Write an account of the major difficulties encountered by the Holy Prophet (saw) and his followers in the years when they lived in Makka. [10]

When the Prophet invited people to Islam and condemned the worship of idols, the Quraish took it an insult to their religion and the ways of their forefathers. They were not ready to leave their ancestors’ religion and so they turned against the Holy Prophet (PBUH) and his followers. They became violent towards the early converts to Islam.

The early converts were treated very harshly by the Quraish and they were very hostile towards them. Hazrat Bilal, an abyssinian slave, was greatly tortured by his master Umaya bin Khalaf. He was dragged with ropes in the streets by children. He was regularly laid on scorching sands under blazing sun and heavy stones were placed on his chest. Hazrat Uthman was wrapped in palm leaves by his pagan uncle and was hung over fire. He was tortured with smoke and heat. Ammar bin Yasir paid heavily for embracing the new faith. His father died of the consecutive tortures and his mother was martyred by Abu Jahl with a spear. Similarly, Khabbab bin Aratt was made to lie on bed of hot coals.

Along with his companions, the Holy Prophet himself was persecuted. Thorny bushes were spread in his way and filth and garbage was thrown at him. Abu Lahab’s wife, Umm Jamil, used to throw the waste of slaughtered goats on the Holy Prophet while he was in worship. She paid the children of Makka for throwing stones at the prophet (saw) and abusing him. Some times the stones hit his face and caused bleeding. The two daughters of the Holy Prophet who were married to the two sons of Abu Lahab were divorced on the provocation of their father and mother. This was a very great shock for the Prophet (PBUH) and his wife, Khadija.

After the death of his second son, the Hazrat Muhammad (saw) was taunted and called “abtar” (man with no male progeny). One day when he was prostrating in the Holy Ka’bah, Uqbah bin Mu’ait on the provocation of Abu jahl threw tripe of a camel, filled with noxious materials, on the Prophat’s head to suffocate him. He remained under the tripe. On hearing this news, his daughter, Fatima (RA), ran out into the Ka’bah and removed the tripe and cleaned his face.

The Quraish prohibited him from entering the Holy Ka’bah for prayers. One day when Muhammad (saw) was at home and the Muslims were praying in the Ka’bah, the Quraish attacked them and wounded several of the Muslims. Hazrat Harith, Khadija’s son (Muhammad’s (saw) step son) was martyred on the spot, who was the first male Muslim martyr.

In the 5^th year of Prophethood when the atrocities of Quraish increased, the Holy Prophet ordered the Muslims to migrate to Abyssinia. A group of fifteen Muslims followed by another group of 79 migrated. The Quraish sent a delegation to Abyssinia and tried to bring them back, but they were not successful.  In the 7^th year of Prophethood, the Quraish made a social and economic boycott with the Banu Hashim tribe and they had to live in the Shib Abi Talib for about three years. This was a very harsh time for the Muslims.

When the Prophet (saw) visited Taif in the hope that they could accept Islam, it was a very bitter experience for him. He was pelted with stones from which he received severe injuries. Later, the pagans took men from different tribes and formed a delegation that made plans to kill the Holy Prophet (saw). The Holy Prophet (saw) was informed about their strategies through revelation. Following the orders of the revelation, he along with Hazrat Abu Bakr migrated to Yasrib and left all their properties behind.