The Prophet journeys to Ta’if (2)

The sons of Rabi’a, who saw the Prophet taking refuge in their orchard, were moved by the sight of a weary traveller with a long road ahead of him, and sent their slave Addas to him with a bunch of grapes. The Prophet took the grapes, and only after saying Bismillah (in the name of Allah) did he begin to eat. Addas was surprised to hear the Prophet invoke Allah’s name before eating.

“The people around this area never utter such phrases,” he told the Prophet . The Prophet asked Addas, “Where are you from, and what is your religion?” “I am a Christian and belong to Ninevah,” replied Addas. “Are you from the village of the pious man, Yunus bin Mati?” the Prophet asked. “How do you know him?” Addas asked. “He is my brother,” the Prophet responded. “He was a prophet and so am I.”

The Prophet then recited some verses from the Quran referring to the Prophet Yunus (Jonah). Addas was so impressed that he accepted the Prophet’s call to Islam.

The Prophet resumed his journey back to Makkah, and dejection set in. At Qarn Al-Manazil, a cloud bearing the angel Jibreel appeared before the Prophet . With him was another angel. “Allah has sent you the angel of the mountains,” Jibreel said, “He is at your command.” The angel of the mountain said. “O Muhammad , I am here to do as you say. The choice is yours: I can crush the people of Ta’if between the two hills, if that is your wish.”

The Prophet , however, was not looking for revenge. “No. I hope Allah will bring forth from their loins people who will worship Allah alone without associating any partners with Him.” Jibreel’s visit lifted the Prophet’s spirits. He no longer felt forsaken, and a heavy weight was removed from his heart. He continued his journey, and after some time, he halted at Nakhlah, where he stayed a couple of days. It was at Nakhlah that a strange event occurred. Even the Prophet did not kow of it until it was revealed in the Qur’an.

The Prophet was praying the Fajr prayer when a band of jinn (spirits, from which the English word “gene” is derived) heard him reciting the Qur’an. They listened with great interest, and when the Prophet finished, they returned to their companions and warned them of a great chastisement for those who disbelieved in the Prophet’s message. Although they did not come into contact with the Prophet directly, the jinn who had listened to the Prophet that morning embraced islam. The Prophet only became aware of what had happened when Allah revealed the story in the Qur’an in two different chapters, Surah Al-Ahqaf and Surah Al-Jinn.

A few days later the Prophet left Nakhlah and headed toward Makkah. As he drew near Makkah, he began to make preparations, for he did not want to enter Makkah defenseless as he had done in Ta’af. He paused at Hira and sent a man to Akhtas bin Shariq to ask for protection. Akhtas, however, apologised and pointed out that since he was and ally of the Quraysh, he could not protect the Prophet. The Prophet then sent the same message to Suhayl bin Amr.

Even Suhayl refused to extend protection to the Prophet because he belonged to Banu Amir bin Luayy, which had also declared the Prophet an enemy. The Prophet then sent his message to Mut’im bin Adiy. Mut’im’s grandfather, Naufal, was the brother of Hashim bin Abud Manaf, one of the Prophet’s ancestors, and the clan of Abu Manaf was one of the most revered branches of the Quraysh.

Mut’im respecting the ties that bound him to the Prophet , agreed to protect his kinsman. He and his sons armed themselves and then sent for the Prophet . The Prophet went directly to the Ka’bah and circumambulated it, performed a short prayer, and then went home. During the entire time Mut’im bin Adiy and his sons kept watch. Mit’im then announced that he had extended protection to Muhammad .