THE FIRST STAGE
STRIFE IN THE WAY OF THE CALLTHREE YEARS OF SECRETE CALL:
It is well-known that Makkah was the centre for the Arabs, and housed the custodians of Al-Ka‘bah.
Protection and guardianship of the idols and stone graven images that received veneration on the part  of all the Arabs lay in the hands of the Makkans. Hence the difficulty of hitting the target of reform and  rectitude in a place considered the den of idolatry. Working in such an atmosphere no doubt requires  unshakable will and determination, that is why the call unto Islam assumed a clandestine form so that  the Makkans should not be enraged by the unexpected surprise.
THE EARLY CONVERTS:
The Prophet (Peace be upon him) naturally initiated his sacred mission right from home and then  moved to the people closely associated with him. He called unto Islam whomsoever he thought would  attest the truth which had come from his Lord. In fact, a host of people who nursed not the least seed  of doubt as regards the Prophet (Peace be upon him), immediately responded and quite readily  embraced the true faith. They are known in the Islamic literature as the early converts.
Khadijah, the Prophet’s spouse, the mother of believers, was the first to enter the fold of Islam  followed  by his freed slave Zaid bin Harithah, his cousin, ‘Ali bin Abi Talib, who had been living with him since  his  early childhood, and next came his intimate friend Abu Bakr As-Siddiq (Abu Bakr the truth verifier). All  of those professed Islam on the very first day of the call. Abu Bakr, and from the first day he  embraced
Islam, proved to be an energetic and most zealous activist. He was wealthy, obliging, mild and  upright.
People used to frequent his house and draw nigh to him for his knowledge, amity, pleasant company  and business. He invited whomever he had confidence in to Islam and through his personal efforts a  good number of people converted to Islam, such as ‘Uthman bin ‘Affan Al-Umawi, Az-Zubair bin
‘Awwam Al-Asadi, ‘Abdur Rahman bin ‘Awf, Sa‘d bin Abi Waqqas, Az-Zuhri and Talhah bin ‘Ubaidullah
At-Tamimy. Those eight men constituted the forerunners and more specifically the vanguard of the  new  faith in Arabia. Among the early Muslim were Bilal bin Rabah (the Abyssinian), Abu ‘Ubaidah bin Al-
Jarrah from Bani Harith bin Fahr (the most trustworthy of the Muslim Nation), Abu Salamah bin ‘Abd
Al-
Asad, Al-Arqam bin Abi Al-Arqam from the tribe of Makhzum, ‘Uthman bin Maz‘oun and his two  brothers
Qudama and ‘Abdullah, ‘Ubaidah bin Al-Harith bin Al-Muttalib bin ‘Abd Munaf, Sa‘id bin Zaid Al-‘Adawi  and his wife Fatimah - daughter of Al-Khattab (the sister of ‘Umar bin Al-Khattab), Khabbab bin Al-
Aratt, ‘Abdullâh bin Mas‘ud Al-Hadhali and many others. These were the Muslim predecessors. They  belonged to various septs of Quraish. Ibn Hisham, a biographer, counted them to be more than forty.
Ibn Ishaq said: “Then people entered the fold of Islam in hosts, men or women and the new faith  could  no longer be kept secret.”
The Prophet (Peace be upon him) used to meet and teach, the new converts, the religion in privacy  because the call to Islam was still running on an individual and secret basis. Revelation accelerated  and  continued after the first verses of “O you wrapped in garments.” The verses and pieces of Sûrah
(chapters) revealed at this time were short ones with wonderful strong pauses and quite fascinating  rhythms in full harmony with that delicate whispering setting. The central topic running through them  focused on sanctifying the soul, and deterring the Muslims from falling prey to the deceptive glamour  of  life. The early verses used as well to give a highly accurate account of the Hell and the Garden
(Paradise), leading the believers down a new course diametrically opposed to the ill practices rampant  amongst their compatriots.
AS-SALAT (the Prayer):
Muqatil bin Sulaiman said: “Salât (prayer) was established as an obligatory ritual at an early stage of  the Islamic Call, a two rak‘ ah (unit of prayer) Salât in the morning and the same in the evening;
“And glorify the praises of your Lord in the ‘Ashi (i.e. the time period after the mid-noon till sunset)  and  in the Ibkar (i.e. the time period from early morning or sunrise till before mid-noon).” 40:55
Ibn Hijr said: “Definitely the Prophet (Peace be upon him) used to pray before ‘The Night Journey’ but