In the early years of his prophethood, Muhammad secretly preached to close contacts who might respond favourably. The first converts were his wife Khadijah and cousin Ali. Others who accepted Islam included his adopted son Zayd, friend Abu Bakr, and around 40 people over 3 years. These early Muslims came from varied backgrounds but were united as brothers in Islam. They met at the House of Al-Arqam, which served as their mosque, school and meeting place.

1. 6. A Community in the Making
(1st to 3rd year of Prophethood)

2. 
 In the early period, the Prophet was directed by God
to keep his message secret
 He was only to approach those whom he thought
would give a favourable response
Early Years of Prophethood

3. 
 The first to accept the new faith was his wife,
Khadijah
 She knew him to be of noble heart and upright
nature
 She trusted her husband and willingly and assuredly
declared that she believed in God’s oneness, and that
Muhammad was God’s Messenger
The First Muslim Woman

4. 
 Khadijah was to give the Prophet her unwavering
support, and comfort him in the years to come when
his message was to be met with insults, ridicule and
physical assault
The First Muslim Woman

5. 
 The first male to accept Islam was the Prophet’s ten-
year-old cousin Ali ibn Abi Talib
 He was raised by the Prophet in his home as a favour
to his uncle Abu Talib who was a man of limited
means and large family
The First Muslim Male

6. 
 The first man to accept Islam after the Prophet was
his adopted son, Zayd ibn Harithah
 Zayd was kidnapped as a child and sold as a slave
once or twice before ending up in the hands of
Khadijah, the wife of the Prophet
 She gifted Zayd to the Prophet and the Prophet
would later adopt him as a son
The First Muslim Man

7. 
 Zayd was known as Zayd ibn Muhammad until
adoption was totally forbidden some years later after
the Prophet’s settlement in Madinah
The First Muslim Man

8. 
 The first person to become a Muslim outside the
Prophet’s immediate family was his close friend
since childhood Abu Bakr
 When the Prophet spoke to him about Islam, he did
not hesitate for a moment to accept it as truth
 He was a merchant by trade, well respected in his
community and well known for his kindly and
gentle character
Abu Bakr

9. 
 Abu Bakr was one of the most distinguished
authorities in Arabia on the tracing of people’s
lineage
 People loved coming to him and listening to him talk
about the history of Arabian tribes and Arabs in
general
 It was therefore easy for him to select some of the
most intelligent and promising of the young people
who came to him, to explain to them the message of
Islam and to call on them to believe in God and His
Messenger
Abu Bakr

10. 
 Soon some individuals began to respond favourably
as a result of Abu Bakr’s efforts
 The first was Uthman Ibn Affan and others were
soon to follow: Al-Zubayr Ibn Al-Awwaam, Abd Al-
Rahman Ibn Awf, Sa’d Ibn Abi Waqqas and Talhah
Ibn Ubaydillah
 When all five had accepted Islam, Abu Bakr brought
them together to the Prophet to declare their belief in
God’s oneness and in the message of the Prophet
The Early Believers

11. 
 Around 40 people accepted Islam in a period of three
years when the Prophet was preaching in secret
 What the early converts to Islam lacked in numbers,
they compensated for in calibre
 These were individuals of leadership and vision
The Early Believers

12. 
 Interestingly, many of the early believers were still
very young – some not yet 20 years old
 However, it is a mistake to think that idealism was
their primary motive – these were individuals of
sound judgement and excellent character
The Early Believers

13. 
 The early Muslims did not belong to any single clan
or tribe or social class but included people of
distinction, former slaves and some who were still in
the bonds of slavery
 As Muslims, however, they all enjoyed equality and
a brotherhood that was real and eclipsed all blood
relationships
 Hence the universality of Islam was established and
practised right from the outset
The Early Believers

14. 
 As headquarters, the early Muslims used the house
of one of their number, al-Arqam, in a central
position close to the hill known as al-Safa
 It became the first Islamic school where the followers
of the new religion received instruction direct from
the Prophet
 Indeed Al-Arqam’s house was a mosque, a school
and a meeting-place where the new community
discussed its affairs
The House of Al-Arqam

15. 
(Source: ‘Muhammad – Man and Prophet’ by Adil Salahi)
End