THE WICKED AFFLICT HIS LORDSHIP, THE BEST OF MEN— U. W. B.—AND THE IRRELIGIOUS NATION PERSECUTES HIS NOBLE COMPANIONS—MAY ALLAH REWARD THEM.

Of the number of the idolaters who greatly distressed his lordship the refuge of the apostolate, Abu Lahab was one, and O’tbah Bin Moghairah another. Both these wicked men were living in the neighbourhood of the apostle of God—u. w. b.—and were in the habit of throwing offal with other impurities, which the prophet removed, and meekly said to them: ‘O ye Bani A’bd Munâf, what kind of a neighbourly manner is this in which you are acting towards me?’

Tàruq Bin A’bdullah says: ‘Once I beheld the apostle— u. w. b.—in the market-place of Zulmajâz exclaiming in a loud voice: “O ye people, say, ‘There is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is the apostle of Allah,’ that ye may attain felicity.” A man, however, was walking in his rear, throwing stones at him, and saying: “Do not listen to this liar!” I asked: “Who is this man that invites the people to monotheism?” They replied: “He is Muhammad, the son of A’bdullah.” I queried further: “Who is the man throwing stones at him?” They replied: “His uncle A’bd-ul-a’ziz, namely, Abu Lahab.”’

Quatrain: Relatives are like vultures,
Troubles are not removed by uncles;
Many a grief comes from an uncle,
Many an uncle refuses to do good.*

There is a tradition that his sacred and prophetic lord­ship —u. w. b.—addressed the people as follows during the time of the pilgrimage: ‘Who will give me a place, and help to promulge the message of my Creator?’ Many enemies, however, met foreign pilgrims on the road, and said to them: ‘Alas! beware of Muhammad, lest ye be seduced by him.’ They also delivered various speeches against his lordship, accusing him of soothsaying, magic, lunacy, and the like, by which he was much afflicted and distressed. Allah, however, the Most High and Glorious, revealed, for the consolation of his luminous mind, certain verses justifying him against these imputations, so that this prince wholly trusted to the favour of the Eternal, took firm hold of patience and meekness, concentrating his whole mind upon the sublime words of Allah, and continuing to invite the people to worship the Omnipotent and to abandon their idols, and to lead those who were wandering in the desert of ignorance to the fountain-head of knowledge, patiently enduring the insults of the wicked unbelievers.

Of the number of tricks played by the Qoraish, which became the occasion of punishment and misfortune to them, the following was one: His holy and prophetic lordship was one day saying his prayers near the house of the Ka’bah in the presence of Abu Jahl Bin Heshâm and a number of the Qoraish. The eyes of Abu Jahl happened to alight on a membrane which envelops the fœtus in the womb, but comes out along with the infant, and exclaimed: ‘Who will take up this caul, full of blood and dung as it is, and will place it between the shoulders of Muhammad when he makes his prostration?’ Then that wicked fellow O’tbah Bin Abu Mo’itt, accursed in this world and in the next, executed this base proposal. But the prince of beings— upon whom be the most excellent of blessings and the most perfect salutations—did not raise his head from his devo­tions until Fattimah Zohra—u. w. b.—having been informed of the event, came out and removed the membrane. When that chief of beings had completed his prayers, he said: ‘O my God, the Qoraish are against Thee!’ After having thus mentioned them in one word, he proceeded to name some of the Qoraish princes in detail, and said: ‘O my God, against Thee are Abu Jahl Bin Heshâm, Ot’bah Bin Abu Mo’itt, O’tbah Bin Abu Rabia’h, Ammiah Bin Khuluf, and O’mmârah Bin Wolid.’ Therefore, all the individuals whose names his lordship the refuge of prophecy had mentioned perished in the combat of Bedr, except O’mmârah Bin Wolid, who, although he had not perished there, was sent in a more ignominious manner to the infernal regions than they, as shall be related in these pages by-and-by, if it pleaseth Allah the Most High.

A’bdullah Bin A’bbâs says that all the Qoraish had entered into a covenant to assassinate Muhammad— u. w. b.—as soon as they could get hold of him. Fattimah Zohra—u. w. b.—who had heard of this intention, went crying to her father, and informed him of the matter, whereon his lordship proceeded to the mosque of the sanctuary; but when the infidels beheld the prince of the righteous they were unable to do anything. Then his lordship the asylum of termination—u. w. b.—took up a handful of dust and threw it towards them, saying: ‘Thy countenances are defiled!’ And every one whose face had been touched by the dust was killed on the day of Bedr, and punished in hell-fire.

There is a tradition of O’rvah Bin Zobeir as follows: ‘One day I asked A’bdullah Bin A’mru A’ass what had been the greatest insult offered by the idolaters to his lordship the refuge of apostleship—u. w. b.—and he replied: “One day that prince was sitting in the area of the Ka’bah, when O’tbah Bin Abu Mo’itt suddenly approached him and threw his Redâ around his blessed neck, squeezing it so as nearly to suffocate him. Sidiq immediately rushed upon that accursed fellow from the rear and delivered his lordship, saying: “Are you killing him who has brought the evident signs, and says that Allah is his nourisher?” Hereon all the idolaters attacked Abu Bakr, and pulled his moustache so violently that he got a tremendous headache. But if we were to attempt to notice all the tricks of the Qoraish with the pen of explanation, we could not do so; therefore we have in this place abridged some and omitted some, but some are to be recorded hereafter.’

It is related that as long as Abu Tâleb was alive the idolaters could do no great harm to his lordship the apostle —u. w. b.—nor were they able to distress his noble and excellent companions, as much as they would have liked, because they were protected by their families and relatives; but poor believers, such as Hallâl, Habib, and O’mmâr Bin Yâser, were cruelly persecuted by them; some were made to lay down on hot sand, others were kept in the burning sun, tormented by hunger and thirst, in order to induce them to renounce the religion of Muhammad—u. w. b. Some Musalmâns who had no power of endurance uttered the words prompted by the unhallowed infidels. On the other hand, some noble companions who were able to suffer pains remained steadfast, and selected under the most grievous torments patience and meekness for their watch­words. It is related that Samiah, the mother of O’mmâr Bin Yâser, had been tied between two camels as a punish­ment, and that one of the idolaters killed her suddenly by piercing her with a lance. Her husband Yâser was assas­sinated in another manner and sent to the gardens of paradise; and these were the first individuals among the adherents of the prophet—u. w. b.—who tasted the beverage of martyrdom.

In some books these events are narrated as follows: In the morning O’mmâr Bin Yâser had pronounced the words suggested by the idolaters, and the prophet—u. w. b.— having been informed of the circumstance, exclaimed: ‘Allah forbid that he should become an infidel; for verily he is replete with the faith from head to foot, and it permeates his flesh, blood, and skin.’ When O’mmâr was released by the infidels he came to the prophet and wept. On account of the molestation of these people, his lordship passed his blessed hands over O’mmâr’s eyes and dried his tears, saying: ‘I shall retaliate upon them and tell them [again] what I have said.’ Some commentators declare that the blessed verse, ‘Who becomes an infidel after pro­fessing the Faith, except who is forced, his heart being happy in the Faith,’ etc., was revealed on the above occa­sion, but Allah knows best!

The author of these lines says that as the Qoraish deemed the Qurân to be powerless, and only a human fabri­cation, it is strange that they nevertheless persecuted his lordship the apostle and his noble companions, and wanted Abu Tâleb to surrender his lordship to them, that they might slay him, and persecuted the adherents of the religion so much that they preferred to emigrate, which is the greatest calamity, and went to Abyssinia, as shall be narrated in detail, if it pleaseth Allah the Most High.