Muhammad a Prophet For all Humanity
10. The Prophet in Makkah
~ 240 ~
told them that the Qur’an was a literary work of
such unsurpassable excellence that it overshadowed
everything else. Recitation of the Qur’an was, in
those days, a common method of preaching Islam.
When Mus’ab ibn Zubayr was sent to Madinah as a
preacher, he used to “talk to people, and recite a
passage of the Qur’an to them.” That was why
people came to know him as “al-Muqri”, the reciter
of the Qur’an.
During his time in Makkah the Prophet’s preaching
was always conducted on a refined intellectual
level. It was dominated by the lofty literary
standard set by the Qur’an. The Prophet’s
opponents, on the other hand, could offer only
abuse and opprobrium in reply. Sensible people in
Makkah could not help but come to the conclusion
that Muhammad’s opponents had nothing concrete
to offer in support of their case. According to Ibn
Jarir, some of the nobles of the Quraysh planned to
call a meeting and talk to the Prophet. Their
intention was “to place themselves above reproach
as far as he was concerned” that is, to assure him
that they had nothing to do with the base tactics
being followed by the Prophet’s direst enemies.
