They hurled stones at him from all sides until he was...

They hurled stones at him from all sides until he was bleeding from the wounds inflicted by them. He left the town and sat under a tree in an orchard in the outskirts of the town. This orchard belonged to Utba and Shayba, two rich traders of the tribe of Quraysh. By chance, they happened to be inspecting their fruit at that time and saw the Holy Prophet (s) in that injured condition. They smiled at each other, pleased with the sight.

The Holy Prophet (s) sat under the tree, and cleaned the blood from his face. He was alone with his Lord there. He wanted to share his feelings with Him, so he said, “My Master, my Lord! I hereby lodge a complaint with You against these people.They had no reason to treat me, your weak and helpless creature, as they did. Lord! You are the God of the poor and oppressed, You are my God, and You just saw me facing the cruelty and hatred of these hooligans alone.

Have You decided to empower my enemies and defeat me? If that pleases You, Lord, then I am content. Nothing else is of consequence besides Your Pleasure. I take refuge in Your Light, which shattered the gloom of the universe and made it bright. Even if You allow disasters to descend on me, I will happily accept everything that comes from You, for my only desire is to gain Your Pleasure.

You are the Omnipotent, the Sovereign over everything in the Universe.” Utba and Shayba were watching the alienated condition of the Holy Prophet (s) with pleasure. They placed a bunch of grapes in a plate and ordered their Christian bondsman, Addas, to give it to the injured person sitting under the tree. They warned him to return immediately, and not enter into a conversation with him. Addas took the plate of grapes and placed it before the Holy Prophet (s) .

‘They are for you, eat them,’ he said. The Holy Prophet (s) picked a grape from the bunch and said, ‘Bismillah.’ Addas had never heard anybody in Taif utter the phrase he had just heard. ‘What did you just say? I don’t recall hearing it before,’ he queried. ‘O Addas, where are you from, and which religion do you profess?’ ‘I am a Christian from Nineveh.’ ‘Oh, so you are from Nineveh. Yunus ibn e Matti, the man of God, was your fellow citizen.’ ‘Strange! Indeed, most strange!

I fail to understand how you know his full name. Not even ten people knew his father’s name when I lived there. I am amazed how you learnt about it.’ ‘Yunus is my brother.