Jibreel
The years passed. Abu Talib became seventy years of age.
Our Master Muhammad [s] was forty years of age. Muhammad went to Hira Cave every day.
In that year, Jibreel came down from the sky. Our Master Muhammad [s]
heard him saying:
Read! Read! In the name of your Lord who created.
He created man from a clot.
Read and your Lord is most Honorable, who taught (to write) with the pen, taught man what he knew not.
Then Jibreel said:
Muhammad, you're Allah's Messenger and I'm Jibreel.
Muhammad came back from Hira Cave holding the Mission of the Heavens.
His wife, Khadijah, believed in him. His cousin Ali bin Abu Talib believed in him, too.
One day, while our Master Muhammad [s] was praying and Ali was behind him, Abu Talib came and said kindly:
My nephew, what are you doing?
The Prophet [s] said:
We're praying to Allah according to the religion of Islam.
Abu Talib said happily:
There's no harm in what you're doing.
Then he said to his son Ali:
Ali, support your cousin. He does nothing but good.
In the Prophet's House
After a while, Jibreel came down holding Allah's Order:
And warn your nearest relations, and be kind to him who follows you of the believers.
Allah's Messenger ordered Ali aged ten to invite his tribe, namely Bani Hashim. Abu Talib, Abu Lahab and others came to the Prophet's house.
When they all had the food, our Master Muhammad [s] said:
No Arab young man had brought his people like what I've brought you. I've brought you the good of here and of the hereafter.
Then, he asked them to believe in Islam. Abu Lahab stood up and said with spite:
Muhammad's put a spell on you.
Abu Talib said angrily:
Shut up! It's none of your business!
Abu Talib turned to our Master Muhammad [s] and said:
Get up and say whatever you like. Spread Your Lord's Mission, for you're the Truthful, the Trusted one.
So, our Master Muhammad [s] got up and said:
My Lord has ordered me to ask you to believe in Him. So, who will support me in this matter? Who wants to be my brother; my regent, and my successor after me?
They kept silent.
So, Ali said eagerly:
Allah's Apostle, I.
The Prophet rejoiced and embraced his young cousin while he was weeping.
Bani Hashim stood up. Abu Lahab was laughing and saying sarcastically to Abu Talib:
Muhammad's ordered you to hear and obey your son.
But Abu Talib did not pay attention to him. Rather, he looked angrily at him.
Abu Talib kindly said to his nephew:
Go on what Allah's ordered you. By Allah, I'll support and protect you.
Our Master Muhammad [s] looked at his uncle respectfully. He felt strong as long as the Master of Makkah was with him.
The Supporter
Although Abu Talib was an old man, he strongly stood by Muhammad's Mission. He was always protecting him from the Quraishi polytheists.
A big number of the Makkans believed in Allah's religion paying no attention to the worship of the idols and to the threats of the Quraishi tyrants.
One day, the Quraishi leaders came to Abu Talib though he was confined to bed. They said angrily:
Abu Talib! Keep your nephew from us because he's weakened our thoughts and insulted our gods.
Abu Talib became sad because his people did not want to listen to the sound of truth. So, he said to them:
Give me time to speak to him.
Abu Talib told our Master Muhammad [s] the words of the Quraishi leaders.
The Prophet [s] said respectfully:
Uncle! I can't disobey my Lord's Order.
Abu Jahal, the most spiteful man, said:
We'll give him whatever he wants of our money. Rather, we'll make him king over us if he wants.
The Prophet [s] said:
I want nothing but one word.
Abu Jahal said:
What's the word? We'll give you as ten times as it!
Our Master Muhammad [s] said:
Say there's no god but Allah.
So, Abu Jahal was filled with anger:
Ask another word instead!
Allah's Apostle [s] said:
If you brought me the sun and put it in my hand, I'd not ask a word instead.
There was tension. The polytheists stood up. They were threatening our Master Muhammad [s].
Abu Talib said to our Master Muhammad:
Save your soul and don't overburden me.
The Prophets' eyes shed tears when he answered:
Uncle, by Allah, if they put the sun in my right hand and the moon in my left hand to leave this matter, I'd not leave it till Allah supports it or I perish for it.
The Prophet [s] stood up rubbing his tears. So, Abu Talib called him kindly and said:
Nephew draw near.
Our Master Muhammad [s] drew near. His uncle kissed him and said:
Nephew, go and say whatever you like. By Allah, I'll never leave you alone.
Then, he began chanting to confront the Quraishi might:
By Allah, they all won't reach you.
Till a pillow of dust will be put under my head.
And till I'll be buried.
The Light of Islam
Our Master Muhammad [s] went on preaching the new religion to bring out people from darkness into light.
Again the Quraishi tyrants came to Abu Talib. They used another style:
Abu Talib, this is Amarah bin al-Waleed (Khalid bin al-Waleed's brother). He's the strongest and the most handsome young man of all the Quraish. So, take him and give us Muhammad to kill.
Abu Talib was sorry to hear that idea. He answered them angrily:
Do you give me your son to feed him for you, while I give you my son to kill him? Have you ever seen a she-camel take pity on other than its young?
The polytheists harm became intense. They began torturing them. Abu Talib thought that their harm would include our Master Muhammad [s]. So, he sent for Bani Hashim. He asked them to protect and save the Prophet [s]. They accepted but Abu Lahab.
Abu Talib heard that Abu Jahal and other polytheists tried to kill our Master Muhammad [s].
So, he and his son Ja'far went to the hills of Makkah to look for him. They looked for him here and there.
Finally, they found him praying to Allah. In the meantime, Ali was praying on his right-hand side. They were sad to see that there was no one with our Master Muhammad [s] but Ali. Thus Abu Talib wanted to encourage his nephew. He turned to his son Ja'far and said:
Complete your cousin's wing.
Namely, pray on his left hand to feel determination, strength, and confidence. Ja'far stood with our Master Muhammad [s] and his brother Ali to pray to Allah, the Creator of the skies and the earth, the Lord of the Worlds.
Again, Abu Talib missed our Master Muhammad [s]. He waited for his return. But he did not come back. So, he went to look for him. He went to the place where our Master Muhammad [s] went frequently. But he did not find him.
So, Abu Talib came back, gathered Bani Hashim together and said to them:
Each one of you must take a strong iron bar. Now follow me. When I enter the mosque, each one of you must sit beside a Quraishi leader. He must kill him if we knew that Muhammad had been killed.
The young men of Bani Hashim obeyed Abu Talib. Each one of them sat beside a polytheist.
Abu Talib sat waiting for our Master Muhammad [s]. Meanwhile Zaid bin Harith came and told him that the Prophet [s] was safe.
Then, Abu Talib announced his plan to punish those who tried to hurt the Prophet [s].
The polytheists were abase. Abu Jahal kept silent. His face became yellow with fear.
Some of the polytheists urged their boys and slaves to hurt our Master Muhammad [s].
One day, the Prophet [s] was praying. A young man came and threw the wastes at him. The polytheists began laughing loudly. Our Master Muhammad [s] was very unhappy. So, he went to his uncle and told him about the young man's bad behaviour
Abu Talib became very angry. He took out his sword and came to the polytheists. He ordered his boy to throw the wastes at their faces.
They said:
Abu Talib, that's enough!
