The Makkan Period — Call to Islam
Early Believers
The first Muslims were those closest to Muhammad ﷺ: Khadijah (his wife), Ali ibn Abi Talib (his young cousin), Abu Bakr as-Siddiq (his close friend), and Zayd ibn Haritha (his freed slave). Abu Bakr then brought Uthman ibn Affan, Abd ar-Rahman ibn Awf, Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas, and others into Islam. The early community was small and diverse, including the powerful and the powerless.
Public Proclamation
For three years, the Prophet ﷺ preached privately. Then the command came to proclaim publicly. Standing on Safa hill, he called out to the Quraysh and asked: "If I told you that behind this mountain there is an army ready to attack you, would you believe me?" They said yes, for they had never known him to lie. He then proclaimed the message of monotheism — and faced immediate rejection from his uncle Abu Lahab.
Persecution and Steadfastness
The Quraysh elite, seeing a threat to their power and idol trade, launched a campaign of persecution. Believers were tortured — Bilal ibn Rabah, an Abyssinian slave, was made to lie on burning sand with rocks on his chest, yet cried "Ahad! Ahad!" (One! One!). Families of early converts were boycotted. The Prophet ﷺ bore insults, filth thrown at him, and physical abuse. He responded not with anger but with patience and prayer.
The Year of Sorrow
In approximately 619 CE, Muhammad ﷺ lost both Khadijah — his beloved wife and steadfast supporter — and his uncle Abu Talib — his protector in Makkah — within weeks of each other. This year was so difficult he named it "Am al-Huzn" (Year of Sorrow). Soon after, he traveled to Ta'if to seek support, where he was mocked and driven out with stones thrown at his feet. Despite this, when the Angel Jibreel offered to crush the city between two mountains, the Prophet declined.
The Night Journey (Isra' wa Mi'raj)
Allah honoured His Prophet with the extraordinary event of the Isra and Mi'raj — the Night Journey from Makkah to Jerusalem (Al-Masjid Al-Aqsa), and then the ascension through the seven heavens. During this journey, the five daily prayers were prescribed — reduced from fifty after Moses ﷺ advised the Prophet to request reductions from Allah, in his concern for the Muslim community.