A promise from Allaah: He تعالى will suffice His Prophet against the mockers

بسم الله والحمد لله والصلاة والسلام على رسول الله ، وبعد

﴿إِنَّا كَفَيْنَاكَ الْمُسْتَهْزِئِينَ﴾

{Truly! We will suffice you against the scoffers.} [Surah al-Hijr (15): 95]

Shaikh al-Sa`dee رحمه الله said:

“Meaning: (Allaah is sufficient) for you (O Muhammad) and what you came with. And this is a promise from Allaah تعالى to His Messenger صلى الله عليه وسلم – that the mockers will not be able to harm him (or cause any damage to his reputation), and that Allaah تعالى will suffice him صلى الله عليه وسلم against the mocker by inflicting them with any punishment as He تعالى Wills. And He تعالى has already done this (in the past); verily, no one showed up, mocking the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم and what he came with, except that Allaah تعالى destroyed him and gave him a violent (or a painful) death.”

[Tafseer al-Sa`dee]

Imaam Ibn Katheer رحمه الله mentioned in his Tafseer:

Muhammad bin Ishaaq said: “The major ones of the mockers were five people, who were elders and noblemen among their people.

1) From Banee Asad bin `Abd Al-`Uzza bin Qusayy there was Al-Aswad bin Al-Muttalib Abu Zam`ah. According to what I heard, the Messenger of Allaah صلى الله عليه وسلم had supplicated against him because of the pain and mockery he had suffered at his hands. He had said:

اللَّهُمَّ أَعِمْ بَصَرَهُ، وَأَثْكِلْهُ وَلَدَه

“O Allaah, make him blind and take (the life of) his son.”

2) From Banee Zuhrah there was Al-Aswad bin `Abd Yaghooth bin Wahb bin `Abd Manaaf bin Zuhrah.

3) From Banee Makhzum there was Al-Waleed bin Al-Mughirah bin `Abdullaah bin `Umar bin Makhzoom.

4) From Banee Sahm bin `Amr bin Husays bin Ka`b bin Lu'ayy there was Al-`Aas bin Waa’il bin Hishaam bin Sa`id bin Sa`d.

5) From Khuza`ah there was Al-Haarith bin At-Talatilah bin `Amr bin Al-Haarith bin `Abd `Amr bin Malkan.

When their evil went to extremes and their mockery of the Messenger of Allah went too far, Allah revealed:

﴿فَاصْدَعْ بِمَا تُؤْمَرُ وَأَعْرِضْ عَنِ الْمُشْرِكِينَ - إِنَّا كَفَيْنَـكَ الْمُسْتَهْزِءِينَ - الَّذِينَ يَجْعَلُونَ مَعَ اللَّهِ إِلـهًا ءَاخَرَ فَسَوْفَ يَعْمَلُونَ﴾

{Therefore openly proclaim that which you are commanded, and turn away from the idolaters. Truly, We will suffice you against the mockers, who make another god along with Allaah; but they will come to know.}

Ibn Ishaaq said: Yazeed bin Rumaan told me that `Urwah bin Az-Zubayr or one of the other scholars said that Jibreel came to the Messenger of Allaah when he was performing Tawaaf around the House (the Ka`bah). He stood and the Messenger of Allaah stood next to him.

1) Al-Aswad Ibn Al-Mutalib passed by, and he (Jibreel) threw a green leaf in his face, and he became blind.

2) Al-Aswad bin `Abd Yaghuth passed by, and he pointed to his stomach, which swelled up and he died (of dropsy).

3) Al-Waleed bin Al-Mughirah passed by, and he pointed at a wound on lower of his ankle, which he got two years earlier when He once was trailing his garment and he passed by a man who was feathering his arrows. One of the arrows got caught in his garment and scratched his foot. It was an insignificant wound, but now it opened again and he died of it.

4) Al-`Aas bin Waa’il passed by, and he pointed to the instep of his foot. He (Al-`As) set off on his donkey, heading for At-Taa'if. He rested by a thorny tree, a thorn pierced his foot and he died from it.

5) Al-Haarith bin At-Talatilah passed by and he pointed at his head. It filled with pus and killed him.”

[Tafseer Ibn Katheer]