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9.The Early Converts.

The first to believe in the Prophet (peace be upon him) and his divine message was Khadijah , followed shortly after by ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib . Ali was ten years old at the time and was living in the house of the Messenger of Allah . Zayd ibn Harithah, the servant of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), also became a Muslim.

Among the men, Abu Bakr ibn Abi Quhafah, a close friend of the Prophet (peace be upon him) and a man known for his intellect and uprightness, also embraced Islam.

10.The Great Warner

The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) kept his mission secret for three years. Then Allah commanded him to proclaim the message openly.

According to Arab custom, people used to climb a hill when they had to announce some important news. So the Prophet (peace be upon him);, one day climbed up on a small hill called Safa, situated near the Ka’bah. He then called out to the people, who all gathered around him. Then he (peace be upon him) addressed them thus:

11.Rejection.

There was one main reason for the leaders of Quraish to oppose the Prophet (peace be
upon him), and to prevent him from spreading his message. Makkah was a centre of pilgrimage because of the Ka’bah, which housed many idols of the neighbouring tribes. The leaders feared that once the concept of worshiping only one God became popular, the tribes would stop visiting the idols and therefore affect the economy of the city.

12.Persecution.

The Muslims were made the object of persecution from the very beginning. They were mocked and laughed at, but when that failed, the Quraish turned to physical attacks and punishment.

Every clan targeted those who had become Muslims among them. They began to imprison them and torture them with beatings, hunger and thirst.

13.The escape to Abyssinia

The Quraish made life so difficult for the Muslims in Makkah, that the Prophet (peace be upon him) told some of the believers to travel to Abyssinia (Ethiopia). He suggested:

“If you were to go to Abyssinia, you would find there a king who does not wrong anyone.”

14.Umar and Hamza embrace Islam

In the sixth year of Prophethood, Hamza, the Prophet’s uncle and Umar ibn al-Khattab both embraced Islam. The Quraish were greatly upset at the conversion of Hamza and Umar , since both of them were known for their strength and courage.

15.The Boycott.

The Muslims were steadily increasing. The Quraish were so concerned, they decided to expel the Prophet (peace be upon him) and his followers and force them to live in a confined section of the town. No provisions were allowed to be given to them, and the Muslims had to suffer long torturous periods without food and water.

16.The Year of Sorrow.

Soon after the end of the boycott, in the tenth year of Prophethood, Abu Talib, the Prophet’s supportive uncle and Khadijah, the beloved wife of the Prophet (peace be upon him) both died. They had both been good companions noted for their loyalty, support and dedication.

17.The Journey to Ta’if.

After Abu Talib’s death, the Messenger of Allah suffered more than before. Now with the death of his uncle, the Prophet (peace be upon him) was without protection and therefore open to attack and abuse.

18.The Night Journey.

On one very special night, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) was taken by Angel Gabriel from Masjid al-Haram in Makkah to Masjid al-Aqsa in Jerusalem. From there he ascended into the heavens. During this journey he saw many great signs of Allah and met many great Prophets, including Adam, Abraham, Moses, John the Baptist and Jesus the Messiah .