'Fearest thou not the justice of Allah, the Most High, O Oummayatah!
when thou dost inflict such torment on that wretched man?' he cried
indignantly.--'Thou didst corrupt him; therefore 'tis thy duty to save
him,' was the cynical reply.--'Willingly! I possess a young black
slave, stronger and a better worker than thine. Moreover, he is
entirely devoted to thy idols. I offer him to thee in exchange.'
Oummayatah accepted and turned Bilal over to Abu Bakr who granted him
his freedom straightway. Besides, this generous man (may Allah make
him welcome in His Grace!) purchased six other slaves, men and women,
all Islamic converts, merely to set them free, and deliver them out of
the hands of their idolatrous masters.
These persecutions continued notwithstanding, becoming more and more
barbarous. The Banu Makhzum tribe took Ammar, with Yaser, his father,
and Summayy, his mother, out on the Ramda, in order to make them
suffer all the tortures prompted by diabolical ferocity. Ammar was
enclosed in an iron breastplate that held him down on the ground,
exposed to the blazing rays of the sun at its zenith. His flesh
crackled as if in contact with molten metal. But the same thing
happened as with Bilal; the idolaters were unable to drag from Ammar
or his parents, tortured in like fashion, one blasphemous word. It was
then that, blinded by rage, Abu Jahal drove his spear through
Summayy's heart, mocking the dying woman by telling her: 'If thou dost
believe in Mohammad, 'tis because thou art in love with his beauty!'
Summayy was the first martyr to Islam, but such constancy was not to
be found in all. A few Believers, enfeebled by privation and torture
to such an extent that they could not stand upright, finished by
letting fall from their lips, despite themselves, the blasphemous
utterances ensuring release. For such as these, crushed by shame and
shedding tears of repentance, the following Surah of consolation has
come down: "_Whoso after he hath believed in God, denieth Him, if he
were forced to it and if his heart remain steadfast in the faith
(shall be guiltless:) * But whoso openeth his breast to infidelity--on
them in that case shall be wrath from God, and a severe punishment
awaiteth them._" (THE QUR'AN, XVI, 108).
When the Prophet saw what tortures were inflicted on his disciples and
that he was powerless to protect them, he was overwhelmed with intense
sadness. The martyrs' courage proved to him how deeply the roots of
faith were planted in their hearts; nevertheless he considered that
such sacrifices should be avoided. So he advised all who were weak, or
even such as were not forced by imperious necessity to remain in
Makkah, to emigrate to Abyssinia, a land inhabited by Christians,
whose Chieftain, the Najashi (Negus) was celebrated for his tolerance
and justice.
[Sidenote: THE EMIGRATION TO ABYSSINIA (_A.D. 615_)]
Sixteen Moslems were the first to depart. Among them was Usman ibn
Affan and his wife Ruqaiyah, one of the Prophet's daughters. They went
out from Makkah secretly and on foot. Reaching the shore of the Red
Sea, they chartered a _felucca_ which carried them over to the
opposite bank, from whence they journeyed to the Court of the Najashi
who welcomed them kindly. Another caravan soon joined them, and the
little Mussulman colony, having taken refuge in Abyssinian territory,
was made up of eighty-three men and eighteen women.
Exasperated at seeing their victims escape from their clutches; and
still more furious to have to include among the emigrants members of
their own families, such as Umm-i-Habibah, daughter of Abu Sufyan, the
idolaters despatched to the Najashi two ambassadors, Umar ibn al As
and Abdullah, son of Abu Rabiyah, bearing rich presents, with a view
to claiming the fugitives, described as being dangerous agitators,
capable of causing a revolution in his kingdom.
The Najashi had already seen that the contrary was the case. By their
honesty and virtue, the fugitives had gained the esteem and sympathy
of his subjects, so that he did not feel inclined to favour the
request of the ambassadors, despite their valuable gifts. They then
thought it would be as well to touch upon the religious
susceptibilities of the Christian monarch, and put him on his guard
against the danger of Islam. 'Know then what these impostors seek to
attain,' said they to him. 'They have set foot in thine empire in
order to turn thy subjects away from the religion of Jesus, even as
they sought to lead the Quraish astray from the religion of their
ancestors. Shouldst thou wish to put our veracity to the test,
question them concerning their opinions with regard to Jesus, thy
God.'
The Najashi followed this piece of advice. He interrogated the most
learned among the emigrants and elicited the following reply from
Jafar, Mohammad's cousin, son of Abu Talib: 'These are the Verses
revealed to the Prophet: "_The Messiah Isa (Jesus), son of Maryam
(Mary), is only an apostle of Allah, and His Word which He conveyed
into Maryam..._" (THE QUR'AN, IV, 169.)
This answer was not at all displeasing to the Najashi. If it did not
acknowledge the divinity of Jesus, it showed, at least, the deep
veneration in which He was held by the Moslems, and the Abyssinian
monarch was fully reassured as to the fugitives' intentions. So he
sent the ambassadors away, without accepting any of their presents or
giving them the slightest satisfaction.
[Sidenote: THE CONVERSION OF UMAR, SON OF AL-KHATTAB]
The Unbelievers had succeeded in making fierce Umar think that he
would save his country by ridding it of Mohammad. So Umar, having
buckled on his sword, and his eyes flashing fire, bent his steps in
the direction of the Safa district, where he fancied he might fall
across the Prophet. Umar, on his way, met Na'im, who had gone over to
Islam unbeknown to his fellow-tribesmen. 'Wither goest thou, O Umar?'
queried the convert.--'To seek out this fellow Mohammad who hath
stirred up strife in the midst of the Quraish. Oh, by our Gods! I must
kill him!'--'By Allah! thy soul leadeth thee to do a mad act, O Umar!
Dost thou think that the Abd-i-Manaf will leave thee in peace on the
face of the earth, if thou dost put to death their relative,
Mohammad?' he added, trying to deter him from carrying out his
abominable plan. 'Would it not be far better to get certain members of
thine own household to explain their doings?'--'Who are these persons
under my roof?'--'Thy sister Fatimah and thy brother-in-law Said ibn
Zayd. They, too, are Moslems.'
At these words, Umar stopped dead, the direction of his fury changing,
and in great haste, he hurried to the dwelling of Fatimah, his sister.
Just as he got there, Khubab, a fervent disciple, was reading the
Surah "Ta-Ha" written out on a piece of parchment. At the sound of
Umar's furious knocking, Khubab fled into an adjoining room, and
Fatimah hid the parchment in the folds of her attire.
But Khubab's voice had been overheard by Umar who asked in imperative
accents: 'What is this recitation in an undertone that I heard, and
which ye cut short when I arrived?'--'There was nothing to hear. Thou
art mistaken,' his brother-in-law and sister protested in
chorus.--'No, no! There is no mistake; neither do I err when I tell
you I have learnt that ye follow Mohammad's religion!' Without waiting
for any further explanation, he rushed at his brother-in-law, knocked
him down, sat on his chest and seized him by the beard.
Fatimah threw herself on her brother and made desperate efforts to
free her husband. 'Thou speakest the truth! We are Moslems!' Umar lost
his wits at this confession and by a brutal blow in the face, he
dashed courageous Fatimah to the ground. 'Yea, we are Moslems, O enemy
of Allah!' she repeated, staring boldly at him, her blood flowing
freely. 'Yea, we believe in Allah and His Prophet! Now do with us as
thou wilt!'
When Umar saw his sister's blood, the indomitable courage of the weak
woman impressed him greatly and he was ashamed of what he had done.
'Give me the parchment that I heard you reading,' he asked his sister
in softer accents; 'I wish to get some idea of that which hath been
revealed to Mohammad.'--'We fear thou mayest destroy the
writing.'--'Be not afraid! By Allah! ye shall have it back so soon as
I shall have read it.'
Despite her wish to try and convert her brother, Fatimah raised
objections. 'O my brother! I cannot confide it to thee, for thou art
unclean. Only pure hands are allowed to touch the Book in which are
inscribed the words of Allah.'
Umar rose with docility and performed his ablutions. Then did Fatimah
hand over the parchment on which was written the Surah, "Ta-Ha", which
begins with these words: _Not to sadden thee have We sent down this
Qur'an to Thee * But as a warning for him who feareth._ (XX, 1 and 2.)
Immediately after the reading of the first verses, Umar, who was
remarkably well learnt, could not refrain from uttering a cry of
admiration: 'How beautiful! What sublime language!'--'O Umar!'
exclaimed Khubab, coming out of his hiding-place, 'I had great hopes
that the Almighty would fulfil, in thy favour, the wish I heard the
Prophet make but yesterday: 'O Allah!' said he, 'strengthen Islam by
the conversion of either one or the other of those two men: Abu Jahal
or Umar.'--'Lead me at once to Mohammad,' replied Umar, 'so that I may
become a convert to Islam in his presence. Where is he?' Khubab, in
triumph, sent him to the dwelling of Arqam in the Safa district.
In that house, the disciples, clustering in union round the Prophet,
were drinking in his words, when imperative knocks shook the door. One
of the comrades rose up and, by a crack in the wood, caught sight of
the terrible warrior, his sword dangling from his belt. Thunderstruck
at this apparition, he came back to warn the Prophet who calmly told
him: 'Bring him in here. If he cometh with good intentions, we will
grant him generous welcome, but if evil designs guide his footsteps,
we will kill him with his own sword.'
The companions having obeyed, Umar entered. Mohammad went to meet him,
and coming face to face with him in the entrance-hall, he caught him
by the collar and, with a sudden pull, dragged him into the midst of
the company assembled. 'What is thy motive in coming here, O son of Al
Khattab?' he asked. 'Dost thou still mean to remain wallowing in
impiety until the wrath of the Almighty crusheth thee?'--'O Prophet!'
answered Umar with unaccustomed humility, 'I come to declare my faith
in Allah, His Messenger, and His Revelation.'--'Praise be to Allah!
Glory to Him!' cried Mohammad. When his companions were informed of
Umar's sudden conversion, they went their different ways, full of
gratitude towards Him who had decreed it.
Umar was not a man to remain patient and conceal his convictions. In
the street, he stopped the first passer-by he met, one Jamil ibn
Mamar, of the Jumah tribe, and said to him: 'Dost know, O Jamil, that
I have become a Mussulman?' The words were hardly out of his mouth,
before Jamil, an incorrigible gossip, tucked his mantle tightly round
him and ran to the Temple. 'O Assembly of the Quraish men!' shouted he
to the idolaters who were there in groups. 'An astounding piece of
news! The son of Al Khattab hath lost his reason!'--'Thou liest!'
interrupted Umar who had followed him. 'On the contrary, I have set
out on the Road to Salvation. I bear witness that there is no other
God but Allah and that Mohammad is His Prophet!'
On hearing these words, amounting to insulting aggression, the Quraish
bounded forward, as one man, to throw themselves on Umar, who
steadfastly awaited their attack and a fearful struggle took place.
The sun, darting its flaming rays on the fighters, forced them to
desist for a short space of time. During the truce, Umar sat down on
the ground, surrounded by his enemies whose threatening hands were
stretched over his head. 'Do with me as ye will,' he told them in
tones of the most scornful indifference, 'but, by Allah! if I were
only at the head of three hundred Mussulmans, we should not be long
before we wrested this Temple from you, and never would ye be able to
retake it!'
[Illustration: _The Friday Visit of Moslems to the Cemetery._]
At this juncture, a respected old man, attired in a striped mantle and
a sumptuously embroidered tunic, drew nigh, brought there by the
tumult of which he asked the cause. 'Umar is demented,' was the
answer.--'How so?' said the old man to the idolaters. 'If this man
hath voluntarily chosen some religion different to yours, hath he not
a right to do so? What want ye of him? Moreover, think ye that his
relatives will not feel inclined to interfere on his behalf?' Struck
more by the fear of reprisals than by the wisdom of his words, Umar's
assailants clustering round him, dropped back and dispersed. It seemed
as if a heavy cloak had been lifted from his shoulders.
No one, except Mohammad, dared to pray in public. Umar, caring naught
for the fury he might cause, made up his mind to follow the Prophet's
example, and every day, the sturdy warrior turned like Mohammad in the
direction of the Bait-ul-Muquaddas (The Holy Temple of Jerusalem).
Doing exactly the same as the Prophet, Umar took his stand between the
angle of the Ka'bah where the Black Stone is enframed and the angle
looking towards the Yaman; and there publicly said his prayers.
Encouraged by this audacity, numerous were the Moslems who came to
pray in public by his side, despite the angry glances of the
Unbelievers, only restrained by the reputation of Umar who had earned
the surname of "Al Faruq," (The Cleaver), because he had once cleft in
twain an Arab who refused to bow down to a decision given out by the
Prophet.
[Sidenote: THE EXILE OF THE BANU HA SHAM (_A.D. 626_)]
Despite the superiority of numbers, the idol-worshippers of the
Quraish were obliged to acknowledge the critical state of their party.
Unless they could put an end to the irresistible movement that daily
brought new conversions, their domination over the Arabs would soon
become a thing of the past.
They called a meeting, and, after consulting, resolved to break off
all relations with the Banu Hasham and the Banu Muttalib who were to
be banished from Makkah until they consented to hand over Mohammad,
their relative. In order to prevent themselves being tempted to break
their word, the Quraish leaders wrote out the conditions of this
compact on a sheet of parchment which they hung up inside the Ka'bah.
Their plan was most cunning. Among the Banu Hasham and the Banu
Muttalib were a large number of idolaters who the Quraish thought
would refuse to identify themselves with Mohammad and suffer for his
cause. Therefore, strife would be stirred up in the bosom of the
Prophet's family. But, contrary to the idol-worshippers' conjectures,
the example of Abu Talib, Mohammad's uncle, carried away all the
members of his family--with the exception of irreducible Abu
Lahab--actuated by feelings of unanimous solidarity.
This fact enables us to divine one of the reasons that prevented Abu
Talib from adopting the Islamic religion, although he worked hard and
successfully, helping it to triumph. He did not forget Abu Lahab's
ironical remark: 'Thou hast naught else to do than to obey thy son
Ali, now that Mohammad hath chosen him to be his lieutenant.' Abu
Talib's pride caused him to dread mockery. 'I would willingly become a
convert to Islam,' said he, one day, 'were it not that I fear to
become the laughing-stock of the men of Makkah when they would see me
saying my prayers.' Nevertheless, these motives would not have held
him back, if he had not considered that the protection he granted to
his nephew, threatened on all sides, would lose all its power
following the day when the uncle also should have abjured the religion
of his forefathers.
Directly after the proclamation of the decree of expulsion, the
members of the Prophet's family, Mussulmans or idolaters, left their
houses, scattered here and there in different districts of the town,
and assembled in a neighbouring ravine where Abu Talib possessed a
stronghold.
During a period of two years, the exiles endured the greatest
privations. Their provisions were quickly exhausted and it was
impossible to renew them. They were forbidden to show themselves in
the markets, and if one among them, having succeeded in getting to
follow a caravan, tried to procure a few articles of food, the
dealers, watched by Abu Jahal or fearing to be denounced, asked such
high prices that the luckless wight was obliged to give up all ideas
of purchase, and return empty-handed to his starving family.
The outlaws were sometimes secretly revictualled by compassionate
folks, such as Hisham ibn Umar who had recourse to the following
stratagem. At nightfall, he led a camel, laden with provisions, to the
entrance of the ravine, and gave him a violent cut with a whip, in
such a way that the animal bolted in the direction of the starving
fugitives and was captured by them. But such a godsend was not an
everyday occurrence, and Mohammad and his family were driven to feed
on the leaves of the thorny bushes growing in the valley.
[Sidenote: THE DECREE OF EXPULSION DESTROYED BY A WORM]
Meanwhile, the Prophet was apprised by a vision that, in order to
destroy the impious document, written by the Quraish, Allah had sent a
gnawing worm and only the Holy Name had been respected.
Abu Talib, hearing about this, and having faith in his nephew's
vision, went with his brothers and sought out the Unbelievers. They
exulted on seeing him approach, his features distorted by the pangs of
hunger. Conquered by famine, was Abu Talib about to throw over his
nephew? They were so sure that this was the case, that they accepted
his proposals without hesitation. 'Let us go and look at the
parchment,' he said. 'If Mohammad speaketh truly, the act is
abolished. Should that be, ye must swear to cancel your ruling of
outlawry that oppresseth us. For my part, I swear to give Mohammad up
to you if he hath lied.'
The act was sealed with three seals. Since it had been deposited in
the Ka'bah, it had neither been seen nor touched by anyone. Therefore
Allah's enemies thought it impossible that the Prophet's vision could
be authentic and, anticipating victory, they went to the Temple with
Abu Talib, to see the state of the parchment. The Prophet's words had
come true. In the act in question, the gnawing maggot had destroyed
every unjust and impious sentence. Naught remained intact except a
narrow strip of parchment on which could be read these words: "In Thy
name, Allah!"
This verification plunged the idolaters into a state of unspeakable
stupor. Abu Jahal was the first to leave the Temple and he tried to
retract the promise given by the Quraish. Thereupon, many among them,
Hisham ibn Umar, Zohair ibn Abi Ommayah, Moutam ibn Adiyy, etc., whose
interests and intercourse had suffered on account of the odious
decree, having only signed it under duress, protested one after the
other. "We supported this iniquitous law against our will. Now it no
longer exists. Therefore the impious pact set forth therein should be
annulled."
Abu Jahal was forced to bow down in the face of the prodigy and these
vehement protestations. The compact was cancelled. The Banu Hasham and
the Banu Muttalib returned without let or hindrance to their
dwellings.
[Sidenote: THE DEATH OF ABU TALIB AND KHADIJAH]
It seemed as if Islam was henceforward to soar aloft safely, when two
events suddenly caused its wings to be clipped. First came the death
of Abu Talib, its indefatigable protector, who had passed the age of
eighty.
We have already mentioned that, despite all his sympathy for Islam,
Abu Talib had never consented to profess it. Abu Talib, in his dying
moments, having advised all present to obey Mohammad in everything,
for he was sure to lead them into the Path of Righteousness, the
Prophet risked a supreme effort. 'O my uncle!' said Mohammad, 'thou
dost soothe their souls with wise counsel, but wilt thou do nothing
for thine own?'--'What wouldst have me do?'--'Bear witness simply that
there is no Allah but Allah!--'O son of my brother! I know that thou
dost speak truly, but I fear to be accused of only testifying in
affright at the approach of death. Were it not for this fear, be
assured that I would follow thy advice, in order to freshen thine eyes
in which I read the high degree of thy affection.'
Some writers maintain that Abbas, seeing the dying man's lips move,
and having placed his ear close to them, made the following
declaration to the Prophet: 'Be not uneasy, O son of my brother! thy
uncle hath just uttered the words thou didst wish him to say.' But the
most accredited traditions refuse to accept this version. Where is the
truth? Allah only knows!
Three days after this bereavement, fraught with fatal consequences,
the Prophet had to put up with a still more grievous loss.
Khadijah, his admirable companion, who gave herself to him when he was
poor and had believed in him when he was called an impostor; Khadijah,
to whom he confided all his hopes; Khadijah, the sweet consoling
creature when he was crushed by the weight of despair; Khadijah, the
first female Moslem, the "Mother of the Believers," was taken from him
by the Fates at the age of sixty-five. (May Allah welcome her in His
Grace!)
Khadijah's ascendancy over him was so great and yet so tender that
while she lived, he had never been unfaithful. Never, although he was
then in the prime of life, would he consent to have other wives or
concubines, as permitted by the customs of his country, in spite of
being invited on all sides to do so. And never, when Khadijah was no
more, did he forget her.
Ayishah, who later on became Mohammad's favourite spouse, was keenly
jealous of the remembrance of his first wife, daily evoked by him.
"Never was I so jealous of any wife of the Prophet as of Khadijah,"
Ayishah is known to have said, "although I never met her and
notwithstanding that her death took place long before my marriage. But
the Prophet was always talking about her, and when he slaughtered a
sheep, he always kept back a liberal share to be given to Khadijah's
female friends.
"I said to him once: 'It seems as if Khadijah was the only woman in
the whole world!' Thereupon he began to enumerate her incomparable
qualities and declared that she would have a palace built of pearls in
Paradise, with no noise or household cares to trouble her.
"Hala bint Khuaild, Khadijah's sister, was taken to see Allah's
Messenger. He noticed that she spoke in the same way as his dead wife,
and was so stirred that, overcome by jealousy, I could not help
showing temper and I exclaimed: 'What meanest thou by continually
conjuring up the remembrance of these old Quraish females, with their
toothless, red gums and faces betraying the ravages of age? Hath not
Allah given thee better women in their stead?'"
But despite these scenes, despite the beauty and intelligence of
Ayishah and his other wives, the Prophet always preferred Khadijah. He
included her among the four most perfect women that ever came on
earth. The three others were Asiyah, Pharoah's wife who saved Moses;
Maryam (Mary), mother of Isa (Jesus); and Fatimah-tuz-Zahra, one of
Mohammad's daughters by Khadijah.
[Sidenote: THE JOURNEY TO TAIF]
Stricken by his double mourning, threatened by the Unbelievers who no
longer concealed their intentions, now that his noble protector was no
more, the Prophet resolved to preach outside Makkah. If he succeeded
in gaining over some of the neighbouring Arab peoples, these
reinforcements, increasing the number of citizens of Makkah already
converted, and which was far from inconsiderable, would make up a
party sufficiently strong to hold his detractors in respect.
His first attempt was made at Taif, a small town about seventy-two
miles to the east of Makkah, renowned for its grapes, figs,
pomegranates and the roses of its enchanting gardens. Accompanied by
Zayd ibn Haris, the Prophet arrived in the market-place where he found
many noted Saqifs assembled. He sat by their side and stated the
reasons of his journey: his Divine Mission and the hostility of his
party.