Muhammad (saw) – The Perfect Man — Page 362
CHAPTER 17 The Prophet sa as a Summoner to All a h 362 life. Journey to Ta ’if In the tenth year of Prophethood the siege of She‘b-e-Ab i Ta lib ended. Ab u Ta lib and Hadrat Khad i jah ra did not survive the hardship of this period. The opposition of Makkan people escalated. Their repeated rejection of the message, made the Holy Prophet Muhammad sa undertake a journey to Ta ’if for the sake of preaching. Zaid ra bin H arithah accompanied him on this journey. The Holy Prophet Muhammad sa stayed there for ten days and tried to convey the message of Islam to its chiefs and dignitaries. 35 Ta ’if is a pleasant mountainous town situated forty miles south east of Makkah which was a holiday resort for the rich people. Besides the chiefs of other places, three chiefs of Thaq i f tribe were notable amongst the residents of Ta ’if. These were three brothers, Kin a nah ‘Abde Y a lail, Mas‘ u d and H ab i b. They were related to the Holy Prophet Muhammad sa from his mother's side of the family. H u du r sa approached them with an invitation to Islam. He told them about the opposition in Makkah and asked them for help. Hearing this, one chief said, "If God has appointed you as a Prophet then He is tearing apart the Ka‘bah. " The second one taunted, "Did God not find anyone else apart from you to ordain as Prophet. " The third one said, "By God, I cannot even