or to learn the truth about it, or to listen to the superb literary style of the Qur’ān. As the day began to break, each one of them went back so that no one could find out about his action. Soon, the three of them: Abū Jahl himself, Abū Sufyān and al-Akhnas ibn Sharīq met. There was no need to ask each other what they were doing. There was only one reason for their presence there at that particular time. Therefore, they counselled each other against such action: “Should some of your followers see you,” one of them said, “you would stir doubts in their minds.”
The following night they did the same, and once again they met at the break of day. Again they counselled each other against their ‘irresponsible’ action. Nevertheless, the third night each of them went to sit outside the Prophet’s home and listen to the Qur’ān. When they met in the morning, they felt ashamed of themselves. One of them suggested that they should give each other their word of honour not to come again. They did so before going home.
Later that morning al-Akhnas ibn Sharīq went to see Abū Sufyān in his home. He asked him what he thought about what he heard Muhammad reciting. Abū Sufyān said: “I heard things which I know and recognize to be true, but I also heard things whose nature I cannot understand.” Al-Akhnas said that he felt the same. He then left and went to Abū Jahl’s home to put the same question to him.
Abū Jahl’s answer was totally different. For once, he was candid and honest with himself and his interlocuter:
“I will tell you about what I heard! We have competed with the clan of ʿAbd Manāf for honours: they fed the poor, and we did the same; they provided generous support to those who needed it and we did the same. When we were together on the same level, like two racehorses running neck and neck, they said that one of their number was a Prophet receiving revelations from on high! When can we attain such an honour? By God, we shall never believe in him.”1
Last-Minute Negotiations
Shortly after that, Abū Ṭālib, the Prophet’s protector, was taken ill. He was an old man, over 70 years of age. It was clear that his illness would be terminal. The Quraysh leaders conferred among themselves on what the death of Abū Ṭālib might signify in their relations with his nephew, Muhammad, the Prophet of Islam. They said to each other: “Ever since Ḥamzah and ʿUmar became Muslims, the strength of Islam has continued to grow. Now Muhammad’s followers come from all clans of the Quraysh. Let us go to Abū Ṭālib so that he may work out some sort of accommodation between us and his nephew. Who could guarantee that they would not try to take power in this city of ours?”
A strong delegation, including the most distinguished among them such as ʿUtbah, Shaybah, Abū Jahl, Umayyah ibn Khalaf and Abū Sufyān, went to Abū Ṭālib, enquiring after his health. They then said to him: “You know how distinguished your position is among us, and how much we respect you. In your present condition we candidly say that we fear the worst for you. You are aware of the strained relations between your nephew and ourselves. We suggest that you call him and let both him and us give you some form of pledges so that each party will leave the other alone and we establish a peaceful relationship between him and us.”
Superficially, this was a very ‘innocent’ approach. The Quraysh seemed to offer a fair deal which guaranteed freedom for both sides. The fact was that they wanted nothing less than a complete cessation of the new message. The Prophet should no longer speak about God’s Oneness. This is clear in the ensuing dialogue between the two sides.
Abū Ṭālib called the Prophet and said to him: “These are the leaders of your people. They have asked to see you for an arrangement of give and take.” Addressing the delegation, the Prophet said: “I ask of you only one word. Should you give me that, your authority over all the Arabs will be strengthened. The non-Arabs will also submit to you.”
Thinking that this signified a shift in the Prophet’s position, Abū Jahl said: “Yes, indeed. We will give you that, and ten words like it. What is it you ask of us?”
Was this a blank cheque Abū Jahl was offering to the Prophet? It seemed so, but Abū Jahl was not of the compromising type.
God’s Messenger, the advocate of truth and the herald of every good thing, put his request clearly: “You declare that you believe in the Oneness of God and renounce the worship of any deity beside Him.” He wanted nothing for himself: no wealth, position, honour or authority. He wanted everything for his message. He required them to abandon all deities other than God, be they made of stone or of flesh and blood.
The Quraysh delegation understood clearly what Muhammad wanted. They clapped in disapproval.2
One of them said: “Do you, Muhammad, want to have only one God instead of all those deities? That is very strange indeed!”
Recognizing that there was no possibility of a compromise, the delegation left in disappointment.
When they had gone, Abū Ṭālib said to the Prophet: “My nephew, I do not think you asked them too much.” Encouraged by this remark, the Prophet said: “Then you, Uncle, say that word. It will benefit you on the Day of Judgement.” Abū Ṭālib said: “If it was not for fear that you and your clan would be abused after I had gone, and for fear that the Quraysh would think I said it because I was afraid of death, I would have certainly said it to please you.”
One report suggests that al-ʿAbbās, Abū Ṭālib’s brother, noticed his lips moving just before he died. He stooped to listen, then he raised his head and confirmed to the Prophet that Abū Ṭālib made that declaration which would have included him among the Muslims. In reply, the Prophet said: “I have heard nothing.” It is simply not known whether Abū Ṭālib was a Muslim when he died.3
The Prophet was very sad to lose his uncle. Abū Ṭālib was the man who brought up Muhammad, the orphan who had lost both his parents and his grandfather by the time he was eight years old. He took him into his family and treated him like his own son, giving him extra kindness out of sympathy for the bereaved child. When Muhammad grew up, Abū Ṭālib recognized that he had a nephew of great standing, combining strength of character with high moral standards and refined manners. Moreover, Abū Ṭālib was the protector of Muhammad, the Prophet of Islam, when he needed protection. His loss meant a great deal to the Prophet. After Abū Ṭālib’s death, the irresponsible characters of the Quraysh started abusing the Prophet with word and deed.
Tragedy Strikes Again
Within five weeks of Abū Ṭālib’s death, the Prophet suffered another great loss: his loving wife Khadījah died. Reports are not very clear who of the two died first, but their deaths came in quick succession. To Muhammad, Khadījah was a kind, loving wife who cared deeply for her husband and for his mission. With her, he found all the comfort a man expects of an understanding wife. She shared with him all his feelings and worries. She had known his worth ever since she had proposed marriage to him. When he received his message, she was the first to believe in it. From that day on, she was his main supporter. No matter what problems he met outside, he was certain of finding comfort in his home. Her departure meant that he could no longer find the compassion with which she comforted him after the many disappointments he received from the Quraysh.4
In other words, the Prophet lost his internal and external support within a very brief period of time. He was now more vulnerable to the Quraysh’s attacks. In later years, recalling memories of this period, the Prophet said: “The Quraysh could not cause me much harm until Abū Ṭālib died.” Once Abū Ṭālib departed from the scene, the Prophet had to bear an increasing degree of the Quraysh’s persecution. One day, an idiot stopped the Prophet and threw dust over his head. Some of the Quraysh leaders were delighted to see the Prophet being publicly humiliated. He went home with dust on his head. One of his daughters went up to him to clean his head, tears pouring down her cheeks. He comforted her saying: “Do not cry, young daughter, God will protect your father.”5
In an authentic ḥadīth, Muslim relates on the authority of ʿAbdullāh ibn Masʿūd:
God’s Messenger was once praying at the Kaʿbah, while Abū Jahl sat with a few of his friends not far away.