The Efforts to Prevent People from Encountering Islam

Meanwhile the pilgrimage season had arrived, and there was a new commotion among the Quraysh. What they feared most was that the pilgrims coming from the outside would speak to the Messenger of Allah and that he would start sharing the verses with them.

They had to prevent this at all costs. Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, had to be prevented from talking to the pilgrims, and even if he should talk, there had to be enough propaganda against him to discredit him. In order to find a solution they came together at the house of Walid ibn Mughira. Their aim was to keep the Messenger of Allah away from going amongst the people to spread the word, to communicate the new messages; they wanted to prevent these messages so they would find new places of abode in the hearts of others.

Now the general policy had been decided and there was a consensus as to the method of how they would alienate the Messenger of Allah from society. From now on they would all speak the same thing, and they could converge on their lie and try their best to slander the Messenger of Allah. In today’s terms, it can be likened to a false news item that is distributed throughout the media and its various platforms.

When the time came and pilgrims flocked to Mecca, the Quraysh were welcoming their guests and speaking of the Pride of Humankind telling the pilgrims—even though they didn’t believe the truth of it—that he was a magician. Thus, they thought they could prevent people from going to his side, and that they could prevent the heavenly message to reach these people.

On the other hand, the heaviness of revelation was upon the Messenger of Allah and the truthful Gabriel was descending with a new message again. In the revelations that came, the Lord was informing his beloved of this insidious plan. He spoke of the inner worlds of the people who were trying to set traps for the Messenger of Allah. Concerning the mind set of Walid ibn Mughira, the Lord of the worlds was saying the following:

True, there was always tomorrow to be considered. But there were steps to be taken today. Everyone was striving for their goal, and it had to be the ones who took their steps in the Name of Allah who would see their perseverance to the end. That is why when the season of pilgrimage came and people started to pour into Mecca, the Messenger of Allah continued to go around to the fairs of Ukaz, Majanna and Zilmajaz and said to all present: “O people! Come and say ‘There is no deity but Allah’ and be saved,” trying thus to make his Lord’s name be heard.

Despite all the efforts of the Quraysh, Abu Lahab’s close persecution, and the destruction of anything that the noble Prophet was trying to build, the season of pilgrimage would come and go, and in the minds of the pilgrims, only the messages that the Messenger of Allah had relayed to them would remain. This was the only novelty that they had seen and witnessed in Mecca, and this novelty was of a scale that could change not only Mecca, but the entire world.