The Passion of Muhammad

"The Passion of the Christ" has generated an enormous amount of controversy. More than the biblical specifics, however, the film is about--and shows in graphic detail--the suffering of Jesus on behalf of humanity. While Muslims do not believe Jesus was crucified, the theme of the film is a familiar one for us. Many a Prophet has suffered at the hands of his enemies because of the message he was sent to deliver. Not the least of these is the beloved Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).

From the very beginning of his mission, the Prophet was violently opposed by his people. Some of his worst enemies, in fact, were members of his own family. In the immediate days after his commission by God, the Prophet gathered all of the people of Quraysh, his tribe, and said to them that he was the Messenger of God sent to them. His uncle, Abu Lahab, then shouted, "May you perish!" and he sent the people away. Abu Lahab was so vehement in his opposition to the Prophet that he would actually follow the Prophet along the streets of Mecca and tell anyone to whom the Prophet spoke that Muhammad was a madman that should not be heeded.

Yet verbal insults were the least form of oppression the Prophet suffered. One day, the Prophet was circumambulating the Ka'abah, in the tradition of Abraham, and the Meccans would hurl toward him heinous insults every time he passed. The Prophet would never reply. As he continued, however, the insults continued and only became worse. Not being able to stand any more, he turned to them and said, "I have come to you with certain slaughter!" This simple phrase frightened them deeply, and they all went up to him apologizing for their insults. After he left, the Meccans reproached themselves for their cowardice. The next day, the Prophet came back to make his circumambulation, and the Meccans beat him bloody. He was nearly killed. It was only the intervention of his friend Abu Bakr that saved the Prophet from death.

Many times people would throw dust or even spit in the Prophet's face. Once, the Prophet was praying at the Ka'abah, and a group of Meccans, for a good laugh, put camel entrails on the Prophet's head while he was prostrating. Another time, one of the worst enemies of Islam, Abu Jahl, vowed to murder the Prophet as he prayed to God at the Ka'abah. Again while the Prophet was prostrating, Abu Jahl picked up a very heavy rock and intended to crush the Prophet's head with it. The Prophet was saved, however, by another miracle from God.

The Meccans could not stem the flow of converts to Islam, and thus they resorted to violent torture of anyone who converted to Islam. The Prophet was saved from this torture because his other uncle, Abd Al Mutalib, a non-believer, vowed to protect his nephew. In addition, his wife Khadijah supported the Prophet financially so that he could devote all his time to spreading the message of Islam: to set aside idols of wood and stone and worship the One God of Abraham.

Yet, seeing that even violent torture could not stop the tide of Islam, the Meccans then boycotted Muhammad, his family, and everyone who followed him. It was forbidden to sell them anything or buy anything from them. During the sacred months, when hostilities were forbidden, the Prophet's family would try to buy food and other necessities. This effort was in vain, however, because the Meccans would set prices that the Muslims could not afford. They were left to starve in the mountain valleys of Mecca.

This boycott took a heavy toll on the Prophet and his followers. As a result of these economic sanctions, Khadijah died. In addition, Muhammad's staunchest supporter, Abu Talib, also died. Now that the main source of his protection was no more, the Meccans increased their verbal and physical attacks on the Prophet. Despite all of this, the Prophet forbade his companions from fighting back. He told them to be patient for God's victory.

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