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Shiavault - a Vault of Shia Islamic Books The Hidden Truth about Karbala Chapter 3: The Antagonists Before the advent of Islam, Mecca was an international trade center populated by Jews, Christians, Idol worshippers, atheists, and a motley crowd professing several other philosophies and religions. When the Prophet (S) propagated the concept and ideology of Islam, the immediate opposition was to the concept of One Unique God.

Barring atheists, most Meccans were willing to accept Muhammad (S) as the Messenger or Representative of God or even as an incarnation of God, for they had inherited such beliefs from their ancestors. What they were unable to digest were the concepts of One Unique God, a life after death, and accountability for one’s deeds in an eternal afterlife.[^1] Until the advent of Islam, most of the Arabs were idolaters, having a pantheon of three hundred and sixty deities.

They could not comprehend the Islamic philosophy of One Unique God. They assumed that by teaching a new philosophy the Prophet (S) was obliquely hankering after worldly power and glory. They offered to make him their leader with as much wealth as he wished in addition to proposals of arranging his marriage with the most beautiful girl of his choice, provided he gave up his Mission.

The Prophet (S) refused, saying, “ Even if you put the sun in my right hand and the moon in my left hand, I will not give up the Mission to which I am commanded .”[^2] Then the Meccans enforced a social boycott and later put him to mental and physical torture. Justice Murtaza Hussain in the footnote to his English translation of Ali Naqi’s book, ‘The History of Islam’ writes, “ The Prophet’s message is Islam - submission to the Will of God.

Its distinctive features are two:[1] A harmonious equilibrium between the temporal and spiritual [the body and soul], permitting a full enjoyment of all the good that God has created [Qur’an 7:32], enjoining at the same time on everybody duties towards God, such as worship, fasting, charity… etc. Islam was to be the religion of the masses and not merely of the elite.

[2] A universality of the call - all the believers becoming brothers and equals without any distinction of class or race or language.