I have warned you of a Scourge like the scourge of Ad and Thamood.

I have warned you of a Scourge like the scourge of Ad and Thamood." Al-Walid shivered, and a shudder seized hold of him. He ran away and did not return to his companions who were waiting for him. The Quraishis reported that Abu-Jahl, saying: "O Abu al-Hakam! Abu-Shams inclined to the religion of Muhammad. Did you not see that he did not return to us?" Abu-Jahl hastened to meet al-Walid and said to him: "O uncle!

You have lowered our heads and disgraced us, You made our enemy rejoice at our affliction by inclining to the religion of Muhammad." "I did not incline to his religion," al-Walid explained, "but I have heard hard words that made my skin creep." "Was it a sermon?" Abu-Jahl inquired. "No," al-Walid." A sermon is composed of uninterrupted sentences. This is prose, parts of which are unlike the others". "Did you see him shudder at it?" asked Abu-Jahl. "No," "al-Walid replied.

"I heard Arabic poetry of all rhythms: The basit, madid, ramal and rajz. It is not poetry" '"Then," "Abu-Jahl wanted to know, "what is it?" "Let me think," said al-Walid. The next day, the Quraishis asked al-Walid, "O Abu Abd-Shams!

What should we call it?'" Say, "he advised them," it is sorcery, for it attracts the hearts of the people." About that, Allah, the Exalted, revealed to His Messenger (s.a.w.) the following verses: "Leave Me and him whom I created alone, And gave him vast riches, And sons dwelling in his presence, And I adjusted affairs for him adjustably; And yet he desires that I should add more! By no means! surely he offers opposition to Our signs. I will make a distressing punishment overtake him.

Surely he reflected and guessed, But may he be cursed how he plotted; Again, may he be cursed how he plotted; Then he looked, Then he frowned and scowled, Then turned back and was big with pride, Then he said: This is naught but enchantment, narrated (from others); This is naught but the word of mortal. I will cast him into hell. And what will make you realize what hell is?

It leaves naught nor does it spare aught." Holy Qur'an (73:21-28) Apart from this widespread slanderous propaganda, they moved to make bargains with him in a bid to lure him away from his message. With this in mind, they sent, one day, Utba bin Rabi'a, one of their prominent leaders, to the Prophet (s.a.w.) to strike a deal with him. He said to him: "...O my nephew! if you desire money and wealth, by preaching what you are preaching, we will collect enough for you from our own.