The life of the Holy Prophet of Islam — Page 5
preaching the name of God. One day Abu Talib spoke to the Prophet very softly and begged him to abandon his affair. To that suggestion the Prophet firmly replied; “O my uncle, if they placed the sun in my right hand and the moon in my left hand to cause me to renounce my task, verily I would not desist there from until Allah made manifest His cause or I perished in the attempt. ” The Prophet, overcome by the thought that his uncle and protector was willing to desert him, turned to depart. But Abu Talib called him loudly to come back, and he came. Abu Talib said, “Say whatever you please; for by the Lord I shall not desert you ever. ” PATIENCE He was always very patient in hardship and suffering. He was never discouraged by adverse circumstances nor did he permit any personal desire to get a hold over him. His father had died before his birth and his mother died while he was still a little child. Up to the age of eight, he was in the supervision of his grandfather and then at his death he was taken care of by his uncle, Abu Talib. That was a very hard time for him but he always behaved in a dignified manner. The Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), throughout his life, had to encounter a succession of bitter experiences. After marriage, he had to bear the loss of several children one after the other, and then his beloved and devoted wife Khadija died. Some of the wives he married after Khadija’s death, died during his lifetime. Towards the close of his life he had to bear the loss of his son Abraham. He bore all these losses and calamities calmly, and none of them affected him in the least degree. On one occasion he observed a woman who had lost a child occupied in loud mourning over her child’s grave. He admonished her to be patient and to accept God’s will as supreme. The woman did not know that she was being addressed by the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and she said to the Prophet, “If you had ever suffered the loss of a child as I have, you would have realized how difficult it is to be patient under such an affliction. ” The Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, “I have suffered the loss not of one but of seven children,” and passed on. The Day of Ta’if and the Patience of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) In the tenth year of the mission, the uncle of Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), Abu-Talib and his wife Khadeejah both died. With their death the abuse of the Quraish increased manifold. Of those few people who were allowed to hear the Qur’an many became Muslims. However, due to continuous torture given by the Quraish, Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) decided to preach the word of God to the people of Al-Ta’if. So he traveled to Al-Ta’if to convey the message of God to people. When the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) reached there, the elders incited the youth against him. The fanatic youth started throwing stones upon the Prophet of Islam, so much so that the Prophet was severely wounded; he was bleeding from top to tow. His shoes were filled with blood, and it became hard for him even to walk. That moment the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) prayed to God the Almighty saying, “O, my Lord, unto you I bewail my weakness, inability, and disregard of mankind towards me. O Most Merciful of the merciful, you are the Lord of the weak and my Lord. Unto whom shall you deliver me? Unto one who is distant and shall glower at me, or unto an enemy whom You have given authority over me? If You are not angry against me then I do not care what befalls me, as Your gifts of well- being are more commodious for me. I seek refuge in the light of Your face that has overcome all darkness, and through which all matters of this life and the hereafter have been established in justice, that Your retribution should fall upon me, or your