Now that Prophet Muhammad, (sa) had received the instruction to tell of the favors of his Lord, he spoke to Lady Khadijah in depth about Allah. Lady Khadijah recognized the truth and became the first to embrace Islam. In those early days of Islam, the Prophet (sa) confined his preaching to his immediate family. At the time Lady Khadijah embraced Islam, Prophet Muhammad, (sa) had not received instructions as to the manner in which he should offer his prayers.

Then, one day on the outskirts of Mecca, Angel Gabriel came to him and struck the ground with his heels. From the indentation, a spring of water began to flow and the Angel showed the Prophet (sa) the ritual cleansing procedure he should make before offering his prayer.

Now that the Prophet (sa) had learned how to perform the ritual ablution, Angel Gabriel taught him how to offer his prayers with its postures of standing, bowing, prostrating, and sitting which was the same way in which his great ancestors, Prophets Abraham and Ishmael has offered their prayers so many centuries before. He informed him that he should commence the prayer with the words "Allahu Akbar" -- Allah is the Greatest, and to conclude the prayer by turning the head first to the right then saying "As-Salaamu alaykum" -- peace be upon you -- and then to repeat the same to the left. Thereafter, Gabriel departed and the Prophet (sa) returned home to teach Lady Khadijah and together they offered their prayer in unison.

Ali Embraces Islam

One day, Ali, Abu Talib's son, who had lived with them since the time of the famine, entered the room and found the Prophet and Lady Khadijah praying together. As soon as they concluded their prayer Ali asked what they were doing whereupon he was told that they were praising and giving thanks to Allah, then, the Prophet (sa) spoke to him about Islam.

Ali was struck by the things he learned. He thought deeply about them and was unable to sleep that night. The following morning Ali went to the Prophet (sa) to tell him that he believed and wanted to follow him. And so Ali, at the tender age of ten, became the first male to embrace Islam. Abu Bakr, who had been a friend of the Prophet (sa) for many years was next. He was a very amiable, tender-hearted man from the tribe of Taym, respected not only by his own tribe but by others.

He had gained a reputation for offering sound advice and interpreting visions, therefore it was not uncommon for tribesmen to consult and confide in him. Whenever circumstances presented themselves Abu Bakr would speak to those whom he trusted about the Prophet (sa) and his message. Amongst those who were receptive were Abdu Amr and Abu Ubayda both of whom embraced Islam and changed their names to Abd Ar Rahman -- worshiper of the Merciful.

The Visionof Khalid, Son of Sa'id

One day, Abu Bakr received an unexpected visit from Khalid, Sa'ids son. It was obvious from Khalid's face that something was worrying him. Khalid took Abu Bakr to one side and told him that as he slept he had seen a very disturbing vision and knew it should not be dismissed. Khalid told Abu Bakr that in his vision he had seen his father trying to push him into a very deep, raging pit of fire and of a violent struggle he had with him.

He was about to fall when suddenly, he felt a strong pair of hands grip him tightly around his waist and that he was sure that if it had not been for those hands he would have undoubtedly been pushed into the fire. Khalid told Abu Bakr that when he looked round to see who had saved him, he saw the hands were none other than those of Prophet Muhammad (sa), and then vision vanished.

Abu Bakr's face lit up as he told Khalid that Muhammad had become the Prophet of Allah, (sa) and that if he followed him he would indeed be protected from the burning fires of Hell. Khalid was awe struck and made straight for the house of the Prophet (sa) to ask him about the message he had been given. After listening intently he embraced Islam. However, the Prophet (sa) told him that for the time being he should keep the matter a secret from the rest of his family.

Abdullah, Masood's son was a shepherd who tended a flock of sheep belonging to Ukba, Abd Muayt's son. One day when the Prophet (sa) and Abu Bakr were passing they stopped and asked him for a cup of milk. Abdullah told them that unfortunately the sheep did not belong to him and that he did not have any of his own to be able to offer them a cup of milk. The Prophet (sa) asked Abdullah if there happened to be a lamb that had not yet been mated in the flock.

Abdullah told him that there was and went to fetch it. The lamb was set down in front of the Prophet (sa) whereupon he massaged its udder as he supplicated to Allah. Miraculously, the udder filled with milk and they all drank. After thanking Allah they continued on their way. A few days later Abdullah went to the Prophet (sa) and embraced Islam. Later on, Allah in His Mercy, blessed Abdullah in such a way that he was able to recite by heart no less than seventy chapters of Koran with its precise diction.

Othman and Talha

Othman, Ahllan's son, was a trader and was upon his return journey from Syria, when one night as he and his fellow caravaners slept he heard a voice saying, "O you who sleep, wake up, indeed Ahmad has come forth!" The voice with its message penetrated deep inside him and consumed his thoughts for many days.

He did not know what to make of the message, and who was “Ahmad” -- which means the “praised one” and is one of Prophet’s names mentioned in the previous Holy Books. As he drew near to Mecca, Talha, a cousin of Abu Bakr, caught up with the caravan and rode along with Othman. Talha had an experience similar to that of Othman. He had been on a journey that had taken him through Bostra, when, much to his surprise a monk approached him asked if "Ahmad" from the people of the Holy House had come forth.

Talha was taken aback and asked the monk who "Ahmad" might be, the monk answered that his grandfather was Abd Al Muttalib and that his father was Abdullah, then he told him that it would be during that month he would appear. Talha did not know what to make of the monk's inquiry and like Othman the matter had consumed his thoughts.

Talha and Othman shared their experiences with one another; both were completely bewildered and agreed that the only way to understand the meaning of these events would be to go straight to Abu Bakr upon reaching Mecca and ask him. As soon as they reached Mecca they went to Abu Bakr to tell of their experiences and he in turn took them to see the Prophet (sa) and asked them to relate their accounts. The Prophet (sa), listened then told them about Allah and that he had been called to the prophethood. Without hesitation both Othman and Talha embraced Islam.

Abu Dharr

Abu Dharr belonged to the tribe of Bani Ghifar, and had defended his rights in many hold-ups. He was also amongst the first to convert to Islam. Abu Dharr had heard that a man from Mecca laid claim to being a prophet, so he asked his brother to go to Mecca and bring back news of him, so dutifully, his brother left for Mecca.

Upon his return Abu Dharr asked him what he had heard, whereupon his brother told him that he had heard him advocating goodness and forbidding evil. Abu Dharr was not satisfied with this meager amount of information so he gathered his water-skin and stick and set off. When he reached Mecca he did not like to ask anyone straight away about him so he settled himself in the precincts of the Mosque and waited.

As he waited, Ali happened to pass by and realizing he was a stranger offered him a place to stay. Abu Dharr accepted and followed Ali back to his house, but did not disclose the reason for his visit. The following morning Abu Dharr went to Ka'ba again to wait, but this time he asked about the Prophet (sa) but no one was forthcoming. Ali happened to see him there again so he went across to him and asked why he had come to Mecca.

Abu Dharr told him, in confidence, that he had heard that a Prophet had appeared in Mecca and that he had sent his brother a while before to find out more about him. However, he told Ali, his brother had returned with an answer which did not altogether satisfy him, so he had decided to journey to Mecca himself to hear more.

Ali told him he had found what he had come for and to follow him at an undetectable distance to avoid any possible harassment. He also told him that if he saw someone whom he thought might bother him, he would pretend to adjust his shoe and this would be warning for him to go away.

However, there was no need for concern, and Abu Dharr followed him and was at last was brought to the Prophet (sa). That same day, Abu Dharr embraced Islam and the Prophet (sa) advised him to return to his village but keep his conversion secret until he learned of their victory. But Abu Dharr was so enthused that he declared, "By Him, who has sent you with the truth, I will announce my conversion to Islam publicly!"

Then, he went directly to the Ka'ba where he proclaimed for all to hear. "I bear witness that there is no god except Allah, and Muhammad is His Messenger." The Koraysh tribesmen were infuriated and almost beat Abu Dharr to death and if it had not been for Abbas who threw himself between him and his assailants he would have been severely injured. Abbas rebuked the angry crowd saying, "Woe to you, do you want to kill a man from the tribe of Ghifar, when your caravans pass through their territory!!"

Abu Dharr was not to be put off, and the next day he went to Ka'ba and declared his witnessing again. The same thing happened over again and Abbas intervened once more then he returned home to his tribe. Later on when the ever-increasing number of Muslims met with extreme hostility and persecution from the Koraysh Abu Dharr took to the roads once more. There he would lie in wait, ambush the Koraysh caravans and retrieve the stolen belongings and restore them to their rightful Muslim owners.