Chapter 25 : Boycott of Bani Hashim Flashcards
Regarding The Economic and Social Boycott of Bani Hashim
- The conversion of Hamza [ 6 AB or 616 AD ] coupled with the successful emigration of Abyssinia highlighted Quraysh’s inability to halt the growth of Islam in Makkah
- In desperation, The Leaders of Quraysh arrange a meeting to draft crippling sanctions against The Prophet’s Clan
- This boycott went into full effect in the 7th Year After Bi’tha [ 7 AB ]
- 40 of the Leaders of Quraysh placed their seals on a document in Dar Al Nadwah [ Parliament House of Nobles of Quraysh ] in which they agreed :-
i) To cease marrying into or out of The Clan of Hashim and particularly Abu Talib
ii) To cease selling to and buying from them
iii) To not talk to them and keep company with them
- They said this boycott would continue until The Prophet is surrendered to them so they can kill him
- Even Abu Lahab [ He himself belonged to The Clan of Bani Hashim ] signed this document and this document was hung inside The Kaabah
- In response, Abu Talib gathered The Clan of Hashim and swore an oath :-
” By The Kaabah and The Black Stone [ Hajarul Aswad ] and The Station of Abraham [ Maqam Ibrahim ] and The Relics within The Kaabah, If Muhammad is so much as poked by a splinter, I shall come after you all … He [ Abu Talib ] brought The Prophet into the Valley [ Shi’ib of Abu Talib ] and guarded him day and night. He guarded him with sword ready by night for 4 years [ Other reports mention that in the middle of the night, he would shift his children around and place Ali in place of The Prophet ]. “
Tafsir Al Qumi [ Volume 1, Page 380 ]
- Abu Jahl, Al As Ibn Wail, Al Nadr Ibn Al Harith and Uqbah Ibn Abi Muayt stood at the gate of Makkah and warned everyone who entered of the terms of the blockade and threatened that the would be looted if they bought or sold from The Clan of Hashim
- Khadijah surrendered all her wealth to support The Prophet during this time
- In his book ‘ Muhammad : Prophet and Statesman ‘, William Montgomery Watt [ Scottish Orientalist ] writes of the extreme conditions during the boycott :-
” It was a horrible deadly siege. The supply of food was almost stopped and the people in confinement faced great hardships … They had to eat leaves and skin of animals. Cries of little children suffering from hunger used to be heard clearly … During ‘ Prohibited Months [ Month of Rajab ] ‘ 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 the financial situation would fall short of finding access to it. “
Muhammad : Prophet and Statesman by William Montgomery Watt
- Another narration is as follows :-
” I was being hurt for the sake of Allah when no one was being hurt and I was threatened because of Allah when no one else was being threatened. 30 days and nights passed once when neither Bilal nor I had any food that a man may eat save what Bilal may use to cover his armpits [ Eg : Leaves ] - The Prophet “
Kanzul Ummal by Sunni Scholar Al Muttaqi Al Hindi [ Hadith 15578 ]
- Abul Aas Ibn Al Rabi [ The Prophet’s Son In Law - Husband to Zaynab ] would help by loading up camels with wheat and dates and letting them wander into the valley
- The boycott lasted for 4 years with respite only during The Umrah of Rajab and The Hajj Season
- During this time :-
i) They could exit the Valley and Trade
ii) The Prophet used to preach to the pilgrims
iii) Abu Lahab would come behind him and ask people to excuse his insane nephew
- Although the terms of the ban permitted The Prophet to enter The Holy Sanctuary during the 4 Sacred Months, his visits were often met with jeers and harassment
- The Quraysh mock him wherever he goes whispering to each other that his revelations are merely tales from the distant past
- Despite the constant humiliation, The Prophet remains undeterred allowing the verses from Surat Al Mutaffifeen [ Surah 83 ] to address The Quraysh :-
” When Our signs [ ayatuna ] are recited to him, he says ‘ Fables [ asatir ] of the ancients ! ‘ Nay ! Rather, their hearts have been sullied [ rana from rayn ] by what they have been earning. “
Al Quran [ 83 : 13 - 14 ]
How did the boycott on Bani Hashim end
- The boycott lasted for approximately 4 years
- One day, The Prophet receives revelation that the document in which they conspired to enforce the boycott has been eaten by termites except the Name of God
- The Prophet told Abu Talib to tell The Quraysh the same
- Abu Talib challenges them and promises to surrender The Prophet to them if the news is false
- They open the 40 seals and all the words of the document were eaten away except :-
” In your name, O God “
“ Muhammad “
- Some sources state that only the name “ God “ was left on the document
- Thus ended the boycott of Bani Hashim
