“Who is it Who heeds the Prayers of the distressed when he calls out to Him and Who removes his affliction? And Who it is Who makes you vicegerents of the earth? Is there any god associated with Allah [in this task?] How little do you reflect!”
(Al Qur’ān 27:62)
The polytheists of Arabia acknowledged that only God could avert disasters and calamities. Whenever there is a calamity, they call upon God but when the calamity is removed, they start to associate others with Him. On such occasions, even the staunchest polytheists forget their false gods and cry out to the One True God, and even the most rabid atheists stretch out their hands in prayer to Him.
This phenomenon shows that devotion to God is ingrained in the human soul. No matter how overlaid this truth might be, someday it shakes off man’s heedlessness and ignorance and manifests itself fully. It was the observation of this sign that had led Ikrimah, the son of Abu Jahl, to the true faith. After the Conquest of Makkah, Ikrimah fled to Jeddah and sailed from there towards Abyssinia. During the voyage, the boat ran into a serious storm which threatened to capsize it. At first, people began calling on their gods and goddesses. Later on, when the storm grew even worse and the passengers were sure that the boat would sink, they began to feel it was the time to call on God alone, for He alone could save them. This was a turning point in Ikrimah’s life.