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aside and said to him, ‘By God, I know full well that what he says is
true, but one thing stops me from believing. The Bani Qusayy say
that they are the gatekeepers of the Kabah, and I agree with them.
They say that it is their job to bear water for pilgrims, and again
I agree. They claim a place in the Darun Nadwa, and I agree that
they have every right to it. They say that it is their responsibility to
carry the standard in battle, and again I agree. Now they say that
there is a prophet among them. This I cannot accept.”
(Al-Bidayah
wan-Nihayah,
Vol. III).
For some people it was the threat of financial loss which
prevented them from accepting the message of Islam. The House
of God at Makkah had been turned into a house of idol worship
before the coming of the Prophet. People of every religion had
placed their idols there. There were even statues of Jesus and Mary
within the walls of the Kabah, which had thus become a place of
pilgrimage for people of all denominations. This was why four
months had been made sacred—so that people would be free to
visit the Kabah during that time, without fear of being harmed or
attacked on the way. During the four months that people used to
flock to Makkah, Makkan traders did exceptionally good business.
Were the idols to be removed from the Kabah, people would stop
visiting the city, and its inhabitants would suffer immense losses. So
there were many people with a vested interest in the continuance
of polytheistic practices. They feared that if monotheism were
to spread in the land, Makkah would suffer drastically; that this
uncultivable valley would be totally ruined.
Moreover, as patrons of the Kabah, the Quraysh, had come to
assume a position of dominance over tribes far and wide. Their
caravans used to travel east and west, far beyond the boundaries
of the peninsula. In accordance with long-standing pacts, they
had been doing business with tribes as far afield as Persia,
Abyssinia and the Byzantine Empire. The Quraysh now thought
that their accepting Muhammad as a prophet could only result
in neighbouring tribes—in fact all the polytheists of Arabia—
breaking off the commercial agreements they hadmade with them.
