Muhammad a Prophet For all Humanity
9. The Prophetic Method
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such an example. As a result of this boycott the
whole of the Banu Hashim clan, with the exception
of Abu Lahab, were besieged in a mountain ravine,
called Shi’b Abi Talib. The manner in which these
people quietly endured all this cruel oppression was
bound to have an effect on the conscience of others.
And it did. Within three years, people like Abu’l-
Bakhtari, Hisham ibn ‘Amr, Zubayr ibn Umayyah,
Zam’ah ibn al-Aswad and Mut’am ibn ‘Adi broke
away from the ranks of the enemy, openly
challenging the propriety of the pact by which this
boycott had been imposed on the Banu Hashim. The
pact collapsed, and the Banu Hashim were rescued
from their terrible plight.
The most important thing about patience is, that it
qualifies one for divine succour. Patient
perseverance in pursuit of a worthy cause means
putting one’s own affairs in the hands of the Lord of
the Universe. It is inconceivable that those who
trust in Almighty God, for the sake of a just cause,
should find themselves forsaken.
There are various ways in which this divine succour
manifests itself. The human mind can neither
