The Truth They Disdain

“Or is it that they were unaware of their Messenger and were therefore repelled by him for he was a stranger to them? Or do they say that there is madness in him? Nay, he has brought them the truth and it is the truth that most of them disdain.”

(Al Qur’ān – 23:69-70)

The Holy Qur’ān poses a question here: did the unbelievers reject the Messenger of Islam because it was expounded by someone who was a total stranger to them? This could not be the reason for their rejection. For the bearer of this Message was a member of their own community. The nobility of his lineage was not unknown to them. They were also thoroughly familiar with his distinguished personal character for they had known him as a child, and had witnessed him grow to youth before their very eyes. All of them were well aware that he was truthful and veracious, that he was absolutely trustworthy, that he possessed an unblemished character. Thanks to these qualities, his compatriots called him al-amīn (the trustworthy one). Even his worst enemies conceded that he never lied. It was thus difficult for the Makkan unbelievers to say of someone who was so well-known, so tried and tested among his fellow-beings, that he was crafty, and having won over peoples’ hearts with his captivating words, then threw away the mask he had been wearing only to reveal his true colours. Essentially his detractors were unable to accuse him of playing tricks with them in order to promote his covert evil designs.