The Life & Character of the Seal of Prophets (sa) - Volume I — Page 230
Seal of the Prophets - Volume I 230 Firstly and foremost they were compelled to face humiliation in the matter of Abū Ṭālib and they failed to separate the Banū Hāshim from the Muslims. After this, by subjecting the Muslims to countless hardships and torture, they witnessed that this rock is not about to move from its place. After this, the acceptance of Ḥaḍrat Ḥamzah ra and Ḥaḍrat ‘ Umar ra opened their eyes to the actuality that, despite remaining in opposition from the start, even eminent people are not safe from merging into the flow of Islām. After this, the delegation to Abyssinia returned from the royal court of the Negus in loss and failure, and the Quraish were confronted with severe humiliation in this matter. Now they had failed profusely in their direct negotiation with the Holy Prophet sa. These continuous failures and humiliations had set the Quraish aflame. Therefore, as a practical endeavour, through mutual deliberation they decided that all relationships with the Holy Prophet sa , and all the members of the Banū Hāshim and Banū Muṭṭalib be severed, and if they refuse to relinquish their protection of the Holy Prophet sa , they should be besieged in one place and destroyed. Therefore, in Muḥarram of 7 Nabawī 1 a proper agreement was drafted that no individual shall marry any member of the Banū Hāshim or Banū Muṭṭalib dynasty. None shall sell anything to them or purchase anything from them, nor shall they let any food or drink reach them. They shall not keep any relations with them until they separate themselves from Muḥammad [sa] and hand him over to them. 2 This agreement in which the Banū Kinānah were also included, along with the Quraish 3 , was formally written and signed by the main chieftains of the Quraish and hung to the wall of the Ka‘bah in the form of a significant national testament. Hence, the Holy Prophet sa and all of the Banū Hāshim and Banū Muṭṭalib, whether Muslim or disbeliever (except Abū Lahab the paternal uncle of the Holy Prophet sa , who in the infatuation of his animosity sided with the Quraish), were besieged in a mountainous valley called the The Valley of Abū Ṭālib. In this way two large tribes of the Quraish 1 Aṭ-Ṭabaqātul-Kubrā, By Muḥammad bin Sa‘d, Volume 1, p. 100, Bābu Dhikri Ḥaṣri Quraisha Rasūlillāhi sa wa Banī Hāshim fish-Sha‘bi , Dārul-Iḥyā’it-Turāthil-‘Arabī, Beirut, Lebanon, First Edition (1996) 2 * As-Sīratun-Nabawiyyah, By Abū Muḥammad ‘Abdul-Malik bin Hishām, p. 256, Bābu Khabriṣ- Ṣaḥīfah, Dārul-Kutubil-‘Ilmiyyah, Beirut, Lebanon, First Edition (2001) * Aṭ-Ṭabaqātul-Kubrā, Volume 1, p. 100, By Ibni Sa‘d, Bābu Dhikri Ḥaṣri Quraisha Rasūlillāhi sa wa Banī Hāshim fish-Sha‘bi, Dārul-Iḥyā’it-Turāthil-‘Arabī, Beirut, Lebanon, First Edition (1996) * Tārīkhuṭ-Ṭabarī, By Abū Ja‘far Muḥammad bin Al-Jarīr Ṭabarī, Volume 2, pp. 236-237, Bābu Dhikril-Khabri ‘ammā kāna min Amri Nabiyyillāhi sa ‘inda Ibtidā’illāhi Ta‘ālā. . . . . . , Dārul-Fikr, Beirut, Lebanon, Second Edition (2002) 3 Ṣaḥīḥ Bukhārī, Kitābul-Ḥajj, Bābu Nuzūlin-Nabī sa Makkah, Ḥadīth No. 1590