The Grapes That Changed a Heart

DAILYREFLECTION

After the heartbreak of Taif, when a mob chased the Prophet ﷺ and threw rocks at him until his sandals filled with blood, he sought shelter beneath a tree beside an old garden wall. Alone, exhausted, and rejected, he turned his face to the sky and made a dua that still resonates through the ages, a plea of love, patience, and surrender.

Not long after, help arrived in the gentlest form.

Inside that garden were Utbah and Shaybah, sons of Rabiah, two of his distant uncles. They had watched from afar as the people of Taif drove him out, and though they did not believe in his message, their hearts stirred with pity and a trace of tribal loyalty. “How could they do this to one of our own?” they thought.

They decided to send their servant with a bowl of grapes.

His name was Addas, a Christian from Nineveh in Iraq. He approached quietly, placing the fruit before the Prophet ﷺ. The Prophet thanked him, raised his hands, and said, “Bismillah,” before eating.

Addas froze. “What is this word you said?” he asked. “The people of this land never speak like that.”

The Prophet ﷺ smiled gently. “It is something my Lord has taught me. And where are you from, O Addas?”

“I am from Nineveh,” he replied.

At that, the Prophet ﷺ’s eyes lit with warmth. “The city of Yunus ibn Matta, the Prophet of Allah?”

Addas’s heart skipped. “How do you know of Yunus? No one in this land speaks his name!”

The Prophet ﷺ said, “He is my brother, and I am his brother. We are both prophets of Allah.”

Something broke open inside Addas. He fell to the Prophet’s feet, kissing them in reverence, tears filling his eyes. He believed not because of a sermon or a miracle, but because of one simple phrase spoken with sincerity: “Bismillah.” From a heart that remembered Allah even in exhaustion.

When he returned, his masters stared in disbelief.
“Woe to you! Why do you kiss that man’s hands and feet?” they scolded.
Addas replied, “There is no one on earth better than he. He told me what only a prophet could know.”

They sneered, “He has bewitched you from your religion.”
But Addas was no longer theirs to command.

Years later, when the Battle of Badr came, Utbah and Shaybah ordered him to fight. He refused, which was unheard of at that time. “By Allah,” he said, “even the mountains could not harm him.” Both his masters died in that very battle.

Even exhausted and beaten, the Prophet ﷺ still carried an openness and a kind heart. Right after being driven out and humiliated, he remembered Allah in the moment of relief. That remembrance and the calm dignity behind it softened the heart of a stranger who had never met him before.

And not just any stranger. A man from the farthest land, Nineveh in what is now Iraq, recognized the truth his own people had denied. It was as if Allah was saying: Even if those nearest reject you, O Muhammad, hearts across the world will soon respond.

Years later, that very land of Nineveh would embrace Islam.

REFLECT ON THIS:

When we are hurt or rejected, do we remember Allah? How might remembrance transform even our moments of exhaustion into gateways for divine grace?

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WATERMELONWATCH

• Israel, Hamas traded accusations over violations of the fragile ceasefire, while Israel says it’s preparing with Egypt to reopen the Rafah crossing though no date has been set.

• Gaza needs a massive boost in aid: the UN says 600 trucks a day fall far short of urgent needs, with thousands more required weekly to avoid famine.

• Israel identified two more hostages’ remains, bringing the toll to nine; in exchange, around 2,000 Palestinian detainees were released amid the truce.

• Gaza father waits for Rafah’s opening to transfer his wounded son abroad, hoping medical access will avert further tragedy.

• UN says nations are willing to help rebuild Gaza, with reconstruction costs estimated at $70 billion if the peace holds.

QURANCORNER

Each day, you’ll be introduced to one of the 300 most common Qur’anic words. The Qur’an has about 77,430 words in total, all built on just 2,000 root words. By learning these frequently recurring ones, you’ll recognize 70–80% of the Qur’an’s vocabulary and begin connecting more deeply as you read.

Laqad (لَقَدْ) - Certainly / Indeed

Laqad is a word that leaves no room for doubt. When it appears, it means what follows is absolutely true, spoken with certainty from the Lord of Truth. Laqad ja’akum rasūl… Indeed, a messenger has come to you… It wakes the heart, sharpens the ear, and says: pay attention, what you're about to hear matters.