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which was misinterpreted by his kinsmen as being due to the love
of the Prophet’s wealth:
“Afterwards Utbah stayed at home and did not go out to see
anybody. ‘Fellow Quraysh,’ Abu Jahl said, ‘It seems to me that
‘Utbah has become attracted towards Muhammad. He must have
been taken by the food that Muhammad offered him. This can
only be due to some need of his. Let’s go and see him.’ So off they
went. ‘Utbah,’ Abu Jahl said, ‘we have come to see you because
we are sure that you have taken a liking to Muhammad and his
religion. Look, if you want, we can accumulate enough money to
ensure that you will not have to go to him to be fed.’ ‘Utba became
angry, and swore that he would never speak to Muhammad again!”
(Al-Bidayah wan-Nihayah,
Vol. 3)
The Prophet, was financially very well placed when he
commenced his mission. But when, after 13 years, he emigrated to
Madinah, it was a very different story. He had nothing left, and had
to borrow some money fromAbu Bakr for the journey.
T
he
L
anguage of
D
awah
Looked at from a logical point of view, the Islamic call consists
basically of certain constant, recurrent factors. It is the same
points—the oneness ofGod, the inevitability of the life after death,
the need for man to understand his position as God’s servant, and
live as such according to the prophetic pattern—which are stressed
again and again. When these points come from the tongue of the
preacher of God’s word, they take on the hue of the preacher’s own
person; this makes the message of the
da‘i
a living act.This addition
means that the message of Islam, far from being a repetition of set
texts, is expressed with irresistible vitality and spontaneity. One in
meaning, it becomes diverse in the forms it takes to the point of its
being impossible to compile a rigid list of them.
The heart of the preacher of God’s word is full of fear of God;
it is his ardent desire to bring his audience on to the path of right
