Muhammad a Prophet For all Humanity
10. The Prophet in Makkah
~ 274 ~
EXPULSION
To expel an Arab from his tribe in those days was
like putting him out among a pack of wolves. There
was no government in those days, responsible for
the safety of its citizens. There was only the tribal
system, and one could only live under the
protection of a tribe. In the pilgrims’ tents in Mina
the Prophet once preached his message to a certain
tribe, but they refused to accept it. Still, one can tell
from what one of their number, Maysirah ibn
Masruq al-’Abbasi, had to say, that the Prophet’s
words had made an impact on him. Ibn Kathir
explains how the Prophet’s hopes were raised with
regard to Maysirah. “How well you have spoken,
and how enlightening your words are. But my tribe
does not agree with me, and one cannot go against
one’s tribe.”
40
That was how much a tribe meant to
a person. What a grave matter it must have been,
then, to be expelled from one’s tribe. The Prophet
now had nowhere to go in his own land. There was
no other option but to seek the protection of some
other tribe. His first attempt in this direction was
his journey to Ta’if. Later on he explained the whole
episode to his wife ‘A’ishah, saying that he had
