Presenting Himself ﷺ to the Tribes:

Isra’il narrated—from ‘Uthmān ibn al-Mughīrah, from Sālim ibn Abī al-Ja‘d, from Jābir—who said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to present himself to the people at the mawqif (standing-place during the pilgrimage) and say, “Is there anyone who will convey me to his people, for Quraysh have blocked me from delivering the words of my Lord?” Abu Dāwūd recorded it through Muḥammad ibn Kathīr, from Isra’il, and its chain meets the criteria of al-Bukhārī.

Mūsā ibn ʿUqbah narrated—from Ibn Shihāb—that during those years the Messenger of Allah ﷺ would present himself to the Arab tribes at every season, addressing each tribe’s noble. He asked of them only that they shelter and protect him, saying: “I will not force any of you to anything. Whoever is pleased with what I call him to, so be it; whoever dislikes it, I will not compel him. All I desire is that you shield me from those who wish to kill me, so that I may convey the messages of my Lord until Allah decrees concerning me and those who accompany me what He wills.” Yet none accepted him; they would say, “His own people know him best. Do you think a man who has corrupted his own folk can set us right?” They thus rejected him—and Allah had reserved that honor for the Helpers (Anṣār).

When Abū Ṭālib died, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ faced the severest ordeal he had ever known. He set out to the tribe of Thaqīf in Ṭāʾif, hoping they would grant him refuge. He found three of their leaders—ʿAbd Yālayl, Ḥabīb, and Masʿūd, the sons of ʿAmr—presented himself to them, and described the persecution and violations he had suffered from his people. One of them said, “I would steal the coverings of the Kaʿbah if Allah had ever sent you.” Another said, “Was Allah incapable of sending someone other than you?” The third said, “By Allah, I will never speak to you again after this sitting; by Allah, if you are truly the Messenger of Allah—”