Muhammad a Prophet For all Humanity
9. The Prophetic Method
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being ruled in the time of the Prophet by a governor
named Bazan. The only regions to have retained
their independence were Hijaz, Tahamah and Najd.
Besides these, there were only rocky deserts, with
the occasional oasis standing out in the wilderness.
The Caesars and the Khusraus considered Arabia
their property: that was why, when the Prophet
wrote to the Emperor of Persia inviting him to
accept Islam, that proud monarch tore up his letter
and said indignantly:
He writes to me—and he is my slave!
Abrahah’s attack on the Ka’bah in the year of the
Prophet’s birth (A.D. 570) was part of this
encroachment of foreign powers on Arab territory.
Before the advent of Islam, the Ka’bah had been a
centre of idol-worship for the whole of Arabia:
every tribe had erected its own idol there, and
considered its precincts sacred. All through the year
people would flock to Makkah from far and wide to
pay their respects to the HolyKa ‘bah and make
offerings to the idols that were lodged there. The
economy of Makkah benefited greatly from this
constant influx of pilgrims, and Abrahah desired to
