A NUMBER OF TYRANNICAL INFIDELS AGREE TO QUARREL WITH THE BANI AL-HÂSHEM AND WITH THE BANI AL-MUTTALLEB. THE CIRCUMSTANCES OF THESE TWO TRIBES WHILST IN THE SHI’B OF ABU TÂLEB, AND THE REVELATION OF ‘A. L. M. THE GREEKS HAVE BEEN OVERCOME.’

When the Qoraish infidels perceived that the faction of his sacred and prophetic lordship had acquired additional dignity and power by the accession of Hamzah and of O’mar, that the banners of Islâm were rising, and the flags of the infidels and idolaters were falling, the flames of envy and malevolence blazed up in the ovens of the minds of those black-hearted wretches; they went to Abu Tâleb and said: ‘Surrender Muhammad to us that we may kill him, because he opposes thy religion and ours. If thou refusest this demand be prepared for battle and slaughter, and be aware for a certainty that we shall not cease to per­secute thy nephew until he leaves off reviling and insulting our gods.’ When the chieftains had delivered this angry message to Abu Tâleb they left his house, whereon the latter called his holy and prophetic lordship, and explained the matter to him in detail, adding: ‘Cease to curse and to blaspheme the gods of these people, because I apprehend that some great calamity, which no one will be able to prevent, is about to befall thee.’ His lordship, thinking that Abu Tâleb was not inclined to protect him as warmly as hitherto, replied: ‘Whatever I do or say I perform by the command of Allah. Reproaches of friends and threats of foes cannot bias me. If thou aidest me it will be better for thee, but the protection and favour of Heaven are suffi­cient to me.’ After uttering these words he rose to depart. Abu Tâleb was, however, touched, and, reseating his lord­ship, said: ‘Occupy thyself with thy business, and act according to the orders thou hast received, for as long as I am alive thy enemies will not be able to prevail over thee.’ And the following two distichs contain a portion of the verses composed by Abu Tâleb on that occasion:

Distich: By Allah! they shall not reach thee
Until I am buried under ground!
Preach what Allah has ordered thee,
And raise the joyful sound!

When the infidels became aware how carefully Abu Tâleb was watching over and protecting the lord of apostleship they swore enmity to the Bani Hâshem, and confirmed it by a written agreement, which they suspended from the door of the Ka’bah. Muhammad Bin Esahâq says that when the idolaters perceived that the monotheists had gained a strong footing, that the foundations of the Law had been wonderfully strengthened by the public profession of Hamzah and of Fârûq [i.e., Omar], and that the sounds of the clarion of prophecy had reached the Arab tribes dwelling near and far, their minds were bent on the destruction of his holy and prophetic lordship—u. w. b. When this news was brought to the notice of Abu Tâleb, he assembled the Bani Hâshem and the Bani Muttalleb, asked them to protect his lordship the refuge of the apostolate— u. w. b.—and the believers unanimously agreed to stand by each other for mutual defence, according to the usage of Arab tribes, and for the purpose of raising their degrees in the next world. As a precaution, Abu Tâleb took refuge in the Shi’b* with the apostle and his companions, where he was followed by all the Bani Hâshem and the Bani Muttalleb, except Abu Lahab, who refused to go there on account of his very miserable nature. When the idolaters saw what had taken place, they corroborated their alliance by an oath not to intermarry, to trade, or to associate with the progeny of Hâshem and the offspring of A’bd-ul-Muttalleb; not to inform them of anything that might redound to their advantage, but on the contrary to make the greatest efforts that nothing whatever should become profitable to them in the country; and, lastly, that neither peace nor affinity should be restored between them­selves and these two Battins,* unless Muhammad be killed. With reference to this matter they wrote a treaty of alliance, to which forty chieftains of the Qoraish appended their signets [i.e., seal signatures], and suspended it from the door of the Ka’bah.

It is related that after the Musalmâns had entered the Shi’b they fell into great difficulties; for when anyone left that retreat, the wicked [idolaters] tried to injure them, so that they could not come out except during the season of the pilgrimage;* but even during that period Abu Jahl, Nassar Bin Alhâreth, A’ass Bin Wâbut, O’tbah Bin Abu Mo’itt, and fanatic idolaters like these, watched the roads and threatened the people coming with provisions to the bazâr of Mekkah that if they sold any to Muhammad, or to his companions, they would for a certainty destroy and deprive them of all they possessed; and if those opponents saw any friend of the apostle purchasing something, they enhanced the price [by a higher bid], so as to compel the poor man to return disappointed. Traders in the bazâr of Mekkah could not venture to sell even an ounce of food to professors of Islâm; and if any of the idolaters sent them eatables from motives of compassion, they were prohibited from doing so by the narrow-minded and cruel enemies, and were threatened and persecuted.

Of all the iniquitous idolaters, Wolid Bin Moghairah and Abu Jahl Bin Heshâm were the most active in persecuting the professors of Islâm; but Abu Tâleb had fortified the Shi’b, and never ceased nor relaxed his watchfulness over his sacred and prophetic lordship, whose house he used to walk round with a drawn sword after nightfall, not unfrequently transferring him during the first portion of the night from the place where he slept to another, enjoin­ing his sons and grandsons to guard him during the day. On account of this great watchfulness, some people are of opinion that Abu Tâleb could not possibly have been an infidel.

When three years had elapsed in this manner, and the distress of his lordship the apostle—u. w. b.—of Abu Tâleb, and of their companions and friends, had reached its utmost limits, Heshâm Bin A’mru Bin Al-Hâreth, whose father was related to the mother of Fazl Bin Hâshem Bin A’bd Munâf, went to Zoheir Bin Ommiah Makhzûmi, and said: ‘How is it permissible, according to the laws of kindness and humanity, that, whilst thou eatest delicate food and drinkest cold, healthy water, and livest in splendour and affluence, thy relatives should be spending their weary days and long nights in the most abject wretchedness, so that no one dares even to trade or to have anything to do with them? By Allah! if thou hadst required Abul-Hukm—i.e., Abu Jahl—to act with reference to his kindred as he has induced thee to do, he would never have complied.’ Zoheir replied: ‘I swear by Allah, that if I had an associate I would have annulled that covenant.’

Heshâm: ‘I have found a man who will second thy inten­tion.’

Zoheir: ‘Who is he?’

Heshâm: ‘Myself.’

Zoheir: ‘Find a third man.’

Then Heshâm went to Mutta’m Bin A’dwi Bin Naufil Bin A’bd Munâf, and asked: ‘Art thou willing that two Battins of the Bani A’bd Munâf should perish by the miseries of famine and destitution, thou being a witness to the fact, and agreeing with the Qoraish in persecuting them?’

Mutta’m: ‘What can one man do?’

Heshâm: ‘I shall act with thee in this matter.’

Mutta’m: ‘There must be one more.’

Then Heshâm informed him of the connivance of Zoheir, but he wanted a fourth companion. Accordingly Heshâm went to Abu-l-Bakhri, to whom he reported the above conversations, and being informed of the names of the associates, Abu-l-Bakhri said: ‘We must have yet another to agree with us in this affair.’ Therefore Heshâm had an interview with Rabia’h Bin Aswad Bin Muttalleb Bin A’bd-ul-U’zza, spoke to him on this subject, and when he agreed gave him the names of the other associates. Arrangements were made that all these friends should meet during the night; and when the sun had set, all five of them met in an appointed place, where they agreed to make next morning the greatest efforts to bring about the destruction of the iniquitous document of the covenant. Zoheir volun­teered to speak first in the assembly of the Qoraish; the others promised to support his motion, and afterwards they returned to their homes.

The next morning, when the surface of the world was illuminated by the rays of the sun, like the minds of those who are filled with Divine knowledge, the above-named five individuals made their appearance in the assembly of the Qoraish. After Zoheir had performed the circumambula­tion [of the Ka’bah], he turned towards the people, and said: ‘O ye denizens of Mekkah, is it proper that we should live in affluence, eating dainty food, spending our time in luxury, wearing costly garments, quaffing the goblets of joy, whilst our kindred, the Bani Hâshem and the Bani A’bd-ul-Muttalleb, are dragging out their existence in wretchedness and misery, and are on the verge of destruction from hunger and distress? By Allah! I shall not sit down until I tear that accursed writing to pieces!’ When Zoheir had ceased speaking, Abu Jahl began to shout from a corner of the mosque of the sanctuary: ‘Thou hast lied, for thou canst not tear it!’

Rabia’h B. Aswad (turning to Abu Jahl): ‘By Allah! thou art a greater liar; because when that leaf was written, we had not agreed on its contents.’

Abu-l-Bakhri: ‘I swear by Allah that Rabia’h has spoken the truth, because we did not consent to what is written on that page.’

Mutta’m B. A’dwi: ‘Rabia’h and Abu-l-Bakhri are veracious in their assertion, and whoever says the contrary is a liar.’

Heshâm B. A’mru confirmed what his companions had said, and most of the Qoraish likewise took their part; but Abu Jahl said: ‘This business must have been planned and agreed upon during the night.’

The authors of chronicles—Allah have mercy on them— have related that contentions and disputes arose among the Qoraish on the [impending] disruption of the covenant, whereon Abu Tâleb, with his intimate friends and dear associates, left the Shi’b, and approached the house of the assembly. When the Qoraish perceived Abu Tâleb, they were under the impression that he had become tired of pro­tecting Muhammad, and accordingly they welcomed him, saying: ‘Hast thou consented that the man be killed with whose death our concord and thine is bound up?’ Abu Tâleb replied: ‘I have come on a business wherewith the pacification of the whole community is connected. Bring forth the page you wrote in enmity against us!’ Abu Jahl with his adherents rejoiced, thinking that Abu Tâleb would now surrender the prophet into their hands after the production of the covenant. They accordingly took it down, and Abu Tâleb said: ‘O people, are your signets on this agreement or not?’ They said: ‘Yes.’ He con­tinued: ‘Allah the Most High and Glorious has decided that everything written in this document about tyranny, violence and enmity to relatives be effaced, and that His name alone shall remain. If this assertion of Muhammad be false, I abandon him to you, and you may do to him whatever you like; but if it be true, you must consider the document as annulled, and must abstain from enmity and opposition.’ The Qoraish approved of these words, and said: ‘Thou hast spoken justly.’ When the page was opened nothing was found thereon except these words ‘In thy name, O Allah!’ which were on the top, and not another letter had remained. At this sight the opponents hung down their heads for shame, but Abu Jahl persisted, despite of so great a miracle, in his former enmity and opposition. Then Abu Tâleb stepped with his friends and confidants upon the threshold of the Ka’bah, uttered impre­cations against their enemies and opponents, and again returned to the Shi’b with his companions. The five indi­viduals whose name have been recorded above declared that they were innocent of the guilt connected with that document. Mutta’m B. A’dwi then tore that old paper* to pieces, and the hand of Manssûr B. Akramah, who had written it, became paralytic.

After the covenant had been annulled and the opponents had become friends, they went to the Shi’b, brought out the besieged, and led them to their houses. This event, by which the professors of the religion were delivered from trouble and misery, took place during the tenth year of the mission. At that time the Qoraish also received the news that the Byzantine and Persian armies were at war in Syria, and that the former had been vanquished by the latter, which fact rejoiced the idolaters greatly, and they said to the Musalmâns: ‘In the same way as the Persians, to whom no book had been revealed, have been victorious, so shall we overcome you; because we and you share the same fate with the Persians and Byzantines in the matter of existence and non-existence.’ When the professors of Islâm became melancholy on account of the exultation of the image-worshippers, the blessed verse ‘A. L. M. The Greeks have been overcome [by the Persians] in the nearest part of the land; but after their defeat they shall overcome [the others in their turn] within a few years,’* was revealed; and when Sidiq Akbar [i.e., Abu Bakr] recited it in the assembly of the Qoraish, they said: ‘These are words of Muhammad!’ But Sidiq replied: ‘They are the words of the Lord!’ The idolaters asked: ‘Wilt thou make a bet that the Byzantines will prevail over the Persians?’ Sidiq assented, and Abu B. Khuluf made a wager with him to the effect that if within six years from that date the Byzantines did not conquer the Persians, Abu Bakr would give ten camels to Abu B. Khuluf; but if they conquered them, Abu would have to pay ten camels to Abu Bakr. When the latter came out from the assembly of the Qoraish, he informed all the Musalmâns of his bet; he was, however, reproved by them, and told that he ought not to have agreed to a definite number of years, because in Arabic the word ‘few’ denotes any number between three and nine, and that therefore the victory of the Byzan­tines may take place after the stipulated six years had elapsed; but when the matter was brought to the notice of his holy and prophetic lordship, he ordered Sidiq to go and to augment the number of camels and of years. Accord­ingly the latter went to Abu and increased the number of camels to one hundred, and that of years to nine. A tradition has it that after the peace of Hudaibiah the Arabs received the news that the Byzantines had conquered the army of Khosru Parviz, but as Abu B. Khuluf had in the battle of Bedr hastened to the infernal regions, the hun­dred camels were taken from his securities.