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Chapter
4:
The Stormy Opposition:
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Slave Converts Tortured
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First Emigration to Abyssinia
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The Second Emigration
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Alleged Compromise with Idolatry
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Public Preaching
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First Deputation to Abu Talib
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Second Deputation
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The Prophet's Strong Stand
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Third Deputation
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Quraish Offer Leadership and Wealth
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Ban against the Hashimites
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Death of Abu Talib and Khadijah
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Journey to Ta' if
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Pledges of Aqabah
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"Do men think that they will be
left alone on saying, We believe, and will not be tried"
(29:2).
Whenever the Divine will inspires a
band of righteous people to work as torch-bearers of Truth
to a corrupt humanity, there never fails to appear at the
same time a band of those who pitch themselves in deadly
opposition to them, and inflict upon them all kinds of
trouble and torture. And in truth the storm of opposition is
absolutely indispensable. The persecutions to which they are
subjected serve as a crucial test of the sincerity of their
motives. They unhesitatingly put up with humiliations,
endure hardships and cruelties, but never for a moment give
up the truth for which they stand. In fact, they live if
they can, for the Truth; and die, if they must, for the
Truth. Besides, afflictions constitute the only training
ground for fostering virtues of steadfastness and
perseverance, without which man cannot attain to moral
perfection. Unless one is hemmed in on all sides by
overwhelming obstacles and visited with hardships and
privations, one cannot cultivate these qualities.
Adversities that befall such people are in fact blessings in
disguise, which conduce to their moral advancement. Over and
above these, there is a third object. The Almighty God wants
to bring home to mankind that a plant tended by the Divine
hand, however slender it may look survives the most furious
blasts of hostile winds. Consequently, in accordance with
this Divine law, the Holy Prophet and his companions had to
suffer untold troubles at the hands of the
opponents.
The Holy Prophet
Persecuted:
In the beginning, Makkan
opposition to the message of Islam gook the form of sneering
and jeering at the Holy Prophet. They did not attach much
importance to the movement, thinking that it would die out
in due course. It was treated with contempt and indifference
as being unworthy of serious attention. All that the
believers received at the hands of the Mans in those days
was ridicule and disdain. Resort to violence was not yet
thought necessary. When they passed by the believers, they
would laugh and wink at them in derision [The Quran,
83:30, 34]. Sometimes they would call the Holy Prophet
an idle visionary, given to poetic fancies, destined to come
to naught as a matter of course [The Quran, 52:30].
There was something wrong with his brain, they would say.
But as men of light and position gradually gathered round
him, the Makkans were awakened to a sense of danger. Now
they did not content themselves with indifference and
ridicule, but took to active violence. Once, when the Holy
Prophet was saying his prayers in the Ka'bah, lying
prostrate, Abu Jahl placed the dirty foetus of a she-camel
on his neck. As he used to go out of his house for prayers
at dawn, one way adopted to annoy him was that branches of
prickly shrubs were strewn in his way, so that in the
darkness he should become entangled in them. Sometimes dust
was thrown at him; sometimes he was pelted with stones. One
day, a number of men from among the Quraish nobility fell
upon him. One, ‘Uqbah ibn Abi Mu‘ait, threw his
mantle around his neck and twisted it till he was on the
point of strangulation. Abu Bakr, appearing at the scene
intervened and rescued him, saying: "Do you mean to kill a
man merely because he says that God is his Lord?"
Slave Converts
Tortured:
The brunt of the oppression
had to be borne by those not coming of some family of note
among the Quraish and especially by the slaves, male as well
as female. These were subjected to the most cruel tortures.
Islamic teachings, however, possessed a charm too strong for
all these afflictions. They would part with life itself
rather than give up Islam, which had taken deep root in
their hearts. Bilal, the Abyssinian, was tortured in a most
heartless manner by his master to make him renounce Islam.
His oppressor made him lie flat on the burning ground in the
scorching heat of the Arabian midday sun. Heavy slabs of
stone were then placed on his chest. Notwithstanding such
extremely painful torments he would loudly repeat, almost in
a state of senselessness "Ahad" (One), i.e.,
there is but one God. Ammar's father, Yasir, and his mother,
Sumayyah, were persecuted in a most barbarous way. Yasir's
legs were tied to two camels and the beasts were driven in
opposite directions. He was brutally torn to pieces.
Sumayyah was killed in a similarly brutal but far more
disgraceful manner. Lubainah was the handmaid of 'Umar. The
latter, in his pre-conversion days, used to beat her till he
was tired. Then he would say: "I leave thee now not because
I pity thee but because I am tired of beating
thee."
Even converts of high birth were not
spared. They were persecuted by their own kinsmen.
‘Uthman came of a noble family and occupied a high
social position. Yet his uncle tied him with a rope and gave
him a severe beating. 'Umar's treatment of his cousin and
sister has already been described. Zubair was wrapped up in
a matting and made to inhale smoke. Abu Bakr was not immune.
They were, one and all, subjected to one form of cruelty or
another; but no amount of suffering could drive the love of
Islam out of their hearts. The Makkans themselves were
struck with wonder at such steadfast adherence. But their
fortitude only added fuel to the fire of their persecutors'
rage, and the latter resorted to still more bitter
persecutions.
First Emigration of
Abyssinia:
By the fifth year after the
Call, the Holy Prophet had collected round him a band of
over fifty devoted comrades. A common faith consolidated
them into a brotherhood which was cemented all the more
closely by Makkan persecutions. Besides, their numerical
strength was growing day by day. The Holy Prophet was so
tender-hearted that his heart would ache at the sight of
pain, even of his foes. How could he then bear the sight of
the tortures of his own friends? Doubtless, these friends
were a source of great strength to himself, and of much good
to his cause. He could ill afford to dispense with a single
one of them. Nevertheless when he saw that. the Makkans were
daily growing in their bitterness and cruelty, he advised
Muslims to betake themselves to a place of safety ["And
those who flee for Allah's sake after they are oppressed, We
shall certainly give them a good abode in the world" (16:
41)]. Single-handed would he brave the worst storms of
the Makkans' opposition rather than see his companions
subjected to such ruthless tortures. He had no anxiety or
dread of his infuriated foe on his own account. He,
therefore, advised his companions to seek shelter in
Abyssinia, saying: "There is a land where no one is wronged
- a land of justice. Stay there until it pleases Allah to
open for you a way out of these difficulties." The
inhabitants of Abyssinia as well as their king, called the
Negus, were Christians by faith. The first batch of
emigrants, numbering eleven, was formed to sail for
Abyssinia. Four of them were accompanied by their wives,
‘Uthman, with his wife Ruqayyah, the Prophet's
daughter, among them. In the month of Rajab in the fifth
year of the Call, the party left Makkah, some mounted,
others on foot. Arriving at the port, they hurriedly
embarked and left the shores of their homeland to seek
safety elsewhere.
The Quraish, as soon as they heard of
their departure, despatched men post-haste to bring them
back. To their disappointment, however, the vessel had
already left. But this was not the end of their wrath. They
were anxious that Islam should not get a foothold anywhere.
It was at last decided to send a delegation to the Negus to
ask him not to give the Muslims shelter and to hand them
over to the Makkans. ‘Abd Allah ibn Rabi‘
and ‘Amr ibn ‘As were chosen for the mission, and
they went to Abyssinia with handsome presents. The first
step they took on arrival was to enlist the sympathies of
the priestly class. They told them that the Muslims had set
up a religion which was antagonistic to Christianity, and
supplemented this appeal to their religious prejudice by
making them valuable presents. Thus, they succeeded in
prevailing upon clerics to exert their influence with the
King on their behalf, and made their way to the court of the
Negus. They put up a claim for the extradition of the Muslim
immigrants who, they alleged, were guilty of an innovation
in religion in opposition to their ancestral faith as well
as to Christianity. The King thereupon summoned the Muslims
to his court demanding of them to submit what defence they
could, to the charge of heresy brought against them. On
this, one of them Ja'far ibn Abi Talib, rose, and
thus addressed the King:
"O King! We were an ignorant
people, given to idolatry. We used to eat corpses even of
dead animals, and to do all kinds of disgraceful things.
We did not make good our obligations to our relations,
and ill-treated our neighbours. The strong among us would
thrive at the expense of the weak, till, at last, God
sent a prophet for our reformation. His descent, his
righteousness, his integrity and his piety are well-known
to us. He called us to the worship of God, and exhorted
us to give up idolatry and stone worship. He enjoined us
to speak truth, to make good our trusts, to respect ties
of kinship, and to do good to our neighbours. He taught
us to shun everything foul and to avoid bloodshed. He
forbade all manner of indecent things - telling lies,
misappropriating orphans' belongings, and bringing false
accusations against the chastity of women. So we believed
in him, followed him, and acted upon his teachings.
Thereupon our people began to wrong us, to subject us to
tortures, thinking that we might thus abjure our faith
and revert to idolatry. When, however, their cruelties
exceeded all bounds, we came out to seek an asylum in
your country, where we hope we shall come to no
harm."
After this, Ja'far recited to him a
passage from the Holy Quran, which touched his heart. The
Negus told the Quraish embassy that he would by no means
hand over the refugees to them. Thus disappointed they hit
upon another plan. Next day, they tried to incite the King
by telling him that the heretics did not believe in the
Divinity of Jesus. But in this, too, their hopes were
frustrated. The Muslims confessed they did not look upon
Jesus as God but as a prophet. The Negus, picking up a straw
and pointing to it, said: "Jesus is in fact not even this
much more than the Muslims have described him to be." The
Quraish delegation was thus unsuccessful.
It is noteworthy that the Quraish felt
much upset at the Muslims' emigration to Abyssinia. They
pursued them first to the port to capture them, and, being
disappointed, followed them to the court of the Negus. What,
after all, made them so ill at ease? Was it the Muslims'
anti-idolatrous propaganda that turned the Quraish so dead
against them? But the emigrants were now too far off to
offend their susceptibilities by speaking ill of their
idols. Assuredly, the animosity aroused through religious
differences had by now become personal. They could not
tolerate that the Muslims, whom they had driven from their
homes, should flourish anywhere. They were bent upon their
destruction and therefore went all the way to the Negus to
cause them trouble. For precisely the same reason they
allowed the Holy Prophet and his companions no rest even at
Madinah, where they had subsequently emigrated. At Madinah,
there was no power to shield the Muslim refugees against
their blood thirsty enemies, the Quraish, who, therefore,
were emboldened to extirpate them with the sword. The
instinct of self-preservation roused the Muslims to strike a
blow in self-defence. This was the beginning of Islamic
wars, entered upon as a purely defensive measure. The
Quraish did not let them alone even when they had driven the
from their hearth and home. The Muslims were therefore left
with no alternative but to turn at bay and face their
persecutors manfully. Nevertheless, there are critics who,
blindfolding their eyes to solid historical facts, ascribe
the initiatory steps in these battles to the Holy Prophet,
and on that account stigmatize Islam as a religion of the
sword. Nothing, however, can be farther from the truth. The
events in connection with the Abyssinian Emigration, as set
forth above, throw enough light on the fact, that, heresy or
no heresy, the Quraish were bent upon the utter annihilation
of the Muslim brotherhood at all costs.
The Second
Emigration:
When the Quraishite delegation
returned unsuccessful from Abyssinia, their rage knew no
bounds. They continued their persecutions with added fury.
So far, they had been viewing the Muslims' fortitude under
such cruelties with great astonishment. But the Abyssinian
emigration gave them conclusive proof that the Muslims were
ready to run all risks and undergo every form of hardship in
the cause of Islam. They would shrink from no danger in the
path of Allah. Moreover, when the Muslims remaining at
Makkah came to know of the generous protection extended by
the Negus to their brethren, a number of them left for
Abyssinia the next year. This is known as the Second
Emigration to Abyssinia. The Quraish did their utmost to
check this tide of emigration, but in vain. Besides
children, as many as one hundred and one, both male and
female, fled to Abyssinia. They settled there, all of them,
with the exception of ‘Uthman and his wife, who soon
returned to Makkah. It was not until seven years after the
Holy Prophet's flight from Makkah that they rejoined their
Muslim brethren at Madinah. In accordance with the Truce of
Hudaibiyah in the sixth year of Hijrah there was to
be a state of truce between Muslims and the Quraish for ten
years. This provided a certain amount of security for the
Muslims in the land of Arabia and made it possible for the
Abyssinian Muslims to come back to their kith and kin. It
also furnishes a clue to the fact that even in Madinah, the
Muslims were not in a state of safety until 7 A.H., when the
Truce of Hudaibiyah brought them a brief respite.
The sympathetic treatment accorded to
the Muslims by the Negus was gratefully reciprocated by the
former. During their sojourn in the kingdom when hostilities
broke out with a rival state, Muslims ungrudgingly placed
their quota of service at his disposal. They also prayed to
God for his victory. This shows how grateful a people they
were. From that early period they had for their motto the
Quranic verse: "Nothing but good must be the return for
good. [The Quran, 55: 60]"
Alleged Compromise
with Idolatry:
An incident in connection with
the First Emigration to Abyssinia is noteworthy. Some time
later the chapter entitled al-Najm [The Quran,
Chapter 53]
was revealed to the Prophet,
at the end of which comes the verse enjoining prostration
before God. The Holy Prophet, while reciting this chapter,
prostrated as soon as he came to the verse which says: "Then
prostrate before God and adore (Him). [The Quran, 53 :
62]"
According to an authentic
report, the idolatrous Makkans present there also joined in
the prostration, for they professed faith in God
notwithstanding their worship of idols. A perverted version
of this incident has been given by some. The Holy Prophet,
they allege, thinking it expedient to make a compromise with
the idolaters, allowed in this chapter a concession to
idol-worshippers. And this is why the idolaters too bowed
down in prostration. But the report on which this allegation
is based is absolutely unwarranted. There is no trustworthy
account of the incident except the one referred to above.
The fact that some Abyssinian emigrants returned home does
not show that a compromise had been effected.
The news of the disbelievers'
prostration may, on the other hand, have created an
impression that they had accepted Islam, and, the news
having reached the Abyssinian Muslims, some of them may have
come back to their motherland. But as a matter of fact, the
few emigrants who returned to Makkah did so with a view to
informing the rest of their brethren of the peace and
liberty they enjoyed under the rule of the Negus, and thus
persuading them to accompany them thither. This is what
actually happened, and it resulted in the second Emigration
to Abyssinia.
Public
Preaching:
Attempts to suppress the
propagation of Islam were not confined to the persecutions
to which the Holy Prophet and his comrades were subjected
["And if We had not made thee firm, thou mightest have
indeed inclined to them" (The Quran,
17:74)].
Many and varied were the ways
adopted to extinguish the Divine light. Preaching was in the
beginning carried on in secret. But soon the Holy Prophet
received Divine revelation to promulgate his commission
publicly and to warn his near relations [The Quran,
15:94; 26:214]. Thereupon he had openly to proclaim the
Divine message. Climbing one day on Mt. Safa, he called out
to each one of the Quraishite tribes till they all assembled
there. "Have you," enquired the Holy Prophet, "ever heard me
tell a lie?" In one voice they replied that they had ever
known him to be righteous and trustworthy. "If I tell you
that hidden behind this mountain is a large army ready to
attack you" enquired the Holy Prophet, "would you believe
me?" "Certainly," was the unanimous reply "for we have never
heard you tell a lie." Then he announced to them the word of
God, exhorted them to give up idolatry, to eschew all forms
of evil, to believe in the oneness of God, and to come to
the path of virtue. At this they all became furious, Abu
Lahab in particular behaving most rudely. By and by this
man's enmity to the Holy Prophet became extremely bitter. He
and his wife tormented and persecuted him in every way
possible. In the days of pilgrimage when people from all
parts of Arabia met together, the Holy Prophet used to move
about among them communicating his message. Wherever he
went, Abu Lahab followed close upon his heels, warning the
people not to take him seriously, for, he said, he was
insane.
First Deputation to
Abu Talib:
When the Quraish saw that
neither oppression nor obstacles succeeded in suppressing
the Islamic movement, that its adherents did not mind
undergoing any amount of hardship, and that they would
rather suffer exile than give up Islam, they secretly
resolved to make away with the Holy Prophet. Consequently,
every effort was made to put an end to his life in an
underhand manner, failing which the Quraish made up their
mind to make an open attempt on his life. But, according to
the social code of Arabia, every tribe was in honour bound
to protect each one of its members. An attempt to take the
life of the Holy Prophet, it was apprehended, might lead to
civil war. It was thus necessary to obtain the consent of
Abu Talib, the Prophet's uncle, before taking the proposed
bloody step. Accordingly, a deputation of Quraish chiefs,
including Abu Jahl, waited upon Abu Talib in this
connection. In order to win him over to their wicked plot,
they addressed him thus: "Your nephew slights our gods,
finds fault with our ancestral religion, calls us and our
forefathers ignorant and misguided. You should deal with him
yourself or permit us to settle accounts with him. You are
as much duty-bound to vindicate the honour of our common
faith as we are." Abu Talib, however, put them off with
evasive though polite words. Obviously, the accusations
brought against the Holy Prophet were highly exaggerated. He
never abused their gods, for the Holy Quran positively
forbids doing so: "Abuse not those whom they call upon
besides Alfa-h. [The Quran, 6:108]" The Holy Quran,
intact as it is to-day, in all its original purity, may be
consulted from one end to the other to see that it contains
not a single word of abuse against the gods of the infidels.
All it says concerning them is that they can do no good, nor
can they avert any harm, and that polytheism and idolatry
are evil courses [The Quran, 25:55].
Second
Deputation:
The Holy Prophet, however,
delivered his message, as usual, and as days rolled by, many
a heart was deeply impressed with the truth of Islam. The
Quraish, finding their previous warning to Abu Talib utterly
ignored, firmly resolved this time to press the point to a
decisive issue. They reminded Abu Talib of their first
representation and told him they could no longer tolerate
the state of things. He must either withdraw his protection
from the Holy Prophet or make common cause with him, so that
they might fight it out to a finish. This ultimatum
precipitated a very critical situation. Abu Talib found
himself on the horns of a dilemma. The prospect of a war
against his own kith and kin on the one hand, and the deep
attachment he cherished for his nephew on the other, made it
hard for him to decide which course to adopt. In this state
of perplexity, he sent for the Holy Prophet and explained
the entire situation to him. "Have pity on me" he said, "and
do not charge me with a responsibility too heavy for me. I
am not a match for the united opposition of the whole of the
Quraish."
The Prophet's
Strong Stand:
A critical situation! The
entire clan was thirsting for his blood and, but for the
intervention of Abu Talib, would have taken his life in
broad daylight. But alas! Abu Talib's door was also about to
close against him. Now there was no earthly protection to
shield him against the wrath of his enemies. His companions,
who would have laid down their lives for his sake were far
off on the continent of Africa. Could all this mean anything
other than sure and imminent destruction? It would have been
but human had the Holy Prophet's heart sank within him. It
would have been but natural, had the instinct of
self-preservation reconciled him to the expedience of coming
to a compromise with his opponents and thus, having saved
his life, betaken himself to some other place and there
propagated his faith. Did any such inclination, perfectly
excusable under circumstances so critical, creep into his
heart? No, not a shadow of it. He had an unshakable
conviction in Divine protection. He would not yield an inch
of ground in regard to his mission which was in fact the
be-all and end-all of his life. No sooner did the above
words issue from Abu Talib's lips than he declared without
the least hesitation: "O uncle! Should they place the sun in
my right hand and the moon in my left in order to make me
renounce this mission, it shall not be. I will never give it
up until it pleases God to make it a triumph or I perish in
the attempt." But, conscious of the disappointment his
attitude must have caused to his uncle, who had so tenderly
brought him up and had been protecting him at great risk,
tears welled up in his eyes and he departed with a. sad
heart. Abu Talib had not abjured his ancestral form of
worship, but of the Holy Prophet's high character he was
much enamoured. It was far easier for him to face death
rather than leave the Holy Prophet alone. Forthwith he sent
for the Holy Prophet again, and thus assured him: "Do
whatever you will. Under no circumstances will I desert
you."
Third
Deputation:
The Quraish had little doubt
about Abu Talib's yielding to their united demand. They were
much surprised when they heard of his determination to stand
by the Holy Prophet. An internecine war among themselves,
they thought, was fraught with grave danger. It might ruin
the sovereign authority of their clan for good. This time,
therefore, they made an attempt to prevail upon Abu Talib by
offering him a lure instead of forcing him with a threat.
Taking ‘Ammarah ibn Walid a handsome youth, along with
them, they asked Abu Talib to adopt him as his son and hand
over Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) to
them for execution for his offence against their established
ancestral religion. "What an amazing proposal!" replied Abu
Talib. "You want me to take charge of your boy to bring him
up, while you have mine to be put to death. This can never
be." The Quraish were thus once again disappointed.
Apprehending lest they should resort to violent measures
against his family, the Banu Hashim, Abu Talib summoned all
members of the family, and warned them of the danger. It was
unanimously agreed that the Holy Prophet would in no case be
handed over to the Quraish, whatever measures they might
adopt against the Banu Hashim. With the solitary exception
of Abu Lahab, who had joined hands with the enemy, the
entire family was prepared to take up arms in defence of the
Holy Prophet, so great was the regard in which he was held
by the Banu Hashim. They all loved him for his lofty morals.
Notwithstanding religious differences, they were ready to
protect him at the risk of their own lives.
Quraish Offer
Leadership and Wealth:
The Quraish, however, had not
yet exhausted their resources for reaching a settlement
without resort to bloodshed. They had yet another card to
play. Persecution had proved futile, but it struck them that
allurements, offered direct to the Holy Prophet, might yet
succeed. A deputation was accordingly formed to come to an
understanding with him on this basis. They called on the
Holy Prophet and offered him the most tempting terms, which
were:
"If your ambition is to
possess wealth, we will amass for you as much of it as
you wish; if you aspire to win honour and power, we are
prepared to swear allegiance to you as our overlord and
king; if you have a fancy for beauty, you shall have the
hand of the finest maiden of your own choice."
Irresistible temptations no doubt!
From a destitute, helpless and persecuted man to a mighty
potentate is a big lift. But the Holy Prophet's heart was
free from the alloy of self-seeking. To the utter surprise
and disappointment of the Quraish delegation he replied: "I
want neither pelf nor power. I have been commissioned by
Allah as a warner to mankind. I deliver His message to you.
Should you accept it, you shall have felicity in this life
as well as in the life to come; should you reject the word
of Allah, surely Allah will decide between you and
me."
This frustrated the last attempt of
the Quraish at a compromise. Persuasion through temptation
proved as fruitless as persecution. The persecution was
unbearable, but the temptation was well-nigh irresistible.
Were it not for Divine steadfastness infused into the Holy
Prophet's bosom, the tortures inflicted on him and the
temptations placed in his way would have shaken him from his
position. But he stood firm as a rock, baffling all attempts
to dissuade him from his mission. It is to this that the
Holy Quran alludes in the following verse: "And if We had
not made thee firm, thou mightest have indeed inclined to
them a little. [The Quran, 17: 74]"
Ban against the
Hashimites:
Disappointed on all sides, the
Quraish decided to resort to the use of their last weapon.
It was the seventh year since the Call, and the majority of
Muslims had made good their escape to Abyssinia. Hamzah and
'Umar had embraced Islam. Abu Talib had refused point-blank
the Quraishite demand that he should withdraw his protecting
hand from the Holy Prophet. Excepting Abu Lahab, the whole
of the Banu Hashim family had decided to stand by him and
fight for him till the last man. Moreover, the light of
Islam went on spreading from one clan to another. The
Quraish therefore decided to place a social ban on the Banu
Hashim. Intermarriage and commercial relations with them
were strictly forbidden. An agreement to this effect was
drawn up and the scroll hung up in the Ka'bah to give it a
look of sanctity. On hearing of this the Banu Hashim betook
themselves to a secluded part of Makkah, known as the
Shi‘b, the prohibited quarter. But Abu Jahl
spared no pains to keep a vigilant watch to ensure that the
blockade was strictly observed. When Hakim ibn Hazam, for
instance, tried to supply provisions to Khadijah, who was
nearly related to him, Abu Jahl offered obstruction. But
never throughout these trying times did the Banu Hashim
waver in their resolution. They cheerfully suffered all this
for the sake of the Holy Prophet, which they would never
have done if they had not had a deep rooted respect for him.
While the ban lasted the preaching of the Holy Prophet was
confined to within the four walls of the Shi‘b.
In the days of pilgrimage, however, when Arabs looked
upon bloodshed as an unpardonable sacrilege, he would come
out and communicate his message to people assembled from far
and near. Abu Lahab followed him like a shadow, warning the
people against his teachings. He was a liar, he would say,
and must not be believed. As a result, wherever the Holy
Prophet went to deliver his message he met the taunting
questions why was it that his own people discarded him if he
was righteous in his claim. In short, this was a period of
great hardship for the Banu Hashim and of suspension of all
propagating activities.
In the meantime, there arose a murmur
against the hardship to which the Banu Hashim were
subjected. The gentle-hearted among the Quraish increasingly
felt the injustice and severity of the ban till the day came
when some openly condemned it.
Consequently, five of their leading
men decided among themselves that the ban should be removed
and the agreement torn to pieces. The scroll, containing the
agreement, suspended on the Ka'bah, had been eaten by ants.
This was brought to the notice of the Quraishite chiefs by
Abu Talib as a mark of Divine disapproval. It was
consequently agreed upon that the pledge should be declared
null and void if on inspection it was found defaced.
Accordingly they went to the Ka'bah to examine the agreement
which turned out to be actually eaten away. The opportunity
was eagerly seized upon by those who had already felt the
injustice of the ban. Putting on their arms they went over
in a body to the gate of the Shi‘b and openly
announced their opposition to the agreement of interdiction.
They brought the Banu Hashim out and sent them to their
respective homes. Nobody had the courage to offer
resistance. The ban had lasted three years.
Death of Abu Talib
and Khadijah:
Immediately after coming out
of the Shi‘b Abu Talib, the Holy Prophet's
uncle, who had so far proved his mainstay, passed away.
Though he had not accepted Islam, yet the Holy Prophet had a
very deep attachment for him. The bereavement was,
therefore, a great shock. But calamities, they say, seldom
come single. Shortly afterwards, his faithful wife Khadijah,
also died. She had all along served the Holy Prophet
wholeheartedly and had been a never failing source of solace
in moments of sadness and sorrow. In her death, he suffered
an irreparable loss. Both these losses were sustained in the
tenth year after the Call, which is on that account known in
Islamic history as ‘Am al-Huzn, i.e., the Year
of Grief. With the loss of two great comforters and helpers,
such as Abu Talib and Khadijah, the Prophet had to face even
greater difficulties.
Journey to
Ta’if:
The Holy Prophet had now to
face still greater difficulties in the propagation of his
message. Whatever restraint Abu Talib and Khadijah had
exerted on the malice of the Quraish was now removed. Their
hands were now free to deal with him to the full
gratification of their malice ["And surely they proposed
to unsettle thee from the land that they might expel thee
from it, and then they will not tarry after thee but a
little" (The Quran, 17:76)]. In spite of the gloomy
situation, however, the Holy Prophet's conviction in his
ultimate triumph remained unshaken. When walking about one
day, dust was thrown at him. He came home; his daughter
washed his head and shed tears at the sad plight of her
beloved father. "Do not weep, my child," said he
consolingly, "Allah will surely help your father." So
deep-rooted was his faith in the ultimate success of his
mission, in the face of this bitter opposition! He never
entertained the idea of betaking himself, like the rest of
his companions, to Abyssinia, where he would have found a
safe asylum. He did not for one moment despair of the
regeneration of the land of his birth. He felt confident
that the peninsula must some day awaken to the truth of
Islam. Surrounded as he was by a thick mist of disappointing
circumstances, his eye could yet perceive a ray of hope. The
conviction that his deadly enemies would one day be his
devoted friends was deeply seated in his heart. The
hardheartedness of the Makkans, however, forced him to turn
his attention to Ta'if, where he hoped people might listen
to his word. Thither he went with Zaid and approached three
brothers, who came of the noblest family of the place. But
to his disappointment, all of them turned a deaf ear. For
about ten days he stayed there delivering his message to
several people, one after another, but all to no purpose. On
every side he was met with the taunt that he must first
convince his own people if he were true in his claim. At
last, he was asked to go away; but as soon as he walked out
of the town, the dregs of society, at the instigation of the
elders of the town, followed him hooting. They lined the
route on both sides for a great distance and, as he passed
along between them, his legs were pelted with stones. When
dripping with blood and unable to walk further he sank to
the ground, a wretch would again raise him up by the hand.
"Walk on," he would shout at him "this is no place for you
to rest." This went on for three long miles. He was pelted
with volleys of stones till his very shoes were filled with
blood. At last, when his persecutors left him, he seated
himself in an orchard, to take a little rest. The owner of
this small garden, ‘Utbah ibn Rabi'ah, non-believer
though he was, took pity on him and sent him a bunch of
grapes by his Christian slave ‘Addas. The Holy Prophet,
as he stretched out his hand towards the grapes, uttered the
words, "In the name of Allah," - words which every Muslim is
commanded to repeat when setting his hand to any piece of
work. Surprised at this, the slave curiously asked him what
the words were. On being informed of the message of Islam,
he readily accepted its truth.
Rejected by man in every quarter, the
Holy Prophet turned in this state of utter helplessness to
Almighty God. His prayer is not an expression of despondency
or plaintiveness; on the other hand, notwithstanding
apparent helplessness, it is full of confidence in the
future. It runs thus:
"O my Lord! to Thee do I
complain of the feebleness of my strength, of lack of my
resourcefulness and of my insignificance in the eyes of
people. Thou art Most Merciful of all the merciful. Thou
art the Lord of the weak. To whom art Thou to entrust me,
to an unsympathetic foe, who would sullenly frown at me,
or to a close friend, whom Thou hast given control over
my affair. Not in the least do I care for anything except
that I may have Thy protection for me. In the light of
Thy face do I seek shelter - the light which illumines
the heaven and dispels all sorts of darkness, and which
controls all affairs in this world as well as in the
Hereafter. May it never be that I should incur Thy wrath,
or that Thou shouldst be angry with me. There is no
strength, but through Thee."
What human heart can appreciate the
purity of the soul that gave utterance to sentiments so
sublime under circumstances so trying? Is it imaginable that
the heart of an impostor should be capable of emotions so
noble, especially after suffering so much? With what
marvellous calmness he underwent hardships that no son of
man could bear. With what surprising fortitude he bore
privations that might have driven others to
self-destruction. With what firm faith in God, with what
cheerful resignation to His supreme will, with what
unalloyed spiritual happiness! All sufferings he says, are
insignificant so long as he enjoys God's
pleasure.
Pledges of
‘Aqabah:
A few days later he returned
to Makkah, on the assurance of Mut‘im ibn 'Adi to
protect his life. He had been clearly told that he had to
leave Makkah, but light had not yet shone upon him as to the
place to which he should emigrate. The days of pilgrimage
came and he called on each one of the clans that had flocked
there from all parts of Arabia. But whichever gathering he
addressed, explaining Islamic principles, Abu Lahab kept by
him, telling the people not to believe him as he was a
heretic and wanted to overthrow the spiritual sway of the
Lat and the ‘Uzza. Consequently, he could attract
little attention. Some of the clans harshly rejected him.
But he did not lose heart. One tribe expressed a liking for
his teachings but pleaded their inability to renounce their
ancestral religion all at once. Another put him a question
whether, in the event of his triumph, they would have a
share in the kingdom he might achieve, should they join
hands with him. In reply, the Holy Prophet told them that it
rested entirely with God to bestow kingdom on whomsoever He
thought fit. The incident, though trivial, speaks volumes
for the Holy Prophet's sincerity of purpose. If personal
ascendancy were the object of his efforts, as so often
alleged, what prevented him from winning over a whole clan
by merely holding out a promise to them? The fact is that
the achievement of temporal power was never the goal of his
endeavour. His heart was burning within him at the
degenerate state of man. Man's elevation in the scale of
humanity was the one purpose of his life. He was eagerly
looking to Divine help which, he had no shadow of doubt,
must be forthcoming, although he could not tell
when.
While thus preaching Islam to the
various tribes at the time of pilgrimage, the Holy Prophet
happened to meet a few men of the Khazraj, a clan of
Madinah. After ascertaining who they were, he asked them if
they were from among the associates of the Jews, to which
they replied in the affirmative. Then he communicated the
message of Islam to them. As Madinah contained a
considerable Jewish element in its population, they had
already heard that the time of the appearance of the
Promised Prophet, as prophesied in the Jewish scriptures,
was at hand. Thus, the claim of the Holy Prophet to be
that Prophet was not altogether a surprise to them.
What with the intrinsic beauty of the teachings of Islam
which the Holy Prophet. explained to them and their
expectation of the advent of that Prophet, the conviction
that he was indeed the Prophet went home to these visitors.
Consequently all six accepted Islam. This came about in the
eleventh year of the Call. On their return to Madinah, much
enthusiasm concerning the new faith prevailed there and the
Holy Prophet's name became a household word. A considerable
number joined the fold of Islam, and a dozen of them went
over to Makkah next year to perform the pilgrimage. These
swore allegiance to the Holy Prophet, at a place known as
‘Aqabah in the following words: "We will not set up any
associates with Allah. We will not steal, nor commit
fornication, nor kill our offspring, nor bring false
accusations against others. We will not disobey the Holy
Prophet in anything that is right." This goes by the name of
the First Pledge of ‘Aqabah and it took place in the
twelfth year of the Call.
Mus‘ab ibn ‘Umair was
deputed by the Holy Prophet to instruct them in the
teachings of Islam. As a result of Mus'ab's efforts, Islam
spread in Madinah with rapid strides. Leading men from among
the Aus and the Khazraj embraced the faith, so that on the
occasion of the next pilgrimage season as many as
seventy-three men and two women visited Makkah. The Holy
Prophet met with them one night, again at ‘Aqabah.
‘Abbas his uncle, who bore him company, though yet a
non-believer, thus opened the conversation:
"You are aware of the
position Muhammad occupies amongst us. So far, we have
been protecting him from his enemies. He is quite safe
and respected here. But now you wish him to accompany you
to your town and live with you there. If you believe you
will fulfil the covenant on which you wish to take him
there, and pledge to shield him in every way, you are at
liberty to undertake the responsibility. If, however, you
think you will not be able to protect him you had better
give him up from this very moment. And mind you, you are
welcome to take him along with you, provided you are
prepared to withstand the united opposition of both the
Arabs and the Gentiles."
The Madinites, who came to be known as
Ansar (Helpers) in the history of Islam, replied that
they were ready to swear allegiance to the Holy Prophet just
as it might please the latter. Thereupon the Holy Prophet
recited a passage from the Holy Quran, delivered a brief
sermon and then said: "I demand allegiance of you to the
effect that you would defend me against my enemies, just as
you defend your wives and children." On this, the chief,
among them, Bara ibn Ma'rur, placing his hand on the Holy
Prophet's, said that they all swore allegiance to him on the
point. This done, the Holy Prophet appointed twelve of them
as their chiefs.
It is thus evident that the Holy
Prophet went over to Madinah at the invitation of the
Madinites themselves. It was customary in Arabia that
whenever a member of a particular clan joined another, they
would pledge themselves to protect him; for as a rule a clan
was responsible only for the protection of its own
particular members. It also transpires from the event that
he knew full well, as did ‘Abbas, that even in Madinah,
the Mans would allow him no rest. It was therefore necessary
to have the Ansar's pledge to defend the Holy Prophet in the
event of an attack by the enemy. The apprehension was
justifiable; the Makkans had already given ample proof of
their malice by going all the way to Abyssinia in pursuit of
Muslim emigrants. The pledge taken on this occasion is known
as the Second Pledge of ‘Aqabah and it took place in
the thirteenth year of the Call.
The understanding arrived at and the
allegiance sworn being strictly confidential, its knowledge
was confined to the few Muslims including ‘Abbas. Even
the non-Muslims of Madinah did not know what exactly had
happened. The Makkans, therefore, could get no information
from them. However, when the pilgrimage was over and people
had departed from Makkah, the matter became known, for the
Holy Prophet himself was not keen about its secrecy. The
Makkans went out in pursuit of the Madinite caravan but
could not overtake it. They seized two men, one of whom
escaped, while the other, Sa'd ibn ‘Ubadah, was dragged
all the way back to Makkah. But the latter had once done a
kindly office to some Makkans at Madinah, and on their
intercession he was set free. Thereafter the companions
emigrated to Madinah, in small parties, in complete secrecy
from the Makkans.
At last, the time came when the Holy
Prophet was left at Makkah in the company of but two of his
companions, Abu Bakr and ‘Ali, all the rest having
reached Madinah. The circumstances throw further light on
the implicit faith which the Holy Prophet had in God. The
bitterness of the Makkans' enmity was daily growing in
intensity. The fact that Islam was taking root in Madinah
added fuel to the flame of their wrath. Practically alone in
the midst of his deadly foes, the Holy Prophet was exposed
to great danger. Nevertheless, he was not as anxious for
himself as for his companions, whom he sent off to a place
of safety, himself staying behind in the midst of his
blood-thirsty enemies.
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