Chief of the Prophets — Page 70
Chapter Five 70 in declaring you as our king. If your uproar and disturbance is due to an illness or you have been possessed, we can arrange for your cure at our own expense. If marrying a beautiful girl shall make you content, we can find you the most beautiful girl in all of Arabia. If your desire is to get all these things, we are ready to fulfill all your desires” Muḥammad sa listened to this address by the chieftains of Quraish quietly, and when they finished, he said: O Party of the Quraish! I do not desire any one of these things, nor have I been possessed or fallen victim to an ailment. I am a messenger from God and have brought the message of God to you. My heart is satiated in sympathy for you. If you take heed and believe, you shall acquire the good of this world and the next. But if you reject it, I shall wait upon the verdict of my Lord with patience and forbearance. The Quraish tried to reason, but their inability to persuade Muḥammad sa caused them extreme agitation and anquish. The Siege of the Valley of Abī Ṭālib, Muḥarram, 7 th Nabawī The Quraish decided after mutual consultation to boycott Muḥammad sa and all his sympathizers, and cease all business dealings with them. In Muḥarram of 7 th Nabawī, a formal pact was drafted which was signed by all the major chieftains, and it was hung on the wall of the Ka‘bah. All the members of the tribes of Banū Hāshim and Banū ‘Abdul- Muṭṭalib with the exception of Abū Lahab were boycotted and placed under siege in the Valley of Abī Ṭālib, a passage between the two mountains. The boycott included even those members of the tribes who had not accepted Islam. In addition, a few other Muslims who at that time happened to be in Makkah were also placed under siege with Muḥammad sa.