Page 52 - The Struggle of the Messengers

50 The Struggle of the Messengers

After our Prophet (saas) was forced to leave Makkah, he returned
years later in the company of thousands of believers and
established his rule over the unbelievers. To the unbelievers'
surprise, the Muslims were neither divided nor scattered; rather,
they were stronger and more united and, with Allah's permission,

they defeated the unbelievers. This shows that alliances formed
against the believers will never succeed.

Attempts to arrest and imprison the Messengers

One of the methods used by the unbelievers' leaders is to arrest
and imprison the Messengers in an attempt to silence them, at

least in their own eyes, and prevent them from proclaiming His
way. In fact, these leaders want to totally eliminate the
Messengers and all other believers. The very existence of such
people makes them extremely anxious and uncomfortable. For
this reason, they spare no effort or expense to silence the
Messengers in order to protect their property and to perpetuate
the status quo.
For example, Pharaoh threatened the Prophet Moses (as) with
prison when the latter did not offer his obedience, out of the
foolish and mistaken belief that this was the best way to control

him. This threat is related in the Qur'an:
He [Pharaoh] said: "If you take any deity other than me, I will
certainly throw you into prison." (Surat ash-Shu'ara', 29)
When we look at Islamic history, those who strived in His way
were constantly subjected to pressure, cruelty, and interference by
the unbelievers. And the believers also experienced similar
difficulties. Since the unbelievers always feel threatened in such