15. Account of what the Messenger of God ﷺ encountered from his people

Sirat Ibn Hisham 315No grade recorded
[ حَدِيثُ ابْنِ الْعَاصِ عَنْ أَكْثَرِ مَا رَأَى قُرَيْشًا نَالَتْهُ مِنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ ] قَالَ ابْنُ إسْحَاقَ: فَحَدَّثَنِي يَحْيَى بْنُ عُرْوَةَ بْنِ الزُّبَيْرِ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ عُرْوَةَ بْنِ الزُّبَيْرِ، عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عَمْرِو بْنِ الْعَاصِ، قَالَ: قُلْتُ لَهُ: مَا أَكْثَرَ مَا رَأَيْتَ قُرَيْشًا أَصَابُوا مِنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ فِيمَا كَانُوا يُظْهِرُونَ مِنْ عَدَاوَتِهِ ؟ قَالَ: حَضَرْتُهُمْ، وَقَدْ اجْتَمَعَ أَشْرَافُهُمْ يَوْمًا فِي الْحِجْرِ، فَذَكَرُوا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ فَقَالُوا: مَا رَأَيْنَا مِثْلَ مَا صَبَرْنَا عَلَيْهِ مِنْ أَمْرِ هَذَا الرَّجُلِ قَطُّ، سَفَّهَ أَحْلَامَنَا، وَشَتَمَ آبَاءَنَا، وَعَابَ دِينَنَا، وَفَرَّقَ جَمَاعَتَنَا، وَسَبَّ آلِهَتَنَا، لَقَدْ صَبَرْنَا مِنْهُ عَلَى أَمْرٍ عَظِيمٍ، أَوْ كَمَا قَالُوا: فَبَيْنَا هُمْ فِي ذَلِكَ إذْ طَلَعَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ، فَأَقْبَلَ يَمْشِي حَتَّى اسْتَلَمَ الرُّكْنَ، ثُمَّ مَرَّ بِهِمْ طَائِفًا بِالْبَيْتِ، فَلَمَّا مَرَّ بِهِمْ غَمَزُوهُ بِبَعْضِ الْقَوْلِ. قَالَ: فَعَرَفْتُ ذَلِكَ فِي وَجْهِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ. قَالَ: ثُمَّ مَضَى، فَلَمَّا مَرَّ بِهِمْ الثَّانِيَةَ غَمَزُوهُ بِمِثْلِهَا، فَعَرَفْتُ ذَلِكَ فِي وَجْهِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ: ثُمَّ مَرَّ بِهِمْ الثَّالِثَةَ فَغَمَزُوهُ بِمِثْلِهَا، فَوَقَفَ، ثُمَّ قَالَ: أَتَسْمَعُونَ يَا مَعْشَرَ قُرَيْشٍ، أَمَا وَاَلَّذِي نَفْسِي بِيَدِهِ، لَقَدْ جِئْتُكُمْ بِالذَّبْحِ. قَالَ: فَأَخَذَتْ الْقَوْمَ كَلِمَتُهُ حَتَّى مَا مِنْهُمْ رَجُلٌ إلَّا كَأَنَّمَا عَلَى رَأْسِهِ طَائِرٌ وَاقِعٌ، حَتَّى إنَّ أَشَدَّهُمْ فِيهِ وَصَاةً قَبْلَ ذَلِكَ لَيَرْفَؤُهُ بِأَحْسَنِ مَا يَجِدُ مِنْ الْقَوْلِ، حَتَّى إنَّهُ لِيَقُولَ: انْصَرِفْ يَا أَبَا الْقَاسِمِ، فَوَاَللَّهِ مَا كُنْتَ جَهُولًا. قَالَ: فَانْصَرَفَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ، حَتَّى إذَا كَانَ الْغَدُ اجْتَمَعُوا فِي الْحِجْرِ وَأَنَا مَعَهُمْ، فَقَالَ بَعْضُهُمْ لِبَعْضِ: ذَكَرْتُمْ مَا بَلَغَ مِنْكُمْ، وَمَا بَلَغَكُمْ عَنْهُ، حَتَّى إذَا بَادَاكُمْ بِمَا تَكْرَهُونَ تَرَكْتُمُوهُ. فَبَيْنَمَا هُمْ فِي ذَلِكَ طَلَعَ ( عَلَيْهِمْ ) رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ، فَوَثَبُوا إلَيْهِ وَثْبَةَ رَجُلٍ وَاحِدٍ، وَأَحَاطُوا بِهِ، يَقُولُونَ: أَنْتَ الَّذِي تَقُولُ كَذَا وَكَذَا، لِمَا كَانَ يَقُولُ مِنْ عَيْبِ آلِهَتِهِمْ وَدِينِهِمْ؛ فَيَقُولُ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ: نَعَمْ: أَنَا الَّذِي أَقُولُ ذَلِكَ. قَالَ: فَلَقَدْ رَأَيْتُ رَجُلًا مِنْهُمْ أَخَذَ بِمِجْمَعِ رِدَائِهِ. قَالَ: فَقَامَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ ؓ دُونَهُ، وَهُوَ يَبْكِي وَيَقُولُ: أَتَقْتُلُونَ رَجُلًا أَنْ يَقُولَ رَبِّي اللَّهُ ؟ ثُمَّ انْصَرَفُوا عَنْهُ، فَإِنَّ ذَلِكَ لَأَشَدُّ مَا رَأَيْتُ قُرَيْشًا نَالُوا مِنْهُ قَطُّ
✧ [Report of Ibn al-ʿĀṣ about the most that he saw Quraysh inflict upon the Messenger of God ﷺ] Ibn Isḥāq said: Yaḥyā b. ʿUrwah b. al-Zubayr related to me, from his father ʿUrwah b. al-Zubayr, from ʿAbd Allāh b. ʿAmr b. al-ʿĀṣ, who said: I said to him: What is the most that you saw Quraysh inflict upon the Messenger of God ﷺ in what they openly displayed of enmity toward him? He said: I was present with them when their nobles gathered one day in the Ḥijr and mentioned the Messenger of God ﷺ. They said: We have never seen the like of what we have patiently endured in the matter of this man. He has made fools of our minds, reviled our fathers, found fault with our religion, divided our community, and cursed our gods. We have indeed patiently endured a great matter from him—or as they said. While they were in that state, the Messenger of God ﷺ appeared. He came walking until he touched the corner, then passed by them while circumambulating the House. When he passed them, they made gestures at him with some words. He said: I recognized that in the face of the Messenger of God ﷺ. He said: Then he went on. When he passed them the second time, they made gestures at him with the like of it, and I recognized that in the face of the Messenger of God ﷺ. Then he passed them the third time and they made gestures at him with the like of it, so he stopped and said: Do you hear, O company of Quraysh? By Him in whose hand is my soul, I have brought you slaughter. He said: His words seized the people, so that there was not a man among them but as if a bird had landed on his head, until even the harshest of them in counseling against him before that was soothing him with the best words he could find, until he was saying: Depart, O Abū al-Qāsim, for by God you were never ignorant. He said: The Messenger of God ﷺ departed. When it was the morrow, they gathered in the Ḥijr, and I was with them. Some of them said to others: You mentioned what reached you from him, and what reached him from you, until when he confronted you with what you dislike, you left him alone. While they were in that state, the Messenger of God ﷺ appeared to them, and they leapt at him with the leap of one man and surrounded him, saying: Are you the one who says such and such?—referring to what he used to say in faulting their gods and their religion. The Messenger of God ﷺ said: Yes, I am the one who says that. He said: I saw a man among them take hold of the gathered folds of his cloak. He said: Abū Bakr ؓ stood before him, weeping and saying: Will you kill a man because he says, My Lord is God? Then they went away from him. That was the most severe thing I ever saw Quraysh inflict upon him.
Sirat Ibn Hisham 316No grade recorded
[ بَعْضُ مَا نَالَ أَبَا بَكْرٍ فِي سَبِيلِ الرَّسُولِ ] قَالَ ابْنُ إسْحَاقَ، وَحَدَّثَنِي بَعْضُ آلِ أُمِّ كُلْثُومٍ بِنْتِ أَبِي بَكْرٍ، أَنَّهَا قَالَتْ: ( لَقَدْ ) رَجَعَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ يَوْمَئِذٍ وَقَدْ صَدَعُوا فَرْقَ رَأْسِهِ، مِمَّا جَبَذُوهُ بِلِحْيَتِهِ وَكَانَ رَجُلًا كَثِيرَ الشَّعْرِ
✧ [Some of what Abū Bakr suffered in the cause of the Messenger] Ibn Isḥāq said: Some of the family of Umm Kulthūm bt. Abī Bakr narrated to me that she said: Abū Bakr returned that day, and they had split the parting of his head, because they had pulled him by his beard, and he was a man with much hair.
Sirat Ibn Hisham 317No grade recorded
[ أَشَدُّ مَا أُوذِيَ بِهِ الرَّسُولُ ﷺ ] قَالَ ابْنُ هِشَامٍ: حَدَّثَنِي بَعْضُ أَهْلِ الْعِلْمِ: أَنَّ أَشَدَّ مَا لَقِيَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ مِنْ قُرَيْشٍ أَنَّهُ خَرَجَ يَوْمًا فَلَمْ يَلْقَهُ أَحَدٌ مِنْ النَّاسِ إلَّا كَذَّبَهُ وَآذَاهُ، لَا حُرٌّ وَلَا عَبْدٌ، فَرَجَعَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ إلَى مَنْزِلِهِ، فَتَدَثَّرَ مِنْ شِدَّةِ مَا أَصَابَهُ، فَأَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى عَلَيْهِ: يَا أَيُّهَا الْمُدَّثِّرُ قُمْ فَأَنْذِرْ
✧ Ibn Hisham said: Some of the people of knowledge related to me that the severest harm which the Messenger of God ﷺ encountered from Quraysh was that one day he went out, and no one among the people met him except that he called him a liar and harmed him, neither a free person nor a slave. So the Messenger of God ﷺ returned to his dwelling and wrapped himself up because of the severity of what had befallen him. Then God, exalted is He, sent down upon him: “O you wrapped up, arise and warn” (Q 74:1–2).
Sirat Ibn Hisham 314No grade recorded
ذِكْرُ ما لُقَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ مِنْ قَوْمِهِ [ سُفَهَاءُ قُرَيْشٍ وَرَمْيُهُ ﷺ بِالسِّحْرِ وَالْجُنُونِ ] قَالَ ابْنُ إسْحَاقَ: ثُمَّ إنَّ قُرَيْشًا اشْتَدَّ أَمْرُهُمْ لِلشَّقَاءِ الَّذِي أَصَابَهُمْ فِي عَدَاوَةِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ وَمَنْ أَسْلَمَ مَعَهُ مِنْهُمْ، فَأَغْرَوْا بِرَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ سُفَهَاءَهُمْ، فَكَذَّبُوهُ وَآذَوْهُ، وَرَمَوْهُ بِالشِّعْرِ وَالسِّحْرِ وَالْكِهَانَةِ وَالْجُنُونِ، وَرَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ مُظْهِرٌ لِأَمْرِ اللَّهِ لَا يَسْتَخْفِي بِهِ، مُبَادٍ لَهُمْ بِمَا يَكْرَهُونَ مِنْ عَيْبِ دِينِهِمْ، وَاعْتِزَالِ أَوْثَانِهِمْ، وَفِرَاقِهِ إيَّاهُمْ عَلَى كُفْرِهِمْ.
✧ Mention of what the Messenger of God ﷺ encountered from his people [the foolish ones of Quraysh and their casting upon him ﷺ accusations of sorcery and madness]. Ibn Isḥāq said: Then Quraysh intensified their affair, because of the misery that befell them in their enmity toward the Messenger of God ﷺ and those of them who had submitted with him. So they incited their foolish ones against the Messenger of God ﷺ, and they called him a liar, harmed him, and cast upon him accusations of poetry, sorcery, divination, and madness, while the Messenger of God ﷺ was openly proclaiming the command of God, not concealing it, confronting them with what they hated concerning the faults of their religion, the forsaking of their idols, and his separation from them despite their unbelief.