Right from the start of his mission, the Prophet (peace be upon him) advocated Islam at every occasion, with all people, as long as they would listen to him. He never tried to impose his message on anyone, because he knew that Islam only accepts those who embrace it through conviction. There is no room in Islam for compulsion or coercion.
The Prophet called on all people to believe in Islam. He would spend as much time as needed with an individual who was willing to listen to him.
A new believer was an important gain, no matter how low was his standing in society, because class distinction is unacceptable in Islam. All people are equal and all are addressed by the Islamic message.
Amr ibn Absah used to say of himself that at one point he constituted one quarter of the Muslim community. When he was asked to explain his claim, he said: “Prior to Islam, I used to feel that people were following erroneous beliefs and that the idols were nothing. I then heard of a man in Makkah who says things and mentions something strange. I mounted my she-camel and aimed to Makkah.
“When I arrived I found that the Prophet was keeping a low profile and his people were hard on him. I started to gather information discreetly, then I went to him and asked: ‘What are you?’ He said: ‘I am God’s prophet.’ I asked: ‘What is God’s prophet?’ He said: ‘I am God’s Messenger.’ I asked: ‘Has God sent you?’ He said: ‘Yes.’ So I asked him: ‘With what message has He sent you?’ He said: ‘My message is that God is one with whom no partners can be associated, the idols must be destroyed and that the bond of kinship must be upheld with kindness.’ I asked him: ‘What following do you have?’ He said: ‘One free man and one slave.’ (It was apparently that Abu Bakr and Bilal were his followers.) I said: ‘I wish to be with you.’ He said: ‘You cannot do that today. It is better that you rejoin your people. When you hear that I have prevailed, you join me.’
“I went back to my people after I had embraced Islam. Then the Prophet immigrated to Madinah, and I was keen to hear his news. Some travelers from Yathrib arrived and I asked them about the Makkan man who settled with them. They said: ‘His people wanted to kill him, but they were prevented from doing so, and when we left, people were flocking to him.’ I traveled on my she-camel to Madinah. When I entered, I said: ‘Messenger of God! Do you know me?’ He said: ‘Yes. Are you not the man who came to me in Makkah?’ I asked him to teach me something of what God has taught him.” (Related by Ahmad, Muslim and Al-Tabarani).
This is the case of a man who wanted to make his stand clear. According to commentators, his desire to follow the Prophet implied that he would declare his belief straightaway in Makkah.
When the Prophet told him that he could not follow him then, he meant that he could not make a public stand, because there were only very few Muslims and he was not one of the people of Makkah.
This meant that he would be target of abuse, and he may risk his life. Hence, he accepted Islam, but kept that secret and went to his people waiting for the Prophet’s signal so that he could join him.
Another version of this Hadith gives some more details. It mentions that when the man asked about God’s message the Prophet was to deliver, he said: “That ties of kinship should be maintained, blood should not be shed, people’s roads should be safe, idols destroyed, and all worship should be devoted to God alone, without partners.”
Amr said: “Fine is the message God has entrusted to you, and I want you to witness that I believe in you and accept your message. Shall I stay with you, or what do you think?” The Prophet said: “You will see that people are averse to what I am advocating. Stay with your people, and when you hear that I have immigrated, then come to me.”
Another person the Prophet invited to Islam on his own in the early days of his message was Khalid ibn Saeed ibn Al-Aas, who was the first among his brothers to become a Muslim.
It all started with a dream in which he saw himself standing by a huge fire, and that someone was trying to push him into it. (One version suggests that he saw his father pushing him toward it).
But God’s Messenger held him by his robes so that he would not fall into it. He suddenly woke up, and thought: “By God, this is a true dream.”
Khalid then met Abu Bakr and related his dream to him. Abu Bakr said: “This is to your good. Here is God’s Messenger. Follow him and be a Muslim with him, for Islam will protect you from falling into the fire, while your father is certain to be in it.” Khalid then met the Prophet at Ajyad in Makkah and asked him: “What are you inviting people to believe?” the Prophet said: “I call on you to believe in God as the only deity and who has no partners, and that Muhammad is God’s servant and messenger. You should abandon what you believe in now, worshipping idols of stone which neither hear nor see, cause neither harm nor benefit, and do not know who worship them and who does not.” Khalid declared: “I bear witness that there is no deity other than God and that you are God’s Messenger.” The Prophet was very pleased with that.
Khalid stayed away from home, but his father heard of his embracing Islam. He sent for him until he was taken to him. He reproached Khalid severely, hitting him with a whip he held until it broke. He then said to Khalid: “By God! I will deprive you of food.” Khalid said: “If you deny me that, then God will provide for me what I need to live.” Khalid then went to the Prophet and stayed with him. (Related by Al-Bayhaqi and Al-Hakim).
This is the case of a young man who responded to an indication and made sure of the new religion before taking a decision to adopt it. Once he realized that it was superior to everything he knew and that its message is the truth, he did not hesitate to believe in it, knowing that his father was very hostile to it. Other details suggest that his father abused him verbally in front of his brothers. He also threatened his other sons with similar fate if they followed Khalid’s suit and believed in Islam. Khalid was among the first Muslims to immigrate to Abyssinia.
