Life and Teachings of the Prophet Muhammad
2. The Life of the Prophet Muhammad
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For a while the Prophet stood motionless. On the one hand,
there was his old uncle weakened by the people’s opposition, and
on the other hand, there was the responsibility to proclaim the
truth till his last breath. And the only source of strength was his
faith and his conviction in the truth. So he decided to discharge his
duty whatever the cost. In a firm and calm voice, and with tears in
his eyes, he said:
“O uncle! By God Almighty, I swear that even if they
were to place the sun on my right and the moon on my
left, I would not give up my mission. I must go on
carrying it out until I die.”
Abu Talib, touched by the sincerity and force of the words
uttered by his nephew, remained motionless for a while. Then he
turned to the Prophet and said:
“My nephew, go your way. Do your duty. Let my
people turn against me. I am with you. No one shall
harm you as long as I live.”
OPPOSITION INTENSIFIED
When the Quraysh saw that the pressure on Abu Talib had
failed, they decided to make life unbearable for the Prophet and his
followers. Slaves, the weakest sections of the society, were the
worst sufferers. Their masters beat them brutally and some of them
were beaten to death. But they suffered all this patiently. Abu Bakr
spent much of his wealth on freeing these slaves.
