A brief description of the persecution of the Quraish has been mentioned above. The admirable example of steadfastness and forbearance exhibited by the Muslims in the face of these hardships is a model in itself. Not a single example can be found from authentic Aḥādīth that an individual took the road of apostasy in fear of these hardships. Among the followers of the Holy Prophetsa, no doubt, some apostates can be seen, and in actuality, the phenomenon of apostasy can be found in the era of every prophet. However, in the Makkan life of the Holy Prophetsa, at least, I have not been able to find the mention of any real apostasy in authentic Aḥādīth, merely due to fear of hardships. The reason for this is that since the persecution of the Quraish was public, and every individual was aware of the hardships and pains of the Muslims, for this reason, anyone who converted made the decision to do so after the acknowledgement that I shall bear any and all difficulties in the way of truth. This is why after becoming Muslim, these hardships could not turn an individual from Islām, but temporarily, these hardships did have an injurious effect, in that there were many such people who did not find the courage to accept Islām due to these hardships. The influence of Islām reached their hearts, and they desired to escape the darkness of polytheism and idolatry and enter the light of Islām, yet in the face of these hardships, the spark of faith would light up in their hearts but quickly extinguish. Then, the sight of these hardships had also barred many from considering Islām. In addition to this, another effect of the persecution of the Quraish was also that Muslims were not able to fully preach their beliefs. The more preaching that is conducted, the message of truth reaches that many more people, and thus, the more converts come forth correspondingly. This is also another reason why the number of Muslims did not quickly multiply in Makkah. The Muslims felt these hindrances and the entanglement of their hearts would leave them helpless. On one occasion, Ḥaḍrat ‘Abdur-Raḥmān bin ‘Aufra presented himself before the Holy Prophetsa and said:
“O Messenger of Allāh, when we were idolaters, we were revered and none dared lay a sight upon us. But after we have become Muslim, we have become weak and powerless and we must bear the persecution of the Quraish in disgrace. Give us permission to fight these tormentors.”
The Holy Prophetsa said:
اِنِّیْ اُمِرْتُ بِالْعَفْوِ فَلَا تُقَاتِلُوْا
“I have been ordered to pardon. Thus, I cannot give you permission to fight.”1
Upon this order of their master, the steadfastness and pleasure with which the Muslims bore this persecution, yes, these very lion-hearted Muslims, who a few years later overthrew the Ceasar and Chosroes, has already been mentioned in some detail above. Does this not prove that in Makkah, for the Muslims not to take up the sword against the infidels, and to remain silent, and to bear their persecution in steadfastness, was not due to their being weak and not having the power to fight (as some opponents have understood). Rather, it was because the Holy Prophetsa had been ordered to pardon and the companions were not given permission to fight. However, when the completion of argumentation had been done and the infidels did not refrain from their persecution, rather, they grew more mischievous and stubborn, and set their hearts to uproot the flower of Islām, and did not leave the Muslims even after migration, despite the fact that he did not have an army to fight Arabia at all, the Holy Prophetsa took this hand-full of a community and fought them. Since the Divine succour of Allāh was with the Holy Prophetsa, he was triumphant in this contest.
1 Sunan Nasa’ī, Kitābul-Jihād, Bābu Wujūbil-Jihād, Ḥadīth No. 3086