It seemed that in Mecca now nobody would listen to him and this made him sad. He felt he was stagnating. So he decided to turn elsewhere for the preaching of his Message, and he chose Ta’if, a small town about sixty miles to the south-east of Mecca and famed for its fruit and its agriculture. The Prophet's(sa) decision was in keeping with the traditions of all Prophets(as). Moses(as) turned now to the Pharaoh, now to Israel, and now to Midian. Jesus(as), similarly, turned now to Galilee, now to places across the Jordan, and now to Jerusalem. So the Holy Prophet(sa) of Islam, finding that Meccans would ill-treat but not listen, turned to Ta’if. In polytheistic beliefs and practices Ta’if was not behind Mecca. The idols to be found in the Ka’ba were not the only, nor the only important, idols in Arabia. One important idol, al-Lat, was to be found in Ta’if; because of it Ta’if also was a centre of pilgrimage. The inhabitants of Ta’if were connected with those of Mecca by ties of blood; and many green spots between Ta’if and Mecca were owned by Meccans. On arrival at Ta’if, the Prophet(sa) had visits from its chiefs but none seemed willing to accept the Message. The rank and file obeyed their leaders and dismissed the teaching with contempt. This was not unusual. People immersed in worldly affairs always regard such a Message as something of an interference and even an offence. Because the Message is without visible support—such as numbers or arms—they also feel they can dismiss it with contempt. The Prophet(sa) was no exception. Reports of him had already reached Ta’if, and here he now was, without arms or following, a lone individual with only one companion, Zaid(ra). The towns folk thought him a nuisance which should be ended, if only to please their chiefs. They set vagabonds of the town and street boys at him who pelted him with stones and drove him out of the town. Zaid(ra) was wounded and the Prophet(sa) began to bleed profusely. But the pursuit continued until this defenceless party of two was several miles out of Ta’if. The Prophet(sa) was sorely grieved and dejected when an angel descended upon him and asked if he would like his persecutors to be destroyed. "No," said the Prophet(sa). "I hope that of these very tormentors would be born those who would worship the One True God." (Bukhari, Kitab Bad’ul-Khalq.)
Exhausted and dejected, he stopped at a vineyard owned by two Meccans who happened to be present. They were among his persecutors at Mecca, but on this occasion they became sympathetic. Was it because a Meccan had been ill-treated by the people of Ta’if, or was it because a spark of human kindness suddenly glowed in their hearts? They sent to the Prophet(sa) a tray full of grapes with a Christian slave, Addas(ra) by name and belonging to Nineveh. Addas(ra) presented the tray to the Prophet(sa) and his companion. While he looked wistfully at them, he became more curious than ever when he heard the Prophet(sa) say, "In the name of Allah, the Gracious, the Merciful." His Christian background was enlivened and he felt he was in the presence of a Hebrew Prophet(as). The Prophet(sa) asked him where he belonged and Addas(ra) said Nineveh, upon which the Prophet(sa) said, "Jonah(as), son of Amittai, who belonged to Nineveh, was a holy man, a Prophet like me." The Prophet(sa) also told Addas(ra) of his own Message. Addas(ra) felt charmed and believed at once. He embraced the Prophet(sa) with tears in his eyes and started kissing his head, hands and feet. The meeting over, the Prophet(sa) turned again to Allah and said:
Allah, I submit my plaint to Thee. I am weak, and without means. My people look down upon me. Thou art Lord of the weak and the poor and Thou art my Lord. To whom wilt Thou abandon me—to strangers who push me about or to the enemy who oppresses me in my own town? If Thou art not angered at me, I care not for my enemy. Thy mercy be with me. I seek refuge in the light of Thy face. It is Thou Who canst drive away darkness from the world and give peace to all, here and hereafter. Let not Thy anger and Thy wrath descend on me. Thou art never angry except when Thou art pleased soon after. And there is no power and no refuge except with Thee (Hisham and Tabari).
Having said this prayer, he set back for Mecca. He stopped en route at Nakhla for a few days and set out again. According to Meccan tradition he was no longer a citizen of Mecca. He had left it because he thought it hostile and could not return to it except with the permission of the Meccans. Accordingly, he sent word to Mut’im bin ‘Adi—a Meccan chief, to ask if Meccans would permit him to come back. Mut’im, though as bitter an enemy as any other, possessed nobility of heart. He collected his sons and relatives. Arming themselves, they went to the Ka’ba. Standing in the courtyard he announced he was permitting the Prophet(sa) to return. The Prophet(sa) then returned, and made a circuit of the Ka’ba. Mut’im, his sons and relatives, with swords unsheathed, then escorted the Prophet(sa) to his house. It was not protection in the customary Arabian sense which had been extended to the Prophet(sa). The Prophet(sa) continued to suffer and Mut’im did not shield him. Mut’im's act amounted to a declaration of formal permission for the Prophet(sa) to return.
The Prophet's(sa) journey to Ta’if has extorted praise even from the enemies of Islam. Sir William Muir, in his biography of the Prophet(sa), writes (speaking of the journey to Ta’if):
There is something lofty and heroic in this journey of Muhammad(sa) to At-Ta’if; a solitary man, despised and rejected by his own people, going boldly forth in the name of God, like Jonah to Nineveh, and summoning an idolatrous city to repent and support his mission. It sheds a strong light on the intensity of his belief in the divine origin of his calling (Life of Muhammad(sa) by Sir W. Muir, 1923 edition, pp. 112- 113).
Mecca returned to its old hostility. The Prophet's(sa) home town again became hell for him. But he continued to tell people of his Message. The formula, "God is One", began to be heard here and there. With love and regard, and with a sense of fellow-feeling, the Prophet(sa) persisted in the exposition of his Message. People turned away but he addressed them again and again. He made his proclamation, whether the people cared or not, and persistence seemed to pay. The handful of Muslims who had returned from Abyssinia and had decided to stay, preached secretly to their friends, neighbours and relations. Some of these were persuaded to declare themselves openly and to share the sufferings of other Muslims. But many, though persuaded at heart, did not have the courage to confess openly; they waited for the kingdom of God to come to the earth.
In the meantime revelations received by the Prophet(sa) began to hint at the near possibility of migration from Mecca. Some idea of the place they were to migrate to was also given to him. It was a town of wells and date-groves. He thought of Yamama. But soon the thought was dismissed. He then waited in the assurance that whatever place they were destined to go to would certainly become the cradle of Islam.