رسالتِ محمدیہ ﷺ اور مشرکینِ مکّہ کے اعتراضات کا قرآنی ردّ (منتخب اردو تفاسیر کی روشنی میں)

Abstract

After the commencement of his prophethood, when the Holy Prophet Muhammad ﷺ began his mission of preaching Islam, he presented his life prior to prophethood as evidence before the polytheists and disbelievers of Arabia. His life before the declaration of prophethood was characterized by truthfulness, trustworthiness, purity of character, and noble conduct. The people of Makkah were well aware of these qualities and could not point to any aspect of his character or conduct that could reasonably be used as a basis for rejecting his message. When the disbelievers realized that there was no weakness or objectionable aspect in the character and conduct of the Prophet ﷺ upon which they could base their opposition to his call, they began to level various baseless allegations against him in an attempt to undermine his mission.

The polytheists of Arabia variously accused the Prophet ﷺ of being a magician, a poet, a soothsayer, and even a madman. At times, they also attempted to describe the Qur’an as magic, poetry, or merely a collection of stories inherited from earlier peoples. The nature of these allegations was such that sound reason could not accept them as valid. The Holy Qur’an has repeatedly highlighted this aspect of the Prophetic biography and has provided clear, rational, and detailed responses to the absurd objections raised by the polytheists.

A study of these objections and the Qur’anic responses to them provides a comprehensive picture of the opposition faced by the Prophet ﷺ during the early period of his mission. It also reveals the methods of argumentation adopted by the disbelievers and the various strategies they employed to resist and undermine the call to truth. In this article, the major objections and allegations levelled by the polytheists and disbelievers of Arabia against the personality and message of the Prophet ﷺ will first be identified and discussed. Subsequently, the Qur’anic responses to these objections will be examined in the light of Urdu exegetical literature, with particular attention to the explanations, arguments, and interpretations presented by Muslim exegetes. The study thus seeks to present a comprehensive and analytical account of this important aspect of the Prophetic biography.