We covered the story of the Muslims in Abyssinia and that the Prophet PBUH prayed Salat al-Janazah for the Najashi when he died. [But do note that his passing chronologically occurred much later, in 9 AH.]
Why Did the Muslims Remain in Abyssinia Even After 1 AH?
The Muslims remained in Abyssinia for another 10-11 years. This is significant because the Prophet PBUH Emigrated to Madinah just 2-3 years later. Yet they stayed in Abyssinia even after the Battle of Badr, Uhud, Khandaq, etc. It was only when the Prophet PBUH sent a letter to Ja'far after the Battle of Khaybar that they finally came to the Prophet PBUH in Madinah. This is interesting because we wonder why the Prophet PBUH wanted the Muslims to remain in Abyssinia when he was in power in Madinah, winning battles, and he needed manpower? Allah knows best, but most likely, the Prophet PBUH wanted a backup plan in case [the mission of establishing the Muslim community in] Madinah didn't work. And this shows us the long-term planning of the Prophet PBUH, that he is 'tying his camel.' Only when he was firmly established in Madinah, when he expelled all of the immediate threats, when it was fully secure, that he call the Muslims back.
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Did the Locals of Abyssinia Convert to Islam?
There remains a controversy which we may never resolve unless we discover some new books: Did the locals of Abyssinia convert to Islam when the Muslims were there? Did they give dawah to the locals? Allahu a'lam. There might be some indications that a few Abyssinians embraced Islam through interactions with the Muslims, but for sure Islam didn't pass down in Abyssinia until Islam conquered its land after 50-60 years. Islam didn't make a strong presence just by dawah in the land. The Muslims did convert the Najashi of course; but there was no large presence of Islam until half a century later.
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Ummi Habiba bint Abi Sufyan
One more incident that we need to mention about Abyssinia: Ubaydillah ibn Jahsh, a cousin of the Prophet PBUH, passed away in Abyssinia. So his wife Ummi Habiba Ramla bint Abi Sufyan (أم حبيبة رملة بنت أبي سفيان) (daughter of Abu Sufyan) became a widow in a foreign land. There was no one to take care of her. So after her iddah (عدة - period of waiting) was over, the Prophet PBUH sent her a marriage proposal through the Najashi. So the Najashi took charge of the marriage, and he gifted the mahr to Ummi Habiba on behalf of the Prophet PBUH, even though the Prophet PBUH didn't particularly ask him to. She then Migrates to Madinah, accompanied by a delegation sent by the Najashi. So Ummi Habiba became one of the Mothers of the Believers.
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Two Major Conversions in Makkah
We return to the affairs in Makkah. Two major conversions took place after the bulk of the Muslims migrated to Abyssinia for the second time. Some scholars say there were only around 37-38 Muslim men left in Makkah. Allah AWJ then blessed two people to embrace Islam: (1) Hamzah ibn Abdul Muttalib, and (2) Umar ibn al-Khattab. And these two conversions proved to be of immense significance and provided a substantial boost to the safety and security of the Muslims in Makkah.
1. Hamzah ibn Abdul Muttalib
The first of them was Hamzah ibn Abdul Muttalib (حمزة بن عبد المطلب) — the uncle of the Prophet PBUH. It's narrated that Hamzah was a well-known archer; he was one of the strongest men in Makkah. He would often go on long expeditions, and when he returned, he would go to the Ka'bah, do tawaf, and go home.
One day, Abu Jahal was in a foul mood for some reason, and he began to curse the Prophet PBUH and his ancestors like he had never before. The Prophet PBUH remained silent not saying one word back, until Abu Jahal got tired and just went away. One of the women of the Banu Hashim got extremely insulted that Abu Jahal cursed the Prophet PBUH and her own forefathers, "Who does he think he is to curse our men?" She wasn't a Muslimah, but this was a matter of tribal honor.
When Hamzah returned from one of his expeditions, some of the women began to taunt him, "What type of uncle are you? What type of leader are you? When your own nephew is insulted, no one stands up to defend him!" i.e., "Where is your honor for the Banu Hashim?!" So Hamzah asked, "What happened?" They said, "Abu Jahal stood there for however long he wished haranguing and insulting Muhammad and not one person stood up to defend him!" And they narrated all that Abu Jahal said. Hamzah's blood began to boil — it was a matter of pride and honor for him. So he asked, "Did this happen in public?! Did other people see this humiliation?!" They told him, "The whole of Makkah saw it! It was a public insult!" So Hamzah lost it. He marched to the Ka'bah, still with his bow and arrow, and went straight up to Abu Jahal and smacked him across the face with his bow, causing a huge gush of blood to come out. And he said, "How dare you curse my own nephew?!"—and he didn't even realize what he was going to say but he just blurted out—: "And I too am a follower of his religion!" He didn't plan this — he just said it out of anger, basically to say, "What are you gonna do now?!" And this of course shocked himself as much as it shocked everybody else. He just wanted to defend the Prophet PBUH because he was his nephew.
When this happened, the tribesmen of Banu Makhzum around Abu Jahal stood up to attack Hamzah; but Abu Jahal said, "Leave him be, for I cursed his nephew like never before (so I know why he is angry)." Then Hamzah returned home confused and dazed, "What am I going to do now? I don't know if this [religion] is the Truth or not!" And so Hamzah made a du'a, "O Allah, you know I am one of the leaders of the Quraysh. And I have said something that I cannot take back. So if this matter is true, guide my heart to it. And if it is not true, cause me to die right now." And so he spent the most miserable night of his life tossing and turning.
The next morning, he went to the Prophet PBUH and told him the whole story. So the Prophet PBUH stood up and began talking to him, convincing him, until finally, Hamzah said, "I testify you are speaking the Truth, and now I don't want to go back to the religion of my forefathers."
So this is Hamzah's conversion story. Initially, he wasn't sincere, but then Allah guided his heart, and later on in the Battle of Uhud, he was going to become the Leader of the Martyrs (Sayyid al-Shuhada). When Hamzah accepted Islam, this was a huge boost for the Prophet PBUH as he was the seniormost Qureshi to convert up until this point. He was the son of Abdul Muttalib, and the brother of Abu Talib! So when Hamzah converted, the mushriks had to tone down their hatred towards the Prophet PBUH and the Muslims.
2. Umar ibn al-Khattab
It's reported that just three days after the conversion of Hamzah, Allah blessed the Muslims with another conversion, and that is the conversion of Umar ibn al-Khattab (عمر بن الخطاب). It most likely occurred in Dhu al-Hijjah in the 6th year of the dawah. And as we mentioned before, for the second migration to Abyssinia, when Umar passed by Layla and asked, "Where are you going?" she responded, "Because of your animosity we have to leave our homeland and our belongings in order to worship Allah." And she was expecting a harsh response back, but Umar softened at her comment and said, "Has it reached this level? May Allah give you barakah (بركة - blessing) wherever you go." And when her husband came back, she told him the story — but her husband said, "His father's donkeys will accept Islam before he does." That was his perception of what would happen, but he didn't know that the Prophet PBUH had made a du'a to Allah:
The du'a is narrated in Sunan al-Tirmidhi: Ibn Umar (the son of Umar) narrated: The Prophet PBUH had made a du'a to Allah, "O Allah, bring glory to Islam through one of these two men who is the more beloved to You: either Abu Jahal or Umar ibn al-Khattab." And Ibn Umar said, "Umar was the one who was more beloved than Abu Jahal."
Both Umar and Abu Jahal were physically powerful; and in terms of lineage also the most powerful. And they were the most severe enemies of Islam. Yet, against all odds, Umar al-Khattab underwent a profound transformation and emerged as one of the greatest khulafa Islam has ever witnessed. This shows that guidance is from Allah SWT. Layla's husband Amir ibn Rabi'ah deemed Umar to be beyond hope — nobody could ever have imagined that he could come to Islam. But Allah caused his heart to come to Islam. Therefore, we should never give up hope for anybody. Allah knows best — He knows whose heart has some good in it.
This also shows us that people of influence and power have more of an impact on the masses, thus it's a sign of intelligence to talk to them and concentrate your dawah upon them (of course not to ignore the others). The Prophet PBUH made du'a specifically for the two prominent figures, both known for their immense power and influence. And there is a reason for this — because the masses, by and large, look up to certain people; and if one of the leaders of society converts, it brings about a sense of recognition, a sense of peace, and a sense of ease.
And of course, Umar ibn al-Khattab's conversion was a watershed moment, a black-and-white moment, that marked a turning point in the history of Islam. As Ibn Mas'ud RA said when Umar was on his deathbed [23 AH], "We have ever remained in izzah (honor) since Umar has converted up until now. [Before his conversion,] we were not even able to pray in the Haram, but when he converted, that was the day we all were able to pray in the Haram." Ibn Abbas asked Umar once, "O Umar ibn al-Khattab, how did you get the title al-Faruq (الفاروق - the One Who Divides Good From Evil)?" He said, "The Prophet PBUH gave me this title. When I converted, we (all of the Muslims) marched to the Ka'bah on that day, headed by two rows —I was in the first row and Hamzah was in the second— and for the first time, we prayed in public. And that was when the Prophet PBUH said, 'You are Umar al-Faruq.'"
How did Umar accept Islam? There is more than one story mentioned. And this suggests that his conversion was influenced by a combination of factors. In one version, it's narrated that once, Umar went out during the evening with a craving for drinking. He went to the house where all of the young men would go and drink, but he found none of them were there. He went to another house, but for some reason, they too were not there. He went to the wine seller, but even the wine seller was not there. So he said, "Let me just go do tawaf," just to get his mind off the craving. So he went to the Ka'bah — and he found the Prophet PBUH all alone in the middle of the night. So he thought to himself, "Now is my time to beat this person up." So he crept up behind the Prophet PBUH — and he found him reciting something — the Quran. Of course, just like the rest of the Quraysh, Umar had never listened to the Quran wholeheartedly — so he stopped and began listening. And nobody knew Umar was there. Even the Prophet PBUH was oblivious — he was completely immersed in his recitation. (Umar is narrating this story himself in Musnad Imam Ahmad.) And Umar said he was amazed at the rhythm and power of the surah — Surah al-Haqqah (سورة الحاقة). And while the Prophet PBUH was reciting, Umar began to think, "Where is this coming from? This must be the beautiful statement of a poet just like the Quraysh are saying." And as soon as these thoughts crossed his mind, Surah al-Haqqah said, "And it is not the word of a poet; little do you believe" [see Quran, 69:41]. Then, Umar thought, "It must be the word of a soothsayer/magician." Then the Prophet PBUH recited, "Nor the word of a soothsayer; little do you remember" [see Quran, 69:42]. Umar thought: "Then what is it?!" Surah al-Haqqah: "[It is] a revelation from the Lord of the worlds" [Quran, 69:43]. Umar thought: "And what if he is inventing it?!" Surah al-Haqqah: "And if Muhammad had made up about Us some [false] sayings. We would have seized him by the right hand; then We would have cut from him the aorta" [Quran, 69:44-46]. And Umar listened until the Prophet PBUH finished the entire surah. Umar later said, "That was the first time Islam entered my heart and took over it"—he had not yet accepted Islam; but this was the first time he became a little bit sympathetic to Islam. And he didn't do anything to the Prophet PBUH and went back home.
Then one day, the people of the Quraysh were sitting around and Umar was with them — and Abu Jahal once again began his tirade about the Prophet PBUH and said, "This man has done more to insult our fathers and gods than anybody else! He has cursed our religion! He has said that anybody who worships idols will be punished in Hell — he is making fun of our forefathers! Who will finally rid us of this man? By Allah, anyone who succeeds in doing this, I promise him 100 camels —red (dusky brown) and black— the choicest colors! And I will also add 100 uqiyyah (pouches) of silver!" And this was an immense amount of wealth. So Umar thought, "This is a good amount of money. Let me go do it." So he went back home, unsheathed his sword, and made his way toward the Prophet PBUH. And subhan'Allah, in Ibn Ishaq and other riwayat, it is said that as he was walking toward the Prophet PBUH, a number of things stopped him along the way — he heard some supernatural voices telling him in eloquent Arabic, "What are you doing? This is just a man saying there is no god other than Allah!" But he kept on ignoring it. Until he came across Nu'aym ibn Abdillah al-Nahham (نعيم بن عبد الله النحام), a recent convert who had kept his Islam secret. Nu'aym asked Umar, "Where are you going? What happened?" Umar said, "Enough is enough! We have been cursed too long! Our ancestors have been ridiculed! I am now going to kill this man Muhammad!" Nu'aym panicked and said, "Have you lost your mind, O Umar?! Do you really think the Banu Abd Manaf will allow you to walk on the face of this earth after you kill one of their own?! And if you really want to do something, go back and fix your own family first!"
Umar was shocked, "What do you mean?" Nu'aym: "Don't you know? Your own sister and brother-in-law have accepted Islam!" In Nu'aym's mind, he hoped that this news would divert Umar's attention from the Prophet PBUH. He thought, "Surely, he wouldn't harm his own sister, would he?" expecting that this realization would eventually calm him down. But this enraged Umar even more — as this is now a slap on his face that, "MY family has converted?!" So Umar marched to his sister's house in anger — and as he came close to the door, he heard the recitation of the Quran. (Side note 1: This was because every time someone converted, the Prophet PBUH would assign a teacher to the new convert. Even in times of persecution, education of Islam was paramount. And this shows us how important it is to know your religion, to know the Quran. Even in this persecuted time, the Prophet PBUH had an educational program up and running — the teacher would teach how to pray, fast, read the Quran, etc. Sadly, in our times, when someone converts, nothing even happens — we just come and hug him and khalas [خلاص - that's it], never hear from him again. This needs to change.) (Side note 2: The one who was assigned to teach Umar's sister, Fatima bint al-Khattab [فاطمة بنت الخطاب], was Khabbab ibn al-Aratt. And Fatima's husband was one of the Ashara Mubasharun, Sa'id ibn Zayd [سعيد بن زيد], the son of Zayd ibn Amr ibn Nufayl who was one of the hunafa — the one whom the Prophet PBUH said is a one-man ummah with two Gardens.)
[Back to the story:] Khabbab was teaching the Quran to Fatima and Sa'id — and Umar was hearing this as he was walking to the door. So he pounded on the door, rattling it with his forceful strikes. And out of fear, Khabbab hid in the closet, and Fatima hid the Quran parchment (or stone or tablet) she was reading, by covering it over with her skirt (as if she was sitting on it). "Come in! Come in! What are you doing here at this time of the day?" Umar: "What was this noise I heard? This humming and drumming. What was this?" Fatima: "No, you didn't hear anything." Umar: "By Allah, I know what I heard! I know now that both of you have accepted Islam!" Fatima and Sa'id continued to deny it. And already enraged, Umar took a step forward to punch Sa'id ibn Zayd. But Fatima got in the way and the blow landed on her instead of him. And when this happened, both Fatima and Sa'id became enraged and said, "Yes! We have accepted Islam and we believe in the Prophet PBUH! So what?! Do as you please!" When Umar saw this sincerity, again, his heart softened. (Indeed, as we know, Umar had a harsh side and a soft side — and this continued throughout his khilafa as well.) Umar calmed down and said, "Let me see what you were reciting"—Umar was an educated man, and he could read and write.
But this request of his raised Fatima's concerns — because the Quran needs to be respected; and she didn't want Umar to desecrate it. However, Umar swore that he wouldn't do anything except read it. So Fatima agreed to let him see, with a proviso that, "Since you are a mushrik, you are not allowed to touch the Quran until you purify yourself." So Umar quickly did ghusl, and he read Surah Taha (سورة طه).
Islam then entered his heart.
Sa'id saw that Umar had completely calmed down, so when Umar requested to see the Prophet PBUH, he took him to the House of al-Arqam with the sword still in his hand. Umar bangs on the door of al-Arqam's house, and when one of the sahaba saw him, he said, "Ya Rasulullah, Umar is outside with a sword in his hand!" To which, Hamzah said, "Let him in. For if Allah wants good, he will accept Islam; but if Allah wants other than this, the very sword he is holding will be the end of him (i.e., I will use his sword against him)." Some of the sahaba went to the door and they escorted Umar to the Prophet PBUH. And Umar sat down in front of the Prophet PBUH. And Ibn Ishaq says the Prophet PBUH held onto Umar's collar and said, "O Ibn al-Khattab, what are you doing here? By Allah, if you continue in this path, Allah will destroy you with a punishment." And this was when Umar said, "I have come to accept Islam, believe in Allah, believe in you, and testify in the Truth." Upon hearing this, the Prophet PBUH said, "Allahu Akbar!!" so loud that everyone in the house could hear it and knew that Umar had accepted Islam. After the conversion of Umar, they all publicly prayed in front of the Ka'bah. The narration says they were around 40 people. Hamzah and Umar went together, leading the way — because nobody would dare harm them.
And there are many other stories narrated of Umar's conversion. Of them is that he wanted to personally inform Abu Jahal of his conversion to basically rub it in — so he went knocking on Abu Jahal's door. And Abu Jahal opened the door and welcomed him, "Welcome! What has brought you here?" Umar: "I have come to personally inform you that I now believe in Allah and His Messenger, and I am now upon the religion of Muhammad PBUH." Abu Jahal slammed the door in his face and said, "May Allah curse you and what you have come with!"
Then, Umar RA said, "Who is the one who cannot keep any secret, the most notorious gossiper in all of Makkah?" Someone said, "Jamil ibn Ma'mar al-Jumahi (جميل بن معمر الجمحي)." So he went to Jamil and said, "Do you know I have a secret? I have just accepted Islam and I am now following the religion of Muhammad PBUH!" And Jamil jumped up barely grabbing a garment to cover his nakedness and rushed outside, eager to be the first to spread the news. And he began screaming in the streets of Makkah even before reaching the Ka'bah: "O people of Makkah! O Quraysh! Umar ibn al-Khattab qad Saba'a (قد صبأ)!" ("Saba'a" is what the pagans used to call "accepting Islam" — because there was a religion at the time called Sabianism; and the pagans would say anybody who left idolatry has become a Sabian.) And Umar RA corrected Jamil, "No. Aslamtu (أسلمت - I have accepted Islam)."
And it's also narrated that many people had fights with Umar RA that day in front of the Ka'bah until Amr ibn al-As's father, al-As ibn Wa'il, gave him protection.
And of course, there are so many blessings of Umar ibn al-Khattab RA. Of the most authentic and simplest one narrated in Bukhari: The Prophet PBUH said, "There were people before you who were communicated with [by the angels] but they were not prophets. If there is anybody in my ummah like this, then it is Umar." It is enough of a blessing to see what happened in his khilafa — Islam quadrupled in size. Abu Bakr RA solidified Islam in Arabia, and Umar RA expanded it.
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The Boycott
With these two conversions, both Hamzah RA and Umar RA, the Quraysh really felt threatened.
Two things had happened now that are just astounding. Firstly, the bulk of the Muslims fled to Abyssinia. This was threatening and disgraceful. And secondly, two of the most prominent and powerful men had left them and joined Islam.
It's said that in the 7th year of the dawah, all the Qureshi tribes came together and agreed, "We need to kill Muhammad." And they said, "How can we do it? The Banu Hashim is not going to give him over to us." So they said, "We will offer whatever blood money they want. And we will even concede to them that none of us will kill him — we will pay some other tribes to do the job." So for the final time, they went to Abu Talib and said to him, "You do not have any choice in the matter. Either hand over Muhammad —and we will give you whatever blood money and it won't even be a Qureshi to do the job— OR we will have to cut you off from the Quraysh." Again, this is absolutely unprecedented. "How are you going to cut us off? We are blood relatives." They said, "None of us will allow you to get any food or water; we will boycott you; we will cut off all marriages with you; there will be no business transactions," etc. When they came to Abu Talib like this, Abu Talib became furious and said, "Do as you please. I will never hand my nephew over to you."
One report says they were forced to, but most likely voluntarily, Abu Talib decided to live elsewhere; and so the Banu Hashim & Banu al-Muttalib (two cousin tribes) imposed a type of exile on themselves and moved to a valley that the Banu Hashim 'owned' outside of Makkah, called the Valley of Abu Talib (شِعب أبي طالب).
So this is the Incident of the Boycott.
In order to solidify their stance, the Quraysh wrote a treaty/pact amongst themselves that nobody will buy and sell to the two tribes, nobody will marry into or from them, and nobody will socialize with them. So it was a boycott of an economic, political, and social level. And they hung this treaty inside the Ka'bah. And of course nobody walks in and out of the Ka'bah, so they locked the door and left it hanging inside it. (Side note: It is said that Bu'ayd ibn Amir [بعيض بن عامر] was the one who wrote this treaty, and the Prophet PBUH made du'a against him, and his hands became paralyzed until he died.)
And this complete Boycott forced the Banu Hashim & Banu al-Muttalib to live outside of Makkah for 2-3 years.
We don't have too much information about this period. Why not? Firstly, because very few lived to narrate these events. Secondly, people tend to gloss over bad memories — we don't want to think about bad memories. So even those who lived to narrate, they didn't narrate much. It was a very difficult and traumatic time for them.
So for 2-3 years, they lived in this valley, eking out an existence. Drinking rainwater, eating from the shrubbery and the leaves, etc. And Bilal said, "We began defecating like goats defecate. Our droppings were indistinguishable from the goats'."
One of their main sources of food was that every few weeks, someone felt sympathy for them and would send in secret supplies of food. The most famous of them was Mut'im ibn Adi. (Side note: Mut'im ibn Adi was a chief of the Banu Nawfal [بنو نوفل], one of the subtribes of the Quraysh. And he will die a year before the Battle of Badr. He was one of the most sympathetic non-Muslims ever, showing unwavering support toward the Muslims like no other. And the Prophet PBUH praised him a lot. E.g., after the Battle of Badr, he PBUH said if Mut'im were alive and told him to release all the captives of war, he would have done it without any question.)
Mut'im, every few weeks, would go to the valley with a large camel laden with food, supplies, water, grain, etc. (And of course, when they caught it, they could dry the meat, they could keep it, and it lasts for many many weeks.)
It is reported that a few other people also did this during this 2-3 year Boycott. Of them was Hakim ibn Hizam (Khadija's nephew who later became a famous sahabi).
Otherwise, they eked out an existence. Even when foreigners came, Abu Jahal would tell them, "Do not sell to these people (the two tribes); I will pay double whatever they are offering." Foreigners were not barred like the Quraysh, but Abu Jahal would still prevent them from selling to the Banu Hashim / Banu al-Muttalib.
Even during these 2-3 years, the Prophet PBUH continued to give dawah during the hajj season. He would go out of the valley and meet with the tribes and find converts to Islam.
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Incidents That Brought About the End of the Boycott
A number of incidents happened that finally brought about the Boycott to an end.
1. The first of these is that the Prophet PBUH made a du'a against them, "O Allah, send upon them a drought and famine like the famine of Yusuf (AS)." And Allah accepted this du'a. And the famine became so bad for the Makkans that they were forced to eat carcasses and chew on dead animal skins. And they realized this was because of the du'a of the Prophet PBUH, so they sent some messengers to try to bring about some reconciliation.
2. The second incident is that some of the people of Quraysh with softer hearts decided that they should do something to break the pact. One of the main people was Hisham ibn Amr (هشام بن عمرو). Hisham called his friend Zuhayr ibn Abi Umayya (زهير بن أبي أمية) (whose mother is Atikah, the sister of Abdullah, the father of the Prophet PBUH, i.e., Zuhayr is Abdul Muttalib's grandson), and they said, "What can we do to bring about an end to this Boycott?" They said the first thing is to build some strength together. So they gathered all those who had the same views as them. This included, of course, Mut'im ibn Adi, along with Abu al-Bukhturi ibn Hisham (أبو البختري بن هشام), and a few more. And then they planned to speak up when all of the people are gathered in the Nadi the next day. So the next day, they went to the Ka'bah, and they all seated where they usually sit —everyone goes to his place in this corner, that corner, etc.— then Zuhayr, who was genealogically farthest removed from the Banu Hashim and Banu al-Muttalib, stood up and said, "For how long are we going to starve our own kith and kin to death? This is an evil thing!" At this, Abu Jahal became furious and shouted, "Who do you think you are? We all agreed to this treaty!" When he said this, Hisham stood up and said, "No — I didn't agree; you agreed. This is your idea!" Abu Jahal said, "What do you mean my idea? We had a meeting and agreed!" Mut'im stood up; "No, we didn't — you forced this on us." Abu Jahal: "No, I didn't force it!" Then Abu al-Bukhturi stood up. So one by one, every single person publicly challenged Abu Jahal. And this aroused Abu Jahal's suspicion that something was amiss; he said, "This is certainly a plan all of you have hatched." But of course, they didn't confess to this. And it became apparent from this incident that the tide of public support had shifted against Abu Jahal.
3. And then the final thing happened which completely turned the tide. One day, the Prophet PBUH went to Abu Talib and said, "O my uncle, Allah has informed me that the treaty they wrote has been eaten up by termites/ants, except for the phrase 'بسمك اللهم (In the name of Allah).'" And of course, this treaty was securely sealed within the Ka'bah, inaccessible to anyone. The Prophet PBUH could not have known this without Allah's Divine disclosure. So, astonished, Abu Talib asked, "Your Lord has told you this?" "Yes." "I will stake my whole case on this." "Yes, stake it on this." And so Abu Talib, for the first time since the enactment of the treaty, marched to the Haram with a group of non-Muslim fellow tribesmen. (Note: This, again, demonstrates the remarkable strength of the jahili kinship bonds. Despite not being Muslims, the entire Banu Hashim endured the hardships of the Boycott in unwavering support of the Prophet PBUH, except for one individual: the cowardly Abu Lahab, who basically publicly denounced, "I have nothing to do with the Banu Hashim anymore.") Abu Talib went to the Haram and said, "O my people, let us forget about everything and let us bring out this treaty and see if we can reach a negotiation and deal." And this made them happy that perhaps Abu Talib would hand over the Prophet PBUH. So they took out the treaty from the Ka'bah in its cloth. And Abu Talib said, "My nephew has informed me that his Lord has told him that the treaty is no longer in existence; and everything has been eaten except for the phrase 'In the name of Allah.' So my challenge to you is, if that is the case, let us be, and we will return to Makkah. And if it is not, I will hand over my nephew to you." (Notice how Abu Talib stakes it all on his 'iman' in the Prophet PBUH telling the truth.) They said, "Of course!"—and they opened up the cloth, and lo and behold, there was no treaty except for the phrase "In the name of Allah." Subhan'Allah! So they were infuriated, "This is of the sihr (سحر - magic) that he's done!" But they couldn't do anything because the promise had been given. And this was what nullified the treaty. And thus, the Banu Hashim & Banu al-Muttalib returned to Makkah.
One of the most interesting things that happened during this time was that Abu Talib wrote what is considered to be the most eloquent Arabic poetry in existence. It's called the "Lamiyyah of Abi Talib" (لامية أبي طالب) because every single verse ends with the letter lam (ل). It's around 100 lines of poetry and is universally known as the pinnacle of poetry of that era. Ibn Kathir says this one poem beats all of the Seven Hanging Poems in Makkah at the time — in its style, content, and rhythm. It's absolutely powerful. But it's so advanced and beautiful that it's near impossible now to even understand it.
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Lesson From the Incident of the Boycott
Some of the benefits we gain from the Incident of the Boycott is that it's amazing to see the ties of kinship between tribes. Many people in Banu Hashim & Banu al-Muttalib weren't Muslims, but they underwent the hardship of the Boycott for the sake of the Prophet PBUH. Every nation has some people that are mean and some people that are nice. So we take the good when people offer it and we use it against the bad. Indeed, this is what the Prophet PBUH did. We too should reach out to those who want to support freedom and are open-minded in our times.
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The Prophet PBUH and the sahaba returned back to Makkah after ~2½ years of the Boycott, which means it's the 10th year of the dawah now, and the Prophet PBUH is roughly 49 years old. After this, Allah will test the Prophet PBUH with even greater tragedies: the death of Abu Talib, Khadija, and then the Incident of Ta'if. One low after the other. This was the lowest period of the seerah of the Prophet PBUH. And this will all be a precursor to the Hijrah to Madinah.
[Transcribed by Br. Safwan Khan & Faizan]
safwan-khan@hotmail.com
[Re-revised by Br. Syed Haq & MAR, June 2023]
safwan-khan@hotmail.com
[Re-revised by Br. Syed Haq & MAR, June 2023]
