Muhammad: Seal of the Prophets — Page 66
MUHAMMAD : SEAL OF THE PROPHETS 66 propaganda in the pilgrimage season, directing it towards all the Arab tribes that resorted to Mecca in that season, and thus provoked great agitation against the Holy Prophet, peace be on him. Quraish did not stop there. They constantly incited the mischievous elements among them to molest the Holy Prophet in every possible way. They followed him about and gave free rein to their tongues in uttering derisive and provocative slogans and phrases. His neighbours threw stones into his house, scattered thorns outside his door and put foul and evil - smelling substances inside the walls of his dwelling. On one occasion, someone threw the entrails of a goat into his house. He carried them out and exclaimed, ‘Banu Abd Manaf, this is’ not the way of good neighbourliness. ’ On one occasion, when the Holy Prophet was engaged in Prayer and was in prostration in the courtyard of the Ka’aba, someone, at the instigation of Abu Jahl, placed the entrails of a camel over his shoulders. On hearing of this, one of his daughters came and removed them so that he should be able to get up. About that time Quraish began calling him Mudhammam (‘the reviled one’) instead of Muhammad (‘the praised one’). Someone mentioned this to the Holy Prophet, who smiled and observed, ‘My name is Muhammad, and he who is Muhammad cannot be Mudhammam. Take not e how God safeguards me against their abuse. ’ On another occasion, when he was engaged in Prayer near the Ka’aba, Utba bin Abi Mueet stepped up to him and, winding a piece of cloth round his neck, began to squeeze it, whereby it