Khadeejah took her husband Muhammad (SAW) to a cousin of hers named Waraqah Bin Nawfal Bin Asad Bin Abdul Wzza. This man became a Christian during the pre-Islamic times, known as the Era of Ignorance. He was a scribe, who wrote the scripture in Hebrew. He was an old man who became blind at the latter part of his life.

Khadeejah said to her cousin, “O cousin, listen to what your nephew (i.e. Muhammad) is about to tell you!” Waraqah said: “What is it you have seen, dear nephew?” The messenger of God (SAW) informed him of what he had seen in the cave of Hira. Upon hearing his report, Waraqah said, “By God! This is the Angel Gabriel who came to prophet Moses, may God praise him. I wish I would be alive when your people will drive you out of Makkah!” the messenger of God (SAW) wondered: “are they going to drive me out of Makkah!?” Waraqahaffirmed positively saying, “never has a man convyed a message similar to what you have been charged with, except that his people waged war against him, if I am to witness this, I will support you.”

Waraqah lived only a short period after this incident and passed away. Revelation also stopped for a while. (Bukhari #3) The chapter of the Quran quoted in the hadeeth above marks the beginning when he was commissioned as a prophet. God, the Exalted, then revealed to him:

This chapter of the Quran marks the beginning when he was commissioned as a messenger. With the revelation of this chapter of the Quran, the prophet (SAW) began calling his nation to Islam openly. He began with his own people. Some of them refused adamantly to listen to him, for to them, he was calling to a matter, which they had never witnessed before.

The religion of Islam is a completeway of life, which deals with religious, political, economical and social affairs. Furthermore, the religion of Islam did not only call them to worship God alone and to forsake all idols and things they considered pleasurable, such as consuming interest and intoxicants, fornication and gambling. It also called people to be just and fair with one another and to know that there was no difference between them except through piety. How could the Quraish (the most noble tribe amongst the Arabs) stand to be treated equally with the slaves! They did not only adamantly refuse to accept Islam, rather they harmed him and blamed him saying that he was crazy, a sorcerer and a liar. They blamed him with things they would dare not have before the advent of Islam.

They incited the ignorant masses against him, harmed him and tortured his companions. Abdullah B. Masood, a close companion of the prophet said: “while the prophet (SAW) was standing up and praying near the Ka’bah, a group of Quraish were sitting in their sitting place, one of them said: Do you see this man? Would someone bring the dirt and filth and bloody intestines from the camels of so and so, and wait till be prostrates, and then place it between his shoulders?” The most wretched amongst them volunteered to do it, and when the prophet (SAW) stayed in prostration. They laughed so hard that they were about to fall on each other. Someone went to Fatimah who was a young girl and informed her of what had happened. She hurried came towards the prophet (SAW) and removed the filth from his back, and then she turned around and she cursed the Quraishites who were sitting in that sitting. (Bukhari #498).

Muneeb al-Azdi, a companion of the prophet (SAW) said: “I saw the messenger of God in the Era of Ignorance saying to people: say there is no god worthy of being worshipped except Allah if you would be successful. There was those who spat in his face, those who threw soil in his face, and those who swore at him until midday. When (once) a certain young girl came with a big container of water, he washed his face and hands and say: o daughter, do not fear that your father will be humiliated or struck by poverty.” (Mujam al-kabeer #805).

Abdullah b. Amr al-Aas, a companion of the prophet (SAW) was asked about some of the evil the pagans did to the prophet (SAW) to which he replied: “(once a pagan) approached the prophet (SAW) while he was praying near the ka’bah and twisted his garments around his neck. Abu Bakr hurriedly approached and grabbed his shoulder and pushed him away saying: Do you kill a man because he proclaims Allah as his lord, and clear signs have come to you from your lord? (Bukhari #3643).