Loving the Beloved Can anyone tell me what happened during the year of sadness in Prophet Muhammad’s ﷺ life? Yes, it is the year the Prophet’s uncle, Abu Talib, and Khadija, his beloved wife, passed away. These two people are extremely dear to the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. Abu Talib is the chieftain of the Hashemite tribe and he promises our beloved Prophet protection. This protection allows him to continue preaching Islam even under the harshest circumstances. Once Abu Talib dies, Abu Lahab, an arch enemy of Islam, becomes the new leader and Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, can no longer rely on any tribal protection. His external protection is gone and the internal comfort he finds in Khadija is also gone. The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, would say that he was 'nourished by the love of Khadija.' His wife of 25 years, his biggest advocate and supporter, the first one to embrace Islam, has died. It is so hard on the Prophet, that it takes him a long time to even smile again, and the Prophet ﷺ was known for his beautiful smile that was more radiant than the moon. Our Messenger ﷺ needed to find protection outside of Mecca, which forces him to explore other areas, like Ta’if. When he goes there, however, he is completely humiliated. For ten days, the Prophet speaks to one chief after another. None give him a word of encouragement. The worst responses come from three brothers who shout at him: ‘'I would tear the robes of the Ka’ba, if it is true that God has chosen you as His Messenger!' The second one says, 'Has God found no one other than you to be His Messenger?' The third says, 'By God, I will never speak to you. If it is true that you are God’s Messenger, you are too great for me to speak to you. If, on the other hand, you are lying, you are not worth answering,'’ (Salahi, 179). Soon after these insults are thrown at him, the people of Taif gather their teenagers and servants to chase and stone the Prophet and his companion, Zayd ibn Haritha (may Allah be pleased with him). It is one of the saddest times in the Prophet’s ﷺ life. Several years later, after the defeat of Uhud, Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) asks the Prophet ﷺ, 'Have you ever gone through a day harder than that of Uhud?' And the Prophet ﷺ responds by saying: 'I have suffered a great deal from your people; but the worst I have been through was on the Day of al-’Aqabah. I offered myself to ‘Abd Yalil ibn ‘Abd Kallal, but he rejected my offer. I left him in a very depressed mood, and I did not come to myself until I reached Qarn al-Tha’alib. I raised my head to find a cloud over me. I looked up and saw Gabriel, peace be upon him, speaking to me: ‘God has heard what reply your people gave you, and He has sent you the angel in charge of the mountains to carry out your orders.’ The angel of the mountains greeted me: ‘God has heard what your people said in reply to you, and He has sent me to you to be at your service. If you wish, I will bring the mountains over their heads, and if you wish, I will cause the earth to swallow them.' I said to him: ‘No, I hope that God will bring out from their offspring people who worship Him alone and associate no partners with Him,' (Salahi, 182). Even though the people of Ta’if were shouting derogatory insults at the Prophet ﷺ and pelting him with stones until his feet cracked and bled, he did not waver in his mercy. He had the opportunity to destroy a group of people that were arrogant and vicious and instead of telling the angel of the mountains to seek justice, he chooses mercy instead. It is no wonder that Allah ﷻ says about the Prophet ﷺ: وَمَا أَرْسَلْنَاكَ إِلَّا رَحْمَةً لِّلْعَالَمِينَ ﴿١٠٧﴾ 'And We have not sent you, [O Muhammad], except as a mercy to the worlds,' (Surat al Anbiyaa, 107). Why do you think the verse mentions worlds instead of world? It’s because the Prophet ﷺ is merciful to every living thing. After the Prophet’s masjid is built, the tree that he used to lean on while giving his khutba wept out of sadness. The Prophet ﷺ would also encourage the companions not to waste water while performing wudu, even if they were using a flowing stream. Do you want to know something pretty spectacular? The night that the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, was supposed to return back to Mecca after Ta’if, Allah ﷻ sends him to invite a group of jinn to Islam. And this group, who we are unable to see in this realm, all became Muslim. Even at his lowest, he never wavers in his mission to spread the message of Islam. Would anyone like to share their most favorite story about the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ?