al-Walid ibn al-Mughirah

Al-Walid ibn al-Mughirah was one of the most powerful and wealthy elders of the Quraysh, from the prestigious Banu Makhzum clan. He is most remarkable in Islamic history for his private acknowledgment of the Quran's greatness followed by his public refusal to accept it — an act driven purely by arrogance and tribal pride. When the pilgrimage season approached in the early years of Islam, the Quraysh gathered to decide what to say to pilgrims who would ask about Muhammad. Al-Walid listened to the Quran and told the Quraysh: 'By Allah, among you there is no one more knowledgeable about poetry, prose, and the poetry of the jinn than I am. By Allah, what he says does not resemble any of these things. By Allah, what he recites has sweetness and beauty. The top of it is fruitful and the bottom of it is abundant. It surpasses everything and nothing surpasses it.' The Quraysh were confused — then he said: 'I have thought about it — say that it is sorcery.' He chose to call the Quran magic despite his private belief in its extraordinary nature. Allah responded directly in Surah al-Muddaththir (74:11-26), one of the sharpest rebukes in the Quran, addressed to one who was given 'wealth and children' and still rejected the truth: 'Leave Me with the one I created alone, and to whom I granted extensive wealth, and children present with him, and I smoothed his path. Then he desires that I should add more. No!' He died before the Battle of Badr. His son Khalid ibn al-Walid later became one of the greatest Muslim commanders.