From the Twenty-First Discourse—page 435-436

in Irshad: Wisdom of a Sufi Master, by Sheikh Muzaffer Ozak Al-Jerrahi, trans. Muhtar Holland. An Ashki Book of Amity House, Warwick: 1988.

 

 

 

 

…One day*  our Master was sitting at a corner of the Ka’ba worshipping the Lord of all the Worlds.  He begged his Lord that his people might achieve right guidance.  The accursed Abū Jahl came along with a dissolute gang and they stopped by the Ka’ba to talk.  They were plotting against Islam and planning to play tricks upon the Muslims.  One of them noticed our Master and mentioned his presence to Abū Jahl, who immediately approached the Messenger of Allāh, along with his dissolute gang.  “O Muhammad,” said Abū Jahl mockingly, “are you really a prophet?”  The glorious Messenger took the question seriously and replied with dignity: “Yes, I am a Messenger; I am a Prophet.”  At this, that profligate crew began to scoff with impudent sarcasm: “How can you be a prophet?  You are an orphan; you did not go to school; you had no teacher; Abū Tālib brought you up as a poor orphan.  How dare you ignore the limitations of this humble background and pretend to be a prophet?  Perhaps you are making this claim with the intention of making yourself our equal or even our chief.  Give up this pretentious notion.  If prophethood came to anybody, if such a thing could really happen, it would have to come to me or to one of my peers like ‘Utba or Ubayy ibn Khalaf.  They are literate people like me; they are also leaders of our tribe.  You may have gathered a few followers, but they are not rich and enlightened people like my friends.  They are slaves and camelherds; they are our servants who live off our leftovers.  It is these dregs of our people who have rallied to you.  Those who are with me are the rich and powerful members of this nation, so give up this claim of yours.  How could we possibly share the belief of these slaves and servants—this bunch of peasants?  How could we sit in their company?  We are great men, leaders of the tribe, while those who believe in you are poor people and slaves.”  With such cruel and illogical words, they rejected the pure-hearted Messenger of Messengers and went away…

 

NOTES

 

(2)* According to the majority of scholars [the night of the heavenly Ascension (Mi’raj)] was a Thursday, the 26th of Rajab, in the ninth year of the Prophethood of the Messenger, on him be peace.