Meccan boycott of the Hashemites

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The Meccan boycott of the Hashemites by the Quraish was proclaimed in 617.

1 Overview
2 History
3 List
4 Shi'a view
5 See also
6 References

[edit] Overview

It became a source of great troubles for the Muslims, and they where forced to do their second migration to an area called Shib Abi Talib or Shib Abi Hashim where they suffered hunger^[1]. The boycott was ended in 619, the Year of Sorrow.

[edit] History

"the Quraysh gathered together to confer and decided to draw up a document in which they undertook not to marry women from Banu Hashim and the Banu al Muttalib, or to give them women in marriage, or to sell anything to them or buy anything from them. They drew up a written contract to that effect and solemnly pledged themselves to observe it. They then hung up the document in the interior of the Ka'bah to make it even more binding upon themselves. When Quraysh did this, the Banu Hashim and the Banu al-Muttalib joined with 'Abu Talib, went with him to his valley and gathered round him there; but 'Abu Lahab 'Abd al Uzza b. 'Abd al-Muttalib left the Banu Hashim and went with the Quraysh supporting them against 'Abu Talib. This state of affairs continued for two or three years, until the two clans were exhausted, since nothing reached any of them except what was sent secretly by those of the Quraysh who wished to maintain relations with them". ^[2]

"These days were very hard with them and very often they had to feed on the leaves TALH or plantain" ^[3]

Thus, this boycott included even Hashemites that had not accepted Islam. ^[4]

A Sunni site writes:

“

How did the Prophet and his followers and folk respond to this internal black-listing? They took refuge in an area on the outskirts of Makkah, and suffered the pains of starvation, deprivation and all the difficulties of want and loss. At times they could not find food to satisfy their hunger. These Muslims were not permitted even to speak to other people. The only exception was during the sanctified months (al-Ash-hur al-Hurum), when the Prophet (saw) would go to the Ka’bah and tell Arabs from outside Makkah of the meanings of Islam. These restrictions drew sympathy from other peoples in Arabia. Some listened to what the Prophet had to say and then responded positively to his call. Others secretly sent food and water to him and his people. This situation lasted for about three years before five young men decided that this boycott was ill-conceived and misguided.

These five young men — Zuhair ibn Abi-Umayah, Hisham ibn ‘Amr, al-Mut’im ibn ‘Adi, Abu al-Bukhtari ibn Hisham, and Zam’ah ibn al-Asad — decided to find a way to annul the notice posted in the Ka’bah. The following day one of them came to the Kaëbah and addressed the people there, saying: "O people of Makkah! We eat our food and we dress up while Banu Hashim are wasting away in the valley on the outskirts of Makkah, unable to buy or sell! I will not sit still until the noxious boycott-document on the Ka’bah is torn up." Upon hearing this Abu-Jahl loudly retorted: "You are lying! And by Allah! It will not be torn up." Then the other four young men came forward to support what their colleague had said. Abu-Jahl realized that these five together represented a significant bloc of people in Makkah, and that confrontation with them would cause serious rifts within Makkah. And so the document was brought down and shredded, and the Prophet and his people were permitted to return to Makkah. And finally Quraish realized that nothing is going to stop Muhammad (saw) from expressing Allah’s words and doing Allah’s will on earth. ^[5]

”

[edit] List

A list of people that migrated includes: Muslims:

Talha ibn Ubayd-Allah ^[4]

Non-Muslims:

[edit] Shi'a view

Shi'a formulated the following question:

Where were Hadhrath Abu Bakr and Hadhrath Umar during that period? They were in Makkah so why did they not help the Holy Prophet (saaws)? If they were unable to join the Prophet (saaws) at the Shib Abi Talib is there any evidence that they provided any type of support (food etc), breaching the agreement that the Quraysh boycott all food / business transactions with Bani Hashim?^[1]

The following can be found in a Shi'a tafsir of 9:113:

“

Abu Talib followed the creed of Ibrahim, i.e. Islam. Abu Talib died as a Muslim before hijrat and this verse was revealed in 9 Hijra, therefore all the false traditions reported by the Muslim traditionists were fabricated by the enemies of Ali ibn abi Talib to present his father as an unbeliever.

Abd al Muttalib, the Holy Prophet's grandfather, on his deathbed embraced Muhammad for the last time and then entrusted him to Abu Talib, saying: "Take care of this boy, nothing in our kindred is more precious than he." Abu Talib affectionately brought him up, loved him fondly, made him sleep by his own bed-side and took him with himself wherever he went. History is a witness that, before Ali, it was Abu Talib who supported and assisted the Holy Prophet and his divine mission under all circumstances. In his sermons and poetry he praised his nephew as the messenger of Allah and expressed his faith in him and his belief in Allah.

When Abu Talib saw his son, Ali, praying with the Holy Prophet to worship Allah, he gladly approved the act of devotion performed by his son and advised him to follow the Holy Prophet, help and support him in his mission.

When the verse "warn your relatives" (Shu-ara: 214) was revealed, the dawat dhil ashira was arranged by the Holy Prophet in the house of Abu Talib. Abu Lahab, his other uncle tried his best to stop the Holy Prophet from delivering his speech but Abu Talib put his hands on Abu Lahab's shoulders and made him listen to the Holy Prophet's message, the message of Islam. He not only supported him in all his activities against the idolworshippers but also suffered untold hardships along with him when the pagans of Makka began the historic boycott of the Holy Prophet. They went in a body to Abu Talib, and adopting a threatening tone demanded of him to make his nephew desist from attacks on their gods. The Holy Prophet was present. He refused to do so. The Holy Prophet thought that his uncle, for fear of family feud, wanted to withdraw his protection, so he said to him that he solely depended on Allah, and turned to go away. Here it is reported by Abul Fida, Habib al Siyar and Asni-al Matalib that Abu Talib called him back and told him that he would stand by him against all his enemies and would protect him (in his mission) till his own death; because Abu Talib believed in his nephew's convictions, and he accordingly made the Makkans understand that his nephew was really a messenger from Allah; and therefore they should take him as their spiritual leader and guide. Tabari and Ibn Hisham write that urged by Abu Sufyan, the heads of the different families of idolworshippers decided to break off all connections with the Holy Prophet and his relatives. In the seventh year of bi-that a covenant was written-not to have any sort of intercourse with the Holy Prophet and his kinsmen, neither to sell to nor to buy anything from, nor to contract matrimonial alliance with them-and signed and sealed and was kept in the Ka-bah. Abu Talib then took the Holy Prophet and the Banu Hashim to his quarters known as Shib abi Talib. This fortress was also beleaguered occasionally by the idolworshippers of Makka, to enforce the boycott in all its rigour. Abu Talib feared even night attacks and was on his guard for the safety of the Holy Prophet, and often changed his bed-site as a precaution against sudden violence. This state of affairs lasted for about three years. Finally the Holy Prophet told Abu Talib that Allah had shown His disapproval of the covenant against him, and had sent worms to eat out every word of the document placed in the Ka-bah, excepting His own name written thereon. Abu Talib, believing his nephew as the receiver of revelations from Allah, unhesitatingly went to the idolworshippers and told them what the Holy Prophet had spoken; and added that if what he was telling was found true, they would be bound to withdraw their boycott and lay aside their enmity towards the Holy Prophet and his kinsmen; if proved false, he would withdraw his protection. They all agreed and at once went to inspect the document. Only the name of Allah was there and nothing more. They said that it was an enchantment of the Holy Prophet, but, at the persistence of Abu Talib the boycott was withdrawn. It is clear that only a believing man could do what Abu Talib did.

In the tenth year of bi-that, some months after the withdrawal of the interdict Abu Talib died at the age of 87 years. Abu Talib's attitude towards the Holy Prophet as well as some of his preserved verses prove, says Abul Fida, that he believed in the Holy Prophet as the true messenger of Allah and in his religion, Islam. He died actually in the faith with the kalimah on his lips. Some of his well-known verses are noted below:

(i) I believe that Muhunmad's faith is the best of all the religions of the universe.

(ii) Do you not see that we have found Muhammad, a prophet like Musa; he is already predicted in previous scriptures.

(iii) To exalt him He (Allah) derived his name from His own; He as the highest is called Mahmud while He named him Muhammad.

The status of Abu Talib in Islam was the same as that of "Mumin min ali Firawn" (a believer from among the people of Firawn) mentioned in verses 28 to 45 of al Mumin who had concealed his faith to protect Musa-an instructive parallelism between Muhunmad and Musa. The enemies of Ali fabricated false traditions to give the impression that his father had not embraced Islam. In a malicious, nevertheless stupid, way they had tried their best to take revenge from Ali for having killed in various battles their fathers, the idolworshippers and hypocrites of Makka and Madina.^[6]

”