Persecution of Muslims in Makkah

Persecution of Muslims

Q         Write an account of the major difficulties encountered by the Prophet (saw) and his followers in the years when they lived in Mecca.

[12-J-03][8-J-98][10-N-00][6+6-J-07]

Q         Describe the difficulties faced by the followers of the Prophet (saw) in Makkah.                                                                                              [10-J-11]

Q         Describe the main difficulties encountered by the Prophet (saw) himself during his time in Makkah after his call to prophethood.  [10-N-10]

Q         Describe the persecution faced by the first Muslims in Makkah.

[10-N-12-2058/12]

Prophet's Persecution (613-622): After three years of silent preaching, the Prophet (saw) invited people to Islam openly. Prophet gave the message of Islam to Makkans at Safa hill. Makkans rejected him and Abu Lahab used insulting language ad rejected the invitation to Islam. Persecution started since that day. The wife of Abu Lahb, Ume Jamila used to throw rubbish and thorny bushes on the way of the Prophet (saw). Prophet’s two daughters were in the Nikah of the two sons of Abu Lahab but he compelled his sons to divorce them. Once, the pagans put a stomach of camel on his back when he was in the prostration in Kaaba. Once a pagan put a cloth around his neck and he could not breathe. The pagans tempted him to quit his mission. They offered Abu Talib to give Mohammad (saw) wealth or marry any woman or the Lordship of Makkah. The Insults, verbal abuses and whistling during the recitation of Quran was a routine matter.

In 617, he faced a boycott. He, his family and companions had to leave their homes and they lived in a narrow valley outside Makkah (Shob e Abi Talib) for three years. During these years, they had to suffer severe physical and financial troubles but Mohammad (saw) and the companions remained steadfast and firm in their belief. In 620, Mohammad (saw) lost his tribal support after the deaths of Abu Talib and Khadija (ra). He was mocked badly when he told about the journey of Mairaj. The new chief of Banu Hashim was Abu Lahab, the worst enemy of Islam. When the Muslims started migrating to Madina, they decided to kill the Prophet (saw) but Allah failed their scheme.

Persecution of other Muslims: The treatment with the other Muslims was also very bad. Once Saad bin Abi Waqas was trying to protect the Prophet (sw) when he was struk by a sword. Haris Ibn Abi Hala was killed when he was trying to protect the Prophet (sw). Bilal (ra) was laid on the hot sand and rock and a heavy stone was put on his chest. Abu Bakr(ra), a man of a high position, was beaten so severely that he was about to die. Uthman (ra) was chained by his uncle because he was not ready to avert. A lady Summiyah (ra) was killed by Abu Jahl. In 615 and 616 AD, some Muslims had to leave Makkah and they settled in Abyssinia but the Prophet (saw) did not go there. During these years, Muslims could not worship in Kaaba. They also faced a business boycott continuously. The persecution was not only physical but also economic. The poor Muslims were not paid for their hard work. The rich and settled Mulims like Abu Bakr (ra) had to face non-cooperation in trade. For example, Makkans used to sell their goods in less than the purchase price in order to hurt Muslim traders.