
abandon you. Do whatever you like.” 
Abu Jahl was quick to take full advantage of his followers 
loyalty. The next morning he found a heavy stone and waited for 
his victim to arrive. The Prophet came to the Ka’bah as usual 
and began to perform his prayers. 
Sitting in groups around the Ka’bah, the Quraysh eagerly 
waited for Abu Jahl to carry out his plan. Abu Jahl edged forward 
to where the Propeht  stood in prayer. However, just as he was 
about to close in on his victim, he suddenly turned and fled from 
the scene. The Quraysh grabbed Abu Jahl and found his face 
flushed, his eyes vacant, and his hands still gripping the stone. 
Eventually he calmed down ad released the stone. The Quraysh 
said, “Abu Hakam! What happened to you?” 
“I was going to carry out my promise,” Abu Jahl explained, 
“but a camel appeared before me. By God, I have never seen such 
a skull, neck and teeth, and it was about to devour me.”

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76 
The Prophet later said that the vision Abu Jahl saw was 
actually Jibreel. 
Others among the Quraysh, however, were undeterred by 
Abu Jahl’s expreience. When a group of Quraysh saw the Prophet 
circumambulating the Ka’bah in worship, they began to make 
loud satirical remarks about him. Encouraged by the fact that he 
seemed hurt by these remarks, they insulted him again a second 
and a third time. Finally, the Prophet stopped and, facing them 
said, “O people of Quraysh! Do you hear? I swear by the One in 
Whose hand lies my life, I have come to you with a great 
slaughter.” 
The next day the same group of people assembled at the 
Ka’bah and began talking about the Prophet . A few moments 
later the Prophet appeared and they all rushed towards him in 
rabid anger. Pulling on his clothes, they asked, “Are you the one 
who orders us to stop worshipping the gods of our forefathers?” 
The Prophet was not intimmidated. “Yes, I am.” 
The mob surrounded him on all sides and some began 
pushing him and shoving him from side to side, while others 
shouted insults. Uqba bin Abi Mu’ayt caught hold of a cloth 
hanging from around his neck and began choking the Prophet . 
Abu Bakr heard the commotion and ran to defend him. He 
seized Uqba by his shoulders and pulled him off the Prophet . 
Abu Bakr tore each man away from the Prophet, crying: “Woe to 
you! Would you kill a man simply because he says that Allah is his 
Lord?” 
Now the mob turned on Abu Bakr and let the Prophet
go. Abu Bakr paid a great price for rescuing the Prophet . The 
mob beat him violently, and his face was so battered that his nose 
was indistinguishable from his face. The people from Banu Taym 
wrapped him up and took him to his house. They were sure that 
he would not live to see the next day. 

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77 
Abu Bakr , however, survived the assault. That evening he 
asked about the Prophet . The people of Banu Taym rebuked 
him for his stubborn loyalty to the Prophet and went away. 
Unconcerned about his own health, Abu Bakr refused to food 
and drink insistent on seeing the Prophet to make sure he was 
alive and well. Finally, in the still darkness he was taken to the 
Prophet in Dar Al-Arqam. There he saw the Prophet , and 
only then did he eat and drink. 
Abu Bakr suffered more and more at the hands of the 
Makkan pagans, until he decided to migrate to Abyssinia. With 
this intention, he left Makkah and headed for what had become a 
place of refuge for the Muslims. When he reached Bark Ghimad, 
he happened to meet Malik bin Dughunna, the leader of Qara
3
and Ahabish
4
. Malik asked him why he had left Makkah. When 
Abu Bakr told him he was migrating to Abyssinia, Malik voiced 
his disapproval: “A man like you cannot be expelled. You help the 
destitute, you keep good relations with your family, you bear the 
burden of the helpless, you are hospitable with guests, and you 
comfort those who suffer for the sake of truth. I pledge to 
protect you. Come along with me and pray to your Lord in your 
city.” 
Abu Bakr accepted Malik’s pledge of protection, and both 
journeyed together to Makkah. Malik bin Dughunna then 
announced that Abu Bakr was under his protection. The Quraysh 
accepted his pledge of safety for Abu Bakr on the condition that 
no one would see him. The pagans feared that their women, 
children and more impressionable members would be influenced 
by such an open show of Islam. 
Abu Bakr abided by this stupulation for a while. He later 
made himself a prayer area in his courtyard where he started 
3
The name of a well-known tribe. 
4
A collection of a number of Arabian tribes who were bound by an 
agreement of mutual cooperation. 

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78 
praying and reciting the Qur’an in the open. When Ibn Dughunna 
learned of this, he reminded him of the condition under which he 
had pledged his safety. Abu Bakr then released him from his 
pledge saying, “I am agreeable to the protection and guarantee of 
my Lord.” 
Abu Bakr was not only devout, but also tender-hearted. 
The Qur’an, with its promise of reward and punishment, its 
descriptions of Allah’s creation, and its narratives about previous 
prophets moved him to tears. As he recited its verses, Abu Bakr 
would weep. Women and children would crowd around, watching 
in amazement at this show of emotion over the Qur’an. The men 
of Quraysh were not about to tolerate this display for long and 
renewed their resolve to harrass him. 
Not all the Makkans, however, took such a harsh view of 
Islam. Even the pillars of pagan society found their stony hearts 
crumbling when in solitude they considered the Prophet’s 
message. They were no less impressed by his courage in standing 
up to the Quraysh and his enduring patience. 
Hamzah bin Abdul Muttalib , the uncle of the Prophet , 
and Umar bin Khattab were two such people, and their 
conversions marked a turning point in the short story of Islam.