Why did the Mushriks(polytheists/idol worshippers) of Makkah and the other Kuffar(disbelievers in Islam) fight with The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ ?
بسم الله الرحمَن الرحيم
The Mushriks of Makkah strove and fought against The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ because he ﷺ taught beliefs against theirs and criticized their wrong practices in worship and reigion.
Some of their false beliefs were as follows:
- The Mushriks of Makkah believed in many gods and deities (objects of worship).
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ taught them from The Quran that Allah, The One True Diety to be worshipped, is One.
Allah says in The Quran:
“And your God is One Ilah God (Allah), La ilaha illa Huwa (there is none who has the right to be worshipped but He), the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful.”
[Surah Al-Baqarah 2:163]
- The Mushriks of Makkah worshipped idols, stones and trees besides also worshipping Allah.
The Prophet ﷺ taught them to worship Allah alone, and do all supplications (Dua), Salah (Prayers), Sujud (Prostrations), Ruku (Bowing) and sacrifices only for Allah.
Allah, The Almight One True God, said in The Quran:
“It is You (Allah Alone) we worship and You (Allah Alone) we ask for help.”
[Al-Fatihah 1:5]
“Say (O Muhammad): Verily, my Salaah (prayer), my sacrifice, my living, and my dying are for Allaah, the Lord of the ‘Aalameen (mankind, jinn and all that exists)”
[al-An’aam 6:162]
“And whoever invokes (or worships), besides Allaah, any other ilaah (god), of whom he has no proof; then his reckoning is only with his Lord. Surely, Al-Kaafiroon (the disbelievers in Allaah and in the Oneness of Allaah, polytheists, pagans, idolaters) will not be successful” [al-Mu’minoon 23:117]
- The Mushriks of Makkah sacrificed animals in the name of their idols, trees and other objects of worship.
In a Hadeeth of the Prophet ﷺ, he mentioned that Allaah The Almighty curses those who offer sacrifices for the sake of someone else other than Him. [Muslim]
- The Mushriks of Makkah, the Christians and the Jews made the graves of their Awliya (pious people) as places of worship. They would pray there, and also do Sujud (prostrations) there.
The Prophet taught them that graveyards are not places of worship.
The Prophet ﷺ said: “All the earth is a mosque apart from the graveyards and bathrooms.” (Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, 317; Ibn Maajah).
- The Christians and the Jews made the graves of their Awliya (pious people) as places of worship, the Prophet criticized them for doing so and said that such an action was Haram (prohibited).
The Prophet ﷺ said: “May Allaah curse the Jews and the Christians, for they have taken the graves of their Prophets as places of worship.” (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 435; Muslim, 529).
It was narrated that Abu Marthad al-Ghanawi said: The Messenger of Allaah ﷺ said: “Do not sit on graves, or pray towards them.” (Narrated by Muslim, 972).
- The Christians and the Jews made huge graves and build strong structures over them.
The Prophet ﷺ prohibited that people should build huge structures over graves.
It was narrated that Jaabir said: The Messenger of Allaah ﷺ forbade plastering over graves, sitting on them and erecting structures over them. Narrated by Muslim, 970.
- The Mushriks of Makkah built idols and the Christians and the Jews made huge tombs over the graves of their pious people.
The Prophet ordered the companions to destroy the idols in The Kabah and huge tombs over the graves.
It was narrated that Abu’l-Hayaaj al-Asadi said: ‘Ali ibn Abi Taalib said to me: “Shall I not send you on the same mission as the Messenger of Allaah ﷺsent me? Do not leave any statue without erasing it, and do not leave any raised grave without leveling it.” (Narrated by Muslim, 969).
- The Mushriks of Makkah wore Amulets (Taweez/Tameemah) to protect themselves from evil eye , Shaytan, Jinn and other sicknesses.
The Prophet ﷺ taught them only to rely upon Allah and reject all these amulets.
It was narrated from ‘Uqbah ibn ‘Aamir al-Juhani that a group came to the Messenger of Allaah ﷺ [to swear their allegiance (bay’ah) to him]. He accepted the bay’ah of nine of them but not of one of them. They said, “O Messenger of Allaah, you accepted the bay’ah of nine but not of this one.” He said, “He is wearing an amulet.” The man put his hand (in his shirt) and took it off, then he (the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)) accepted his bay’ah. He said, ‘Whoever wears an amulet has committed shirk .”
(Narrated by Ahmad, 16969)
The Prophet ﷺ taught the people to use The Quran and The Duas from The Sunnah to treat spiritual and physical illnesses, and asked them to avoid going to false charlatans.
It was narrated from Zaynab the wife of ‘Abd-Allaah ibn Mas’ood from ‘Abd-Allaah that he said:
“I heard the Messenger of Allaah ﷺ say, ‘Spells (ruqyah), amulets and love-charms are shirk.” I said, “Why do you say this? By Allaah, my eye was weeping with a discharge and I kept going to So and so, the Jew, who did a spell for me. When he did the spell, it calmed down.” ‘Abd-Allaah said: “That was just the work of the Shaytaan who was picking it with his hand, and when (the Jew) uttered the spell, he stopped. All you needed to do was to say as the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to say: ‘Adhhib il-ba’s Rabb al-naas ishfi anta al-Shaafi laa shifaa’a illa shifaa’uka shifaa’an laa yughaadiru saqaman .’”
(Narrated by Abu Dawood, 3883; Ibn Maajah, 3530)
[Translation of The Dua: Remove the harm, O Lord of mankind, and heal, You are the Healer. There is no healing but Your healing, a healing which leaves no disease behind.]
- The Kuffar would prostrate (do Sujud) to their leaders and idols.
The Prophet made that Haram (prohibited) for the people, he instructed that no one should be prostrated to, except Allah Alone.
Abu Hurayrah narrated that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ entered one of the gardens of the Ansaar, where he saw two restless camels. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ drew close to them and they knelt down and lay their necks on the ground. Those who were with him said: They have prostrated to him. The Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said:
“It is not appropriate for anyone to prostrate to anyone else. If it were appropriate for anyone to prostrate to anyone else, I would have instructed the wife to prostrate to her husband, because of the great rights that Allah has given him over her.”
(Ibn Hibban, 4162 (Hasan [Al-Albani]))
- The Mushriks and Kuffar would seek protection from the Jinn.
The Prophet prohibited people from seeking help and protection from the Jinn.
Allah, The Almight One True God, said in The Quran:
‘And verily, there were men among mankind who took shelter with the masculine among the jinns, but they (jinns) increased them (mankind) in sin and disbelief.’[Surah Jinn 72:6]
- The Mushriks of Makkah would call upon others besides Allah in The Masjid-Ul-Haram in Makkah.
The Prophet ﷺ prohibited people from calling upon anyone other than Allah, in the Houses of Allah.
Allah, The Almight One True God, said in The Quran:
‘And the mosques are for Allah (Alone), so invoke not anyone along with Allah’. [Surah Jinn 72:18]
- The Mushriks of Makkah and the Kuffar would call upon the dead and their idols.
The Prophet made it clear that it is not permissible to call upon the dead and the idols as they do not own anything in comparison to Allah.
Allah, The Almight One True God, said in The Quran:
“And those, whom you invoke or call upon instead of Him, own not even a Qitmeer (the thin membrane over the date stone).
If you invoke (or call upon) them, they hear not your call; and if (in case) they were to hear, they could not grant it (your request) to you [Faatir 35:13-14]
- The Christians and Jews said that Allah had a son, the Mushriks of Makkah said that the Angels are daughters of Allah.
The Prophetﷺ taught from The Words of Allah in The Quran that Allah doesn’t have a son, and such a claim angers Allah.
Allah, The Almight One True God, said in The Quran:
And they say: “The Most Beneficent (Allah) has begotten a son (or offspring or children) [as the Jews say: ‘Uzair (Ezra) is the son of Allah, and the Christians say that He has begotten a son [‘Iesa (Christ)], and the pagan Arabs say that He has begotten daughters (angels, etc.)].” Indeed you have brought forth (said) a terrible evil thing. Whereby the heavens are almost torn, and the earth is split asunder, and the mountains fall in ruins, That they ascribe a son (or offspring or children) to the Most Beneficent (Allah). But it is not suitable for (the Majesty of) the Most Beneficent (Allah) that He should beget a son (or offspring or children).
[Surah Maryam 19:88-92]
- The Mushriks would swear and promise by other than Allah.
The Prophet ﷺ ordered people to swear(promise) in The Name of Allah Alone.
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever swears an oath then let him swear by Allaah or else keep silent.” Agreed upon. And he said: “Whoever swears an oath, let him not swear by anything other than Allaah. Narrated by al-Nasaa’i.
And he said: “Whoever swears an oath by anything other than Allaah has committed shirk.”
- The Mushriks of Makkah and the Kuffar regarded all the above acts of Shirk and polytheism as rewardable and commendable.
The Prophet ﷺ warned them that if they died without accepting Islam and in a condition where they used to do Shirk and make partners with Allah, they will never ever be forgiven. As for other sins, Allah may forgive them or punish them temporarily and then grant them paradise, if they accept Islam.
Allah, The Almight One True God, said in The Quran:
“Verily, Allah forgives not that partners should be set up with him in worship, but He forgives except that (anything else) to whom He pleases, and whoever sets up partners with Allah in worship, he has indeed invented a tremendous sin.” [Surah An-Nisa 4:48]
- The Mushriks of Makkah did not agree to accept Islam as the true religion and convert to Islam.
The Prophet ﷺ made it clear that if the idol worshippers of Makkah did not accept Islam they will enter the Hell Fire forever.
Even the followers of Moosa and Isa (Moses and Jesus عليهما السلام) should accept Islam, or else they will enter The ever lasting Hell Fire.
Allah, The Almight One True God, said in The Quran:
“And whoever seeks a religion other than Islâm, it will never be accepted of him, and in the Hereafter he will be one of the losers” [Aal ‘Imraan 3:85].
The Messenger of Allah Muhammad ﷺ said:
“By the One in Whose hand is the soul of Muhammad, there is no-one of this Ummah, Jew or Christian, who hears of me then dies without believing in that with which I have been sent, but he will be one of the people of Hell.”
(Sahih Muslim, 153).
وصلى الله على نبينا محمد وعلى آله وأصحابه أجمعين.
–Abu Muaaz Mohammed Manna
(16th Muharram 1439)
Saheehus-Seerah 