Introduction to the Study of The Holy Quran — Page 105
105 this to people in Mecca. Some young men, out of sheer mischief, suggested that he should approach the Prophet. They thought that the Prophet would refuse to do anything for fear of the general opposition to him and particularly for fear of the opposition of Abu Jahl. If he refused to help this man, he would be said to have broken his pledge to the association. If, on the other hand, he did not refuse and chose to approach Abu Jahl for the restitution of this loan, Abu Jahl was certain to turn him away with contempt. This man went to the Prophet and complained to him about Abu Jahl. The Prophet, hesitating not a minute, stood up, went with the man and knocked at Abu Jahl’s door. Abu Jahl came out and saw that his creditor was standing with the Prophet. The Prophet mentioned the loan and suggested its payment. Abu Jahl was taken aback and, making no excuses, paid at once. When the other chiefs of Mecca heard of this they reproved Abu Jahl, telling him how weak and self- contradictory he had proved. He preached the social boycott of the Prophet, yet he himself accepted direction from the Prophet and paid a loan on his suggestion. In self-defence, Abu Jahl pleaded that any other person would have done the same. He told them that as he saw the Prophet standing at his door, he also saw two wild camels standing one on each side, ready to attack. We cannot say what this experience was. Was it a miraculous appearance designed to upset Abu Jahl or was it the awe-inspiring presence of the Prophet which produced this hallucination? A man hated and oppressed by a whole town had taken the courage to go alone to the leader of that town and demand the restitution of a loan. Maybe this very unexpected sight frightened Abu Jahl and for a moment made him forget what he had sworn to do against the Prophet, and forced him to do as the Prophet suggested. 121 Holy Prophet’s Marriage with Khadijah When the Prophet was about twenty-five years old, his reputation for integrity and fellow-feeling had spread over the whole of the town. People would point admiring fingers at him and say, here was a man who could be trusted. This reputation reached the ears of a rich widow who approached the Prophet’s uncle, Abu Talib, to let his nephew lead a trading caravan of hers to Syria. Abu Talib mentioned this to the Prophet and the Prophet agreed. The expedition met with great success and brought unexpected profits. The rich widow, Khadijah, was convinced that the success of the caravan was due not only to the conditions of the market in Syria, but also to the integrity and efficiency of its leader. She interrogated her slave, Maysarah, on this subject, and Maysarah supported her view and told her that the honesty and sympathy with which this young leader of the caravan had managed her affairs would not be shown by many persons. Khadijah was much impressed by this account. She was forty years of age and had already been widowed twice. She sent a woman friend of hers to the Prophet to find out whether he would be persuaded to marry her. This woman went to the Prophet and asked why he had not married. The Prophet replied