So what, then, could their stance be toward a Prophet who came with an autonomous law that abrogated every earlier dispensation, who rebuked them for their sins, laid bare their scandals, drove them from their homes, and whom they fought again and again—only to find him consistently given victory over them, prevailing while he and his Companions rose (1) in honor and they were perpetually brought low? How could envy and spite fail to seize their hearts? And how can their attitude toward him be compared with the way they treated the Messiah when they unanimously rejected him after guidance had become crystal-clear?

This motive alone is enough to repel the truth; what, then, when it is coupled with the loss of power and livelihood, as mentioned earlier?

Al-Miswar ibn Makhramah—who was the nephew of Abu Jahl—once said to his uncle, “Uncle, did you ever suspect Muhammad of lying before he began preaching what he now preaches?” He replied, “Nephew, by Allah, Muhammad (2) lived among us when he was a young man called al-Amīn (‘the Trustworthy’); we never experienced a single lie from him.” The nephew asked, “Uncle, then what keeps you from following him?” He answered, “Nephew, we and the clan of Hāshim have long competed for honor: they fed the people, and we fed; they provided water, and we provided; they offered protection, and we offered. When we were neck-and-neck—like two horses level in a race—they declared, ‘A Prophet has arisen from among us.’ How could we ever catch up with that distinction!”

Likewise, al-Akhnas ibn Shurayq said to Abu Jahl on the day of Badr, “Abu al-Hakam, tell me about Muhammad—truthful or a liar? No one of Quraysh is here to hear us except you and me.” Abu Jahl replied, “Woe to you! By Allah, Muhammad is indeed truthful; he has never lied. But if the clan of Qusayy now takes possession of the banner and the custodianship [of the Kaʿbah] …”