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The pagans of Makkah held a meeting in a place
called Wadi Al-Muhassab, and formed a confederation hostile to both Bani Hashim and Bani
Al-Muttalib. They decided not to have any business dealings with them nor any sort of
inter-marriage. Social relations, visits and even verbal contacts with Muhammad
[pbuh] and
his supporters would discontinue until the Prophet [pbuh] was given up to them to be
killed. The articles of their proclamation, which had provided for merciless measures
against Bani Hashim, were committed to writing by an idolater, Bagheed bin ‘Amir bin
Hashim and then suspended in Al-Ka‘bah. The Prophet [pbuh] invoked Allâh’s
imprecations upon Bagheed, whose hand was later paralysed. [Za'd
Al-Ma'ad 2/46]
Abu Talib wisely and quietly took stock of the
situation and decided to withdraw to a valley on the eastern outskirts of Makkah. Banu
Hashim and Banu Al-Muttalib, who followed suit, were thus confined within a narrow pass
(Shi‘b of Abu Talib), from the beginning of Muharram, the seventh year of
Muhammad’s mission till the tenth year, viz., a period of three years. It was a
stifling siege. The supply of food was almost stopped and the people in confinement faced
great hardships. The idolaters used to buy whatever food commodities entered Makkah lest
they should leak to the people in Ash-Shi‘b, who were so overstrained that they had
to eat leaves of trees and skins of animals. Cries of little children suffering from
hunger used to be heard clearly. Nothing to eat reached them except, on few occasions,
some meagre quantities of food were smuggled by some compassionate Makkans. During
‘the prohibited months’ — when hostilities traditionally ceased, they would
leave their confinement and buy food coming from outside Makkah. Even then, the food stuff
was unjustly overpriced so that their financial situation would fall short of finding
access to it.
Hakeem bin Hizam was once on his way to smuggle some
wheat to his aunt Khadijah [R]Ç when Abu Jahl intercepted and wanted to debar him. Only
when Al-Bukhtari intervened, did Hakeem manage to reach his destination. Abu Talib was so
much concerned about the personal safety of his nephew. Whenever people retired to sleep,
he would ask the Prophet [pbuh] to lie in his place, but when all the others fell asleep,
he would order him to change his place and take another, all of which in an attempt to
trick a potential assassin.
Despite all odds, Muhammad [pbuh] persisted in his
line and his determination and courage never weakened. He continued to go to Al-Ka‘bah and to pray publicly. He used every opportunity to preach to outsiders who
visited Makkah for business or on pilgrimage during the sacred months and special seasons
of assemblies.
This situation ultimately created dissension amongst
the various Makkan factions, who were tied with the besieged people by blood relations.
After three years of blockade and in Muharram, the tenth year of Muhammad’s mission,
the pact was broken. Hisham bin ‘Amr, who used to smuggle some food to Bani Hashim
secretly at night, went to see Zuhair bin Abi Omaiyah Al-Makhzoumy and reproached him for
resigning to that intolerable treatment meted out to his uncles in exile. The latter
pleaded impotence, but agreed to work with Hisham and form a pressure group that would
secure the extrication of the exiles. On the ground of motivation by uterine relations,
there emerged a group of five people who set out to abrogate the pact and declare all
relevant clauses null and void. They were Hisham bin ‘Amr, Zuhair bin Abi
Omaiya, Al-Mut‘im bin ‘Adi, Abu Al-Bukhtari and Zam‘a bin Al-Aswad. They decided to
meet in their assembly place and start their self-charged mission from the very precinct
of the Sacred House. Zuhair, after circumambulating seven times, along with his colleagues
approached the hosts of people there and rebuked them for indulging in the amenities of
life whereas their kith and kin of Bani Hashim were perishing on account of starvation and
economic boycott. They swore they would never relent until the parchment of boycott was
torn to piece and the pact broken at once. Abu Jahl, standing nearby, retorted that it
would never be torn. Zam‘a was infuriated and accused Abu Jahl of telling lies,
adding that the pact was established and the parchment was written without seeking their
approval. Al-Bukhtari intervened and backed Zam‘a. Al-Mut‘im bin ‘Adi and
Hisham bin ‘Amr attested to the truthfulness of their two companions. Abu
Jahl, with
a cunning attempt to liquidate the hot argument that was running counter to his malicious
goals, answered that the issue had already been resolved sometime and somewhere before.
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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