Boycott ends

Three years of near starvation and hardship took Banu Hashim and Banu Al-Muttalib to the edge of dispair. Meanwhile, Allah was softening the hearts of the Quraysh, through the five “Ashraaf” (nobles), who were the only people to give a thought to the refugees’ plight. The first of these five was Hisham bin Amr bin Harith, a highly respected nobleman of the Quraysh. When he reflected on the suffering of the exiles, he was deeply saddened.

 They were kinsmen, and the Quraysh had done the unthinkable by breaking off all ties with them. While the families in Makkah thrived, the refugees were dying of starvation one by one. In the three years since the enforcement of the boycott, no one seemed interested in its withdrawal. Finally Hisham decided to talk to four other high-ranking members of the Quraysh and convince them to end this injustice.

Hisham first spoke with Zuhar bin Abd Umayya Makhzoomi (the Prophet’s cousin), Mut’im bin Aidy, Abul Bukhtari bin Hashim, and finally Zam’a bin Aswad. He appealed to their sense of kinship and reproached them for allowing the tyranny to continue. When they heard his plea, they all agreed with him that the parchment hanging in the Ka’bah should be torn to pieces.

The next morning the four men waited for the other members of the Quraysh to assemble around the Ka’bah. Zuhayr finished circumambulating the Ka’bah and then stood before the people. “O people of Makkah,” he began. “Shall we eat and drink while Banu Hashim die of hunger, unable to even buy or sell? By God, I will not rest until this cruel and unjust decree is torn to pieces.”

Abu Jahl was furious: “You are wrong! By God, it will not be torn.” Zam’a countered, “By God, it is you who are wrong. When it was written we were not in agreement.” “Zam’a is right,” Abul Bukhtari said, “We do not agree to what is written in that decree, nor do we lend our support to it.”

Now it was Mut’im bin Adiy’s turn. “Both of you are right. There is no sin in opposing the decree. We seek our acquittal from God regarding the document and whatever it contains.” Hisham bin Amr expressed his agreement with Mut’im. The sudden rebellion made Abu Jahl suspicious. “This looks prearranged. Your sudden concern has its seeds somewhere else,” He protested.

At this point, Abu Talib saw his opportunity to step in. He had come into the presincts of the Ka’bah to tell the Quraysh that the Prophet had received a revelation about the fate of the iniquitous parchment. He stood up, facing the Quraysh, he told them that Allah, had revealed to the Prophet that termites had eaten the parchment inside the Ka’bah. The only thing that remained of the document, Abu Talib said, were the words “In Your Name, O Allah.” Abu Talib then challenged the Quraysh saying that if the Prophet’s claim turned out to be false, then he would no longer stand between them and the Prophet . However, if the Prophet had spoken the truth, the Quraysh should end the boycott. The Quraysh accepted Abu Talib’s challenge.

When Mut’im bin Adiy rose to retrieve the parchment, the assembly saw that it had been destroyed. Its oly remaining words were “Bismika Allahumma” (In Your Name, O Allah) and Allah’s name.

Allah had given the Quraysh yet another sign, but once again they refused to admit their error and accept Islam. Their only concession was to end the boycott. The Prophet and his Companions came out of the mountain pass and were allowed to live in Makkah once again.