Insults by the Polytheists

“By Allah! As soon as Muhammad knocked on his door, he immediately came out in such a state that his face had become completely lifeless and pale.

Muhammad told him to pay the man what was due to him.

He said, ‘Very well.’

Saying this, he went inside and immediately brought out the man’s due payment and gave it to him.”

The Qurayshi leaders were extremely astonished when they heard the entire incident.

They said to Abu Jahl:

“Are you not ashamed? We have never seen you behave like this before.”

He replied:

“What do you know?

As soon as Muhammad knocked on my door and I heard his voice, my heart became filled with fear and terror.

Then I came outside and saw an enormous camel standing above my head.

I had never seen such a huge camel in my entire life.

If I had refused to obey him, that camel would have eaten me.”

There were also some polytheists who constantly mocked the Prophet ﷺ.

Allah Almighty said concerning them:

Translation:

“Indeed, We are sufficient for you against those who mock you, those who set up other gods besides Allah.”
(Surah Al-Hijr, Verse 95)

One of Abu Lahab’s acts was that he would throw filth at the door of the Noble Prophet ﷺ.

One day, he was leaving after doing this when Hazrat Hamzah رضي الله عنه, the brother of Abu Lahab, saw him.

Hazrat Hamzah رضي الله عنه picked up the filth and immediately threw it onto Abu Lahab’s head.

Similarly, ‘Uqbah bin Abi Mu‘ayt used to throw filth at the door of the Noble Prophet ﷺ.

One day, ‘Uqbah spat toward the Prophet’s ﷺ blessed face, but the spit turned back and landed on his own face.

A mark resembling leprosy appeared on the part of his face where the spit landed.

Once, ‘Uqbah bin Abi Mu‘ayt returned from a journey and held a large feast.

He invited all the leaders of Quraysh to the meal.

On this occasion, he also invited the Noble Prophet ﷺ.

However, when the food was served to the guests, the Prophet ﷺ refused to eat and said:

“I will not eat your food until you say that there is no one worthy of worship except Allah.”

Since hospitality was a special characteristic of the Arabs, and they would not allow a guest to become displeased with them under any circumstances, ‘Uqbah said:

“I testify that there is no deity except Allah.”

Upon hearing this, the Prophet ﷺ ate the food.

After the meal, everyone went to their homes.

‘Uqbah bin Abi Mu‘ayt was a friend of Ubayy bin Khalaf.

People told Ubayy that ‘Uqbah had recited the Kalimah.

Ubayy bin Khalaf came to him and said:

“‘Uqbah! Have you abandoned your religion?”

He replied:

“By Allah, I have not abandoned my religion—I have not become a Muslim.

The matter is simply that an honorable man came to my house and said that he would not eat at my home until I testified to the Oneness of Allah according to his words.

I felt ashamed that a man should come to my house and leave without eating.

Therefore, I said those words, and he ate the food.

But the truth is that I did not say that Kalimah from my heart.”

Ubayy was not satisfied with this explanation.

He said:

“I will neither show you my face nor look at your face until you mock Muhammad, spit on his face, and strike him on the face.”

Hearing this, ‘Uqbah said:

“You have my promise.”

After this, when the Noble Prophet ﷺ came before this wretched man, he mocked the Prophet ﷺ and spat toward his blessed face.

However, his spit did not reach the blessed face of the Prophet ﷺ. Instead, it fell back onto his own face.

He felt as though a burning ember had fallen upon his face.

A mark from the burn remained on his face until the end of his life.

Regarding this same ‘Uqbah bin Abi Mu‘ayt, Verse 37 of Surah Al-Furqan was revealed:

Translation:

“On the Day when the wrongdoer will bite his hands and say, ‘If only I had taken a path along with the Messenger.’”

It is written in the explanation of this verse:

“On the Day when the wrongdoer in Hell will bite one of his hands with his teeth up to the elbow, and then he will bite and eat the other hand.

When he has eaten the second hand, the first hand will grow back, and he will begin biting it again.

He will continue doing this in this manner.”

Similarly, Hakam bin ‘As also used to mock the Noble Prophet ﷺ.

One day, the Prophet ﷺ was walking along when this man began walking behind him.

In order to mock the Prophet ﷺ, he began making various sounds with his mouth and nose.

The Prophet ﷺ turned toward him while continuing to walk and said:

“May you become like this.”

After that, he became such that similar sounds would continually come from his mouth and nose.

He remained unconscious for one month.

After that, such sounds continued coming from his mouth and nose until his death.

Similarly, ‘As bin Wa’il also used to mock the Prophet ﷺ.

He would say:

“Muhammad is deceiving himself and his companions by telling them that they will be brought back to life after death.

By Allah, our death occurs only because of the passing of time and the turning of the ages.”

There is another incident concerning this same ‘As bin Wa’il.

Hazrat Khabbab bin al-Aratt رضي الله عنه worked as a blacksmith in Makkah and made swords.

He had sold some swords to ‘As bin Wa’il, but he had not yet paid their price.

Hazrat Khabbab bin al-Aratt رضي الله عنه went to him to demand payment.

He said:

“Khabbab! You follow Muhammad’s religion.

Does he not claim that the people of Paradise will receive gold, silver, precious clothing, servants, and children according to whatever they wish?”

Hazrat Khabbab bin al-Aratt رضي الله عنه replied:

“Yes, that is what he says.”

‘As then said to him:

“I will not pay you what I owe until you renounce Muhammad’s religion.”