6.1.1 Call from Mount Safa

The Command to Warn Openly

After the early period of secret da‘wah in Makkah, a clear turning point came when Allah revealed the command for the Prophet ﷺ to take the message publicly to his closest people. Allah said:

يَا أَيُّهَا الْمُدَّثِّرُ * قُمْ فَأَنْذِرْ
“O you who is wrapped up. Arise and warn.”
(Surat al‑Muddaththir 74:1‑2)

Another decisive verse referred directly to his nearest relatives:

وَأَنْذِرْ عَشِيرَتَكَ الْأَقْرَبِينَ
“And warn your closest relatives.”
(Surat ash‑Shu‘ara 26:214)

These verses moved the da‘wah from a private, individual call to an open, family and tribal call. In response to this command, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ chose a place known to every Makkan, a place where announcements were made in times of urgency: Mount Safa.

Why Mount Safa Was Chosen

In the society of Quraysh, Mount Safa was not just a pile of rocks at the edge of the Sacred Mosque. It was a recognized place for public announcements. When danger approached or a matter of great importance occurred, a man would climb Safa, call out loudly, and the tribes would gather to hear him.

The Arabs had a practice that if someone spotted an enemy or a serious threat, he would run to a high place and shout a specific cry to alarm his people. The Prophet ﷺ used this deeply understood cultural symbol. By standing upon Safa and calling the people, he signaled that his message was as serious as any urgent danger they would face.

This choice shows both his wisdom and his courage. He did not begin his open preaching from a hidden corner, but from a center of attention, in full view of those who knew his past and his character.

The Gathering of the Clans

When the command came to warn his near relatives, the Prophet ﷺ first gathered the Banu Hashim and his close family. There are reports that on one occasion he invited them to a meal and then addressed them. However, the most famous and decisive public moment was when he went to Mount Safa.

Al‑Bukhari and Muslim narrate that he ﷺ climbed Safa and called the tribes of Quraysh one by one, using their well known clan names. He raised his voice and said words to the effect of: “O people of Quraysh” and “O Banu so and so.” They responded, in their custom, by saying: “Here we are, at your service.” Men came out from their homes and from the gatherings around the Ka‘bah until a number of the leaders were present or at least listening.

The scene captured the whole city’s attention. This was not a private lecture. It was a tribal assembly, in broad daylight, summoned by the most trusted man among them.

The Question of Trust and Truth

When the people gathered, the Prophet ﷺ did not immediately speak about the details of worship. He began with something that everyone in Makkah already agreed upon, his lifelong honesty. In the hadith collected by al‑Bukhari, he said to them:

أَرَأَيْتَكُمْ لَوْ أَخْبَرْتُكُمْ أَنَّ خَيْلًا بِالْوَادِي تُرِيدُ أَنْ تُغِيرَ عَلَيْكُمْ، أَكُنْتُمْ مُصَدِّقِيَّ؟
قَالُوا: نَعَمْ، مَا جَرَّبْنَا عَلَيْكَ إِلَّا صِدْقًا

“Tell me, if I were to inform you that cavalry was in the valley intending to attack you, would you believe me?”
They said: “Yes. We have never experienced anything from you except truth.”
(Sahih al‑Bukhari)

By asking this question, he made them state with their own tongues something that all of Makkah knew. He was As‑Sadiq, the truthful, and Al‑Amin, the trustworthy. His question was simple but powerful:

1. If you trust me with news about your physical safety.
2. Then you should trust me about news concerning your eternal safety.

He then said:

فَإِنِّي نَذِيرٌ لَكُمْ بَيْنَ يَدَيْ عَذَابٍ شَدِيدٍ

“Then I am a warner to you before a severe punishment.”
(Sahih al‑Bukhari)

He did not begin with worldly benefits, but with the most serious reality, the punishment of Allah and the Hereafter. His da‘wah from Safa was clearly about salvation, not politics or tribal gains.

The First Open Warning

With these few words, the Messenger ﷺ openly declared three central truths in front of his people.

First, he affirmed his role. He was a “nadhir,” a warner. Allah describes him in the Qur’an:

إِنَّا أَرْسَلْنَاكَ شَاهِدًا وَمُبَشِّرًا وَنَذِيرًا
“Indeed, We have sent you as a witness, a bringer of good tidings, and a warner.”
(Surat al‑Fath 48:8)

Second, he made the matter personal and direct. “I am a warner to you.” This warning was for Quraysh, his tribe, his relatives. It was no longer an abstract idea. The one they had grown up with now stood before them calling them to prepare for meeting Allah.

Third, he warned of a coming “severe punishment.” The phrasing resembles many verses of the Qur’an, such as:

فَاتَّقُوا النَّارَ الَّتِي وَقُودُهَا النَّاسُ وَالْحِجَارَةُ
“So fear the Fire whose fuel is people and stones.”
(Surat al‑Baqarah 2:24)

The call from Safa was not merely an invitation to a new philosophy. It was a stark announcement about the reality of the Hereafter, accountability, and the need to change one’s path.

Abu Lahab’s Hostile Response

Among those listening that day was the Prophet’s own uncle, Abu Lahab. Rather than reflecting on the message, he responded with harsh words. In the narration of al‑Bukhari:

فَقَالَ أَبُو لَهَبٍ: تَبًّا لَكَ سَائِرَ الْيَوْمِ، أَلِهَذَا جَمَعْتَنَا؟

“Abu Lahab said: ‘May you be ruined for the rest of this day. Is this why you gathered us?’”
(Sahih al‑Bukhari)

This insult was directed not only at his nephew, but indirectly at the message. It was the first clear, verbal rejection in a fully public setting, and it came from close family.

The answer to Abu Lahab’s hostility did not come from the Prophet’s tongue. It came from revelation. Allah revealed a whole surah that would be recited until the Day of Judgment:

تَبَّتْ يَدَا أَبِي لَهَبٍ وَتَبَّ ۝ مَا أَغْنَىٰ عَنْهُ مَالُهُ وَمَا كَسَبَ ۝ سَيَصْلَىٰ نَارًا ذَاتَ لَهَبٍ
“May the hands of Abu Lahab be ruined, and ruined is he.
His wealth will not avail him or what he earned.
He will [enter to] burn in a Fire of blazing flame.”
(Surat al‑Masad 111:1‑3)

This showed that the new phase of da‘wah would be accompanied by clear revelation regarding supporters and opponents. The reaction of Quraysh leadership would now have consequences in the Qur’an itself.

Public Da‘wah Begins from the Family Outwards

The event at Safa also highlights how the Prophet ﷺ began his open da‘wah from his own blood relatives. He warned his tribe before others, fulfilling the divine command to warn “your closest relatives.” In another narration he addressed specific family groups and said:

يَا مَعْشَرَ قُرَيْشٍ، اشْتَرُوا أَنْفُسَكُمْ مِنَ اللهِ، لَا أُغْنِي عَنْكُمْ مِنَ اللهِ شَيْئًا

“O people of Quraysh, save yourselves from Allah. I cannot avail you at all against Allah.”
(Reported with similar wording in Sahih Muslim)

He mentioned by name relatives such as his daughter Fatimah, his aunt Safiyyah, and others, emphasizing that lineage would not protect them if they did not respond to the message. Although those separate addresses are part of the broader public preaching in Makkah, the key principle is clear in the Safa event itself. The da‘wah begins at home and with those who know one’s character best.

This was an act of sincerity and courage. He was willing to risk family comfort and tribal reputation in order to deliver the trust that Allah had placed upon him.

The Courage and Clarity of Mount Safa

The call from Mount Safa demanded great bravery. Until then, the Prophet ﷺ had called individuals quietly. Now he stood before the leading men of a society that loved its idols and its traditions. He did not disguise his message or soften its core. He announced that there is a severe punishment ahead for those who reject Allah’s guidance, and that he is the warner sent by Allah.

This moment established several lasting features of his da‘wah in Makkah.

First, it showed absolute reliance upon Allah. He knew that public preaching would bring opposition, yet he fulfilled the command. In this he embodied the verse:

الَّذِينَ يُبَلِّغُونَ رِسَالَاتِ اللَّهِ وَيَخْشَوْنَهُ وَلَا يَخْشَوْنَ أَحَدًا إِلَّا اللَّهَ
“Those who convey the messages of Allah and fear Him and do not fear anyone but Allah.”
(Surat al‑Ahzab 33:39)

Second, it introduced the Makkan people to the seriousness of the message. The Prophet ﷺ did not promise them immediate worldly relief or wealth at Safa. He warned them of the Hereafter, which was the foundation of all later guidance.

Third, it confirmed his unshakable integrity. He anchored his call to his lifelong truthfulness, and even his enemies admitted that he had never lied. They could not accuse him of dishonesty, only of bringing a message they did not wish to accept.

The Lasting Significance of the Safa Call

The call from Mount Safa was short in words, but vast in impact. With it, the da‘wah moved into the open. Quraysh could no longer claim ignorance of his message. They had heard it from his own mouth as he stood on a place they used for the gravest of announcements.

From this point, the history of persecution, mockery, and resistance begins to unfold in Makkah, but the seed was planted on that day upon Safa. The event stands as a symbol of speaking the truth clearly, beginning with those closest to you, relying on a known reputation of honesty, and accepting the cost of calling to Allah.

It also remains a timeless example for anyone who conveys Islam. They must possess clarity of message, sincerity of concern, courage in the face of family pressure, and trust in Allah above all. The words uttered on Mount Safa still echo in the Qur’anic description of the Prophet ﷺ:

يَا أَيُّهَا النَّبِيُّ إِنَّا أَرْسَلْنَاكَ شَاهِدًا وَمُبَشِّرًا وَنَذِيرًا
“O Prophet, indeed We have sent you as a witness, a bringer of good tidings, and a warner.”
(Surat al‑Ahzab 33:45)

The first great public warning of that mission, addressed to his own people, was the call from Mount Safa.