Persecution of the Prophet (3)

One day Abu Jahl saw the Prophet performing his prayers and began harrassing and threatening him as he prayed. At last the Prophet caught hold of a piece of cloth around Abu Jahl’s neck and, shaking him strongly, quoted these two verses from the Qur’an: “Woe to you! Woe to you! Again, woe to you! Woe to you!” (75: 34-35)

Abu Jahl shot back, “Muhammad! You are challenging me! By God, you and your Lord cannot do me any harm. I am the strongest man in this valley.” Eager for revenge, Abu Jahl asked his comrades, “Does Muhammad put his face on the earth in your presence?”

“Yes.” They replied. “By Lat and Uzza,” Abu Jahl swore, “if I ever see him do so, I shall trample his face and neck into the dust.” The day came when Abu Jahl saw the Prophet performing his prayers, so he marched toward him with the intention of carrying out his threat. Suddenly, onlookers saw him retreat before reaching the defenseless Muhammad , his arms clawing at the air.

“What happened, Abu Hakam?” the people asked. “A trench of fire and a screen of devastation stood between him and me,” the dazzled Jahl replied.

“The Prophet remarked to his followers, “Had he come near me, the angels would have swooped down upon every limb of his.”

Uqba bin Abi Mu’ayt was another who earned eternal disgrace for his despicable treatment of the Prophet . Once, the Prophet was praying near the Ka’bah, while Abu Jahl and his comrades were sitting nearby. Meanwhile, Abu Jahl asked the others, “Is there one who will bring the innards of a camel of Banu so-and-so and place it on Muhammad’s back while he is prostrating in prayer?” Uqba, anxious to prove his daring, got up and returned with the intestines of a slaughtered camel. He stayed to the side until he saw the opportunity to catch the Prophet in prostration. When the Prophet bowed his head to the earth, Uqba laid the camel intestines on the Prophet’s neck and shoulders.