The communication of the Divine Message was the most essential characteristic of God’s Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings. We are troubled whenever we are hungry or thirsty, or when we have difficulty in breathing; but he was troubled if a day passed when he could not find someone to whom he could convey the Divine Message. He was so concerned about the guidance of people, and so physically pained by unbelief, that God advised him to be careful of his health, saying:

There was nobody left in Makka whom God’s Messenger had not invited in public or in private to God’s path. He had called some, like Abu Jahl who was extremely stubborn, at least fifty times. One of those whom he particularly desired should believe was his beloved uncle Abu Talib, who protected him against the cruelties of the Makkan polytheists. In the eleventh year of his Prophethood, when Abu Talib was on his death-bed, God’s Messenger again invited him to belief, but the Makkan chiefs surrounded him so as to prevent his embracing Islam. God’s Messenger was so grieved at Abu Talib’s unbelief that he said:

Abu Bakr, the closest Companion of the Prophet, upon him be peace and blessings, knew how much God’s Messenger had desired his uncle’s belief. He took his aged father to God’s Messenger upon his conversion on the day of the conquest of Makka, and doing so, sobbed bitterly. When asked why he was sobbing, he explained:

One of the best examples of the Messenger’s concern was his invitation to Wahshi, who had killed his beloved uncle, Hamza, in the Battle of Uhud. After the conquest of Makka, God’s Messenger sent for him to accept Islam, but the latter returned the invitation with a letter, including the following verses:

After the verse Wahshi added:

God’s Messenger sent him a written reply containing the following verse:

Wahshi returned the letter with the excuse that the forgiveness promised in the verse depended on God’s Will. Upon this, God’s Messenger sent him a third letter in which the following verse was included:

Through this correspondence, God’s Messenger had, in fact, affected Wahshi’s heart and made it propitious for belief so that Wahshi could become a referent of the verse included in the last letter. He had enabled Wahshi to repent sincerely of his previous sins and elevated him to the rank of being a Companion. Nevertheless, the martyrdom of Hamza had affected God’s Messenger so deeply that he whispered to Wahshi:

Wahshi did try to keep out of sight of God’s Messenger. He used to stand behind a pole and try to catch a glimpse of God’s Messenger in the hope that he might allow him to present himself to him. However, it was not long before God’s Messenger passed away and Wahshi set out to find an opportunity to make up for having killed Hamza. So, when the war of Yamamah broke out against Musaylimah the Liar, he hastened to the front with the spear with which he had killed Hamza. At the most critical point of the fighting, he saw Musaylima trying to flee and, straight away, threw his spear at the impostor. This was the end of Musaylima, and Wahshi prostrated himself before God. While tears were flowing from his eyes, he was as if saying :

Will you now allow me to show myself to you, O God’s Messenger?

We cannot but wish that God’s Messenger was present in spirit at Yamama and embraced him to show his pardon and full admission into his noble company.

Another fine example of God’s Messenger’s nobility and altruism, his love for mankind and concern about people's guidance, is his acceptance of Ikrima as a Companion. Ikrima was one of the most bitter enemies of Islam and the Messenger. He had participated in all the plots against Islam and its noble Prophet, upon him be peace and blessings. He fled to the Yemen with his wife on the day Makka was conquered while many of his comrades chose conversion. His wife, Umm Hakam, convinced him to go to God’s Messenger and ask forgiveness. Despite his previous crimes, Ikrima was welcomed by God’s Messenger with the compliment: Welcome, O emigrant rider! After the conquest of Makka, there was no longer any ‘emigration’ in the true sense, but God’s Messenger, upon him be peace, alluded, by this compliment, to his long journey from the Yemen to Madina.

Ikrima was deeply affected by the nobility of God’s Messenger and requested him to ask God’s pardon for his sins. When the Messenger did so, Ikrima felt exhilarated and promised the Messenger that he would spend for the sake of Islam the double of what he had spent in fighting against it.

Ikrima fulfilled his promise at the Battle of Yarmuk. He was wounded there and taken to a tent. On seeing his wife weep beside him, he said to her:

Don’t weep, for I will not die before I witness the victory.

Some time later his uncle, Hisham, entered the tent and announced the good news that God had granted the Muslims victory. Ikrima asked to be helped to stand up, and when they did so, whispered:

O God’s Messenger, have I carried out the promise I gave you?

Then, he recited the verse, Make me die as a Muslim and join me to the righteous (Yusuf, 12.101), and submitted his soul to God.

God’s Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings, grieved throughout his life for the misfortunes of mankind. There was no rest for him, and he called people to God’s way all the time. During his years in Makka, he walked in streets and visited the fairs held every year around Makka, in the hope of gaining a few converts. Insults, derision and torture were not able to to make him forsake the communication of his Message. When the verse, Warn your tribe of the nearest kindred (al-Shu‘ara’, 26.214) was revealed, he invited his nearest relatives to his house for a meal. ‘Ali, the son of Abu Talib, later narrated the incident as follows:

God’s Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings, invited his relatives to his house. After the meal, he addressed them and said:

At the end of his speech, he asked them who among them would support him in his cause. I was, at that time, a boy with puny legs and arms. When I saw that no one responded to God’s Messenger, I put aside the pitcher in my hand and declared:

The Messenger repeated the call three times and each time no one, except me, answered him.

God’s Messenger continued to convey his Message without being tired and daunted

God’s Messenger continued to convey his Message without being tired and daunted. He met reactions of the harshest kind: he was derided, degraded and beaten; he was expelled from fairs, and he was stoned in Ta’if. Years passed until he met, in the twelfth year of his mission, at ‘Aqabah, outside Makka, with a group of people from Madina. He communicated his Message to them, and they accepted Islam. The following year, seventy people from Madina became Muslims at the same place. These new Muslims took the oath of allegiance to God’s Messenger and promised to support him if he emigrated to Madina. This was the beginning of a new phase in the life of God’s Messenger. He appointed Mus‘ab ibn ‘Umayr to teach them Islam. When he emigrated to Madina the following year, there was left no house without, at least, one convert.

An important point to take note of, regarding communication of the Message by the Prophet, upon him be peace and blessings, is that he set an excellent example of ardour in the duty of guiding people. Like him, also his Companions, following his way, tried their hardest to convey the Message. For example, as stated above, Mus‘ab ibn ‘Umayr represented the Message in Madina so competently and communicated it so sincerely that even the most stubborn of the people of Madina like Sa‘d ibn Mu‘adh became Muslims. At first, Sa‘d reacted to Mus‘ab harshly, but when Mus‘ab said to him mildly,

Sa‘d’s anger subsided, and he parted from Mus‘ab a Muslim.

God’s Messenger continued to dispatch his Companions to neighbouring cities. He sent Talha to Duwmat al-Jandal, and Bara’ ibn A’dhib to the Yemen. If a Companion was not successful in this duty – although this was rare – he sent another in his place. When Khalid and Bara’ could not capture the hearts of the people of the Yemen, God’s Messenger sent ‘Ali and, as a result, almost all of them became Muslims in a very short time.

Another important point to note regarding the communication of the Message by the Prophet, upon him be peace and blessings, is his use of the period following the treaty of Hudaybiya. The conditions of this treaty had seemed to some of the Companions, at first sight, dishonourable (to the Muslims). However, in the peaceful atmosphere that followed the treaty, coming as it did after the years of disruptions and fighting, many of the enemies of Islam found the opportunity to re-consider the Message of Islam. Consequently, many leading figures, among them Khalid and ‘Amr ibn al-‘As, accepted Islam.

God’s Messenger welcomed Khalid with the compliment,

He comforted ‘Amr ibn al-‘As, who asked him to pray for God’s forgiveness of him, and said:

After the treaty of Hudaybiyah, God’s Messenger, upon him be peace, sent letters to the rulers of all of the neighbouring countries. He wrote in the letter to the Negus, the king of Abyssinia:

The Prince of the Two Worlds urged the conversion of the Negus by beginning the letter with the greeting of peace for him. Second, since the Negus was a Christian, God’s Messenger expressed his belief in the Prophethood of Jesus, and affirmed the virginity and purity of Mary, thus emphasizing the point of agreement between them.

The Negus received the letter, and, kissing it, put it to his head as a sign of respect. After reading the letter, the Negus accepted Islam without hesitation and dictated to his secretary the following answer:

The Negus was so sincere in his belief that he said one day to his confidants:

When he died, God’s Messenger performed the funeral prayer for him in absentia.

The following letter was sent to Heraclius, the emperor of Byzantium:

The Emperor was moved by the letter. He summoned Abu Sufyan, who was then in Syria leading a Makkan trade caravan. The following dialogue took place between them:

— What is the family status of this person?

— A noble one.

— Did any of his ancestors claim Prophethood?

— No!

— Was there a king among his ancestors?

— No, there wasn’t.

— Do th elite or the weak mostly follow him?'

— The weak do.

— Has any apostatized after conversion to his religion?

— So far, nobody has.

— Do his followers increase or decrease?

— They are increasing day by day.

— Have you ever heard him tell a lie?

— No, never.

— Has he ever broken his promise?

— So far he hasn’t but I don’t know whether he will in the future.

Although Abu Sufyan was then a most ruthless enemy of God’s Messenger, he told the truth about him except in his last words which might cause doubts as to the future trustworthiness of the Prophet. The Emperor showed an inclination to acknowledge the faith but in the face of the reaction from the priests beside him, he only concluded:

However, according to Imam Bukhari’s narration, the bishop of the area accepted Islam.

God’s Messenger sent letters to some other kings, among whom was Muqawqis, the ruler of Egypt, who responded with some presents. Nevertheless, the Chosroes of Persia tore up the letter, an incident predicting the end of the Persian Sassanid Empire, which took place during the caliphate of ‘Umar, may God be pleased with him.

When, in the Qur’an, God ordered Muhammad, upon him be peace and blessings, to communicate the Message, He addresses him, ‘O Messenger’, to show that his is the highest rank among the Prophets. While all the other Prophets are addressed by name, this form of address to the Prophet Muhammad, upon him be peace and blessings, demonstrates that he is the foremost in fulfilling Divine Messengership, in other words, in conveying the Message. The civilization based upon the principles he conveyed over a remarkably short period of time has attracted and astounded many – so much so that, as recorded in Mizanci Murad Tarihi (History by Mizanci Murad), Auguste Comte, the atheist French philosopher, after visiting the remains of the Islamic civilization of Andalusia, made a brief study of Islam. When he learned that the Prophet Muhammad was unlettered, he said:

However, quoting al-Busiri, we say: