It wasn’t as if the Pagan Arabs didn’t believe that Allah was the Creator of them and the universe… they did.
‘And if you ask them who created them, they will surely say: “Allah.” (43:87)
Say: ‘Whose is the earth and whosoever is therein if you know!’ They will say: ‘It is Allah’s!’ … (23:84-85)
It wasn’t as if in times of calamity they didn’t turn to Allah to save them… they did.
‘He it is Who enables you to travel through land and sea, till when you are in the ships, and they sail with them with a favorable wind, and they are glad therein, then comes a stormy wind and the waves come to them from all sides, and they think that they are encircled therein. Then they invoke Allah, making their faith pure for Him (alone), (saying): ‘If You (Allah) deliver us from this, we shall truly, be of the grateful.’ (10:22)
It wasn’t as though Mohammad (SAW) was a troublemaker, a sworn enemy with whom they had a vendetta …he wasn’t. Mohammad (SAW) belonged to the noblest clan; was loved, respected and highly thought of by his people.
The Quraysh called him Al Ameen (the trustworthy) and As Sadiq ( the truthful). The leaders of the Quraysh were happy for him to resolve the dispute over the black stone: “Al-Ameen has come. We are content to abide by his decision.”
It wasn’t as though, he was calling them to war, bloodshed, looting and pillaging…no, he (SAW) called them to piety and righteousness
Heraclius said, ‘What does he order you to do?’
Abu Sufyan said, ‘He tells us to worship Allah alone, and not to worship others along with Him, and to leave all that our fore-fathers used to worship. He orders us to pray, give in charity, be chaste, keep promises and return what is entrusted to us.’
And it wasn’t as though the Prophet (SAW) proclaimed the call of La ila ha ilAllah aggressively, coming at the Quraysh wielding a sword. Just the opposite…
‘Invite to the way of your Lord with wisdom and fair preaching, and argue with them with that which is best.’ (16:125)
Yet the Quraysh met the call of Rasool Allah (SAW) with hostility, persecution, bribery, and attempted murder. Why?
Why did they feel so threatened by La ilaha ilAllah?
True, they were not unaware of the existence of Allah. They believed Allah (SWT) created them, sustained them, took back their lives; and, yes, they even called upon Him (SWT) in times of great distress.
But La ilaha ilAllah asked them to take Allah as the sole God. This they did not want to do.
‘Has he made the aliha (gods) (all) into One Ilah (God – Allah). Verily, this is a curious thing!’ (38:5)
For the Quraysh understood that if they took Allah as their sole ‘Ilah’, it would mean a loss of their power, wealth, and status. So they complained to Abu Talib, the Prophet’s uncle,
‘O Abu Talib! Your nephew curses our gods; finds fault with our way of life, mocks at our religion and degrades our forefathers.’
They liked their way of life. They didn’t want it to change. They understood that what Mohammad called to, involved more than merely giving up their idols and pagan gods. It demanded more than individual acceptance and personal conviction. It would mean the restructuring of the whole of society, and no longer would the scales be tipped in their favor.
They, the tribal leaders, the rich traders, would no longer be the ones to set the rules of society. Instead the whole of life would be organized according to Allah’s commands. They didn’t care that Mohammad’s message was one of truth and justice, for the life of wealth and privilege they had built, rested on the oppression of the people.
Alarmed by the Message and fearful of its spread in Makkah and among the neighbouring Arab tribes, the Quraysh mobilized a hostile campaign against the Muslims, which persisted even when they migrated to Madina. Allah (SWT) tells us that this battle between truth and falsehood, between Islam and disbelief, is inevitable:
‘They (the disbelievers and the People of the Book) want to extinguish Allah’s Light (with which Muhammad has been sent – Islamic Monotheism) with their mouths, but Allah will not allow except that His Light should be perfected even though the disbelievers hate (it). It is He Who has sent His Messenger with guidance and the Deen of truth (Islam), to make it superior over all religions even though the disbelievers hate (it).’ (9:32-33)
And this battle is ongoing… today it’s the Western powers who understand the threat Islam poses to their way of life, and are relentless in their efforts to hinder the revival of Islam as a system for regulating all of life’s affairs. Allah (SWT) tells us,
‘Verily, those who disbelieve spend their wealth to hinder (men) from the Path of Allah, and so will they continue to spend it; but in the end it will become an anguish for them. Then they will be overcome. And those who disbelieve will be gathered unto Hell. (8:36)
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