Before the Negus
After this, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and all the Muslims began performing Tawaf around the Kaaba.
Hazrat ‘Umar رضي الله عنه remained at the front.
The Muslims offered prayer around the Kaaba. They also recited the Qur’an aloud.
Previously, the Muslims had not been able to do this.
Now all the Quraysh collectively decided to kill the Noble Prophet ﷺ.
They said to the members of the Prophet’s ﷺ family:
“Take twice as much blood money from us and allow a man from Quraysh to kill the Noble Prophet ﷺ, so that we may have peace and you may also benefit.”
The members of the Prophet’s ﷺ family refused to accept this proposal.
At this, the Quraysh became angry and decided to socially boycott all of Banu Hashim and Banu ‘Abd al-Muttalib.
They also decided that Banu Hashim would not be allowed to come into the markets so that they could not purchase anything.
No marriage would be arranged with them, nor would any reconciliation with them be accepted.
No softness or compassion would be shown toward them.
In other words, whatever happened to them, no feeling of mercy should be allowed to arise in anyone’s heart.
This boycott was to continue until the people of Banu Hashim handed the Noble Prophet ﷺ over to the Quraysh to be killed.
The Quraysh formally wrote this agreement.
To ensure that it was fully implemented and respected, they hung it inside the Kaaba.
After this agreement, all of Banu Hashim and Banu ‘Abd al-Muttalib, except Abu Lahab, went to Sha‘b Abi Talib.
It was a valley outside Makkah.
Since Abu Lahab was a firm supporter of the Quraysh and also one of the worst enemies of the Prophet ﷺ, he was not forced to go into the valley.
He had also supported the Quraysh in their plan to kill the Noble Prophet ﷺ and had not opposed them.
The Noble Prophet ﷺ became confined in Sha‘b Abi Talib.
At that time, he was forty-six years old.
It is mentioned in Sahih al-Bukhari that the Muslims spent an extremely difficult and harsh period in this valley.
Because of the Quraysh’s boycott, they could not obtain anything to eat or drink.
Everyone remained exhausted from hunger.
Eventually, they survived by eating grass, plants, and leaves from trees.
Whenever a caravan arrived in Makkah from outside, these helpless people would go there so that they could purchase food and drink from them.
But Abu Lahab would also arrive there and say:
“People! If the companions of Muhammad want to buy anything from you, increase the price of those goods so much that they will not be able to purchase anything from you.
You all know my position and responsibility.”
Thus, the merchants would quote extremely high prices for their goods, and the Companions would return to the valley unsuccessful.
There, when they saw their children crying and suffering from hunger and thirst, tears would come to their eyes.
The children, seeing them return empty-handed, would cry even more.
Abu Lahab would then purchase all the merchandise from those merchants himself.
Keep this point in mind: after the Quraysh made this agreement, the Noble Prophet ﷺ and the members of his family themselves went to this valley after considering the circumstances.
It was not that the Quraysh of Makkah had arrested them and imprisoned them there.
During this boycott, many Muslims migrated to Abyssinia.
This was the second migration to Abyssinia.
Thirty-eight men and twelve women took part in this migration.
Among them were Hazrat Ja‘far bin Abi Talib رضي الله عنه and his wife, Asma bint ‘Umais رضي الله عنها.
Miqdad bin al-Aswad رضي الله عنه, ‘Abdullah bin Mas‘ud رضي الله عنه, ‘Ubaydullah bin Jahsh, and his wife, Umm Habibah bint Abi Sufyan رضي الله عنها, were also among them.
This ‘Ubaydullah bin Jahsh later renounced Islam after reaching Abyssinia and adopted Christianity.
He died in that condition.
His wife, Umm Habibah رضي الله عنها, remained steadfast upon Islam.
Later, the Noble Prophet ﷺ married her.
These Muslims found excellent protection in Abyssinia.
This caused even greater distress to the Quraysh.
They sent ‘Amr bin al-‘As رضي الله عنه and ‘Umarah bin al-Walid after them so that they could go there and turn the King of Abyssinia against the Muslims.
(Hazrat ‘Amr bin al-‘As رضي الله عنه later accepted Islam.)
The two men took many gifts for the King of Abyssinia, the Negus.
They presented the gifts to the king.
The gifts included valuable horses and silk garments.
Besides the king, they also gave gifts to priests and other important people so that all of them would support them.
Before the king, the two men prostrated themselves.
The king seated them on his right and left.
They then said to the king:
“Some people from our family have come to your land.
They have become opposed to us and our gods.
They have not even adopted your religion.
Instead, they have entered a religion that neither we nor you know.
The leading chiefs of Quraysh have sent us to you so that you may hand these people over to us.”
Hearing this, the Negus asked:
“Where are those people?”
They replied:
“They are in your land.”
The Negus immediately sent men to summon them.
At this point, the priests and other chiefs said:
“Hand these people over to these two men, because they know more about them.”
The Negus refused to do so.
He said:
“First I will speak to them and find out what religion they follow.”
The Muslims then appeared before the royal court.
Hazrat Ja‘far رضي الله عنه said to his companions:
“I will speak to the Negus.”
Meanwhile, the Negus had summoned all the Christian scholars to his court so that they could listen to the Muslims.
They had also brought their religious books with them.
When the Muslims entered the court, they greeted the king according to the Islamic manner but did not prostrate before him.
The Negus asked:
“What is the matter? Why did you not prostrate before me?”
Hazrat Ja‘far رضي الله عنه immediately replied:
“We prostrate before no one except Allah.
Allah Almighty sent a Messenger among us…
He commanded us not to prostrate before anyone except Allah.
According to the teachings of Allah’s Messenger ﷺ, we gave you the same greeting that is the greeting of the people of Paradise.”
The Negus already knew about this, because this teaching was also mentioned in the Gospel.