Chapter 9
THE YEARS OF SORROW.
SOCIAL BOYCOTT AND LIFE IN SHA'IB ABI TALIB
Social Life and Economy Boycott in Sha'ib Abi Talib.
(617-619 A.C)
“It is not fitting, For the Prophet and those, Who believe, that they should Pray for forgiveness. For Pagans, even though, They are of kin, after it is, Clear to them that they Are companions of the Fire.
(Surah Taubah; V-113)
SOCIAL BOYCOTT AND LIFE IN
SHI' AB ABI TALIB
Waraqah bin Nawfal had once told Rasulullahﷺ, "That I wish I was alive to help you when your tribesmen would oppose and compel you to migrate". His prediction was made in the year 610 AD. It became true in 616 AD and as he had feared he was not alive to extend his help to Rasulullahﷺ.
Throughout history people who presented something for the betterment and righteousness of society, were exiled, imprisoned, murdered, or burnt alive. Such people negate and contradict centuries-old customs and exploitation of those who thrive on such traditions. People take it as a threat to their survival, therefore, resolve to oppose these reformists.
The Quraish observed that
the king of Abyssinia was not willing to return the Muslims who had taken
refuge in his land. Also back home the popularity of Rasulullahﷺ was
increasing steadily. They decided, to banish Rasulullahﷺ and
his followers to eradicate Islam forever. In this connection, they formulated a
scheme for their complete social and economic boycott by implementing special
restrictions for Muslims.
It was not tolerable to SayidinaUmar Ibn Al Khattab RA, that Quraish should worship their gods, openly at the Holy Kaabah, while the believers worshipped Allah in secret. Quraish were determined not to allow Rasulullahﷺ to imagine that he had defeated them. Under pressure from Abu Jahl, they decided that the best solution would be to place an interdiction on the whole clan of Hashim. With the exception of Abu Lahab, all others were resolved to protect their kinsman whether they believed him to be a Prophet or not. In order to nullify this support, a document was drawn up. No less than forty leaders of Quraish set their seal to this agreement.
Quraish Musyrikin hung this notice or
"Saheefah" as the Arabs called it on the walls of the Holy Kaaba and directed the people to make a complete boycott of the Muslims.
"Saheefah" is a statement of an order, decree, or announcement. The
orders were, "No citizen of Makkah is allowed to talk to any Muslim
(whether male or female). The Makkans are forbidden to touch a Muslim or to
shake hands with him. If they do so they would become unclean. The Makkans
have no right to transact any business with the Muslims. The Makkans will
neither accept nor give any girl or woman in marriage to the Muslims. If one owes
money to a Muslim, one should not repay his debt. These orders will remain
active until Rasulullahﷺ revokes his religion or Banu
Hashim suspends their support to Rasulullahﷺ)".
In 616 AD, Muhammad (Rasulullahﷺ) along with other Muslims was expelled from
Makkah. They were still patronized by Banu Hashim who also left Makkah with
them even though some of them, including Rasulullahﷺ uncle, were not Muslims. The gallantry of Abu Talib could not permit him to
abandon his nephew. Only "Abu Lahab" of Banu Hashim was not on their
side. Rasulullahﷺ shifted to a
"Sha’ib" owned by Abu Talib.
Literally "Sha’ib"
means a crag in a rock. However, figuratively it is a pass or a valley carved
naturally in a mountain.
Each of the ten tribes of
Quraish owned a separate "Sha’ib". Whenever a person or a tribe
sought refuge from any of the Quraishite tribes, it was provided for in one of
the particular "Sha’ib". The Arabs did not consider any refugee tribe
or person as one of their own. Hence a stranger was never accommodated as being
one of them, and such a person could not live among them.
In tribal life, the tents
were fixed in such a way that one could know at a glance which tent belonged to
the chief. The chieftain was always in the middle. On his right and left were
his sons. Next to them were the tents of the chieftain’s brothers, daughters, and sons-in-law. The more distant the relation, the farther the tent from
the center.
Shi'ab Abu Talib was used
only to provide shelter to strangers and the needy, and not for Abu Talib
himself or his tribesmen. It was a small place that could not accommodate so
many people as there was no place in the surroundings for shelter. All around
this "Shi'ab" were either sand dunes or passes.
During the Rasulullahﷺ period,
the land of Makkah was surrounded by dunes and huge rocks that heated like a
great oven. During summer, there were no trees, grass, or birds. Although the situation is quite different now, at some distance from the city are still
present the same barren rocks and dunes found during the Rasulullahﷺ period.
When Rasulullahﷺ and
his followers left Makkah, they could not bring enough eatables with them. They
had been abandoned socially and economically. Their shelter was also far from
any caravan’s route.
They faced the worst of hardships for sustenance. They fed themselves by boiling pieces of hides and leather of the sacrificed animals. It was only during the four months of "Harem" that they could come into the city for buying food. They collected skins as well as food to feed them through the rest of the year.
During this exile, the
nephew of Khadijah R.A sneaked out of Makkah one day to deliver some eatables
to his aunt. The Quraish, who were on the guard, followed him. They confiscated
all the eatables and beat him severely.
Some Islamic historians, in
respect and honor of Rasulullahﷺ, have left his
period of exile un-mentioned, or at least have not described it in detail. They
opine that if this period is discussed in detail, it would be a sort of disrespect
to Rasulullahﷺ glory.
Having said this one must
also realize that these three years were to have a great impact on Rasulullahﷺ later
life. Rasulullahﷺ dealt with all the misery
and hardship of this exile with immense resolve and determination. Where the
Makkans had been anticipating the death of this new religion there came a new vigor
in the spirits of those stranded in the "Sha’ib Abi Talib.”
The Year of Grieve.
Undoubtedly this exile also
brought much pain to Rasulullahﷺ as the loss of two of his
most beloved family members, Khadijah R.A and Abu Talib occurred during this
period.
He was sure of his prophethood and therefore did not give way to the demands of the Quraish and spent
three years destitute and hungry.
It was during this time that
Khadijah R.A Rasulullahﷺ wife of twenty-five
years died. He himself was fifty at the time. Khadijah R.A. had been not only
his wife but also an adviser. She always counseled him and gave the best
possible advice which Rasulullahﷺ took seriously. She
was the first woman to believe in his prophethood hood and unlike the business
class which usually had nothing to do with religion; she spent all her wealth
on the cause of Islam.
Khadijah R.A fell ill during
exile as there was no means to provide for her treatment and diet. She expired
in the year 619 AD. - the year of "A’am-al-Hazn" (the year of sorrow
and grief). She was 65 years old at that time.
Rasulullahﷺmourned
her death with tears for two consecutive days. Whenever he recalled her
memories, his eyes filled with tears. Though there was a marked difference in
ages, there occurred no disparity between them from the start to the end of
their marital life. They complimented each other with true adoration.
There was no shroud, in the
camp for "Kafin", therefore she was wrapped in "Saooqah", a
type of coverlet or veil used by the Arab women to cover their heads.
She was a devoted and
sincere Muslim whose material support played a very important role in the
propagation of Islam. It was she who always stood by the side of Rasulullahﷺ and
shared all his burdens.
Two days after her death,
the Muslims were struck by another grief. Rasulullahﷺ uncle "Abu Talib" breathed his last. He was eighty-sixed years old
then.
When Abu Lahab received news
of his brother’s approaching death, he went to his place and standing at the
head of the bed addressed him, "O brother! Swear that you have not
attested Muhammad’s (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) religion and that
you are departing the world in the footsteps of your ancestral religion".
In his last gasps, Abu Talib
swore that he had not accepted Muhammad’s (may Allah bless him and grant him
peace) religion and that he was leaving the world as his ancestors did.
The devotion and sacrifice
of Khadijah R.A is not surprising as Rasulullahﷺ was her husband and Rasulullahﷺ as
well. It is his Uncle’s sacrifices and hardships that are commendable and
surprising. He neither believed in Islam nor accepted his nephew as Rasulullahﷺ, yet
he offered his life for him to fulfill his obligation towards
"Assiyah" (tribal loyalty).
"Assiyah" - was a
form of tribal conceit. It was so predominant in Arabs that a person like Abu
Talib, a chieftain, forsook his peaceful life, in spite of his old age, and
accepted refuge in a fissure, for a person he did not believe in. He had to
make sure that none of his subjects remained helpless and shelterless. After
his death, the Banu Hashim had no choice but to choose a new chieftain and
according to the custom, Abu Talib’s brother Abu Lahab was offered this
position. Ironically he was the worst enemy of Islam in Makkah.
The Banu on Hashim and
Muttalib was for three years. It showed no signs of having any of the desired
effects. The time had come for a change of mind to take place, and the first
man to act was Hashim who had so often sent his camel with food and clothes for
the Hashemites. He was joined by another man named Zuhayr.
"O people of Makkah are we to eat food
and wear clothes, while the sons of Hashim perish. They are unable to buy and
unable to sell? By Allah, I will not be seated until this iniquitous ban is
torn up". "Thou liest!" said his cousin Abu Jahl. "It shall
not be torn up". "Thou art the better liar," said Zam’ah "We
were not in favor of its being written when it was written. Zam’ah is
right," said Abu l-Bakhtari. "We are not in favor of what is written
in it, neither do we hold with it". "You are both right," said Mut 'im, "and he that saith no is a liar".
Mut 'im, cut him short by
going into the Holy Kaabah to fetch the document. He came out in triumph with a
small piece of vellum in his hand: the worms had eaten it all except the
opening words "In Thy Name, O Allah". The ban was formally revoked,
and a body of Quraish went to give the good news to the Bani Hashim and the
Bani Al-Muttalib.
Walid and other chiefs
proposed that they should all practice both religions. Rasulullah ﷺ was
saved from the trouble of formulating his refusal by an immediate answer that came
directly from Heaven in a Surah of six verses:
.
Say: O ye, That reject Faith!, I worship not that, Which ye worship, Nor will ye worship, That which I worship, And I will not worship, That which ye have been, Wont to worship, Nor will ye worship, That which I worship, To you be your Way, And to me mine.
(Quran 109: 1-6)
Except for Sayidina Jaafar Ibn Abi Talib RA, and Ubayd
Ibn Jahsh, all Rasulullahﷺ cousins returned. With them
came also Sayidina Uthman R.A and Ruqayyah R.A.
When the Makkans observed
that the decree hung on the walls of Makkah for a social boycott of Rasulullahﷺ had
been eaten away by termites, they became scared of the unknown. By chance, this
incident took place when Abu Talib had died and Abu Lahab had just taken the oath.
The Quraish were thus worried about these strings of events. They proposed to
allow the Muslims to return to which Abu Lahab agreed. Thus the Muslims
returned to their native city after three years. During this time the Muslims
had undergone great losses financially. Most of their businesses were ruined
and even people like Abu Bakr R.A, who was extremely rich, were left only with
5000 Dirhams.
When Abu Lahab was asked about
his unlikely permission for the Muslims to return, he replied that being the
chieftain he had to patronize his tribe. He hoped that Muhammad (Rasulullahﷺ) would abide by the tribal laws for he would
expel him from the tribe if he did not. He was not like Abu Talib who would
leave for Sha’ib Abi Talib for his tribe and suffer on the account of Muslims.
Abu Lahab could not restrain himself from opposing Islam. One day he invited all the people of Banu Hashim to a feast; including Rasulullahﷺ. When all gathered, he addressed Rasulullahﷺ "I intend to ask you, in front of all these people of Banu Hashim, about Abu Talib. You say about pagans going to hell, is Abu Talib in hell or heaven?.”
In answer, Rasulullahﷺ recited a verse of Surah Tauba verse 113.
It is not fitting, For the Prophet and those, Who believe, that they should, Pray for forgiveness. For Pagans, even though, They are of kin, after it is, Clear to them that they Are companions of the Fire.
(Surah Taubah; V-113)
Then Abu Lahab asked whether
his brother Abu Talib had been pardoned Rasulullah ﷺ
replied that as Abu Talib had died a non-believer, his matter rested with
Allah.
Abu Lahab again inquired
about the fate of some other ancestors. Rasulullah ﷺ again
recited a Holy Quranic verse and said that the final decision rests with Allah,
who accommodates neither any change nor any concessions. Those in attendance
were speechless.
Ancestors were thought of
with great reverence among the Arabs. The criticism of one’s ancestors was an
act of grave offense. Till then Rasulullah ﷺ had propagated Islam
and invited the Makkans to it, but had not criticized his ancestors with such
courage.
Abu Lahab asked the audience
whether using his authority as the chieftain, he should expel Rasulullah ﷺ from
the tribe. They all agreed unanimously. Abu Lahab instantly declared his
verdict. The meeting was adjourned and the people returned to their homes. From
that very moment, Rasulullah ﷺ was turned into a person to
whom the right of protégé was denied.
In Makkah, shedding the blood of a person who had been expelled from his tribe was lawful. He could be killed, enslaved, sold, or even burned alive by anyone. There was no punishment for the killer as he would not be considered guilty of any crime. The expelled person had no right to appeal to the tribal jury. In short, such a person had no right to live.
Thus Abu Lahab had
practically made Rasulullah ﷺ a social outcast. Rasulullah
ﷺ was
left completely alone and defenseless. There was neither Khadijah R.A nor Abu
Talib to solaces him. He asked for Allah’s succor. Allah not only helped and
comforted him but also invited Rasulullah ﷺ to His throne in the
Heavens. This was Rasulullah ﷺ - Ascension". We the Muslims term this
event as "Mira’aj".
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