Persecution of Muslims by the Meccans
Encyclopedia
In the early days of Islam at Mecca
, the new Muslims were often subjected to abuse and persecution.
, who was tortured first by Abu Jahl . Muhammad
was protected somewhat by the influence of his family, but even he was subjected to such abuse; while he was praying near the Kaaba
, Abu Lahab threw the entrails of a sacrificed camel over him, and Abu Lahab's wife Umm Jamil
would regularly dump filth outside his door . And if free Muslims were attacked, slaves who converted were subject to far worse. The master of the Ethiopian
Bilal ibn Rabah (who would become the first muezzin
) would take him out into the desert in the heat of midday and place a heavy rock on his chest, demanding that he forswear his religion and pray to the polytheists' gods and goddesses, until Abu Bakr
bought him and freed him.
It was due to this that Abu Bakr
bought the freedom of the following persons:
The physical assaults started in .
In , the early Muslims were on their way to the hills of Mecca
to hold a meeting with Muhammad
, when a group of polytheists
observed their gathering and began to abuse and fight them. Sa'ad beat a polytheist and shed his blood, reportedly the first instance of bloodshed in the history of Islam.
In of twelve male and twelve female Sahaba
, the Muslims who originally converted in Mecca, migrated to Aksumite Ethiopia
(in Arabic, al-Habash
, or "Abyssinia"), seeking refuge from persecution .
Following the return from the First migration to Abyssinia, the Muslims continued to suffer Persecution by the Meccans . This time, in almost one hundred Muslims made a second migration back to Ethiopia where they stayed protected .
After the Muslims in Arabia had migrated to Medina in and attained security, the Muslims in Ethiopia migrated back to Arabia and reunited with them in Medina after six years absence .
The Meccan boycott of the Hashem
ites by the Quraish was proclaimed in 617.
In 620, after the Year of Sorrow
when his main source of support, Abu Talib had died did the persecution increased exponentially, so he tried to seek support from the neighboring city of Tai'f .
This persecution ultimately provoked the Migration to Medina.
Mecca
Mecca is a city in the Hijaz and the capital of Makkah province in Saudi Arabia. The city is located inland from Jeddah in a narrow valley at a height of above sea level...
, the new Muslims were often subjected to abuse and persecution.
Overview
Some were killed, such as Sumayyah bint Khabbab, the seventh convert to IslamTiming of Sahaba becoming muslims
Among Muslims, the timing of Sahaba becoming Muslims is of importance. Because Muhammad was not a Sahaba, he is not included.-Introduction:After the Muslim conquests began, a Muslim's standing in the Islamic state depended on his services to the community, and especially on the length of time he...
, who was tortured first by Abu Jahl . Muhammad
Muhammad
Muhammad |ligature]] at U+FDF4 ;Arabic pronunciation varies regionally; the first vowel ranges from ~~; the second and the last vowel: ~~~. There are dialects which have no stress. In Egypt, it is pronounced not in religious contexts...
was protected somewhat by the influence of his family, but even he was subjected to such abuse; while he was praying near the Kaaba
Kaaba
The Kaaba is a cuboid-shaped building in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, and is the most sacred site in Islam. The Qur'an states that the Kaaba was constructed by Abraham, or Ibraheem, in Arabic, and his son Ishmael, or Ismaeel, as said in Arabic, after he had settled in Arabia. The building has a mosque...
, Abu Lahab threw the entrails of a sacrificed camel over him, and Abu Lahab's wife Umm Jamil
Umm Jamil
Umm Jamil bint Harb was the wife of Abu Lahab, an enemy of Muhammed and the sister of Abu Sufyan. She is mentioned in chapter 111 of the Quran....
would regularly dump filth outside his door . And if free Muslims were attacked, slaves who converted were subject to far worse. The master of the Ethiopian
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
Bilal ibn Rabah (who would become the first muezzin
Muezzin
A muezzin , or muzim, is the chosen person at a mosque who leads the call to prayer at Friday services and the five daily times for prayer from one of the mosque's minarets; in most modern mosques, electronic amplification aids the muezzin in his task.The professional muezzin is chosen for his...
) would take him out into the desert in the heat of midday and place a heavy rock on his chest, demanding that he forswear his religion and pray to the polytheists' gods and goddesses, until Abu Bakr
Abu Bakr
Abu Bakr was a senior companion and the father-in-law of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. He ruled over the Rashidun Caliphate from 632-634 CE when he became the first Muslim Caliph following Muhammad's death...
bought him and freed him.
It was due to this that Abu Bakr
Abu Bakr
Abu Bakr was a senior companion and the father-in-law of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. He ruled over the Rashidun Caliphate from 632-634 CE when he became the first Muslim Caliph following Muhammad's death...
bought the freedom of the following persons:
The physical assaults started in .
In , the early Muslims were on their way to the hills of Mecca
Mecca
Mecca is a city in the Hijaz and the capital of Makkah province in Saudi Arabia. The city is located inland from Jeddah in a narrow valley at a height of above sea level...
to hold a meeting with Muhammad
Muhammad
Muhammad |ligature]] at U+FDF4 ;Arabic pronunciation varies regionally; the first vowel ranges from ~~; the second and the last vowel: ~~~. There are dialects which have no stress. In Egypt, it is pronounced not in religious contexts...
, when a group of polytheists
Polytheism
Polytheism is the belief of multiple deities also usually assembled into a pantheon of gods and goddesses, along with their own mythologies and rituals....
observed their gathering and began to abuse and fight them. Sa'ad beat a polytheist and shed his blood, reportedly the first instance of bloodshed in the history of Islam.
In of twelve male and twelve female Sahaba
Sahaba
In Islam, the ' were the companions, disciples, scribes and family of the Islamic prophet...
, the Muslims who originally converted in Mecca, migrated to Aksumite Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
(in Arabic, al-Habash
Habesha people
The term Habesha ābešā, Ḥābešā; al-Ḥabašah) refers to the South Semitic-speaking group of people whose cultural, linguistic, and in certain cases, ancestral origins trace back to those people who ruled the Axumite Empire and the kingdom known as DʿMT .Peoples referred to as "Habesha" today...
, or "Abyssinia"), seeking refuge from persecution .
Following the return from the First migration to Abyssinia, the Muslims continued to suffer Persecution by the Meccans . This time, in almost one hundred Muslims made a second migration back to Ethiopia where they stayed protected .
After the Muslims in Arabia had migrated to Medina in and attained security, the Muslims in Ethiopia migrated back to Arabia and reunited with them in Medina after six years absence .
The Meccan boycott of the Hashem
Banu Hashim
Banū Hāshim was a clan in the Quraysh tribe. Muhammad, was a member of this clan; his great-grandfather was Hashim, for whom the clan is named. Members of this clan are referred to by the Anglicised version of their name as Hashemites, or Huseini or Hasani...
ites by the Quraish was proclaimed in 617.
In 620, after the Year of Sorrow
Year of Sorrow
The Year of Sorrow is an Islamic term for a Hijri year that coincided with 619 or 623 CE. It is called so since both Abu Talib and Khadijah—the Islamic prophet Muhammad's uncle and first wife, respectively—died that year....
when his main source of support, Abu Talib had died did the persecution increased exponentially, so he tried to seek support from the neighboring city of Tai'f .
This persecution ultimately provoked the Migration to Medina.
Male
- Yasir ibn AmirYasir ibn AmirContradictory Sources:العنسي*Ammar's father, Yasir Ibn Amir Al-Ansi , left his native place in Yemen seeking a brother of his. In Makkah he found an appealing place, so he settled there and was in alliance with Abu Hudhaifah ibn al-Mughirah, who married him to one of his slave women, Sumayyah bint...
– tortured and killed . - Bilal ibn RibahBilal ibn RibahBilal ibn Rabah or Bilal al-Habashi was an Ethiopian born in Mecca in the late 6th century, sometime between 578 and 582.The Islamic prophet Muhammad chose a former African slave Bilal as his muezzin, effectively making him the first muezzin of the Islamic faith...
– lied on burning sand, had a very heavy stone put on his chest with somebody jumping on it. - Khabbab ibn al-ArattKhabbab ibn al-ArattKhabbab ibn al-Aratt was a boy from Najd, from the tribe of Banu Tamim.He was among the first ten persons to convert to Islam and was a sahabi .-Early life:Khabbab was from the Banu Tamim clan in Najd....
– lied on burning sand, had hot metal put on his head, - Abu FakihAbu FakihAbu Fakih was a slave of Safwan ibn Umayyah and was among the slaves freed by Abu Bakr. He was also a sahaba.While Abu Fakih was a slave, he accepted Islam, and when his slavemaster Safwan came to know that Abu Fakih had become a Muslim, he subjected him to great torture.He would bind him with a...
– tied and dragged on burning sand, had a very heavy stone put on his chest - Abu FuhayraAbu FuhayraAmir ibn Fuhayra was among the slaves freed by Abu Bakr and was a sahaba of Mohammed.He helped Muhammad and Abu Bakr during the Hijrah by herding his sheep all the way up to mount Thawr so the tracks they had left in the sand had been covered by the goat tracks.He was amongst the 70 Quraa sent to...
- Ammar ibn YasirAmmar ibn YasirʻAmmār ibn Yāsir al-Ansi was one of the companions of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. He was one of the Muhajirun, and referred to as by Shia Muslims as one of the Four Companions....
– tortured .
Female
- Sumayyah bint Khabbab – killed by spear .
- Al-NahdiahAl-NahdiahAl-Nahdiah was a female Sahaba .Other transliterations include Nadia, An-Nahdiyah or Al Nahdiah -Biography:She had a daughter named Umm Ubays , and both of them were the slaves of a lady of Banu Abd-al-dar ....
– tortured - Umm UbaysUmm UbaysUmm Umais , Umm Ubais or Umm Ubays was among the slaves freed by Abu Bakr.Umm Ubays was the daughter of Al-Nahdiah.Umm Ubays had also a sister, Harithah bint al-Muammil, however it is not established if they shared the same mother in the sources this article uses.-External...
– tortured - LubaynahLubaynahLubaynah was a sahābia of Muhammad and among the slaves freed by Abu Bakr.Lubaynah was a slave girl of Umar ibn al-Khattab. Before Umar's conversion to Islam his harsh treatment of his convert slaves was well known. Zinnira was her companion in slavery....
– extensively beaten - Zinnira – beaten until she lost her eyesight temporarily .
Free Muslims
- MuhammadMuhammadMuhammad |ligature]] at U+FDF4 ;Arabic pronunciation varies regionally; the first vowel ranges from ~~; the second and the last vowel: ~~~. There are dialects which have no stress. In Egypt, it is pronounced not in religious contexts...
– entrails of animals thrown at him while praying, people trying to strangle him, subjected to boycott, assassination attempt. - Umm Kulthum bint MuhammadUmm Kulthum bint MuhammadUmm Kulthum was the third daughter of the Islamic prophet, Muhammad from his first wife Khadijah bint Khuwaylid.- Marriage and children :She was first married to Utaybah bin Abu Lahab...
– was divorced on orders of Abu Lahab - Ruqayyah bint MuhammadRuqayyah bint MuhammadRuqayyah bint Muhammad was the second daughter of the Islamic Prophet Muhammad and his first wife Khadija. She was amongst the earliest converts to Islam. She had married Utbah ibn Abu Lahab, but he divorced her after her conversion to Islam, after which she married Uthman bin Affan...
– was divorced on orders of Abu Lahab - Sa'd ibn UbadahSa'd ibn UbadahSa'd ibn Ubadah ibn Dulaim was one of the prominent Sahabah and Ansar, the chief of the Banu Khazraj.He participated in the secret second pledge at al-Aqabah. It was not after that the Medinan pilgrims had left the city, that the Meccans became aware of the meeting at Aqabah. They pursued the...
– tortured