In the name of God, the Merciful, the Beneficent
When they see you, they make you a target of their mockery, (saying): “Is this the one whom God has sent as His emissary? He could almost have led us astray from our deities, had we not been steadfastly attached to them!” But in time, when they see the suffering, they will come to know who it was that went farthest astray.
Have you considered the one who makes his desires his deity? Could you, then, be held responsible for him?
Or do you think that most of them listen and use their reason? They are but like cattle. Nay, they are even far worse astray.
(The Standard, Al-Furqan: 25: 41-44)
Prior to his choice as God’s Messenger, Muhammad (peace be upon him) was highly respected among his people, being the descendent of a noble family in the top tribe. His honesty and morality enhanced his position, as he was nicknamed Al-Ameen, which meant “the trustworthy”. Numerous examples could be cited of the great respect he enjoyed among his people, and their recognition that he was a man of exemplary integrity. Yet when he told them of his mission and recited to them this great book of divine revelations, they ridiculed him and said: “Is this the one whom God has sent as His emissary?” This is cruel ridicule. Yet, were they convinced that he deserved such ridicule, or that the message he preached deserved it? By no means. It was all a scheme devised by the Quraysh elders to detract from his great personality and to counter the irresistible influence of the Qur’an. They felt that the new message constituted a threat to their social and economic positions. Hence, they had to resort to every conceivable means to counter it. They convened meetings and conferences to devise plots and strategies, and to agree on what accusations they should level at Muhammad, knowing fully well that they were only fabricating blatant lies.
Ibn Ishaq reports that one year as the pilgrimage season approached, a group of the Quraysh people attended Al-Waleed ibn Al-Mugheerah, who was a high-ranking elderly figure. He said to them: “Now that the pilgrimage season is approaching, people will start arriving from all over the place. They must have heard about your friend (meaning the Prophet). So you had better agree what to say when you are asked about him. We must guard against having too many opinions, particularly if they are mutually contradictory.”
When his audience asked his advice as to what they should say, he preferred to listen to their suggestions first. Someone suggested that they should describe Muhammad as a fortune-teller. Al-Waleed said: “It is clearly recognized that he is not. We have seen fortune-tellers and what he says is nothing like the incomprehensible rhyming phrases they use.” Another suggestion was to say that he was a madman, but Al-Waleed rejected this saying: “We have seen madness and its effect on people. His is nothing like a madman’s seizure, convulsion or hallucination.” A third suggestion was to say that he was nothing more than a poet, but Al-Waleed again told them that it would not do. “We have learnt poetry in all its forms and what Muhammad says is nothing like poetry.” Someone suggested that they should say that Muhammad was a magician. Al-Waleed said: “He is not a magician. We have seen such people and their gestures as they blow and contract. He is totally unlike them.”
Giving up, they said: “What shall we say, then?” Al-Waleed said: “What Muhammad says is certainly beautiful. It is like a date tree with solid roots and rich fruit. Everyone of these suggestions you have made is bound to be recognized as false. The least disputable one is to claim that he is a magician who repeats magic words which make a man fall out with his father, mother, wife and clan.” They all approved of Al-Waleed’s suggestion and set about preparing their propaganda campaign. They made sure to meet pilgrims as they arrived in Makkah to warn them about the Prophet.
This is but an example of the plots they devised. It shows how they were at a loss concerning the accusations they could level at the Prophet, but it also shows that they were aware of how truthful he was. Indeed their mockery as they said: “Is this the one whom God has sent as His emissary?” was merely one of the forms they used in their propaganda against Islam and its advocates. In coming up with such claims, the elders of the Quraysh did not express their true feelings about the truth of Islam. This was simply a device aiming to lower the Prophet’s status in the public eye. For they were keen that the masses should continue to look up to them in matters of religion, because this would ensure that they continued to enjoy their social and economic privileges. In all this, the Quraysh is no different from other forces that are hostile to the truth and its advocates in all places and generations.
Although they were keen to project an attitude of ridicule toward the Prophet, their words reflected the great worry they felt and their knowledge of his strong argument and the powerful message the Qur’an embodied. They said: “He could almost have led us astray from our deities, had we not been steadfastly attached to them!”
They admit that they were greatly shaken to the extent that, keen as they were to stick to their religion which gave them numerous privileges, they were about to abandon their deities and idol worship altogether. They were able to maintain that only through a great effort of resistance. Steadfastness, which they speak about, is only required to strongly resist what is powerfully appealing. They also describe the right guidance the Prophet gave as “leading astray”, which shows how wrong they were in their evaluation of the situation. Despite the appearances they put of mocking the Prophet, they could not conceal the tremor they felt in their hearts as Muhammad advocated his message, reciting the Qur’an. Hence, a quick and general warning is given which strikes fear in their hearts: “But in time, when they see the suffering, they will come to know who it was that went farthest astray.”