Session 18: Unrestrained Persecution

Session Coverage: In this session, we shall be talking on the following discourses:

1. Unrestrained persecution & blasphemy the Prophet ().

2. Meeting the elites of Ṭā’if.

Session Objective: At the end of this session, students should be able to understand the degree of
persecution the Quraysh unleashed against the Prophet () following the death of Abu Ṭālib and
how he reacted within historical context.

Discourse 1: Unrestrained Persecution & Blasphemy of the Prophet ()

It has been mentioned in the previous sessions that the protection and support the Prophet ()
enjoyed through his uncle, Abu Ṭālib, was not 100%. His presence within the Quraysh was really
a check against their hostility towards the Prophet () in particular. Consequently, after the demise
of Abu Ṭālib, the Quraysh launched unprecedented frantic hostility without restraint. It is narrated
in both mursal and musnad form by Al-Ḥākim in Al-Mustadrak (1411H, no: 4243), Bayhaqiy in
Dalā’il An-Nubuwwah (1405H, vol. 2, pp. 349 – 350), and Ibn Asākir in Tārīkh Dimashq that the
Prophet () said: “The Quraysh never cease to be restraint against me until the demise of Abu
Ṭālib.” According to Ibn Asākir, the maḥfūẓ (correctly memorized) narration is the mursal. Despite
this narration is not musnad, the content is in tandem with historical recordings and logic.

During this trying period, the Prophet () experienced series of vehement persecutions from the
Quraysh till he was forced to invoke punishment upon them. Let us examine some authentic aḥādīth
that historically fit the context of this period:

a. Bukhāriy (1422H, no: 240, 520), Muslim (1374H, no: 107-(1794)) and others reported
from ‘Abdullah bn Mas’ūd () that: “While the Prophet () was observing ṣalāh in the
Ka’bah in the presence of Abu Jahl and his comrades. One of them (in another narration:
Abu Jahl) --referring to the Prophet ()-- said: “Are you not seeing this hypocrite? Which
of you can bring forth the intestinal waste of the camel slaughtered by Bani so-and-so, then
allow him to go in prostration and pour it on his back between his shoulders?!” The most
wretched among them stood up, brought it, and poured it on his back. I was only looking;
I was completely incapacitated to defend him. Then they started laughing till they rolled

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 on one another. Someone quickly reported the case to Fatimah --who was then a young
girl-- and she appeared hurriedly while the Prophet () remained in his state of prostration.
She removed the waste, faced them, and abused them. When the Prophet () finished his
ṣalāh, he invoked punishment [generally] upon them saying: “O Allah, deal with
Quraysh! O Allah, deal with Quraysh! O Allah, deal with Quraysh!” Then he
mentioned their names [specifically]: “O Allah, deal with ‘Amr bn Hishām (i.e., Abu
Jahl), ‘Utbah bn Rabī’ah, Shaybah bn Rabī’ah, Al-Walīd bn ‘Utbah, Umayyah bn
Khalaf, ‘Uqbah bn Abi Mu’ayṭ, and ‘Umarah bn Al-Walīd.” ‘Abdullah bn Mas’ūd ()
added: “All the people mentioned met their death on the day of Badr.””
b. Also, in another narration of ‘Abdullah bn Mas’ūd () reported by Bukhāriy (1422H, no:
1007, 4774, 4821), Muslim (1374H, no: 39-(2798)) and others, while refuting the claim
of one storyteller giving tafsīr of the smoke event mentioned in Surah Ad-Dukhān without
knowledge, he () said: “That is a reference to the Quraysh when they [hostilely] opposed
the Prophet () he invoked Allah to punish them with affliction of famine similar to the
one the people of prophet Yūsuf () were punished with. So, they were punished with
famine and difficulty till they started consuming bones, carrion, and animal skins as food.
It got to a stage that a man will look into the sky and will be thinking he is seeing smoke
out of hunger and difficulty. Abu Sufyān then came to the Prophet () and said: “O
Muhammad, you came to us preaching the tying of kinship, and your people are dying;
supplicate Allah to take away the plight. The Prophet () then prayed for rain and it rained.
They consequently went back to their old way after the relief. And that is the interpretation
of Allah’s statements: Then watch for the day when the sky will bring a visible smoke
(10) It will cover the people; this is a painful torment (11) [They will say], "Our Lord,
remove from us the torment; indeed, we are believers." (12) How will the reminder
[benefit] them while an obvious Messenger has come to them (13) Thereafter, they
turned away from him and said, "[He was] taught, [and is] a madman." (14) Indeed,
We will remove the torment for a little. Indeed, you [disbelievers] will return [to
disbelief] (15) The day We will strike [them] with the greatest assault (i.e., the day of
Badr). indeed, We will take retribution (Qur'an 44:10-16).

The summary is that the Prophet () during this period where he experienced unrestrained
persecution had to supplicate against those persecutors specifically, and against the whole Quraysh
in general as a consequence of their hostile opposition to the revealed guidance.

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The apparent texts have shown that every messenger sent by Allah always go through unspeakable
difficulties, blasphemy, and mockery in the hands of the people they were sent to. But the good
thing is that the blasphemers and the mockers, if they persist, are always punished for their actions.
Allah says: And messengers had been ridiculed before you; thus, those who mocked them
were enveloped by what they used to ridicule (Qur'an 21:41). Allah says regarding the
blasphemers of the Prophet Muhammad (): Indeed, We are sufficient for you against the
mockers (Qur'an 15:95). Without doubt, the blasphemers of the Prophet () were surely dealt
with as Allah promised, maybe we know the details or not. This is because Allah never violated
His promises. Biographers have tried to mention the names of the popular blasphemers of the
Prophet (), and how they were punished based on different narrations. Some said they were five,
some said seven, and another mentioned eight. But the popular opinion according to ‘Urwah bn
Az-Zubayr, ‘Ikrimah, Sa’id bn Jubayr, and Qatadah is that they were five individuals from different
Quraysh clans; they include Al-Walīd bn Al-Mughirah, Al-‘As bn Wā’il, Al-Aswad bn Al-
Muṭṭalib, Al-Aswad bn Abd Yagūth, and Al-Hārith bn Aṭ-Ṭulāṭalah (some said: bn ‘Ayṭalah). The
claim that the Prophet () invoked the punishment of Allah upon them might not be far from
happening; but the details of their punishments are not convincingly established; all the narrations
on it are largely mursal. Ṭabariy in his tafsīr ‘Jāmi’ Al-Bayān’ (1420H, vol. 17, p. 153 - 159)
reported virtually all the narrations in this respect. Allah knows best.

It is known that Abu Lahab, one of the Prophet’s () uncles, and his wife were both persecutors
and blasphemers of the Prophet (). It is also mentioned that his son, Lahab –some said his name
is ‘Utbah or ‘Utaybah--, was likewise among the blasphemers of the Prophet () that were
punished by Allah. Their evidence is based on the report collected by Al-Ḥārith in his Musnad
(1413H, no: 511), Baghawiy in Mu’jam Aṣ-Ṣaḥābah (1421H, no: 2141), Al-Ḥakīm in Al-
Mustadrak (1411H, no: 3984), and Bayhaqiy in Dalā’il (1405H, vol. 2, p. 338) from Abu ‘Aqrab
() that: “Lahab, the son of Abu Lahab used to blaspheme the Prophet (); so, he () invoked
Allah’s punishment on him saying: “O Allah, let your dog take charge of him.” It was said that
he went to Syria on business trip in a caravan with his comrades; and when they had a stopover he
said, “By Allah, I fear the invocation of Muhammad.” His comrades assured him not to fear. So,
they surrounded him with their goods and were watching over him. Suddenly, a wild animal
appeared and snatched him away. This report however is very weak. In its sanad is one ‘Abbās bn
Al-Faḍl Al-Anṣāriy; he is a matrūk (a completely weak narrator), and some even indicted of lying.
So, such narration cannot be relied upon at all.

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Discourse 2: Meeting the Elites of Ṭā’if
Historically, it was said that the Prophet () went to Ṭā’if, the neighbouring city to Makkah and a
native land of the Thaqīf, another Arab tribe. Ibn Isḥāq suggested, based on a mursal narration from
Muhammad bn Ka’b Al-Quraẓiy, that it was for the purpose of giving da’wah and seeking support
and protection against the Quraysh. Though, this suggestion is not based on reliable evidence, it
might be deductively correct if his visit to Ṭā’if could be established in the first place. Al-Wāqidiy,
based on a very weak mursal narration, claimed that the event happened towards the end of
Shawwāl in the tenth year of the prophethood. He also claimed that the Prophet () did the
visitation with his mawla, Zayd bn Al-Ḥārithah (). This acclaimed story is also amplified with a
lot of baseless details, as narrated by both Ibn Isḥāq and Al-Wāqidiy. These unverified details
include the following:
a. The claim that the Prophet () begged the elites of Ṭā’if after his proposal was rejected
not to diffuse the outcome in order to prevent him any humiliation from the Quraysh.
b. The claim that they incited against him some miscreants who abused him, shouted at him,
and even stoned him till he was covered in blood. It was also said that Zayd bn Al-Ḥārithah
was using himself to barricade him in the process.
c. The claim that he made a supplication to Allah after the attack and took shelter in a garden
belonging to the two sons of one Rabī’ah. It was in this garden they claimed he met one
‘Addās, a Christian servant of the sons of Rabī’ah, who brought a portion of grape in a tray
to him till the end of the story.

The popularity of this story could have earned it the benefit of historical tawātur, at least for its
basis since the details are mere assertions. But the reality is that it does not meet the conditions of
historical tawātur; simply because the story is in contrary to the real event that happened. It might
surprise one to know that the Prophet () might not have visited Ṭā’if at all. What is more probable
is that he () met one of the elites of Ṭā’if on the day of ‘Aqabah –the day of stoning the Jamrah
Al-‘Aqabah-- during the hajj season. This is because the Prophet () uses the hajj season to invite
Arab pilgrims to Islam. What apparently happened was that that he () was turned down by the
Ṭā’if representative and the Quraysh thereafter humiliated him.

This position that he never went to Ṭā’if; rather, he met one of the elites of Thaqīf is in tandem with
the evidences. The first is the introductory part of Az-Zuhriy’s narration on the story, as reported
by Bayhaqiy in Dalā’il An-Nubuwwah (1405H, vol. 2, p. 414). Az-Zuhriy said: “The Messenger of
Allah () in those years used to present himself before the Arab tribes during the hajj seasons and

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have diplomatic talk with their elites…” Though, this assertion of Az-Zuhriy is mursal, it is
supported by the second evidence, which is musnad through his route from his teacher ‘Urwah
from ‘Āishah (). Bukhāriy (1422H, no: 3231) and Muslim (1374H, no: 111-(1795)) reported the
narration saying: ‘Āishah () asked: “O Messenger of Allah, has there come to you a day more
severe on you more than the day of Uḥud?” He replied (): “I indeed experienced [unspeakable]
situations from your people (i.e., the Quraysh); and the most severe of what I experienced
from them was on the day of ‘Aqabah when I presented myself before Ibn Abi Yālīl bn ‘Abd
Kilāl (i.e., one of the elites of Ṭā’if). He rejected my offer, and I returned with worries on my
face. I remained perplexed until I reached Qarn Ath-Tha’ālib (a mountain that protrude from
the floor of Minā in Makkah); then I raised my head and I saw a cloud that overshadowed me,
and I saw Jibrīl in it. He called me and said: “Allah has, indeed, heard the statement of your
people and their response to you. He has, thus, sent to you the angel in charge of mountains
at your disposal to order him whatever you want regarding them. Then, the angel of
mountains called me, greeted me, and said: “O Muhammad, to you whatever you wish; if you
wish that I shut over them the Akhshabayn (i.e., the two huge opposing mountains of Makkah:
Abu Qubays and Qu’ayqi’ān), I will.” The Prophet () replied: “Rather, I hope that Allah
raises from their descendants those who will worship Him alone without any partner.”

Careful examination of the contents of this authentic narration shows that this event occurred in
Makkah during the hajj season, simply because of two reasons. One is that the setting is purely that
of Makkah. The second is that the people whom punishment was proposed for due to their
involvement in his humiliation were the people of Makkah, and not Ṭā’if. It has nothing to do with
visiting Ṭā’if. The mix up is likely due to the mentioning of a popular figure among the elites of
Ṭā’if. And had it been that the story is established, one would have said, this is entirely another
event. Interestingly, biographers have included this very hadith in the story of Ṭā’if’s visit and
related it to the people of Ṭā’if. What is logically convincing based on the authentic narration is
that the Prophet () never visited Ṭā’if; he only met with one of their elites to seek asylum.

The biographers, especially Ibn Isḥāq and Al-Wāqidiy, without any valid justification also mixed
up two different events with this so-called Ṭā’if’s visit. The first is the claim that the Prophet ()
was prohibited from entering Makkah after his return from Ṭā’if and was only granted entering
upon the protection Al-Muṭ’im bn ‘Adiy. Contrarily to this claim, the favour Al-Muṭ’im bn ‘Adiy
did him () and his clans was that he mediated during the Quraysh general boycott, as mentioned
in session 16. The second unfounded mix up is that the Prophet () on his way back from Ṭā’if

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encountered some groups of Jinn who came to listen to his recitation during his tahajjud. Contrarily
to this claim, the encounter of the Prophet () with the Jinn whom Allah directed to him () to
listen to the Qur’an and learn the religion occurred in a separate event in Makkah according to the
narration of Abdullah bn Mas’ūd () reported by Aḥmad (1421H, no: 4149), Muslim (1374H, no:
150-(450)), and others. The summary is that the popularly acclaimed visit of the Prophet () to
Ṭā’if, and the related events mentioned by biographers are not based on established source; and in
fact, the authentic narration shows otherwise. Allah knows best.