The Life & Character of the Seal of Prophets (sa) - Volume II — Page 34
Seal of the Prophets - Volume II 34 “O ye Muslims! And remember the time when you were few and weak in the land, and were in constant fear lest people should snatch you away (i. e. , wage a sudden attack against you and destroy you). But God sheltered you and granted you support with His Succour and opened the doors of pure favours upon you. Therefore, you should now live as thankful servants. ” 1 So true it is, for if the Succour of Allāh had not supported them, the state of the Muslims in that era was truly so delicate that in light of apparent means, the days of their lives seemed limited. No doubt, there were extremely severe trials for them in Makkah as well, and they were subjected to the merciless cruelties of the Quraish day in and day out. However, in the beginning, their state of affairs became more vulnerable and dangerous than before in many respects. The reason being, that in Makkah their only danger was the Quraish. Moreover, to some extent, the Muslims trusted that irrespective of how severe a turn this persecution took, whilst the Muslims were in Makkah, consideration of inter-tribal relations would deter the Quraish from slaughtering the Muslims without distinction, as one single force. Mutual hostility within the tribes, a sense of family ties, etc. , and many other things of this nature, would generally dissuade the Quraish from taking severe action against the Muslims, or at least against such Muslims who were from noble families. As such, the lengthy discussion, reluctance and precautions taken by the Quraish before arriving upon their decision to assassinate the Holy Prophet sa , may perhaps be remembered. However, now, after the migration, the opposition of the Quraish began to intensify. Furthermore, the thought that the Muslims had escaped their grasp safely, and that they had taken shelter with others, had dangerously ignited the fire of their malice and enmity. As a matter of fact, even the other tribes of Arabia stood up against the Muslims as one. Moreover, there were such hypocrites present in Madīnah who could have served to be a very effective instrument in the hands of their opponents. Further still, the presence of the Jews posed a possibility of further threats and in comparison to these threats, the body of the Anṣār was nothing. In this state of affairs, although the Muslims firmly believed in the promises of God, yet upon witnessing this apparent state, the hearts of many began to sink. Fear and anxiety were so prevalent that these poor souls found it difficult to sleep at night. Readers should particularly remember these facts, because it 1 Al-Anfāl (8:27)