The Islamic call was known from the first day the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) recieved the message. People in Makkah had known all along that Muhammad (pbuh) was calling for a new Deen, and that scores of people had embraced Islam. They also knew that Muhammad (pbuh) was gathering his companions and looking after them, and that the Muslims concealed themselves from the rest of the Quraysh while they grouped together and learned about their new Deen.
People in Makkah were aware of this new call and of those who believed in it, but they never knew where they met nor who they were. That is why when the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) proclaimed his new belief, it did not come as a surprise. What surprised Makkah was the emergence of this new group of Muslims. The Muslims had gained a great deal of strength when Hamzah ibn ‘Abd al-Muttalib embraced Islam, followed by ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab three days later. Then came the revelation of Allah (swt),
“Therefore, proclaim openly (Allah’s Message), that which you are commanded, and turn away from “Al-Mushrikun”: Truly! We will suffice you against the scoffers. Who set up along with Allah another god, they will come to know” [Al-Hijr, 15: 94-96]
Allah’s Messenger (pbuh) duly obeyed Allah’s command and presented his group to all of Makkah. He (pbuh) went out with his Sahabah in two lines, one led by ‘Umar and the other by Hamzah. The Sahabah walked in a manner that the Quraysh had never witnessed before. He (pbuh) then circumambulated the Ka’bah with them.
This is the stage when Allah’s Messenger (pbuh) moved with his Sahabah from the secret phase to the open one, from calling and addressing and inviting those whom he felt were ready to answer his call, to addressing all people. The Da’wah then took a new turn, the clash between Iman and Kufr in society began, the interaction between the right concepts and the rotten ones began, setting off therefore the second phase of the Da’wah, i.e. the phase of interaction and struggle.
The disbelievers began resisting and fighting the Da’wah, inflicting in the process all kinds of harm and injury on the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) and his Sahabah. This phase was one of the most severest. The house of Allah’s Messenger (pbuh) was stoned and Umm Jamil, wife of Abu Lahab, used to throw impurities outside his home. He (pbuh) just ignored or removed them. Abu Jahl once threw a goat’s uterus, slaughtered as a sacrifice to the idols, at Allah’s Messenger (pbuh). He (pbuh) bore it all, and would go to his daughter Fatimah’s house so that she could clean him up. This only strengthened Allah’s Messenger’s (pbuh) resolve and made him more eager towards the Islamic call.
The Muslims were threatened and hurt, every tribe took it upon itself to torture and persecute its Muslim tribesmen. In one incident, one person left his slave Bilal on the burning sand and placed a heavy rock upon his chest simply because he insisted on Islam. Bilal defiantly uttered the words ‘Ahad! ‘Ahad! (the One, the One) and endured all this suffering for the sake of his Lord. One woman died after being subjected to torture, simply because she would not renounce her new belief and return to the faith of her forefathers.
The Muslims endured the suffering, torture, humiliation and deprivation with only one aim in mind, seeking to please Allah (swt).