Visit to Taif juest! Lil (a): Describe the events of the Prophet’s visit to Taif. [10] In the 10 year of Prophethood, Hazrat Khadija, the first wife of the Holy Prophet (PBUH), died. In the same year, the Prophet (PBUH)’s uncle Hazrat Abu Talib too, passed away. The Holy Prophet (PBUH) was so deeply grieved by the deaths of his wife and his protective uncle that this year was called “Am-ul-Hazn”, the year of grief. The other Muslims shared in his sorrow but they were too weak to stand up against the Quraish or to provide him the kind of protection he previously had due to the presence of Hazrat Abu Talib. It is a general fact that financial and moral support are essential to lead and survive through a major religious-socio revolution; for one’s survival, Hazrat Khadija provided Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH) with money as she was a wealthy widow before their marriage while Hazrat Abu Talib protected the Holy Prophet (PBUH) from all kinds of danger from the beginning. Because of their deaths, the enemy took their opportunity and their attacks against the Holy Prophet (PBUH) increased. This new situation meant that he could no longer stay in Makkah with any hope of victory. Before things became too critical, the Holy Prophet (PBUH) had to explore new avenues in his search for support. So, accompanied by his adopted son Zaid bin Haris, he set out for Taif, to preach the message of Islam to its people. Taif was populated by Sageef, the second largest tribe in the Arabian Peninsula. As the Holy Prophet (PBUH) began his journey, he was full of hope that if they responded favourably, it would signify a new phase in the history of Islam. In Taif, the Holy Prophet (PBUH) approached the chiefs, calling upon them to believe in one Allah and to support him in his efforts to establish Islam: but none of them eave him a favourable response. Instead, they set upon him a crowd of teenagers to follow him and shout abuses at him. They even threw stones at him. This event took place because the people of Taif were proud and arrogant and too egotistical to support the Muslims who were in much minority in both power and magnitude than them. The other reason was that the people of Taif did not want to have a disagreement with the people of Quraish, the most powerful tribe in Arabia, for their own sake and were made reluctant to help the Muslims in any way As the teenagers threw the stones, the Holy Prophet (PBUH) was so badly wounded that his shoes were filled with blood. Zaid tried hard to defend the Holy Prophet (PBUH). In trying to shield him, Zaid’s head was badly wounded. The mob followed them until they were driven to the outskirts of the city.The Holy Prophet (PBUH) then took refuge in an orchard which belonged to two brothers, who although opposed to Islam and the Holy Prophet (PBUH), felt sorry for him. They sent their Christian slave named Addas with a bunch of grapes for both of them. After hearing Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH) say Bismillah before eating, Addas accepted Islam as he could relate this characteristic of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) from his study of Bible of the last prophet ever sent Afterwards, the Holy Prophet (PBUH) set out for his journey back to Makkah. In the way, a whole crowd of Jinnas accepted Islam as well. While resting in the orchard, the Holy Prophet (PBUH) prayed to Allah to show the people of Taif the right path. He said: Why should I pray for the destruction of these people? I hope that their posterity will certainly be among the believers in one Allah, In 9 A.H., the whole of Taif accepted Islam. Moreover, the threats of the Quraish forced the Holy Prophet (PBUH) to invite only the pilgrims or strangers to accept Islam. This resulted in the occurrence of the First and Second Pledges of Aqabah and eventually, the migration to Yasrib (Madinah), which opened a new chapter in the history of Islam. (b): How can Muslims apply in practice the lessons learnt from the Prophet's behaviour in this situation? [4] Despite being attacked and humiliated by the non-Muslims and being badly hurt and wounded, the Holy Prophet (PBUH) forgave them and wished for their better future. As a result of his patience and tolerance, Taif accepted Islam. His determination gives us a lesson that no matter how hard and hopeless a situation is, we should never give up hope and always look for a new angle to solve our problems, as the Holy Prophet (PBUH) went to Taif after losing financial and moral support due to the deaths of Hazrat Khadija and Hazrat Abu Talib, Furthermore, we also should always be patient and forgiving towards others as Allah has promised man that good behavior against the others results in their good conduct towards you. Forgiving other people make them forgive you for your mistakes.