The Life & Character of the Seal of Prophets (sa) - Volume I — Page 338
Seal of the Prophets - Volume I 338 had matured in accordance to prophethood, an angel came to him in the Cave of Ḥirā and spoke to him from Allāh the Exalted. Thus, a higher status than that of true dreams was opened to the Holy Prophet sa. However, although the disposition of the Holy Prophet sa was experienced, he was not able to fully bear this change at first, and he became very afraid. Furthermore, this fear and anxiety troubled the Holy Prophet sa for some time. It was only after this divine messenger came to him again and again and comforted him, that he completely attained tranquility. After this satisfaction, the Holy Prophet sa began his work, but a perspective of evolutionary progress exists here as well. In the beginning, the Holy Prophet sa did not begin open preaching; rather, he limited his endeavors to friends and dear ones. For two and a half to three years, he performed his preaching obligations in secret. Following this, under divine command, the Holy Prophet sa began to preach openly, but even in this era, for the most part, the sphere of his work was limited to the people of Makkah. No doubt, the door of the message of truth was open for those who came from abroad, and unlike Jesus Christ as , they were not told that “I shall not throw the children’s bread before dogs” , but in the beginning, the Holy Prophet’s sa actual direction of address was to the Quraish of Makkah, and in actuality, it was they that were being preached to. This state of affairs continued for many years. However, when the people of Makkah not only insisted upon refusal and made the followers of the Holy Prophet sa victim to the most inhumane atrocities, but also vowed to sever all relations with the Muslims, thus practically shutting the door of the message of Islām upon themselves, then, the Holy Prophet sa also turned his direction to other tribes of Arabia, and away from the people of Makkah. The journey to Ṭā’if was also a result of this very change. It is for this reason that during this era, the number of converts from among the Quraish of Makkah is found to be minimal and in their place, the spread of Islām is more extensive throughout other tribes of Arabia. The Aus and Khazraj of Yathrib are a prominent example of this. After migration, interaction with the Jews and Christians took place, and the last step of this staircase of preaching was completed when the Holy Prophet sa sent letters of invitation to foreign rulers, and this message was spread to people of all races. The status of the Holy Prophet sa was also revealed to him in stages. As such, in the beginning, in his revelation, the words ‘prophet’ or ‘messenger’ have not even been used to refer to the Holy Prophet sa and only a general