You have presented a religion—I know it full well—
The finest creed that humankind could ever claim.
Were it not for blame, or dread of lasting shame,
You would have found me frank and eager to proclaim it.

Al-Bayhaqī then said: Ibn Isḥāq cites still other verses by Abū Ṭālib on this subject. In this lies clear proof that Allah, exalted is He, protected His Messenger through his uncle, despite the latter’s being of a different faith; and when the uncle was absent, Allah shielded him by whatever means He willed—for none can overturn His decree.

Yūnus ibn Bukayr, transmitting from Muḥammad ibn Isḥāq, related: “Long ago—some forty-odd years back—a man from Egypt told me, on the authority of ʿIkrimah, from Ibn ʿAbbās, a lengthy account of what transpired between the idolaters of Mecca and the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.

When the Messenger of Allah stood up, Abū Jahl ibn Hishām said: ‘People of Quraysh! Muhammad refuses to do anything but what you see—he disparages our religion, insults our forefathers, derides our reason, and reviles our gods. I swear by Allah that tomorrow I shall sit in wait for him with a stone. When he prostrates in his prayer, I will crush his head with it; afterward let the sons of ʿAbd Manāf do with me whatever they wish.’

At daybreak Abū Jahl—may Allah curse him—took a stone and sat in ambush for the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. The Prophet came out as he usually did. At that time his qiblah was toward Syria, so when he prayed he would stand between the Black Corner and the Yemeni Corner, placing the Kaʿbah between himself and Syria. He began his prayer while Quraysh had gathered and were seated in their meeting places watching.

When the Messenger of Allah ﷺ went down in prostration, Abū Jahl lifted the stone and advanced toward him. Yet as he drew near he recoiled, startled; his face drained of color and fear overtook him. His hands stiffened on the stone until he let it fall. Men of Quraysh hurried to him, saying, ‘What is the matter, Abū al-Ḥakam?’

He replied, ‘I rose to do what I told you last night, but as I approached him there appeared before me a stallion-camel. By Allah, I have never seen anything like the size of its head, the length of its neck, or its tusks. It meant to devour me!’

Ibn Isḥāq said: I was informed that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ remarked, ‘That was Gabriel; had he approached any closer, he would have seized him.’

Al-Bayhaqī further reported: Abū ʿAbd Allāh al-Ḥāfiẓ told us, Abū al-Naḍr the jurist narrated to me, ʿUthmān al-Dārimī narrated to us, ʿAbd Allāh ibn Ṣāliḥ narrated to us, al-Layth ibn Saʿd narrated to us, from Isḥāq ibn ʿAbd Allāh ibn Abī Farwah, from Abān ibn Ṣāliḥ, from ʿAlī ibn ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿAbbās, from his father, from ʿAbbās ibn ʿAbd al-Muṭṭalib, who said:

‘I was once in the mosque when Abū Jahl—may Allah curse him—approached and said, “I am bound before Allah that if I see Muhammad prostrating I will trample his neck.” So I went out…’ (and the narration continues).