Islam - Its Meaning for Modern Man — Page 43
43 time, had been among Muhammad’s persecutors in Mecca, but on this occasion they felt some sympathy toward their fellow townsman and permitted him to rest there a while. Presently they sent him a tray of grapes by the hand of a Christian slave. This slave, Addas by name, belonged to Nineveh. The Prophet took up a grape, and before putting it into his mouth he recited what has become the Muslim grace: “In the name of God, Most Gracious, Ever Merciful. ” This excited the curiosity of Addas who inquired the identity of the stranger. The Prophet told him, and the conversation that ensued led Addas to declare his acceptance of Islam, so that Muhammad’s journey to Ta’if did not prove entirely fruitless. He had now a difficult problem to resolve. He had left Mecca and he had been rejected by Ta’if. Under Meccan custom, he could not go back there unless his re-entry was sponsored by some leading Meccan. There was nowhere else to go. He prayed earnestly for light, guidance, and help, and then set out with Zaid on the return journey to Mecca. He stopped on the way at a place called Nakhla for a few days and sent word to Mut’im bin ‘Adi, a leading Meccan, asking whether he could be permitted to return to Mecca. Mut’im replied that he was prepared to sponsor his re-entry into Mecca, and when the Prophet approached Mecca Mut’im and his sons met