Have you ever experienced a day harder than the day of (the battle of) Uhud? He replied: Indeed, I have suffered a lot at the hands of your people, the harshest of which was what they did to me on the Day of Al-‘Aqabah

When ‘Ā’ishah asked the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) if he had experienced a day more difficult than the Day of Uhud, he replied: 'Yes,' and he mentioned to her the story of his journey to Taif. When the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) invited the people of Quraysh to Islam, and they did not respond to him, he headed towards Taif, to convey Allah's Message to them.

But, when he invited the people of Taif to Islam, their attitude was worse than that of the people of Makkah. They started throwing stones at him until his heel bled. He presented himself to Ibn ‘Abd Yalīl ibn ‘Abd Kulāl, who was one of the dignitaries of the tribe of Thaqīf in Taif. He also rejected his call. So, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) left Taif so sad and disappointed to the point of not knowing where he was going.

He did not become aware of his surroundings until he reached a place called Qarn Ath-Tha‘ālib. There, a cloud hovered over him and shaded him. As he lifted his head to the sky, he saw Jibrīl inside this cloud, who said to him: This is the Angel of Mountains with me. He greets you with peace. The angel greeted the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) then said to him: My Lord has sent me to you, if you wish I can make the two huge mountains collapse over them and crush them.

But, out of his forbearance and foresight, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) responded: "No, for I do hope that Allah will bring forth from their progeny those who would worship Allah alone and not associate partners with Him." This is exactly what happened, as Allah brought forth from the loins of those infidels who harmed him righteous servants who worship Allah alone and who do not associate partners with Him.