~The first years of the dawah, c. 610-613 CE · 11 BH
In brief
In the first years after the revelation of Surah al-Muddaththir, the Prophet ﷺ called people to Islam privately, beginning with those closest to him in Makkah. His wife Khadija RA was the first to believe, and her cousin Waraqa ibn Nawfal affirmed his prophethood. Scholars differ over who came next, but a common answer is that Ali RA, a boy raised in the Prophet ﷺ's own home, was the first child to believe, Abu Bakr RA the first free man, and Zayd ibn Harithah RA the first freed slave. Abu Bakr accepted without hesitation, and through him four noblemen of the Quraysh became Muslims. One of them, Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas RA, held firm even when his mother refused food to force him back to idol worship. Then came Abdullah ibn Mas'ud RA, a hired shepherd, who believed after seeing a dry goat give milk at the Prophet ﷺ's touch. After him came slaves and servants such as Bilal RA. A seeker who came all the way from Yemen to follow the Prophet ﷺ was told to go home and return once Islam had prevailed. The message stayed quiet in these years, but these first believers became some of the greatest figures in Islam.
These early converts became some of the most noble and prominent figures in Islam. The dawah at this stage was private and closed.
Other events recorded in 11 BH. Their order within the year is not established; use the storyline above for the sequence.
A boy, a free man and a freed slave.
Embraced Islam as a boy of about ten, raised in the household of Muhammad ﷺ and Khadija RA.
Accepted Islam the moment Muhammad ﷺ presented it to him, without a single moment's hesitation.
There was not a single person whom I invited to Islam except that he had some doubts before he converted, except for Abu Bakr.
Allah has chosen me as a khalil, so I cannot have any other khalil, but were I to choose a khalil, it would have been Abu Bakr.
Allah sent me with the Truth, but all of you accused me of being a liar; and it was only Abu Bakr who said, "You are telling the truth."
Said to Umar RA, after the Prophet ﷺ grew frustrated with him during a disagreement among the Companions.
Sa'd, Uthman, Zubayr and Abd al-Rahman.
Became the youngest of the four converts brought to Islam at the hands of Abu Bakr RA, around 16 years old.
Became the second of the four converts brought to Islam at the hands of Abu Bakr RA.
Became the third of the four converts brought to Islam at the hands of Abu Bakr RA.
Every prophet has been given a hawari, and Allah has given me as my hawari Zubayr ibn al-Awwam.
Became the last of the four converts brought to Islam at the hands of Abu Bakr RA, around 30 years old.
Bilal, Khabbab, and the family of Yasir.
Among the early converts to Islam from the servant and slave class of Makkah.
Among the early converts to Islam from the servant and slave class of Makkah.
Among the early converts to Islam from the servant and slave class of Makkah.
Among the early converts to Islam from the servant and slave class of Makkah.
Among the early converts to Islam from the servant and slave class of Makkah, alongside his parents Yasir and Sumayyah.
وَأَوْرَثْنَا الْقَوْمَ الَّذِينَ كَانُوا يُسْتَضْعَفُونَ مَشَارِقَ الْأَرْضِ وَمَغَارِبَهَا الَّتِي بَارَكْنَا فِيهَا
“And We caused the people who had been oppressed to inherit the eastern regions of the land and the western ones, which We had blessed”
Cited by the lecturer as a parallel to Bani Israel eventually becoming leaders despite early oppression, paralleling the low social status of the earliest converts to Islam.
“We see that no one follows you except the lowliest among us.”
Cited as a parallel: the people of Nuh AS (within Surah Hud) also dismissed his followers as "the lowliest among us," mirroring how the earliest converts to Islam were mostly of low social status.