The Total Boycott

The polytheists of Quraysh would not give up easily. Determined to counter Abu Talib’s successful protection of his nephew, they held a meeting at Haneef Banu Kinana to devise a new plan. After much discussion, they decided to impose a complete social and economic boycott on the clans of Banu Hashim and Banu Al-Muttalib.

According to the agreement, no one among the Quraysh would marry their daughters, trade with them, associate with them, or accept any peace terms from them until they handed over Prophet
Muhammed ﷺ.

When the terms were finalized, Bagheed bin ‘Amir bin Hashim wrote the pact and it was hung inside the Ka‘bah. But soon after, Allah caused Bagheed’s hand — or at least some of his fingers — to become paralyzed.

The boycott proved devastating. The Muslims and all members of Banu Hashim and Banu Al-Muttalib, whether Muslim or not, were forced to withdraw from Makkah and live in the narrow valley of Shi‘b Abi Talib. Only Abu Lahab refused to join them.
Cut off from trade and supplies, they were reduced to eating leaves and roots. The cries of hungry children echoed through the valley. Only a few compassionate souls dared to secretly send food, fearing punishment if caught. Among them was Hakim bin Hizam (رضي الله عنه), who would occasionally manage to send flour to his aunt, Khadijah (رضي الله عنها).

Caravans would pass near the valley, but the exiled Muslims could only approach them during the sacred months, when fighting was forbidden. Even then, the Quraysh would offer merchants inflated prices so that the Muslims could not afford to buy anything.
Yet despite the unbearable hardship, Prophet Muhammed ﷺ never ceased calling people to Islam. During the pilgrimage season, he would go out to meet the tribes arriving from all over Arabia, inviting them to the worship of Allah alone.

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The End of the Boycott

Three long years of starvation and isolation brought Banu Hashim and Banu Al-Muttalib to the brink of despair. But Allah was softening the hearts of some among the Quraysh. Five noblemen, known for their status and sense of honor, began to question the cruelty of the pact.

The first was Hisham bin ‘Amr bin Harith, a respected leader. Saddened by the suffering of his kinsmen, he reflected on the injustice of the situation — while families in Makkah enjoyed comfort, their own relatives were starving to death. Seeing no one willing to end the boycott, Hisham resolved to act.

He approached four other influential men — Zuhair bin Abi Umayyah Al-Makhzoomi, Mut‘im bin ‘Adiy, Abul Bukhtari bin Hisham, and Zam‘ah bin Al-Aswad — and appealed to their sense of kinship and compassion. His words moved them, and all five agreed that the cruel document hanging in the Ka‘bah must be destroyed.
The next morning, when the Quraysh gathered around the Ka‘bah, Zuhair stood before them after performing tawaf and declared loudly,
“O people of Makkah! Shall we eat and drink in peace while the people of Banu Hashim die of hunger, unable to buy or sell? By Allah, I will not rest until this unjust decree is torn to pieces!”
Abu Jahl angrily replied, “You are wrong! By Allah, it shall not be torn!”

But Zam‘ah retorted, “No, Abu Jahl — you are wrong. We were never in agreement when it was written.”
Then Abul Bukhtari spoke: “Zam‘ah is right. We do not support what is written in that document, and we want nothing to do with it.”
Mut‘im bin ‘Adiy added, “You have all spoken the truth. There is no blame in rejecting this injustice. We free ourselves before Allah from any part in it.”

Finally, Hisham expressed his agreement with them all.
Abu Jahl, suspicious of this sudden unity, shouted, “This has all been arranged beforehand! There’s a plot behind your words!”
At that moment, Abu Talib entered the scene. He had come to the Ka‘bah to tell the Quraysh about a revelation received by Prophet Muhammed ﷺ. Standing before the assembly, he announced that Allah had revealed to the Prophet ﷺ that termites had eaten the parchment inside the Ka‘bah, leaving only the words “In Your Name, O Allah” (Bismika Allahumma).

Abu Talib then challenged them:
“If my nephew’s claim is false, I will no longer protect him. But if he speaks the truth, then you must end this boycott.”
The Quraysh accepted his challenge. When Mut‘im bin ‘Adiy entered the Ka‘bah to retrieve the parchment, they saw that it had indeed been eaten away — only the words “Bismika Allahumma” remained.
It was another clear sign from Allah, but still the Quraysh refused to accept the truth of Islam. However, they were too embarrassed to continue the boycott, and so it was finally lifted. Prophet Muhammed ﷺ, his Companions (رضي الله عنهم), and their clans returned to Makkah.

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The Quraysh Petition Abu Talib

A few months after the boycott ended, Abu Talib fell gravely ill. By then he was over eighty years old, and the Quraysh believed his death was near. While they saw this as an opportunity, they also feared that harming Prophet Muhammed ﷺ after his uncle’s death would damage their reputation among other tribes.
So, they decided to make one last attempt at negotiation. They came to Abu Talib and said:
“Ask your nephew to stop speaking against our gods, and we will stop opposing his religion.”
Wanting to ensure his nephew’s safety after his death, Abu Talib called Prophet Muhammed ﷺ to his bedside and relayed their proposal.
The Prophet ﷺ listened calmly and replied,
“O Uncle! I ask them only for one word. If they accept this one thing, all of Arabia will follow them, and the non-Arabs will pay them tribute.”

The Quraysh were intrigued. “Only one word?” they asked. “We are ready to accept ten such things. What is it?”
Prophet Muhammed ﷺ said,
“Say: La ilaha illallah — there is no deity except Allah.”
The Quraysh were astonished. “What! Has he made all our gods into one? This is something strange indeed!”
And with that, they turned away once again, rejecting the truth that had been made so clear to them.