The Meccan Period: Muhammad's Early Struggles
After his traumatic experience in Cave Hira, Muhammad began his prophetic career in Mecca around 610 CE. This Meccan period, lasting approximately 13 years until the Hijra (migration) to Medina in 622 CE, is often portrayed by Muslim apologists as a time of peaceful preaching and patient endurance of persecution. However, a closer examination of Islamic sources reveals a more complex picture of a religious movement that struggled to gain traction and a prophet whose message evolved significantly based on his circumstances.
The Early Message and Its Reception
Muhammad's initial preaching in Mecca focused on monotheism, the coming Day of Judgment, and moral reform. The Quran from this period emphasizes:
"Say, 'He is Allah, [who is] One, Allah, the Eternal Refuge. He neither begets nor is born, nor is there to Him any equivalent.'" (Quran 112:1-4)
This message directly challenged the polytheistic religion of Mecca, where the Kaaba housed hundreds of idols and served as a lucrative pilgrimage site. The Meccan elite's business model depended on maintaining these idolatrous practices, so Muhammad's preaching threatened their economic interests.
However, the resistance Muhammad faced was not merely economic. His fellow Meccans demanded proof of his prophethood:
"And they say, 'Why does this messenger eat food and walk in the markets? Why was there not sent down to him an angel so he would be with him a warner? Or [why is not] a treasure presented to him, or does he [not] have a garden from which he eats?'" (Quran 25:7-8)
The Meccans' questions were reasonable. If Muhammad claimed to be a prophet like Moses, who performed signs before Pharaoh, or like Elijah, who called down fire from heaven, why could he perform no miracles? The Quran's response is revealing:
"And they say, 'We will not believe you until you break open for us from the ground a spring. Or [until] you have a garden of palm trees and grapes and make rivers gush forth within them in force [and abundance]. Or you make the heaven fall upon us in fragments as you have claimed or you bring Allah and the angels, face to face. Or you have a house of gold or you ascend into the sky. And [even then], we will not believe in your ascension until you bring down to us a book we may read.' Say, 'Exalted is my Lord! Was I ever but a human messenger?'" (Quran 17:90-93)
Muhammad's inability to perform authenticating miracles—despite being asked repeatedly—stands in stark contrast to Moses, Elijah, Elisha, and Jesus, all of whom performed numerous miraculous signs to validate their divine commissions.
Limited Success and Demographics
After 13 years of preaching in Mecca, Muhammad had converted only about 100-150 followers. This is a remarkably small number for over a decade of prophetic ministry. For comparison, on the day of Pentecost alone, after Peter's single sermon, about 3,000 people became followers of Jesus (Acts 2:41).
The demographic composition of early Muslims is also telling. His converts included:
- His wife Khadija (who had financial resources)
- His cousin Ali (a young boy dependent on Muhammad's household)
- His friend Abu Bakr (a wealthy merchant)
- Several slaves and social outcasts
- A handful of young men from lower social strata
Notably absent were the religious leaders, scholars, and respected elders of Mecca—the very people most capable of evaluating Muhammad's prophetic claims. Their near-universal rejection of his message is significant.
The Satanic Verses Incident
One of the most controversial episodes from the Meccan period is the "Satanic Verses" incident, recorded in early Islamic sources including the works of al-Tabari and Ibn Sa'd. Desperate to reconcile with the Meccan elite, Muhammad reportedly recited verses acknowledging three pagan goddesses:
"These are the exalted gharaniq [a type of bird, referring to the goddesses], whose intercession is hoped for."
The Meccans were pleased, and both Muslims and pagans prostrated together. However, Muhammad later claimed these verses were inspired by Satan, not Allah. The Quran addresses this incident obliquely:
"And We did not send before you any messenger or prophet except that when he spoke [or recited], Satan threw into it [some misunderstanding]. But Allah abolishes that which Satan throws in; then Allah makes precise His verses. And Allah is Knowing and Wise." (Quran 22:52)
This incident raises critical questions about Muhammad's ability to distinguish divine revelation from satanic deception. If he could be fooled once, how can Muslims be certain it didn't happen again? The Bible's prophets never experienced such confusion, and Jesus Himself never mistook Satan's voice for God's.
Persecution and Its Nature
Muslims point to the persecution they faced in Mecca as evidence of their righteousness and the truth of their message. The Islamic sources do record harassment, social ostracism, and economic boycotts. Some early Muslims, particularly slaves like Bilal, faced physical abuse from their masters.
However, this persecution must be understood in context:
- Muhammad was insulting the religion of his community and the gods of their fathers
- He was threatening the economic basis of Meccan society
- He was claiming exclusive truth and condemning all others to hellfire
- Despite this, he was never seriously harmed or prevented from preaching
- His powerful uncle Abu Talib protected him throughout this period
Importantly, there are no records of any Muslims being killed during the Meccan period. The persecution, while real, was relatively mild compared to what early Christians faced—imprisonment, torture, and martyrdom under Roman persecution.
The Migration to Abyssinia
In 615 CE, Muhammad sent some of his followers to seek refuge with the Christian king of Abyssinia (modern-day Ethiopia). This migration is instructive for several reasons:
First, Muhammad trusted a Christian ruler to treat his followers with justice, acknowledging the righteousness of Christians despite Islam's claims that Christianity is corrupted. Second, when the Meccans sent representatives to demand the Muslims' return, the Negus (king) asked the Muslims about Jesus. They recited Quranic verses about Mary and Jesus, which pleased the Christian king because they seemed respectful of Jesus, though they denied His divinity and crucifixion.
The Negus protected the Muslims not because he accepted Muhammad as a prophet, but because the Muslims spoke respectfully of Jesus. This Christian king had no way of knowing that later Islamic teaching would explicitly curse Christians as unbelievers destined for hell: "Indeed, they have disbelieved who say, 'Allah is the Messiah, the son of Mary'" (Quran 5:17).
Quranic Accommodation to Circumstances
The Meccan surahs of the Quran reveal a pattern of accommodation to Muhammad's weak position. When unable to compel belief, the Quran preaches tolerance:
"To you be your religion, and to me my religion." (Quran 109:6)
"There shall be no compulsion in religion." (Quran 2:256, though revealed after the migration, reflects earlier attitudes)
However, as we shall see in the Medinan period, once Muhammad gained military power, these attitudes changed dramatically. The Quran began commanding Muslims to fight unbelievers and enforce Islamic rule.
Contrast with Jesus's Ministry
The contrast between Muhammad's Meccan period and Jesus's ministry is striking:
Miracles: Jesus performed numerous authenticating miracles—healing the sick, raising the dead, controlling nature, multiplying food. Muhammad performed none, despite being asked repeatedly.
Response to rejection: When Jesus was rejected in Nazareth, He simply moved on to other towns, saying, "A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown" (Mark 6:4). He never contemplated violence against those who rejected Him. When Muhammad was rejected in Mecca, he eventually returned with an army to conquer the city.
Message consistency: Jesus's message remained consistent from beginning to end—love God, love your neighbor, repent and believe. Muhammad's message evolved dramatically from Meccan tolerance to Medinan militancy.
Treatment of enemies: Jesus taught, "Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you" (Matthew 5:44). On the cross, He prayed for His executioners: "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do" (Luke 23:34). Muhammad would later order the execution of poets who mocked him and entire tribes who opposed him.
Supernatural confirmation: Jesus was confirmed by the Father at His baptism: "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased" (Matthew 3:17). He was transfigured before His disciples. He predicted His death and resurrection, which occurred as He said. Muhammad received no such public confirmation, and his grave remains occupied in Medina.
The Night Journey and Ascension
Toward the end of the Meccan period, Muhammad claimed to have been taken on a night journey from Mecca to Jerusalem and then through the seven heavens, meeting previous prophets and receiving instructions about prayer. The Quran mentions this briefly:
"Exalted is He who took His Servant by night from al-Masjid al-Haram to al-Masjid al-Aqsa, whose surroundings We have blessed, to show him of Our signs. Indeed, He is the Hearing, the Seeing." (Quran 17:1)
This story, elaborated in hadith literature, was so fantastical that many of Muhammad's followers left Islam when they heard it. Even Abu Bakr's faith was tested. The claim that Muhammad rode a flying horse-like creature (Buraq) to Jerusalem and back in one night, while his bed was still warm, struck many as absurd.
Significantly, this "miracle" had no witnesses and could not be verified. When asked for proof, Muhammad claimed to describe the Jerusalem temple—but he had never been to Jerusalem, and the Jewish temple had been destroyed 500 years earlier. Any descriptions he gave could have been learned from Jewish and Christian contacts.
Questions to Consider
- Why was Muhammad unable to perform any authenticating miracles despite being asked repeatedly, when biblical prophets regularly performed signs?
- If Muhammad was truly a prophet, why did he convert so few people after 13 years of preaching—and why were most converts from the lower social classes rather than the learned and respected?
- How could Muhammad mistake satanic verses for divine revelation, and how can Muslims be certain this didn't happen with other verses?
- Why did the Quranic message of tolerance toward other religions change so dramatically once Muhammad gained military power?
- If Islam is true, why did Muhammad need the protection of a Christian king in Abyssinia?
- Why do the Meccan elite's objections to Muhammad's prophethood—lack of miracles, lack of supernatural knowledge, inability to predict the future—go unanswered in the Quran?
- How can Muslims reconcile the accommodation and compromise during Muhammad's weak years with Islam's claims of unwavering truth?
- Why should we trust the Night Journey story when it had no witnesses, caused many Muslims to leave Islam, and seemed designed to rival Moses's encounter with God and Jesus's transfiguration?
The Meccan period reveals a prophet struggling to establish credibility, unable to perform miracles, accommodating his message to circumstances, and at one point even reciting verses inspired by Satan. This stands in stark contrast to the biblical prophets, whose ministries were confirmed by God through unmistakable signs and whose messages remained consistent regardless of their circumstances or popularity.