much too serious to ignore. Yet, they could not do much about it because Abū Ṭālib protected his nephew against all threats. To ignore such protection by the Makkan chiefs would contravene one of the basic conventions of their social set-up. Therefore a small delegation composed of a number of the most influential people in Makkah went to Abū Ṭālib complaining about his nephew’s behaviour. The delegation included the two brothers ʿUtbah and Shaybah, sons of Rabīʿah from the clan of ʿAbd Shams; Abū Sufyān Sakhr ibn Ḥarb from Ummayah; Abū al-Bakhtarī al-ʿĀṣ ibn Hishām and al-Aswad ibn al-Muṭṭalib from Asad, Abū Jahl ʿAmr ibn Hishām and al-Walīd ibn al-Mughīrah from Makhzūm; the two brothers Nabīh and Munabbih sons of al-Ḥajjāj from Sahm and al-ʿĀṣ ibn Wā’il, also from Sahm. They made their complaint clear to Abū Ṭālib and they offered him the choice between telling Muhammad not to criticize their ways and ridicule their idols or allowing them to take such effective measures as they might deem necessary to end the trouble. Abū Ṭālib, who continued to follow the religion of his people, spoke to them gently and calmed them down. He did not promise them much.7
The Prophet continued to preach his message regardless. The crisis with his people increased in intensity. Feelings of hostility spread. So the delegation went again to Abū Ṭālib and said to him: “Abū Ṭālib, you enjoy a position of honour and respect among us. We have requested you to stop your nephew, but you have not taken any action. We certainly cannot just sit and do nothing when he continues to speak ill of our forefathers and to ridicule us and our gods. You have to stop him or we will fight him and you over this question until one of the two parties is destroyed.”
Abū Ṭālib was in a dilemma. He did not like to quarrel with his people, yet he could not bear to let his nephew down. So he called Muhammad and explained to him what had taken place between him and his visitors. He then said to him: “You see the difficulty of my situation. Do not put my life and your life at risk, and do not burden me with what I cannot bear.”
The Prophet felt that his uncle might be contemplating withdrawing his protection so he stated his own position with the greatest emphasis he could muster: “Uncle, should they give me the sun in my right hand and the moon in my left hand in return for abandoning my call, I would not do anything of the sort until God has brought this message to triumph or until I have perished.” The Prophet was under the pressure of such strong emotions that tears sprang to his eyes. He started to walk away, but his uncle called him back, saying reassuringly: “My nephew, you may go and say whatever you like. I will never withdraw my protection from you, and never will I let you down.”8
The Prophet was happy with his uncle’s support and continued to preach his message undeterred by the Quraysh’s opposition. They, however, felt that their opening approaches to Abū Ṭālib had brought no positive results. They had to contemplate other measures. The hardliners among the chiefs of Makkah were gaining the upper hand.
NOTES
1. Ibn Hishām, al-Sīrah al-Nabawiyyah, Dār al-Qalam, Beirut, Vol. 1, pp. 280-281. Also, Amīn Duwaydār, Ṣuwar Min Ḥayāt al-Rasūl, Dār al-Maʿārif, 4th edition, Cairo, pp. 144-145; al-Bukhārī, Ṣaḥīḥ, al-Maktabah al-Raḥīmiyyah, India, Vol. 2, pp. 702-703.
2. Abū al-Ḥasan ʿAlī al-Ḥasanī Nadwī, Muhammad Rasulallah (The Life of the Prophet Muhammad) Academy of Islamic Research and Publications, Lucknow, India, p. 111.
3. Amīn Duwaydār, op.cit., p. 144.
4. Ibid., pp. 138-139.
5. Ibid., pp. 139-141.
6. Ibn Hishām, op.cit., p. 380.
7. Ibid., pp. 282-284.
8. Ibid., pp. 284-285.
WHEN MUHAMMAD, GOD’S Messenger, declared his message in public and called upon the people of Makkah to adopt it as a faith and a way of life, in submission to God and fulfilment of His commandments, he in effect went on the offensive in a struggle which was to dominate the rest of his life. Up till that moment, the Prophet and his early followers confined themselves to a secret approach made to a limited number of people on a private and individual basis. These efforts won for the new message of Islam a hard core of advocates whose dedication would never slacken. The Prophet’s public declaration of his message, however, changed the whole picture as the target of his efforts changed. The whole society was called upon to accept a total change in the basis upon which it was built, and of the principles and values it upheld.
The change meant much more than the mere substitution of one god for a collection of idols made of dates, stone, gold, wood or mud. The Arabs of Makkah were not just asked to pay homage to God instead of their idols; they were asked to accept His rule regarding all aspects of their social, cultural and political life. In other words, the change would also include their social practices and economic and commercial interests, as well as their political power and influence.
The response of those who wielded power in the Makkan society was therefore hostile, as was only to be expected. They realized that unless they met the new call with stiff and determined opposition, it was bound to win acceptance with a large section of the population – especially among the poor, the slaves and the deprived, but also among open-minded and liberal-thinking individuals from the powerful classes. Hence, a campaign of persecution was launched against the followers of the new calling.
The early Muslims did not belong to any particular class or social group, but were drawn from all clans and all levels of the tribal structure of Makkan society. Tribal considerations dictated that a member of a tribe should be defended by the whole tribe against any outside harassment or injustice. Indeed, as has been seen, a tribe would defend an individual member even when he was at fault. Hence, some of the early Muslims escaped physical persecution as they were protected by their tribes. Many, however, were less fortunate, for they belonged to the lower classes of slaves or ‘allies’, i.e. individuals attached to different clans and tribes by a verbal covenant of ‘alliance’. Although they enjoyed tribal protection in normal circumstances as a result of that covenant, their status within their tribes was ambivalent. They were therefore vulnerable to stern punishment when their dispute was with the powerful leaders of their tribes.
It was indeed only natural that the brunt of the campaign of persecution would be borne by Muslims who belonged to these classes. After all, the Makkan tribal society was defending its very system which classified people according to their birth and circumstances. The privileged class would not relinquish its privileges easily. It was unable, however, to disregard those privileges or to deny them to those companions of the Prophet who were entitled to enjoy them by virtue of their birth and lineage.
A Campaign of Terror
One of the early tactics of the chiefs of Makkah to try to suppress Islam altogether was a campaign of terror which varied according to the status of the recipient. Those who belonged to the higher classes were subjected to taunts and ridicule. The most determined opponent of Islam at that time was a man called ʿAmr ibn Hishām, who belonged to the clan of Makhzūm. He was soon to be nicknamed Abū Jahl, which meant ‘father of ignorance’. Abū Jahl masterminded the campaign of opposition in its two distinct forms: ridiculing those Muslims who had good connections with their tribes to ensure their protection, and persecution of the weaker ones. When he heard of a noble person who accepted the faith of Islam, he reproached and ridiculed him. He would tell him: “You have deserted the faith of your father, who was a better man than you. We will disregard any good opinion you may have, oppose your views and treat you with contempt.” If the man was a merchant, Abū Jahl would threaten a boycott so that the business of the new Muslim would suffer. If the new Muslim belonged to the weaker class, then physical abuse was soon forthcoming from Abū Jahl.1
Abū Jahl, however, was not the only enemy of Islam; he was only the most uncompromising. Others tried to outbid him in the campaign