Prophet (saws) began his Da’wah by Disavowing the Tawagheet !

Ever since the Prophet (saws) made his da’wah public, he pronounced a clear enmity towards the mushrikeen, faulted their alleged gods, and warned them that if they persisted in their kuffr, they would be from the people of the Fire. Ibn Ishaq said, “When the Messenger of Allah (saws) first called his people to Islam and was public with that, as Allah ordered him to be, his people were not far from him. And they did not respond to him, according to what has reached me, until he mentioned their ‘gods’ and faulted them. When he did so, they regarded his act as an enormity and they rejected him. They unanimously agreed to oppose him and show hostility towards him, except those whom Allah protected with Islam, though they were few and hidden.” [Sirat Ibn Hisham]

The Muslims then were also weak and lacked the means. However, publicly calling to tawheed required that they declare their disavowal of the tawagheet and that they show enmity to their worshipers.When Quraysh came to the Prophet (saws) asking him to make exceptions in worship, such that he would worship their tawagheet sometimes and, in return, they would worship his god (Allah) for a time, Ayaat were revealed prohibiting that, showing there could be no convergence between tawheed and shirk.

Ibn Hisham said, “Al-Aswad Ibn al-Muttalib Ibn Asad Ibn ‘Abdil-‘Uzza, al-Walid Ibn al-Mughirah, Umayyah Ibn Khalaf, and al-‘As Ibn Wail as-Sahmi – who were all elders among their people – confronted Allah’s Messenger (saws) as he was walking around the Ka’bah. They said, ‘O Muhammad, come, let us worship what you worship and you worship what we worship, so that we can share in this matter. If that which you worship turns out to be better than what we worship, we will have had our portion of it, and if what we worship turns out to be better than what you worship, you will have had your portion of it.’

At that, Allah revealed, "Say, O disbelievers, I do not worship what you worship. Nor are you worshippers of what I worship. Nor will I be a worshipper of what you worship. Nor will you be worshippers of what I worship. For you is your religion, and for me is my religion." [Surah Al-Kafirun].”

The Muslims Fight Their Mushrik Relatives !

When Allah facilitated the hijrah of His Prophet to Madinah and an Islamic state was established therein, disavowal of the mushrikeen was no longer counted to be merely declaring enmity to them and dispraising them. Rather, waging jihaad against them and fighting them until they surrender to the command of Allah was added to it. At Badr (2 AH), the swords of the muwahhideen met those of their mushrik cousins who warred against the religion of Allah. The Muslims did not wane in fighting and harming them. Some Sahabah saw their fathers and brothers slain before their eyes, and some of them killed their relatives with their own hands. When Allah blessed the Muslims with victory, and the Muslims detained large numbers of mushrikeen, ‘Umar al-Faruq expressed the opinion, which would later be supported by divine decree, that those captives should be killed – and that each should be killed at the hands of his relative.

Muslim reported that Ibn ‘Abbas said, “When they took the captives, the Messenger of Allah (saws) said to Abu Bakr and ‘Umar, ‘What do you think about these prisoners?’ Abu Bakr said, ‘O Prophet of Allah, they are cousins and from the tribe. I suggest that you take a ransom from them, which we could use to gain strength against the kuffaar, and perhaps Allah would guide them to Islam.’ The Messenger of Allah (saws) said, ‘What do you say, Ibnul-Khattab?’ He said, ‘No, by Allah, O Messenger of Allah. I do not think what Abu Bakr thinks. But I think we have gained the ability to strike their necks, so ‘Ali should strike the neck of ‘Aqil (his brother) and I strike the neck of so-and-so (his relative), as these are the leaders and champions of kuffr.’ The Messenger of Allah (saws) favored what Abu Bakr said and did not favor what ‘Umar said. When ‘Umar showed up the next day, the Messenger of Allah (saws) and Abu Bakr were sitting and weeping. ‘Umar said, ‘O Messenger of Allah, tell me what makes you and your companion weep. If I find the weeping to be worthy, I too shall weep; otherwise, I will feign it (to do as you do).’ So the Messenger of Allah (saws) said, ‘I am weeping about your companions who took the ransom, for I was shown their punishment as if it were closer than this tree,’ a tree near the Prophet of Allah (saws).

Allah then revealed, "It is not for a prophet to have captives until he inflicts a massacre in the land. Some Muslims desire the commodities of the Dunya, but Allah desires for you the Akhirah. And Allah is Exalted in Might and Wise. If not for a decree from Allah that preceded, you would have been touched for what you took by a great punishment. So consume what you have taken of war booty, as it is lawful and good, and fear Allah. Indeed, Allah is Forgiving and Merciful." [Al-Anfal 67-69] At that, Allah allowed them to take the ghanimah.”

A Companion Pledges to Allah That He Will Not Touch a Mushrik !
 

The issue went so far for some Sahabah that a specific promise would be made to Allah to not even touch a mushrik, realizing the filthiness of shirk. Al-Bukhari reported the story of the detachment of ‘Assim Ibn Thabit al-Ansari. Abu Hurayrah said, “Allah’s Messenger  (saws) sent ten men in a reconnaissance detachment and assigned ‘Assim Ibn Thabit al-Ansari, the grandfather of ‘Assim Ibn Umar, as its amir. They marched forth and when they were at Hadah, located between ‘Usfan and Makkah, they were discovered by a clan of Hudhayl called Bani Lahyan.

So about two hundred men, mostly archers, went to them and tracked them. When ‘Assim and his companions saw them, they sought refuge at a high point.The mushrikeen surrounded them and said to them, ‘Come down. Give us your hand. We promise we will kill none of you.’ ‘Assim Ibn Thabit, the amir of the detachment, said, ‘As for me, by Allah I will not descend today into the protection of a kaafir. O Allah, inform Your Prophet about us.’ They shot at them and killed ‘Assim and six others. The last three members of the detachment went down to them, including Khubayb al-Ansari, Ibn Dathinah, and another. When they had them, they tied them up. The third man said, ‘This is the first betrayal. I am not going with you. Those who were killed are a good example for me. They dragged him and forced him to go with them, but he refused, so they killed him. They continued the march with Khubayb and Ibn Dathinah until they sold them in Makkah.”
 

It was also reported that some people from the kuffaar of Quraysh were sent to ‘Asim when they were told that he was killed, to bring something of his that identified him. He had previously killed one of their leaders on the Day of Badr. A group of bees then flew over ‘Assim’s body, protecting him from their messenger, who was unable to cut anything of his flesh.

Ibn Hisham said, “When ‘Assim was killed, Hudhayl wanted to take his head to sell it to Sulafah Bint Sa’d Ibn Shahid. She had vowed, after ‘Assim struck her two sons on the Day of Uhud, that if she manages to get the head of ‘Assim, she would drink wine from his skull. But the bees protected him.
So they said, ‘Leave him until the evening and then we will take him. Allah then sent the current of a valley, which carried ‘Assim away. ‘Assim had pledged to Allah that no mushrik would touch him and that he would never touch a mushrik, due to their filth.” As such, ‘Assim Ibn Thabit refused to go down in the protection of a kaafir, and Allah protected him from being touched by a mushrik after his death, just as He did during his life.

A Companion Favors Being Boycotted as a Muslim over the Reception of Mushrik Kings !
 

The Sahabah would never, without exception, justify for themselves to side with a kaafir or to seek refuge with them after Allah established for them the Islamic state led by the Prophet (saws). Ka’b Ibn Malik, for example, was punished with the Muslims refusing to talk to him because he was absent from the Battle of Tabuk. He was then ordered to separate from his spouse. Then came another kind of ordeal, as though it were a test of the sincerity of his faith.

Al-Bukhari reported that he said, “As I was walking in the market of Madinah, a man from the people of Sham, who brought food to sell in the city, said, ‘Who can tell me where Ka’b Ibn Malik is?’ People started pointing towards me. He then came to me and gave me a letter from the king of Ghassan, who said, ‘To proceed, I have learned that your companion has abandoned you – but Allah has not humiliated you or put you at loss. So come and let us comfort you.’ After reading it, I said, ‘This too is but a test,’ and I took it to the furnace and set it on fire.” Despite the adversity he went through and the Muslims avoiding him because of his sin, he chose no abode other than that of Dar al-Islam, even when this fleeting world offered nearness to a Roman king.

Were we to cite all of the stories of the Sahabah regarding this matter, there would be too much to mention here. It is sufficient for us to mention what Allah said, describing them, "You (O Muhammad) will not find any people who believe in Allāh and the Last Day, making friendship with those who oppose Allāh and His Messenger (Muhammad), even though they were their fathers, or their sons, or their brothers, or their kindred (people). For such He has written Faith in their hearts, and strengthened them with Rûh (proofs, light and true guidance) from Himself. And We will admit them to Gardens (Paradise) under which rivers flow, to dwell therein (forever). Allāh is pleased with them, and they with Him. They are the Party of Allāh. Verily, it is the Party of Allāh that will be the successful." [Al-Mujadilah 22]