The Sealed Nectar (16 page)

Abu Talib meanwhile was sitting in a corner of the Mosque. He came to communicate to them that a Revelation had been sent to his nephew, the Prophet [pbuh] to the effect that ants had eaten away all their proclamation that smacked of injustice and aggression except those parts that bore the Name of Allâh. He contended that he would be ready to give Muhammad [pbuh] up to them if his words proved untrue, otherwise, they would have to recant and repeal their boycott. The Makkans agreed to the soundness of his proposition. Al- Mut‘im went to see the parchment and there he did discover that it was eaten away by ants and nothing was left save the part bearing (in the Name of Allâh).

The proclamation was thus abrogated, and Muhammad [pbuh] and the other people were permitted to leave Ash- Sh‘ib and return home. In the context of this trial to which the Muslims were subjected, the polytheists had a golden opportunity to experience a striking sign of Muhammad’s Prophethood (the white ants eating away the parchment) but to their miserable lot they desisted and augmented in disbelief:

"But if they see a Sign, they turn away, and say ‘This is continuous magic."

[Al- Qur'an 54:2] [Bukhari (in several chapters); Za'd Al- Ma'ad 2/46; Ibn Hisham 1/350]

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The Final Phase of the Diplomacy of Negotiation

The Messenger of Allâh [pbuh] left his confinement and went on preaching his Faith as usual. Quraish, likewise, repealed the boycott but went on in their atrocities and oppression on the Muslims. Abu Talib, the octogenarian notable, was still keen on shielding his nephew but by that time, and on account of the series of tremendous events and continual pains, he began to develop certain fits of weakness. No sooner had he emerged victorious from the inhuman boycott, than he was caught in a persistent illness and physical enervation. The polytheists of Makkah, seeing this serious situation and fearing that the stain of infamy that the other Arabs could attribute to them in case they took any aggressive action against the Prophet [pbuh]

after he had lost his main support, Abu Talib, took a decision to negotiate with the Prophet [pbuh] once more and submit some concessions withheld previously. They then delegated some representatives to see Abu Talib and discuss the issue with him. Ibn Ishaq and others related: "When a serious illness caught Abu Talib, the people of Quraish began to deliberate on the situation and reviewed the main features that characterized that period and which included the conversion of ‘Umar and Hamzah to Islam, coupled with the tremendous stir that Muhammad [pbuh] had created amongst all the tribes of Quraish. They then deemed it imperative to see Abu Talib before he died to pressure his nephew to negotiate a compromise on the various disputed points. They were afraid that the other Arabs might attribute to them the charge of opportunism."

The delegation of Quraish comprised 25 men including notables like ‘Utbah bin Rabi‘a, Shaibah bin Rabi‘a, Abu Jahl bin Hisham, Omaiyah bin Khalaf, Abu Sufyan bin Harb. They first paid tribute to him and confirmed their high esteem of his person and position among them. They then shifted to the new give- and- take policy that they claimed they wanted to follow. To substantiate their argument they alleged that they would refrain from intervening in his religion if he did the same.

Abu Talib summoned his nephew and apprised him of the minutes of his meeting with them, and said: "Well, my nephew, here are the celebrities of your people. They have proposed this meeting to submit a policy of mutual concessions and peaceful coexistence." The Messenger of Allâh [pbuh] turned to them saying:

"I will guide you to the means by which you will gain sovereignty over both
the Arabs and non- Arabs."

In another version, the Prophet [pbuh] addressed Abu Talib in the following words:

"O uncle! Why don’t you call them unto something better?" Abu Talib asked him,

"What is it that you invite them to?" The Prophet [pbuh] replied, "I invite them to hold fast to a Message that is bound to give them access to kingship over the Arabs and non- Arabs." According to Ibn Ishaq’s version, "It is just one word that will give you supremacy over the Arabs and non- Arabs." The Makkan deputies were taken by incredible surprise and began to wonder what sort of word was that which would benefit them to that extent. Abu Jahl asked, "What is that word? I swear by your father that we will surely grant you your wish followed by ten times as much." He said, "I want you to testify that there is no god worthy to be worshipped but Allâh, and then divest yourselves of any sort of worship you harbour for any deities other than Allâh." They immediately clapped their hands in ridicule, and said "How can you expect us to combine all the deities in one God. It is really something incredible." On their way out leaving, they said to one another, "By god this man (Muhammad 77

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[pbuh] ) will never relent, nor will he offer any concessions. Let us hold fast to the religion of our forefathers, and Allâ h will in due course adjudicate and settle the dispute between us and him." As regards this incident, Allâh revealed the following verses:

"
Sâd
: [These letters (
Sâd
, etc.) are one of the miracles of the Qur’ân and
none but Allâh (Alone) knows their meanings]. By the Qur’ân full of
reminding. Nay, those who disbelieve are in false pride and Apposition. How
many a generation We have destroyed before them, and they cried out
when there was no longer time for escape! And they (Arab pagans) wonder
that a warner (Prophet Muhammad [pbuh]) has come to them from among
themselves! And the disbelievers say, ‘This (Prophet Muhammad [pbuh]) is
a sorcerer, a liar. Has he made the gods (all) into One God (Allâh). Verily,
this is a curious thing!’ And the leaders among them went about (saying):

‘Go on, and remain constant to your gods! Verily, this is a thing designed
(against you)! We have not heard (the like) of this among the people of
these later days. This is nothing but an invention.’"
[Al- Qur'an 38:1- 7] [Ibn Hisham 1/417- 419; Tafheem- ul- Qur'an 4/316; Mukhtasar Seerat Ar- Rasool p.9]

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The Year of Grief

Abu Talib’s Death

In Rajab[Tareekh Al- Islam 1/120], the tenth year of the Prophethood, Abu Talib fell ill and passed away, six months after leaving the confinement at Ash- Sh‘ib. In another version, Abu Talib breathed his last in Ramadan, three days prior to the death of Khadijah [R] . On the authority of Al- Musaiyab, when Abu Talib was on the death bed, the Prophet [pbuh] entered the room where he saw Abu Jahl and

‘Abdullah bin Abi Omaiyah. He requested his uncle:

"My uncle, you just make a profession that there is no true god but Allâh,
and I will bear testimony before Allâh (of your being a believer)".

Abu Jahl and ‘Abdullah bin Abi Omaiyah addressing him said: "Abu Talib, would you abandon the religion of ‘Abdul- Muttalib?" The Messenger of Allâh [pbuh] constantly requested him (to accept his offer), and (on the other hand) was repeated the same statement (of Abu Jahl and ‘Abdullah bin Abi Omaiyah) — till Abu Talib gave his final decision and he stuck to the religion of ‘Abdul- Muttalib and refused to profess that there is no true god but Allâh. Upon this the Messenger of Allâh [pbuh] remarked:

"By Allâh, I will persistently beg pardon for you till I am forbidden to do so
(by Allâh)".

It was then that Allâh, the Magnificent and Glorious revealed this verse:

"It is not (proper) for the Prophet and those who believe to ask Allâh’s
forgiveness for the
Mushrikûn
(polytheists, idolaters, pagans, disbelievers
in the Oneness of Allâh) even though they be of kin, after it has become
clear to them that they are the dwellers of the Fire (because they died in a
state of disbelief)."
[Al- Qur'an 9:113]

And it was said to the Messenger of Allâh [pbuh]:

"Verily! You (O Muhammad [pbuh]) guide not whom you like."
[Al- Qur'an 28:56] [Bukhari 1/548]

It goes without saying that Abu Talib was very much attached to Muhammad [pbuh]

. For forty years, Abu Talib had been the faithful friend — the prop of his childhood, the guardian of his youth and in later life a very tower of defence. The sacrifices to which Abu Talib exposed himself and his family for the sake of his nephew, while yet incredulous of his mission, stamp his character as singularly noble and unselfish. The Prophet [pbuh] did his best to persuade his octogenarian uncle to make profession of t he true faith, but he remained obdurate and stuck to the paganism of his forefathers, and thus could not achieve complete success. Al- ‘Abbas bin ‘Abdul-Muttalib narrated that he said to the Prophet [pbuh] "You have not been of any avail to your uncle (Abu Talib) (though) by Allâh, he used to protect you and get angry on your behalf." The Prophet [pbuh] said: "He is in a shallow fire, and had it not been for me, he would have been at the bottom of the (Hell) Fire." [Bukhari 1/548]

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Abu Sa‘id Al- Khudri narrated that he heard the Prophet [pbuh] say, when the mention of his uncle was made, "I hope that my intercession may avail him, and he be placed in a shallow fire that rises up only to his heels." [Bukhari 1/548]

Khadijah passes away to the Mercy of Allâh

Only two months after the death of his uncle, did the Messenger of Allâh [pbuh]

experience another great personal loss viz., the Mother of believers, his wife Khadijah passed away in Ramadan of the tenth year of his Prophethood, when she was sixty- five years old, and he was fifty [Talqeeh Fuhoom Ahl- al- Athar p.7; Rahmat- ul- lil'alameen 2/164]. Khadijah was in fact a blessing of Allâh for the Prophet [pbuh] . She, for twenty- five years, shared with him the toils and trials of life, especially in the first ten years of his ministry of Prophethood. He deeply mourned over her death, and once he replied in an honest burst of tender emotions:

"She believed in me when none else did. She embraced Islam when people
disbelieved me. And she helped and comforted me in her person and wealth
when there was none else to lend me a helping hand. I had children from
her only."
[Musnad Imam Ahmad 6/118]

Abu Hurairah reported that Gabriel came to Allâh’s Messenger [pbuh] and said:

"Allâh’s Messenger, lo, Khadijah is coming to you with a vessel of seasoned food or drink. When she comes to you, offer her greetings from her Lord, and give her glad tidings of a palace of jewels in Paradise where there is no noise and no toil." [Bukhari 1/539]

These two painful events took place within a short lapse of time and added a lot to his grief and suffering. The Makkans now openly declared their campaign of torture and oppression. The Prophet [pbuh] lost all hope of bringing them back to the right path, so he set out for Al- Ta’if seeking a supportive atmosphere. But there too, he was disappointed and he sustained unbearable tortures and maltreatment that far outweighed his miserable situation in his native town.

His Companions were on equal footing subjected to unspeakable torture and unbearable oppression to such an extent that his closest friend, Abu Bakr, to escape pressure, fled out of Makkah and wanted to leave for Abyssinia (Ethiopia) if it were not for Ibn Ad- Daghanah who met him at Bark Al- Ghamad and managed to dissuade him from completing his journey of escape and brought him back under his protection. [Bukhari 1/552; Ibn Hisham 1/372]

The death of Abu Talib rendered the Prophet [pbuh] vulnerable, and the polytheists availed them of that opportunity to give free rein to their hatred and highhandedness and to translate them in terms of oppression and physical tortures. Once an insolent Quraishite intercepted him and sprinkled sand on his head. When he arrived home, a daughter of his washed the sand away and wept. "Do not weep, my daughter. Allâh will verily protect your father." The Prophet [pbuh] said. [Ibn Hisham 1/416]

Rapid succession of misfortunes, led the Prophet [pbuh] to call that period, ‘the year of grief and mourning’. Thenceforth, that year bore that appellation.

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His Marriage to Sawdah [R] in Shawwal, the tenth year of Prophethood
The death of Khadijah left the Prophet [pbuh] lonely. The name of Sawdah was suggested to him for marriage which he accepted. This lady had suffered many hardships for the sake of Islam. She was an early convert to the Islamic Faith and it was by her persuasion that her husband had embraced Islam. On the second emigration to Abyssinia (Ethiopia), Sawdah had accompanied her husband As- Sakran bin ‘Amr. He died on their way back to Makkah leaving her in a terrible state of destitution. She was the first woman for the Prophet [pbuh] to marry after the death of Khadijah. Some years later she granted her turn with the Prophet [pbuh] to her co- wife, ‘Aishah. [Talqeeh Fuhoom Ahl- al- Athar p.10; Rahmat- ul- lil'alameen 2/165]

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The Third Phase: Calling unto Islam beyond Makkah

In Shawwal [Tareekh- e- Islam 1/122] (in the last of May or in the beginning of June 619 A.D.), ten years after receiving his mission from his Lord, the Prophet [pbuh] set out towards At- Ta’if, about 60 kilometres from Makkah, in the company of his freed slave Zaid bin Haritha inviting people to Islam. But contrary to his expectations, the general atmosphere was terribly hostile. He approached the family of ‘Umair, who were reckoned amongst the nobility of the town. But, to his disappointment, all of them turned deaf ear to his message and used abusive language as regards the noble cause he had been striving for. Three brothers from the chieftains of Thaqeef

—‘Abd Yaleel, Mas‘ud and Habeeb — sons of ‘Amr bin ‘Umair Ath- Thaqafy met the Prophet [pbuh], who invited them to embrace Islam and worship Allâh, but they impudently jeered at him and refused his invitation. "He is tearing the cloths of Al-Ka‘bah; is it true that Allâh has sent you as a Messenger?" said one of them. "Has not Allâh found someone else to entrust him with His Message?" said the second. "I swear by Allâh that I will never have any contact with you. If you are really the Messenger of Allâh, then you are too serious to retort back; and if you are belying Allâh, then I feel it is imperative not to speak to." said the third. The Messenger of Allâh [pbuh], finding that they were hopeless cases, stood up and left them saying: