eloquent argument.
Descriptions like ‘fortune-teller’, ‘madman’, ‘poet’ and ‘magician’ were proposed. None was considered convincing by al-Walīd, who pointed out weaknesses in each, one after the other. He told his people that what Muhammad said was nothing like what was said by such men. When nobody could suggest anything more plausible, they asked al-Walīd if he had a better suggestion.
He said: “What Muhammad says is certainly beautiful. It is like a date tree with solid roots and rich fruit. Every one of these suggestions you have made is bound to be recognized as false. The least disputable one is to claim that he is a magician who repeats magic words which make a man fall out with his father, mother, wife and clan.” They all approved of al-Walīd’s suggestion and set about preparing their propaganda campaign to make the pilgrims wary of Muhammad and unwilling to meet him.6
This was the first conference organized by the enemies of Islam on how to distort its image and how to turn people away from it before they had a chance to realize that Islam was identical with the truth.
The Quraysh launched its smear campaign against Islam and the Prophet, charging the latter with being a magician who could only bring about discord within people’s families and clans. The hardliners of the Quraysh made a special effort to meet as many pilgrims as possible to explain to them the nature of their problem with Muhammad (peace be upon him) and to warn them against his magic. As pilgrims group themselves on tribal lines, the Quraysh’s efforts often took the form of a semi-official tribal meeting in which a delegation of the Quraysh sought to meet as many as possible of the pilgrims of any one tribe to offer their advice and to warn them against the ‘disastrous’ effects that might arise from any person’s attempt to meet Muhammad. Anyone who met him risked being bewitched, they claimed.
Evil Tactics Backfire
The Quraysh’s campaign was certainly successful. Nobody wanted to learn about Islam in that pilgrimage season. All tribes pledged their support to the attitude of the elders of the Quraysh in trying to contain the problem they faced. The success, however, was short-lived. Those very people who listened to the warnings and thought they were wise to avoid Muhammad and his followers carried the news to their people as they went back. They obviously repeated the Quraysh’s account and views. As news travels, it starts to change. In this instance, the venom of the Quraysh’s false charges was bound to be toned down. In those days, when none of our present-day communications technology was in existence and publicity about anything was limited to word of mouth, the Quraysh did Islam an unintentional service: they allowed the whole of Arabia to learn about the existence of Islam. That was a very important first opportunity for Islam to get beyond the confines of Makkah.
An example of how the Quraysh’s attempts were counterproductive can be provided by the story of Ḍammād, a man from the tribe of Azd Shanū’ah who was well known as a faith healer. Ḍammād heard some idiots in Makkah claiming that Muhammad was a madman. He asked them: “Where is this man? I hope I can cure him by God’s will.” He met the Prophet and told him that he was a faith healer and that God could cause him to be the medium to cure some people. He asked him whether he would like to try. The Prophet said: “Praise be to God, we glorify Him and seek His help. Whoever God guides to the truth will have none to mislead him and whoever God leaves to go astray will have no one to guide. I bear witness that there is no deity other than God, who is the only God and who has no partners.”
Ḍammād said: “By God, I have listened to many fortune-tellers, astrologers, magicians and poets, but I have never heard anything like these words.” He asked the Prophet to repeat what he had said, and expressed his admiration. He then said: “Let us shake hands. I pledge that I am a Muslim.” The Prophet asked him whether he was willing to give his pledge on behalf of his people, and Ḍammād answered in the affirmative. He became an advocate of Islam among his people.7
At one point in this period, there was a very real danger of which Abū Ṭālib was keenly aware. As he watched the efforts of the Quraysh to dissuade other tribes from listening to Muhammad, he felt that the Quraysh might attempt a joint action against the Hāshimite clan to which he and his nephew, the Prophet, belonged. The Hāshimite clan would be no match for such a grouping, which could provide an effective but bloody solution to the problem. Today, one may be able to feel how delicate the situation in Makkah was at the time. To forestall any attempt, Abū Ṭālib made sure that everybody in Makkah was absolutely clear on where he stood and what would be expected should the Quraysh think of taking any collective, punitive measures against the Hāshimites or against Muhammad. In a splendid long poem, he sought to emphasize the sanctity of Makkah, outline the Hāshimite heritage in the holy city, praise the nobility of Makkah and reassure them that he was one of them; but he also declared his determination to defend his nephew to the bitter end. This served as a warning against misadventure. None was attempted for some time to come.
NOTES
1. Ibn Hishām, al-Sīrah al-Nabawiyyah, Dār al-Qalam, Beirut, Vol. 1, pp. 263-264.
2. Ibid., p. 270.
3. Ibid., pp. 313-314.
4. Ibid., pp. 309-310.
5. Ibid., pp. 311-312.
6. Ibid., pp. 288-289.
7. Ibn Kathīr, al-Bidāyah wal-Nihāyah, Maktabat al-Maʿārif, Beirut, Vol.3, pp. 36-37.
THE SITUATION IN Makkah was growing more tense every day. The Quraysh were waking up to the realization that the new faith was establishing its roots and gaining more recruits in all clans. Its followers belonged to all sectors of society. Attempts to strike a compromise with the Prophet proved to be of little value. Persecution brought no results. The hard-line approach was gaining ground. On the other hand, the Prophet went on preaching his faith and conveying God’s message. Those who responded to him were keen to make it clear to their people that their new faith had a positive influence on life as a whole. They also made it clear that they were not prepared to barter their faith for the richest of prizes. However, the Prophet realized that no amount of persuasion or negotiation would make the leaders of Makkah change their hostile attitude to Islam, or convince them that they should take an objective look at it and judge it on its merits. Indeed, the Makkans started to escalate their campaign of repression, subjecting the weaker Muslims to much torture and endless persecution. Those of the Prophet’s companions who belonged to strong tribes and were assured of tribal protection were tormented by ridicule. Nevertheless, Islam was gaining more converts every day.
Always a far-sighted and well-informed leader, the Prophet advised his companions to emigrate to Abyssinia where the Christian king, Negus, was known for his abhorrence of injustice. Although the main reason for this exodus given by most historians is that the Muslims were simply fleeing to save their lives, the move was certainly a very shrewd one, taken after a very careful consideration of the whole situation. In his choice of a possible refuge for his companions, the Prophet was keen to make sure that the Muslims would not be substituting one kind of repression for another. Since Negus had gained a wide reputation for his justice, Abyssinia was to be a second home for the Islamic call.
The first party of Muslim emigrants to Abyssinia consisted of 16 people, four of whom were women. The most notable figure among them was ʿUthmān ibn ʿAffān, who was to become the third Caliph, and his wife, Ruqayyah, daughter of the Prophet. Indeed, ʿUthmān was the first man ever to emigrate with his wife for no other reason than serving God’s cause since Prophet Lot had
