Since the last post I've read further in the book and the subject matter has changed from the histories and ancestries of the Quraysh and its various clans to the detail of Islam's nascent period. And within it there's a number of parallels to the modern day situation of Islam.
The first section of the book was important to get an understanding of the culture and society in which Islam arrived and while it's over a thousand years away and the cultural practices are different to today the weaknesses of human nature that existed then are still here with us now.
To put things into some context for those unfamiliar with the histories - the Quraysh held the role of The Establishment in Makkah. They were the guardians of culture and held great power and influence throughout ancient Arabia as a result of their custodianship of the Kaaba. The continuation of their influence was reliant on maintaining the status quo - visitors could worship whatever they liked when in Makkah so long as they let everybody else do the same. As a result - everyone felt safe and the pilgrims and merchants that visited the city continued to visit and business was booming. And this was the accepted pattern of life for a number of years before the advent of Islam.
When Islam did arrive in the form of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and his message of the Oneness of Allah the Quraysh initially looked upon the 'new' religion as an oddity that could be ignored and subsumed within the numerous other religious traditions that co-existed perfectly well in their society. And for a while there was little controversy. But eventually it became clear that Islam wasn't going to go away and in fact Islam did not allow for the idolatry that the Arabs practiced. It called for them to revert to the worship of the One God and the abandonment of their idols - a theology that they had forgotten with the passage of time despite their pride at being of the children of Ibrahim (as).
As those same pilgrims and merchants visited the city they heard the new message and the Quraysh began to worry. If the pilgrims and merchants felt their beliefs and traditions were being challenged then they'd come less often and the city's commerce would suffer. And with reduced commerce and wealth the power and influence of the Quraysh would diminish and soon some other tribe would come and depose them - much like they had deposed the Jurhum tribe many years before.
And so with their way of life under a perceived threat they nervously upped the ante and began an aggressive physical and economic campaign against the new religion. When people are fearful they become defensive and/or lash out against the threat.
A major problem they faced however was their own cultural laws and practices allowed that clan chiefs could provide inviolable protection to individuals which meant that no one was allowed to harm that individual. And Muhammad (pbuh) was under the protection of his uncle and clan chief Abu Talib. Frustratingly for them it was in the other clan chiefs' own personal interests that Abu Talib's protection was allowed since if they rejected his right to provide protection they nullified their own rights to provide protection.
However, not all the new Muslims were under protection and it was these Muslims who faced the full brunt of the Quraysh's anger and fear. The book goes into some detail about the horrible things that were done to them which I won't go into but suffice it to say they had a very rough time. It was a time without many of the legal rights, protections and impartiality we expect from our modern society and the suffering and abuses of power were very real. In short it was not a good time to be an everyday Muslim. Yet the Muslims maintained their religion and were determined to stick by it as it was a belief that had entered their hearts and no earthly power could take that away from them. They were strong enough to show the nonbelievers that theirs was a better way of life and to live by the ideals that Islam taught. And this had an effect on some of the oppressors - that they recognised by observing the Muslims in action that they weren't so bad after all and perhaps it might be a good idea to find out more about what they were up to. This is where I see the most relevant parallel to the modern context.
In general we have a much easier time of religious practice in the UK than the early Muslims did in Makkah. We have considerable freedom to live within or religion whilst complying with the local laws. We have it good. And we have the opportunity to showcase the best of Islam by our own deeds and interactions with people of other or no faith. When your neighbour or work colleague thinks of a Muslim they should think of you and not some stereotyped image of a man in a mask standing in a desert screaming at the camera. And through thinking of you they should come to the conclusion that 'Yep, these Muslims might have different beliefs to me but I know a Muslim and based on hi/her character and what I've seen of him/her I can say they're a good people.' That's the goal and it's a difficult one that requires each and every one of us to pull our weight. Are you up for the challenge?
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