Page 66 - Islam Denounces Terrorism

64 Islam Denounces Terrorism

homes and possessions of most were looted and they were constantly
exposed to threats and insults. Yet Muslims continued living without
resorting to violence, merely keeping their distance from the pagans
and always calling them to the path of peace.

Yet the aggression of the pagan communities in question was
unrelenting.

The Quraysh initially seemed to regard the prophethood of
Muhammad (pbuh) as unimportan, in their own minds. At first, while
continuing not to believe, they made no protest against the Prophet's
(pbuh) call so long as he said nothing against their idols. Then, gradu-
ally when they saw the Prophet (pbuh), they attacked him verbally.
They unwisely mocked and belittled Muslims. The Quraysh's "verbal

assault" period began in that way.
The Qur'an describes the position in these words:

Those who did evil used to laugh at those who had faith.

When they passed by them, they would wink at one another.

When they returned to their families, they would make a joke of
them.
When they saw them, they would say, "Those people are misguided."
(Qur'an, 83:29-32)

Mecca was the centre of idolatry. Mecca would fill to overflowing
every day with people coming to visit the Ka'aba and the idols around
it, thus earning the Quraysh a good deal of money and prestige. The
Quraysh regarded the spread of Islam in Mecca as a threat, because
they thought that this would act against their own interests and also
attract the hostility of other tribes. They also knew that Islam regarded
everyone as equal and made no discrimination on grounds of lineage
or wealth. Leading members of the Quraysh therefore believed they
needed to take precautions to stop the spread of Islam. These "precau-

tions" frequently included the torture and even the killing of Muslims.
(Ibn Hisham, 1/287)