Persecution of Muslims by Meccans

This emigration takes place with 11 men and 4 women. The earliest extant account is given in Ibn Ishaq's sira:[7][8]

When the apostle saw the affliction of his companions, [...] he said to them: "If you were to go to Abyssinia (it would be better for you), for the king will not tolerate injustice and it is a friendly country, until such time as Allah shall relieve you from your distress." Thereupon his companions went to Abyssinia, being afraid of apostasy and fleeing to God with their religion. This was the first hijra in Islam.

Another view, grounded in the political developments of the time, suggests that following the Sassanid capture of Jerusalem in 614 many believers saw a potential danger to the community as they were not the partisans of the Persians who both practiced Zoroastrianism and had earlier supported the Arabian Jews of Himyar. The acceptance of these Muslims into the Kingdom of Axum at precisely a moment of Persian triumph in the Levant recalls the Ethiopian foreign policy of the previous century which saw Axum and Persia compete for influence in the Arabian Peninsula.[9]

In 6 BH (616 CE) almost one hundred Muslims made a second migration back to Abyssinia where they stayed protected by king najashi (ashama ibn abjar) who is a just ruler. After the Muslims in Arabia had migrated to Medina in AH 7 (628/629) and attained security, the Muslims in Abyssinia migrated back to Arabia and reunited with them in Medina [10] after six years absence.

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

This is a sub-article to Muhammad before Medina

The Meccan boycott of the Hashemites was a public boycott against the clan of Banu Hashim, declared in 616 (7th year of Prophethood) by the leaders of Banu Makhzum and Banu Abd-Shams, two important clans of Quraysh. According to tradition, the boycott was carried out in order to put pressure on Banu Hashim to withdraw its protection from Muhammad.[11][12]

The terms imposed on Banu Hashim, as reported by Ibn Ishaq, were "that no one should marry their women nor give women for them to marry; and that no one would trade with them, and when they agreed on that they wrote it in a deed."[13] The boycott lasted for three years but eventually collapsed mainly because it was not achieving its purpose; the boycott had caused extreme privation and the sympathizers within the Quraysh finally united to annul the agreement.[12][14]

...Islam began to spread among the tribes. The Quraysh realized that Banu-Hashim and Al-Muttalib were determined to protect the prophet and defend him so they gathered together to confer and decided to draw up a document in which they undertook not to marry women from Banu Hashim and 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 Kaaba 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".[15]

...These days were very hard with them and very often they had to feed on the leaves TALH or plantain" [16]

Thus, this boycott included even Hashemites that had not accepted Islam.[17]

According to Muslim tradition, the parchment holding the boycott declaration was found to be eaten by termites except the name of Allah.[18][19]

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In the Islamic tradition, the Year of Sorrow (Arabic: عام الحزن‎, romanized: ‘Ām al-Ḥuzn, also translated Year of Sadness) is the Hijri year in which Muhammad's wife Khadijah and his uncle and protector Abu Talib died. The year approximately coincided with 619 CE[20][21] or the tenth year after Muhammad's first revelation.

After the death of Abu Talib, Muhammad became vulnerable due to the loss of clan protection granted by Abu Talib (who was also the chief of Banu Hashim). He began to be the target of physical attacks by his Meccan opponents. He visited Ta'if to look for help and invite the inhabitants to Islam, but was rejected. On the way back to Mecca, he petitioned several prominent Meccans to ask for protection. Chief Mut'im ibn 'Adi, from the Banu Nawfal clan, acceded to his request, escorted Muhammad into the city and announced the clan's protection of Muhammad.

Previously the preaching of Islam by Muhammad had been confined to Mecca, and his success with Abu Bakr on during the Year of Sorrow his main source of Ta’if to invite the people there to Islam.[22]

Muhammad was received by the three (Abd Yalail, Mas'ud and Habib, their father was Amr Bin Ummaya Ath Thaqafi) chiefs of the local tribes of Ta’if[23] and they let him freely have his say, however, they paid little heed to his message. After a while they even showed signs of apprehension lest his welcome in Ta’if might embroil them with the Meccans, so they left him to be dealt with by street urchins and the riff raff of the town.[24]

By rejecting Muhammad's religion, the people of Ta'if ordered their children to throw rocks and stones at Muhammad and Zayd ibn Harithah to make them leave the city and never come back. Muhammad and Zayd ibn Harithah were finally turned out by mocking and jeering crowds. The rocks that were thrown at Muhammad and Zayd by the Ta'if children caused them to bleed. Both were wounded and bleeding as they left Ta’if behind them. Muhammad bled so profusely from the stoning that his feet became clotted to his shoes and was wounded badly.

Once Muhammad and Zayd ibn Harithah were outside the city walls, Muhammad almost collapsed.[23] They went a short distance outside of the town and stopped in an orchard that belonged to Utaba and Sheba.

The owners of the orchard had seen Muhammad being persecuted in Mecca and on this occasion they felt some sympathy toward their fellow townsman.[24] They sent a slave (named Addas) who took Muhammad into his hut, dressed his wounds, and let him rest and recuperate until he felt strong enough to resume his journey across the rough terrain between Ta’if and Mecca.[23] It was there that the Angel Gabriel came to him with the Angel of the Mountains and said that if Muhammad wanted, he would blow the mountains over the people of Ta’if (or crush the people of Ta'if in between the mountains).

Muhammad prayed:

“O Allah unto thee do I complain of my weakness, of my helplessness, of my want of resources, and of my lowliness before men. O Most Merciful of the merciful, Thou art Lord of the weak. And Thou art my Lord. Into whose hands wilt Thou entrust me? Unto some far off stranger who will ill-treat me? Or unto a foe whom Thou hast empowered against me? I care not, so Thou be not wrath with me. But Thy favoring help -that were for me the broader way and the wider scope! I take refuge in the Light of Thy Countenance whereby all darkness’s are illuminated and the things of this world and the next are rightly ordered, lest Thou make descend Thine anger upon me, or lest Thy wrath beset me. Yet is it Thine to reproach until Thou art well pleased? There is no power and no might except through Thee.”[25]

The owners also told their Christian slave named Addas from Nineveh to give a tray of grapes to the visitors.[24]

Muhammad took the grape and before putting it into his mouth he recited what has become the Muslim grace: "In the name of God, Ever Gracious, Most Merciful." (Arabic Bismillah ar-Rahman, ar-Raheem). Addas became curious and inquired about the identity of Muhammad who presented himself. The conversation that ensued led Addas to declare his acceptance of Islam, so that Muhammad's journey to Ta’if did not prove entirely fruitless.[24]

He stayed preaching to the common people for 10 days.

Muhammad sent Zayd to seek asylum (Arabic: Istijarah) for him among [26] 4 nobles in the city. Three of them, `Abd Yalil ibn `Abd Kalal and then Akhnas ibn Shariq and Suhayl ibn Amr,[27] refused but the fourth one, Mut‘im ibn ‘Adi, responded.[23]

Mut‘im ordered his sons, nephews and other young men of his clan to put on their battle-dress and then marched, in full panoply of war, at their head, out of the city. He brought Muhammad with him, first into the precincts of the Kaaba where the latter made the customary seven circuits (Arabic: Tawaf), and then escorted him to his home.[23]

Muhammad ordered an attack to pursue Kurz bin Jabir Al-Fihri.

Muhammad ordered Muslims to pursue Abu Sufyan for killing 2 Muslims and burning a corn field[3]

• Bilal ibn Rabah al-Habshi, tortured by Umayyah ibn Khalaf
• Abu Fakiha, Aflah ibn Yasar, tortured by Abu Jahl
• Abu Fuhayra/ Abu Amr, Amir ibn Fuhayra, tortured by Abu Jahl
• Khabbab ibn al-Aratt, tortured by (Umm Anmaar) Harla bint Abd-al-Uzza and (Abu Jahm) Siba'a ibn Abd-al-Uzza
• Yasir ibn Amir, tortured by Abu Jahl until died
• Harith ibn Yasir, also tortured by Abi Jahl until died
• Abdullah ibn Yasir, also tortured by Abu Jahl until died
• Ammar ibn Yasir, tortured by Abu Jahl twice
• Ami Mu'mil ibn Abdullah al-Thaqafi, tortured by Abu Jahl

Tags: The females were tortured by Umar ibn al-Khattab (before he became muslim) and Abu Jahl

• Lubaynah,
• Al-Nahdiah
• Hakima bint Habib ibn Ku'ayb al-Nahdiyya al-Thaqifiyya
• Umm Ubays
• Na'ilah bint al-Mu'ammil
• Umm Umays
• Umm Unays
• Harithah bint al-Mu'ammil
• Zunayra al-Rumiya bint al-Mu'ammil
• Umm Shareek
• Ghaziyyah bint Jabir ibn Hakim
• al-Dawsiyah
• al-Mu'ammilah
• Sumayya bint Khayyat
• Jariyyah bint Amr ibn al-Mu'ammil

• Abu Fakih – tied and dragged on burning sand, had a very heavy stone put on his chest [28]
• Ammar ibn Yasir – tortured.[29]

• Al-Nahdiah – tortured[29]
• Umm Ubays – tortured[29]
• Lubaynah– extensively beaten[29]
• Zinnira – beaten until she lost her eyesight temporarily.[28]

• Umm Kulthum bint Muhammad – was divorced on orders of Abu Lahab[10]
• Ruqayyah bint Muhammad – was divorced on orders of Abu Lahab [10]
• Sa'd ibn Ubadah – tortured and almost killed.[10]