Islam Rediscovered
17. Prophetic Vision
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importance. However in that same Arabia where
Makkah had become so inhospitable to him,
Madinah proved to be quite the reverse. Almost all
its inhabitants entered the fold of Islam, and
moreover, the Muslims scattered outside the
periphery began to settle within the town. In this
way, Madinah became a powerful centre of Islam.
Within the space of a few years, his mission
flourished there, then it spread to all the other
towns in Arabia. Ultimately, the whole of Arabia
entered the fold of Islam.
Given the distressing nature of the circumstances in
Makkah, it took great insight on the part of the
Prophet to see what the future held for him in
Madinah, which was situated at a distance of 300
miles from Makkah. The fact that he foresaw a great
future there, is proof of his quite remarkable vision.
Apparently, the inhabitants of both the towns,
Makkah and Madinah, were idolators, yet there was
a basic difference between the two: in Makkah,
people’s material interests were linked with
idolatry, whereas, for the Madinans, idolatry was
