just as the majority of the Children of Israel—the very people of the Messiah—had at first denied him. Then Allah, Exalted is He, commanded him to summon the rest of the Arabs, so he would set out in person, accompanied by his trustworthy friend Abu Bakr, moving from tribe to tribe. The Arabs had never ceased to perform pilgrimage to the House since the time of Abraham the Intimate Friend, peace be upon him, so the Prophet—blessings and peace be upon him—would go to them in their encampments at Minā, ʿUkāẓ, Majanna, and Dhū al-Majāz, and he would not encounter anyone without inviting him to Allah.

He would say:

“O people, I am the Messenger of Allah. I command you to worship Allah alone and not to associate anything with Him, to renounce these rivals that are worshipped apart from Him, to believe in me, to affirm me, and to grant me protection so that I may convey on behalf of Allah what He has sent me with. O people, Quraysh have prevented me from delivering my Lord’s words; who, then, will grant me protection so that I may deliver my Lord’s words—except a man…"