• The Prophet (pbuh) had been preaching to the people of Makka for ten years and they had faced many hardships;
• The number of Muslims was relatively small;
• His greatest supporters Khadija and Abu Talib had passed away (Year of Sorrow);
• He looked towards Makka to preach his message and went to Ta’if with Zayd bin Harithah;
• He thought people would be favourable to his message but they were hostile towards him;
• He met the chieftains of Banu Thaqif to discuss about Islam, but they received him very inhospitably, breaking the Arab custom of honouring the guests.
• When the Prophet wanted to leave, he asked the chieftains at least not to inform the Quraysh of his visit but they refused.
• The chieftains stirred up their people to chase them out by pelting them with stones.
• They threw stones at the Prophet until his (pbuh) legs bled
• Zayd lbn Harithah shielded the Prophet with his body and suffered several head fractures.
• They took refuge in an orchard owned by 'Utbah ibn Rabi'ah a few miles away;
• The two sons of Rabi'ah upon seeing his condition, sent their servant 'Addas, who was a christian, with a tray of grapes;
  • The servant was surprised when he saw the Prophet say Bismillah before he ate.
  • Upon hearing that the Prophet knew about Prophet Yunus, he kissed the Prophet's head, hands and feet.
• On the way back to Mecca, he prayed Subuh and a group of Jinns heard him recite the Qur'an, and God revealed the first verses of Surah Jinn to the Prophet.
• Jibril later appeared with the angel of the mountains and the angel of the mountains asked permission to crush Ta'if and its inhabitants with the two great mountains of Mecca surrounding it;
• The Prophet (pbuh) refused and instead prayed for believers to be born from their progeny.
• The Prophet (pbuh) gained protection from Mut’im ibn Adi on the way back to enter the Mecca.

How can Muslims apply in practice the lessons learnt from the Prophet’s behaviour in this situation?

<aside> 💡 Patient endurance and the struggle to overcome adversity are among the most important principles of Islam with which he (pbuh) was sent.

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• The Prophet did not give up his faith in times of difficulty, despite few conversions and losing his wife and uncle, but rather he persevered.
  • Instead, the Prophet got closer to Allah (SWT) since received all these trials willingly, swallowing their bitterness wilh patience and in anticipation of the divine approval which awaited him as a result.