The Seerah · Chapter 8
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PART 2 · THE MAKKAN PERIOD · الْعَهْدُ الْمَكِّيُّ

STAGE 3 · THE OPEN CALL

الْجَهْرُ بِالدَّعْوَةِ عَلَى الصَّفَا

Chapter 8: The Call from Mount al-Ṣafā

After three years, the command came to call openly

Sheikh Mohamed Fawzyالشيخ محمد فوزي

© 2026 Sheikh Mohamed Fawzy. All rights reserved. Version 1.7

The command الْأَمْرُ بِالْجَهْرِ

“Warn your nearest relatives”

وَأَنذِرۡ عَشِيرَتَكَ ٱلۡأَقۡرَبِينَ ۝٢١٤
And warn, [O Muhammad], your closest kindred.
Surat al-Shu‘arā’ 26:214سورة الشعراء: ٢١٤

Now the Prophet ﷺ was commanded to call his own family and tribe openly. He went to the little hill of al-Ṣafā, beside the Ka‘bah — the place where people gathered to hear important news.

Al-Ṣafā is the same hill from which pilgrims begin the Sa‘y today.

On al-Ṣafā عَلَى الصَّفَا

“Would you believe me?”

عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمَا قَالَ: لَمَّا نَزَلَتْ ﴿وَأَنْذِرْ عَشِيرَتَكَ الْأَقْرَبِينَ﴾ صَعِدَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ عَلَى الصَّفَا فَجَعَلَ يُنَادِي «يَا بَنِي فِهْرٍ، يَا بَنِي عَدِيٍّ». لِبُطُونِ قُرَيْشٍ حَتَّى اجْتَمَعُوا، فَجَعَلَ الرَّجُلُ إِذَا لَمْ يَسْتَطِعْ أَنْ يَخْرُجَ أَرْسَلَ رَسُولًا لِيَنْظُرَ مَا هُوَ، فَجَاءَ أَبُو لَهَبٍ وَقُرَيْشٌ فَقَالَ «أَرَأَيْتَكُمْ لَوْ أَخْبَرْتُكُمْ أَنَّ خَيْلًا بِالْوَادِي تُرِيدُ أَنْ تُغِيرَ عَلَيْكُمْ، أَكُنْتُمْ مُصَدِّقِيَّ». قَالُوا نَعَمْ، مَا جَرَّبْنَا عَلَيْكَ إِلَّا صِدْقًا. قَالَ «فَإِنِّي نَذِيرٌ لَكُمْ بَيْنَ يَدَيْ عَذَابٍ شَدِيدٍ». فَقَالَ أَبُو لَهَبٍ تَبًّا لَكَ سَائِرَ الْيَوْمِ، أَلِهَذَا جَمَعْتَنَا فَنَزَلَتْ ﴿تَبَّتْ يَدَا أَبِي لَهَبٍ وَتَبَّ * مَا أَغْنَى عَنْهُ مَالُهُ وَمَا كَسَبَ﴾.
Ibn ‘Abbās said: “When ‘And warn your nearest relatives’ was revealed, the Prophet ﷺ climbed al-Ṣafā and began calling: ‘O Banū Fihr! O Banū ‘Adī!’ — the clans of Quraysh — until they gathered. A man who could not come sent a messenger to see what it was. Abū Lahab and Quraysh came, and he said: ‘If I told you that horsemen in the valley were about to attack you, would you believe me?’ They said: ‘Yes, we have never known you to say anything but the truth.’ He said: ‘Then I am a warner to you, before a severe punishment.’ Abū Lahab said: ‘May you perish for the rest of the day! Is this why you gathered us?’ Then this was revealed: ‘May the hands of Abū Lahab perish, and he has perished. His wealth will not help him, nor what he gained.’”
Sahih al-Bukhari 4770Sahih

Notice his method: first he made them admit his honesty, then he gave the message. Ask the class why this was clever.

His method مَنْهَجُ الدَّعْوَةِ

A wise way to give the message

  1. First He gathered everyone in a public place, so no one could say “I did not hear”.
  2. Second He asked about something they knew: his own honesty. They all said: “We have never known you to lie.”
  3. Third Then he gave the message, using their own words as proof: “I am a warner to you.”

Forty years of honesty made his message impossible to call a lie — so his enemies could only insult him.

His own uncle أَبُو لَهَبٍ

The uncle who opposed him

Abū Lahab was the Prophet’s own uncle. He insulted him in front of everyone — and Allah revealed a whole surah about him:

تَبَّتۡ يَدَآ أَبِي لَهَبٖ وَتَبَّ ۝١ مَآ أَغۡنَىٰ عَنۡهُ مَالُهُۥ وَمَا كَسَبَ ۝٢ سَيَصۡلَىٰ نَارٗا ذَاتَ لَهَبٖ ۝٣ وَٱمۡرَأَتُهُۥ حَمَّالَةَ ٱلۡحَطَبِ ۝٤ فِي جِيدِهَا حَبۡلٞ مِّن مَّسَدِۭ ۝٥
1 May the hands of Abu Lahab be ruined, and ruined is he 2 His wealth will not avail him or that which he gained 3 He will [enter to] burn in a Fire of [blazing] flame 4 And his wife [as well] - the carrier of firewood 5 Around her neck is a rope of [twisted] fiber.
Surat al-Masad 111:1–5سورة المسد: ١–٥

A miracle in this surah

Tap to open

The surah said Abū Lahab would end in the Fire — that is, he would die without believing. He lived for about ten more years and could have “proved it wrong” by just saying he was Muslim. He never did. Only Allah could know that.

Abū Lahab died shortly after the Battle of Badr, still an unbeliever (Ar-Raḥīq al-Makhtūm).

Everyone is responsible اشْتَرُوا أَنْفُسَكُمْ

“I cannot help you at all against Allah”

عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ قَالَ: قَامَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ حِينَ أَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ ﴿وَأَنْذِرْ عَشِيرَتَكَ الْأَقْرَبِينَ ﴾ قَالَ «يَا مَعْشَرَ قُرَيْشٍ - أَوْ كَلِمَةً نَحْوَهَا - اشْتَرُوا أَنْفُسَكُمْ، لَا أُغْنِي عَنْكُمْ مِنَ اللَّهِ شَيْئًا، يَا بَنِي عَبْدِ مَنَافٍ لَا أُغْنِي عَنْكُمْ مِنَ اللَّهِ شَيْئًا، يَا عَبَّاسُ بْنَ عَبْدِ الْمُطَّلِبِ لَا أُغْنِي عَنْكَ مِنَ اللَّهِ شَيْئًا، وَيَا صَفِيَّةُ عَمَّةَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ لَا أُغْنِي عَنْكِ مِنَ اللَّهِ شَيْئًا، وَيَا فَاطِمَةُ بِنْتَ مُحَمَّدٍ سَلِينِي مَا شِئْتِ مِنْ مَالِي لَا أُغْنِي عَنْكِ مِنَ اللَّهِ شَيْئًا» ...
Abū Hurayrah said: “When Allah revealed ‘And warn your nearest relatives’, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ stood up and said: ‘O people of Quraysh — or a similar word — save yourselves — I cannot help you at all against Allah. O Banū ‘Abd Manāf, I cannot help you at all against Allah. O ‘Abbās son of ‘Abd al-Muṭṭalib, I cannot help you at all against Allah. O Ṣafiyyah, aunt of the Messenger of Allah, I cannot help you at all against Allah. O Fāṭimah daughter of Muḥammad, ask me for anything you want of my wealth — but I cannot help you at all against Allah.’…”
Sahih al-Bukhari 2753Sahih

Even his family

His uncle, his aunt, even his beloved daughter Fāṭimah — each one must believe and do good for themselves.

For us

Being from a Muslim family is a blessing, but your own faith and deeds are what count before Allah.

Lessons دُرُوسٌ وَعِبَرٌ

What we learn

1

Speak the truth openly

When the time came, he announced the truth in front of everyone, even his own family.

2

Honesty opens hearts

His people could not deny his message on the basis of his character.

3

Each one for himself

Family ties will not save anyone before Allah — faith and deeds will.

Review مُرَاجَعَةٌ

Quick quiz

Score: 0 / 4
1.Which verse commanded the open call to his relatives?
Correct.
“And warn your nearest relatives” — al-Shu‘arā’ 26:214.
2.Where did he stand to call Quraysh?
Yes (al-Bukhari 4770).
On al-Ṣafā, beside the Ka‘bah.
3.What did Quraysh say about his honesty?
Right.
They said: “We have never known you to say anything but the truth.”
4.Who was Abū Lahab?
Correct.
He was his own uncle.

The message was now out in the open

ṣallā Allāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam ﷺ

NEXT · Chapter 9: Persecution and Patience · الْإِيذَاءُ وَالصَّبْرُ

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