The Parliament of Quraish
The polytheists were paralysed by the carefully
planned and speedy movement of Muhammad’s followers towards their new abode in
Madinah. They were caught in unprecedented anxiety and got deeply worried over their whole
pagan and economic entity. They already experienced Muhammad [pbuh] as an influential
leader; and his followers as determined, decent and always ready to sacrifice all they had
for the sake of the Messenger of Allâh [pbuh]. Al-Aws and Al-Khazraj tribes, the
would-be-hosts of the Makkan Muslims, were also known in Arabia for their might and power
in war, and judicious and sensible approach in peace. They were also averse to rancour and
prejudice for they themselves had had bitter days of inter-tribal warfare. Madinah ,
itself, the prospective headquarters of the ever-growing Islamic Call, enjoyed the most
serious strategic position. It commanded the commercial routes leading to Makkah whose
people used to deal in about a quarter of a million gold dinar-worth commodities every
year. Security of the caravan routes was crucial for the perpetuity of prosperous economic
life. All those factors borne in mind, the polytheists felt they were in the grip of a
serious threat. They, therefore, began to seek the most effective method that could avert
this imminent danger. They convened a meeting on Thursday, 26th Safar, the year fourteen
of Prophethood / 12th September 622 A.D[For details
see Rahmat-al-lil'alameen 1/95-102] ., i.e. two and a half months after the
Great ‘Aqabah Pledge. On that day, "the Parliament of Makkah" held the most
serious meeting ever, with one item on the agenda: How to take effective measures with a
view to stopping that tidal wave. Delegates representing all the Quraishite tribes
attended the meeting, the most significant of whom were:
- Abu Jahl bin Hisham, from Bani Makhzum;
- Jubair bin Mut‘im, Tuaima bin ‘Adi, and Al-Harith bin
‘Amir representing Bani Naufal bin ‘Abd Munaf;
- Rabi‘a’s two sons Shaibah and ‘Utbah besides Abu
Sufyan bin Harb from Bani ‘Abd Shams bin ‘Abd Munaf;
- An-Nadr bin Al-Harith (who had besmeared the Prophet [pbuh] with
animal entrails) to speak for Bani ‘Abd Ad-Dar;
- Abul Bukhtary bin Hisham, Zama‘a bin Al-Aswad and Hakeem bin
Hizam to represent Bani Asad bin ‘Abd Al-‘Uzza;
- Al-Hajjaj’s two sons Nabih and Munbih from Bani Sahm;
- Omaiyah bin Khalaf from Bani Jumah.
On their way to An-Nadwah House, Iblis
(Satan) in the guise of a venerable elderly man standing at the door interrupted their
talk and introduced himself as a man from Najd curious enough to attend the meeting,
listen to the debate and wish them success to reach a sound opinion. He was readily
admitted in.
There was a lengthy debate and several proposals
were put forward. Expulsion from Makkah was proposed and debated in turn but finally
turned down on grounds that his sweet and heart-touching words could entice the other
Arabs to attack them in their own city. Imprisonment for life was also debated but also
refused for fear that his followers might increase in number, overpower them and release
him by force. At this point, the arch-criminal of Makkah, Abu Jahl bin Hisham suggested
that they assassinate him. But assassination by one man would have exposed him and his
family to the vengeance of blood. The difficulty was at last solved by Abu Jahl himself,
who suggested that a band of young men, one from each tribe, should strike Muhammad
simultaneously with their swords so that the blood-money would be spread over them all and
therefore could not be exacted, and his people would seek a mind-based recourse for
settlement. The sinful proposal was unanimously accepted, and the representatives broke up
the meeting and went back home with full determination for immediate implementation.
[Ibn Hisham 1/480-482]
