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The Year of Sorrows
The tenth year of prophethood was one of
continuous pain and sorrow for the Prophet (sws). This is why
the year is called the “Year of Sorrows” for him. During the
year, his uncle, Abu Talib, who was the leader of the Banu
Hashim tribe, passed away. Soon afterwards, his beloved
confidante and wife also died. This was a most tragic event
for him. Later, when he made an attempt to develop relations
with the leaders of Ta’if, it was unsuccessful and he had to
return without having made headway.
Abu Talib’s Death
During his leadership of the Banu Hashim,
Abu Talib took care of the Prophet (sws) with full attention
and gave him the protection that was his right as a member of
the tribe. However, his teachings could not impress him and he
remained a follower of the religion of his predecessors. When
he was on his death bed, the Prophet (sws) went to ask after
his health and saw that both Abu Jahal and ‘Abdullah ibn Abi
Umayyah were also present. The Prophet (sws) asked his uncle
to pronounce la ilaha illallah so that he could vouch for his
faith when they met their God. Both Abu Jahal and ‘Abdullah
tried to deter Abu Talib, taunting him: would he turn away
from ‘Abd al- Muttalib’s religion? The Prophet (sws) continued
to call him to Islam, but he refused, saying that he would
stay committed to ‘Abd al-Muttalib’s religion. He died in this
condition.
After Abu Talib’s death, the headship of
the tribe came to Abu Jahal, who was a diehard enemy of Islam.
According to narratives, at first he reassured that the
Prophet (sws) could continue his mission, but soon he
developed an alliance with the opponents of Islam within the
Quraysh and the Prophet (sws) could no longer enjoy the same
protection of his tribe as before. The oppression of
opponents increased manifold and he was continuously harassed.
When he preached, Abu Jahal would follow him and create
trouble, then as the leader of the tribe, whereas before he
had done this as an individual.
Khadijah’s (rta) Death
Biographers agree that Abu Talib and
Khadijah (rta) died the same year, but there are differences
in the dates, and the period between the two tragedies for the
Prophet (sws). Some narratives say that they died within a few
days of each other, while others put the period at one and a
half to two months.
Khadijah’s passing away held great problems
for the Prophet (sws). She was his supporter and confidante,
and perceptive to his nature. They had six children of whom
four were daughters: Zaynab, Ruqayyah, Umm Kulthum and Fatimah.
When she died, two daughters were already married: Zaynab was
married to Khadijah’s nephew Abu al-‘As ibn al-Rabi‘, and
Ruqayyah to ‘Uthman ibn ‘Affan, who was, at that time, an
emigrant in Abyssinia. Thus, two daughters, 15 and 10-11 years
old respectively, remained to take care of the house.
Khadijah (rta) had made major contributions
to the cause of Islam. She used to reassure the Prophet (sws)
during the various stages of his prophethood, witnessed his
message and encouraged him to continue his preaching
diligently. Apart from this, she also spent generously of her
own wealth in the cause of Islam, thus relieving the Prophet (sws)
from having to earn his own living. She was his companion
throughout the troubles the Prophet (sws) faced as a result of
his preaching, and remained Islam’s fervent servant until the
end. She fulfilled her obligations as the Prophet’s companion
and partner to such an extent that he did not even think of
contracting a second marriage throughout this period. The
Prophet (sws) continued to remember and speak of her qualities
and sacrifices for a long time.
When it became difficult to run the house
after her death, Uthman ibn Maz‘un (rta)’s wife, Khawlah bint
Hakim advised him to remarry and suggested two possibilities.
One was Sawdah bint Zam‘ah, who was the widow of Sakran bint
‘Amr (rta) and had returned from Abyssinia. The other was that
of ‘A’ishah bint Abi Bakr (rta), who was single, but was
promised to Jabir, son of Mutam bin A’adi. The Prophet (sws)
liked both, but since ‘A’ishah (rta) was already affianced, he
married Sawdah (rta). Abu Bakr (rta) was keen to take this
opportunity of gaining blessings through this relationship,
and approached Mut‘am ibn ‘Adi’s on his opinion regarding the
engagement to his son. His wife raised her concern that he
would turn their son away from their religion if he was to
marry his daughter. Mut‘am bin ‘Adi supported his wife. Abu
Bakr (rta) realized that it was useless to continue this
relationship and broke off the promise. Then he told Khawlah
bint Hakim that he was ready for ‘A’ishah’s marriage to the
Prophet (sws). Thus they were married, but ‘A’ishah’s move to
the Prophet’s house was deferred according to the Arab custom.
Journey to Ta’if
When the Prophet (sws) did not get the
support that was his right as a member of the tribe from the
Banu Hashim under the leadership of Abu Jahal, the Quraysh
increased their harassment and opposing leaders became even
more aggressive in their abusive attitudes towards him. They
left no opportunity to hurt him and Abu Jahal placed no
restraint on this abuse. When the Prophet (sws) spoke about
Islam, they would hurl sand upon him and would tell his
listeners not to pay him any heed, because he wanted to snatch
them away from Lat and Manat. It was during the course of this
situation when he once reached home with his hair full of dirt
and sand, that his daughter cried as she washed his hair and
he consoled her.
Once, when he was offering his prayer
standing next to the Ka‘bah, Abu Jahal and his friends were
sitting close by, as usual. One of them asked if there was any
person in the gathering who would go and bring the intestines
of an animal and when Muhammad (sws) was prostrating, place it
on his back. The most accursed person among them got up and
brought the lump of intestines, waiting for the Prophet (sws)
to prostate. As soon as he did so, he placed the intestines on
the Prophet’s back. The Prophet (sws) remained in the same
position and did not lift his head. His daughter, Fatima,
hearing of the incident, ran to the Ka‘bah to remove the
intestines. When the Prophet (sws) returned to a sitting
position, he prayed to God thus: “O God, please deal with
these leaders of the Quraysh; Abu Jahal, ‘Utbah ibn Rabi‘ah,
Shaybah ibn Rabi‘ah, Walid ibn ‘Utbah, Umayyah ibn Khalaf and
‘Uqbah ibn Abi Mu‘it.” At this, the group was very rattled,
because they knew that prayers in that city were always
accepted. Narrator Ibn Mas‘ud (rta) says that he saw all those
who were thus cursed by the Prophet (sws), lying dead in a pit
after the Battle of Badr.
This harassment was not limited to the
Haram only. The accursed people would throw filth inside the
Prophet’s house as well. He would ask his neighbours if this
torture was in keeping with the etiquette of neighbourliness,
but his appeals could not create any impact on people who were
unaware of the rights of God and human kind.
When the Prophet (sws) saw that he had been
excluded from the protection of his tribe altogether, he
thought of an alternate source of protection. Makkah and Ta’if
were twin cities in that the leaders of both were known and
respected throughout the country. The Quraysh owned property
in Ta’if. Similarly, the Ta’if tribes of Thaqif had residences
in Makkah. Thus, people from both cities travelled across and
also married into each other’s families. It was usual among
Arabs to obtain protection of any reputable person and the
elite did not decline any such request. The Prophet (sws),
therefore, decided to try his luck in Ta’if.
The Prophet (sws) took his adopted son,
Zayd ibn Harithah (rta) with him and arrived in Ta’if. ‘Amr
ibn ‘Umayr’s sons, viz. ‘Abdiyyalayl, Mas‘ud and Habib were
influential lords. The Prophet (sws) invited them to accept
Islam and also requested protection. Very unexpectedly, not
only did they refuse to side with him and stand against the
Quraysh, they also ridiculed his teachings. All three brothers
held the same views. The Prophet (sws) did not think it wise
to remain there any longer and started on his return journey.
However, the three brothers instructed their slaves and other
youth to follow and harass him. This they did, wounding both
the Prophet (sws) and Zayd (rta). On his way, he found a
vineyard and entered it to take some rest. This vineyard
belonged to the Makkan leaders, ‘Utbah and Shaybah. When they
saw him, they sent some grapes in a plate, in consideration of
familial connections. Their Christian slave, ‘Adas, brought
the grapes to him. When the prophet (sws) recited the
bismillah…before eating, the slave was taken aback and said
that people from that area did not use these words before
eating. The Prophet (sws) was intrigued and asked him to
introduce himself. He was a Christian from Neneveh. The
Prophet (sws) told him that his origin was also that of a
pious man called Yunus ibn Mata (sws) who was a prophet, the
same as himself. Hearing this, ‘Adas kissed the Prophet’s hand
and head.
When leaving Ta’if, the Prophet (sws)
prayed to God very sorrowfully; “O’ God, I am feeble, my
resources are limited and my efforts are weak. You are the
Master of the weak. I have no trust on anyone but You. You
will give victory.” It is narrated that an angel appeared and
asked him if he wished to have Ta’if crushed between two
mountains. The Prophet (sws) restrained him and said that he
hoped that God would create people from within the progeny of
these cruel individuals, who would worship only one God and
would not include any others with Him.
On the way to Makkah, he stayed at Nakhlah,
and sent a message to the Quraysh leader, Suhayl ibn ‘Amr,
asking for his protection. He replied, saying that the Banu
‘Amir ibn Luyi (his family) could not provide protection to
Banu Ka‘b ibn Luyi (the Prophet’s family). After this, the
Prophet (sws) asked for protection from Mut‘am ibn ‘Adi, who
was from the tribe of the Banu ‘Abd Munaf. This request was
accepted and the Prophet (sws) was asked to come to them. The
Prophet (sws) spent the night at Mut‘am’s house, and in the
morning, the latter took him to the Ka‘bah with his sons,
where he declared publicly that Muhammad (sws) was now under
his protection and no one should dare hurt him.
This narrative tells us that Abu Jahal did
not meet his obligations towards the Prophet (sws) as a member
of his tribe and supported his enemies, merely because of his
prejudice and enmity. Otherwise, it was not possible that
despite his connections with the Banu Hashim, the Prophet (sws)
was able to obtain protection of a leader from another family
and entered Makkah.
The Prophet’s journey to Ta’if is often
considered as his leaving the people of Makkah to join the
Thaqif of Ta’if and to begin preaching to the three leaders;
‘Abdiyyalayl, Mas‘ud and Habib. This view is incorrect. If
this were true, it would mean that the Prophet (sws) left his
real addressees, i.e the Quraysh and changed his place of
mission himself. The reality is that a messenger of God does
not leave his first addressees, among whom he obtains his
prophethood, without God’s instructions. He is not allowed to
leave those who have put their faith in him and expose them to
the evil intentions of others. Just like a captain of a ship,
he ensures that the passengers are guided safely to anchor,
and only at the end, he leaves the sinking ship to save his
own life. Because the tribe of Thaqif, like that of the
Quraysh was strong, the Prophet’s departure to find protection
there where he could continue with his mission in Makkah was a
comprehensible action.
Arrangement of Divine Satisfaction for the
Prophet (sws)
When the Prophet (sws) would get upset by
the trying conditions and the frustrating attitude of the
disbelievers, he was given instructions to bring peace and
solace to his heart. On return from Ta’if, the story of the
jinn being influenced by the recitation of the Qur’an was
related to him. This incident took place during his stay at
Nakhlah, while returning from Ta’if. The Prophet (sws) was
reciting the Qur’an in a loud voice during the night prayer,
when a group of jinn happened to pass that way. They heard the
recitation, and stopped in their tracks. When it ended, they
resumed their journey and, reaching their community, told them
about how they had heard a great and lofty message which told
of accepting the oneness of a Creator and condemning the
involvement of others with God, whereas their leaders were
disrespectful to God and tried to lead them astray. This
message had been revealed to the earth with great care and
barriers had been placed to stop devils intercepting it during
its revelation. This is why before the jinn could listen in
and hear bits and pieces of what was happening, but now they
were pelted with meteorites when they attempted to do so. This
reaction of the jinn was related to the Prophet (sws) to
reassure him that there was nothing wrong in either the
content of the revelation, or the manner in which he recited
it. If there was anything wrong, it was with the hard
heartedness of those who were listening, due to which the
message did not influence them. If the inner self wished for
guidance, then a non related community such as the jinn too,
was so affected that it was ready to correct the ways of its
members.
This story of the effect on jinn was
related to the Prophet (sws) through a revelation.
It is clear that he neither met them nor did he speak with
them. These jinn were already believers. When they heard the
Qur’an, their faith in the Oneness of God was reinforced and
they accepted the message and preached the same to their
community.
Orders for the Late Night Prayer (Tahajjud)
Although the Prophet (sws) had been advised
to be patient and steadfast in the prayer to handle the
difficulties he was facing, and was implementing these
instructions, under the new circumstances, when not only the
Quraysh but the Banu Hashim, too, began to harden their
stance, he was asked to begin a sixth prayer, tahajjud, and to
increase the recitation of the Qur’an during the fajr prayer.
This is the time when one is fresh in mind and soul and
whatever is spoken through the tongue finds its way to the
heart. Although this instruction was for the Prophet only, all
believers started to follow it, because they were all living
their lives under similar conditions and their problems were
the same.
(Translated by Nikhat Sattar)
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