Bargaining and Renunciation (2)

Once the Makkans understood that the Prophet was sincere in his beliefs and was not prepared to compromise, they were determined to find out whether he was an actual prophet or just imagined himself to be one.

In order to find out how to test Muhammad , the Makkans sought guidance from some Jewish rabbis. These learned men told the Makkans to ask Muhammad three questions, and if he answered them correctly, then he was indeed a prophet. If, however, he could not answer them, then he was certainly an

imposter.

First the rabbis told the Makkans to ask Muhammad the incredible story in their scriptures about some youths. The second question concerned a person who travelled throughout both the East and the West. Thirdly, they instructed the Makkans to ask Muhammad about the soul.

The chieftains of the Quraysh put these questions to the Prophet , and Sutah Al-Kahf (The Cave) was revealed in response.

The Surah tells the story of a few young boys who, upon being persecuted by polytheists, sought refuge in a cave. Allah caused them to go into a deep sleep for hundreds of years, and then raised them up again as a sign of the coming Day of Resurrection.

The chapter also tells the story of Dhul Qarnain, the man who roamed throughout the world. Finally, the last question was answered in Surah Al-Israa: “They ask about the spirit. Say: The spirit is My Lord’s affair, and man has been given but little knowledge.” (17: 85)

Muhammad had correctly answered all three questions put to him by the rabbis through the Quraysh. Now that the Quraysh had evidence that Muhammad was a true prophet, they were faced with a difficult decision. They were still not prepared to embrace Islam without reservations as Muhammad’s followers had. The solution, they believed, was to ask the Prophet to let them enter Islam not as typical Muslims, but as Muslims with special status. The majority of the Prophet’s followers being from the lower strata of Makkan society, the elite of the Quraysh could not consider interacting with their inferiors on equal terms.

They met with the Prophet to discuss this idea. The Prophet was so eager to have Makkan nobility embrace Islam that he may have been on the verge of accepting their proposal. But Allah ordered him to resist the temptation in the following verse: “Send not away those who call their Lord morning and evening, seeking His Face. You are not accountable for them, nor they for you. If you turn them away, you will be among those who are unjust.”(6: 52).

The Prophet was thus forbidden to give the nobility among the Quraysh any special consideration within the fold of Islam, thus effectively ensuring the complete absence of a class system. This meant that no Muslim could be superior to his brother in Islam except through faith and good deeds.