Muhammad the Prophet of Mercy

4. We will make
you our king

The
disbelievers tried to tempt the Prophet r with worldly riches, power, and sovereignty; laying them under his feet,
hoping that this might dissuade him from calling people to Islam and worshiping
Allah, Alone, with undivided allegiance.

An envoy of the pagan
leaders, ‘Utbah bin Rabi‘ah, came to bargain with the Prophet r,
saying, “If you are only
seeking wealth with the matter with which you came, we will collect for you
from our wealth until you become the richest among us. If you are seeking high
rank, we will make you our master and will decide no matter without you. If you
are seeking dominion, we will make you a king over us. And if that which comes
to you is an evil spirit you see and cannot drive away from yourself, we will
seek treatment for you, and we will freely spend the foremost portion of our
wealth until we cure you of it.”

When ‘Utbah finished, the
Messenger of Allah r,
who was listening to him, said, “Have you finished, O Abul-Walid?” He
said, “Yes.” The Messenger of Allah r said, “Then listen
to me.” ‘Utbah said, “I will.” And he r recited:

(In
the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful: Ha­-Mim1. (This is) a Revelation from the Most
Gracious, the Most Merciful. A Book whose Ayat are explained in detail. A Qur’an
in Arabic for a people who know. A giver of glad tidings and a warner; but most
of them turn away, so they do not hear. And they say, “Our hearts are within
coverings from that to which you invite us, and in our ears is deafness, and
between us and you is a barrier, so work (on your way); indeed, we are
working.” Say (O Muhammad), “I am only a human being like you. It is revealed
to me that your God is only One God. Therefore, take the Straight Path to Him
and seek forgiveness from Him. And woe to the Mushrikin.”)2

The Messenger of Allah r continued reciting the
Surah to ‘Utbah, who listened attentively to the recited Ayat,
supporting himself upon his hand placed behind his back. On reaching the Ayah
that required prostration, the Messenger of Allah r
prostrated himself and then said, “You have heard, O Abul-Walid, what you
have heard; it is you and this.”

‘Utbah went back to his companions, who whispered to one
another, “We swear by Allah, Abul-Walid has returned to you with a different
countenance from that with which he departed.”

When he sat with them, they said, “O Abul-Walid, what is
behind you?”

He said, “Behind me is that I heard a saying which I swear
by Allah the like of it I have never heard. By Allah it is neither poetry, nor
magic, nor soothsaying. O people of Quraish, obey me and lay it on me. Do not
come between this man and what he is in. Withdraw from him. By Allah, the
saying I heard from him will be a great event. Should the Arabs defeat him, others
than you will rid you of him. Should he triumph over the Arabs, his supremacy
will be yours, his glory will be yours, and you will be the most fortunate of
all people by him.”

They said, “He bewitched you with his tongue, by Allah, O Abul-Walid.”

He said, “That is my opinion regarding him. Do with him as you
please.”
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