PROPHETIC APPROACH
One striking feature that emerges from the lives of the prophets is this: in the early part of their lives, each prophet was loved by the people. But as soon as he began his prophetic mission, he became the most disliked person among those very same people. They turned into his enemies. This was exactly what happened with the Prophet of Islam. Initially, his people called him al-Amin (the Trustworthy). But when he began conveying the message of truth, they sought his destruction.
It is a well-established fact that every prophet, in terms of character and conduct, stands at the highest moral level. He is a well-wisher to the people, serves them, lives among them without causing harm, and never asks anything from them in return. His character is so noble that he even responds to wrongdoing with kindness. He was a model of integrity and inner clarity. Yet, when he begins delivering the divine message, people start to hate him.
This opposition to prophets is not limited to disbelievers alone. The same experience occurred even among people who considered themselves believers. For example, Jesus was sent among a community who, in the context of their time, were the equivalent of Muslims. Yet they treated Jesus in the worst possible way. They humiliated him, spat on him, dragged him into a pagan court, and even plotted to kill him.
A study of the prophets’ lives reveals that the primary cause behind people’s anger and hostility was one thing: critique—what is known today as criticism. Ibn Ishaq narrates that initially, the Prophet of Islam was not alienated from his people. But when he began speaking critically of their deities, they took grave offense and became hostile. (Seerah Ibn Hisham, Vol. 1, p. 238)
What Ibn Ishaq referred to as “fault-finding” and what the polytheists of Makkah labeled as “insult” would, in today’s language, be called criticism. Every prophet, while calling people to what is right, also criticized what was wrong. It was precisely this critical method that turned people against them.
