Faith Under Pressure

Night Prayer

Before the battles over the message began in public, the believers were trained in private. Allah told the Prophet ﷺ: “Stand in prayer at night, except a little: half of it, or a little less, or a little more, and recite the Qur'an slowly and clearly. We are about to send down to you a weighty word.”Qur'an 73:2–5

Aishah explained that at the start, standing in prayer at night was required of the Prophet ﷺ and his Companions. They did it for a whole year. Then Allah sent down the end of the same surah, which made it easier, and night prayer became voluntary. Muslim 746

A year of standing at night. That was the training camp for what was coming.

A House near Safa

Historians reportOne of the early believers, al-Arqam ibn Abi al-Arqam, had a house near the hill of Safa. Historians say the Prophet ﷺ used it as a quiet meeting place, where believers could learn and pray away from the eyes of Quraysh. al-Dhahabi, Siyar 2:479

“If He Does, I Will Trample His Neck”

Abu Jahl, one of the fiercest enemies of Islam, heard that Muhammad ﷺ was praying openly at the Ka'bah. “If I see him put his face on the ground,” he swore by his idols, “I will trample on his neck.” Muslim 2797

He came while the Prophet ﷺ was praying, and walked towards him. Then, suddenly, he turned back, shielding himself with his hands. When people asked what had happened, he said: “Between me and him is a ditch of fire, and terror, and wings.” The Prophet ﷺ said that if he had come closer, the angels would have torn him apart. Muslim 2797Bukhari 4958

Allah revealed about him: “Have you seen the one who stops a servant when he prays?” The surah ends: “No! Do not obey him. Prostrate and draw near.”Qur'an 96:9–19

Filth on His Back

Once, while the Prophet ﷺ was prostrating near the Ka'bah, surrounded by men of Quraysh, Uqbah ibn Abi Mu'ayt brought the waste from a slaughtered camel and dumped it on his back. The Prophet ﷺ stayed in prostration, without lifting his head. Then his young daughter Fatimah came running, pulled it off him and turned on the men who had done it. Bukhari 3854

Another time, Uqbah twisted his garment around the Prophet's ﷺ neck while he prayed and choked him hard. Abu Bakr rushed in, pushed Uqbah away and said, in the words of the Qur'an: “Will you kill a man because he says, ‘My Lord is Allah’?”Bukhari 3856Qur'an 40:28

The Blacksmith's Unpaid Bill

Pressure did not only come with fists. Khabbab ibn al-Aratt was a blacksmith. A rich man, al-As ibn Wa'il, owed him money. When Khabbab asked to be paid, al-As said: “I will not pay you until you reject Muhammad.”

“I will not reject him,” said Khabbab, “not until Allah makes you die and brings you back.”

“Then leave me until I die and am raised again,” al-As mocked. “I will have wealth and children then, and I will pay you.” Bukhari 2091 The Qur'an answered him: “Has he seen the unseen, or taken a promise from the Most Merciful?”Qur'an 19:77–80

“Will You Not Pray for Us?”

Khabbab and others were suffering terribly. One day they found the Prophet ﷺ resting in the shade of the Ka'bah, with his cloak as a pillow, and they said: “Will you not ask Allah to help us? Will you not pray for us?” Bukhari 3612

He sat up, his face red, and reminded them that believers before them had been tortured in far worse ways and had not given up their faith. Then he made a promise:

By Allah, Allah will complete this matter, until a rider travels from San'a to Hadramawt fearing nobody but Allah, and the wolf for his sheep. But you are in a hurry.

They could not see it then. But within twenty years, the whole of Arabia was safe in exactly that way.

Bilal and Sumayyah

The believers who suffered most were those with no powerful clan to protect them. Bilal, an enslaved African, was one of them. Abu Bakr bought his freedom. Bukhari 3754

Historians reportEarly historians remember Sumayyah, the mother of Ammar ibn Yasir, as the first person in Islam to be killed for her faith. She was killed by Abu Jahl. Ibn Hajar records this from the early scholar Mujahid with a sound chain. Ibn Hajar, al-Isabah 8:114 A shahid is a martyr, and the first martyr of Islam was a woman.

A Mother's Hunger Strike

Sometimes the pressure came from the people you loved most. When Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas became Muslim, his mother swore she would not speak to him, eat or drink until he gave up his religion. “Allah has commanded you to be good to your parents,” she said, “and I am your mother, and I command you to do this.” After three days she fainted from hunger. Muslim 1748

Allah revealed the answer, and it holds two things together. Do not obey your parents if they tell you to worship anything besides Allah, “but keep their company in this world with kindness.”Qur'an 31:15Qur'an 29:8 Firm in faith, gentle in manners. The Prophet ﷺ taught: “Gentleness is not found in anything except that it makes it beautiful.” Muslim 2594

The Weeping Reciter

Even Abu Bakr, a respected merchant, was pushed to the edge. He set out to leave Makkah for Abyssinia. On the road, a chief named Ibn al-Dughunnah met him and was shocked: “A man like you should not leave or be driven out! You help the poor, keep family ties, carry others' burdens, honour guests and help people in hardship.” He took Abu Bakr back under his protection. Bukhari 3905

Quraysh agreed, on one condition: Abu Bakr must pray only inside his house. He did for a while. Then he built a small prayer place in the open courtyard of his home and recited the Qur'an there. He wept as he recited, and the women and children of the neighbourhood gathered to watch and listen. Quraysh were alarmed. When Ibn al-Dughunnah asked him to stop or give back his protection, Abu Bakr said: “I return your protection to you. I am content with the protection of Allah.” Bukhari 3905

Notice that Ibn al-Dughunnah described Abu Bakr with almost the same words Khadijah used for the Prophet ﷺ in Chapter 4. Good character was recognised even by people who did not share their faith.