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and ‘Ali, had made all the necessary preparations for migration but was waiting for leave from his
Lord.
It is noteworthy that most of the Mwho had migrated to Abyssinia (Ethiopia), came back to Madinah
to join the rest of the Muslims there.
The situation was no doubt critical in Makkah but Muhammad (Peace be upon him) was not at all
perturbed. Abu Bakr was, however, urging the Prophet to depart from that town. He was also
eagerly waiting for an opportunity to accompany Muhammad (Peace be upon him) on this eventful
journey. But the Prophet told him that the time had not yet come; the Lord had not given him the
command to migrate. In anticipation of the Command of Allâh, Abu Bakr had made preparations for
the journey. He had purchased two swift camels and had fed them properly for four months so that
they could
successively stand the ordeals of the long desert journey.
IN AN-NADWAH (COUNCIL) HOUSE THE PARLIAMENT OF QURAISH
The polytheists were paralysed by the carefully planned and speedy movement of Muhammad’s
followers towards their new abode in Madinah. They were caught in unprecedented anxiety and got
deeply worried over their whole pagan and economic entity. They already experienced Muhammad
(Peace be upon him) as an influential leader; and his followers as determined, decent and always
ready to sacrifice all they had for the sake of the Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him). Al-Aws
and Al-Khazraj tribes, the would-be-hosts of the Makkan Muslims, were also known in Arabia for
their might and power in war, and judicious and sensible approach in peace. They were also averse
to rancour and prejudice for they themselves had had bitter days of inter-tribal warfare. Madinah ,
itself, the prospective headquarters of the ever-growing Islamic Call, enjoyed the most serious
strategic position. It commanded the commercial routes leading to Makkah whose people used to
deal in about a quarter of a million gold dinar-worth commodities every year. Security of the
caravan routes was crucial for the perpetuity of prosperous economic life. All those factors borne in
mind, the polytheists felt they were in the grip of a serious threat. They, therefore, began to seek
the most effective method that could avert this imminent danger. They convened a meeting on
Thursday, 26th Safar, the year fourteen of Prophethood / 12th September 622 A.D., i.e. two and a
half months after the Great ‘Aqabah Pledge. On that day, “the Parliament of Makkah” held the most
serious meeting ever, with one item on the agenda: How to take effective measures with a view to
stopping that tidal wave. Delegates representing all the Quraishite tribes attended the meeting, the
most significant of whom were:
1. Abu Jahl bin Hisham, from Bani Makhzum;
2. Jubair bin Mut‘im, Tuaima bin ‘Adi, and Al-Harith bin ‘Amir representing Bani Naufal bin ‘Abd
Munaf;
3. Rabi‘a’s two sons Shaibah and ‘Utbah besides Abu Sufyan bin Harb from Bani ‘Abd Shams
bin ‘Abd Munaf;
4. An-Nadr bin Al-Harith (who had besmeared the Prophet (Peace be upon him) with animal
entrails) to speak for Bani ‘Abd Ad-Dar;
5. Abul Bukhtary bin Hisham, Zama‘a bin Al-Aswad and Hakeem bin Hizam to represent Bani
Asad bin ‘Abd Al-‘Uzza;
6. Al-Hajjaj’s two sons Nabih and Munbih from Bani Sahm;
7. Omaiyah bin Khalaf from Bani Jumah.
On their way to An-Nadwah House,
Iblis
(Satan) in the guise of a venerable elderly man standingat
the door interrupted their talk and introduced himself as a man from Najd curious enough to attend
the meeting, listen to the debate and wish them success to reach a sound opinion. He was readily
admitted in.
There was a lengthy debate and several proposals were put forward. Expulsion from Makkah was
proposed and debated in turn but finally turned down on grounds that his sweet and heart-touching
words could entice the other Arabs to attack them in their own city. Imprisonment for life was also
debated but also refused for fear that his followers might increase in number, overpower them and
release him by force. At this point, the arch-criminal of Makkah, Abu Jahl bin Hisham suggested that
they assassinate him. But assassination by one man would have exposed him and his family to the
vengeance of blood. The difficulty was at last solved by Abu Jahl himself, who suggested that a band
of young men, one from each tribe, should strike Muhammad simultaneously with their swords so
that the blood-money would be spread over them all and therefore could not be exacted, and his
people would seek a mind-based recourse for settlement. The sinful proposal was unanimously
accepted, and the representatives broke up the meeting and went back home with full determination
for immediate implementation.
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