Muhammad a Prophet For all Humanity
10. The Prophet in Makkah
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THE ALL–PERVASIVENESS OF THE PROPHET’S
MESSAGE
The Prophet’s biographer, Ibn Ishaq, tells how the
Quraysh nobility once gathered at the house of Abu
Talib, the Prophet’s uncle. Among those present
were ‘Utbah ibn Rabi’ah, Shaybah ibn Rabi’ah, Abu
Jahl ibn Hisham, Umayyah ibn Khalf and Abu
Sufyan ibn Barb, all outstanding leaders of the
Quraysh. Through Abu Talib, they asked the
Prophet what it was he wanted to them. ‘Just one
thing,” the Prophet replied. “If you accept it, you
will become lords over the Arabs. Even the people
of Asia will capitulate to you.”
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Monotheism is more than just a doctrine. It is the
secret of all forms of human success. To believe in
one God is to give true expression to human nature.
That is why this faith lodges itself in the depths of
the human psyche. It even finds a place in the
hearts of one’s enemies. Khalid ibn al-Walid became
a Muslim just before the conquest of Makkah, but
he had been conscious for quite some time before
that of the truth of the message of Islam. Later on,
he told of his early conviction that Muhammad, not
