God Arises
Affirmation of Prophethood
~ 270 ~
forced to seek refuge in one of the hilly areas on the
outskirts of Makkah. In their isolation, they suffered
all kinds of privations often going without food and
water. During this period, no one was allowed to
buy from or sell to Muhammad or his family, not
even eatables. The leaves of wild bushes had to
serve as their food. One day one of them came upon
a piece of dried leather. He picked it up, washed it,
baked it on a fire and then ate it with water. This
boycott went on for three long years.
In the face of such hardness on heart on the part of
the Makkans, the Prophet (when the boycott was
finally revoked) chose to turn his attention to Taif, a
city located three miles away from Makkah, where
he hoped to call the tribe of Thaqif to Islam, and to
solicit their support.
The people of Taif not only refused to hear him, but
repudiated him and his teaching outright. They
made such insulting remarks as, “Couldn’t God
find anyone but you for prophethood?” And that
was not all. They incited the street urchins to jeer at
him in the public thoroughfares. They pelted him
with so many stones that his shoes were
