Makafiri wa Makka walifanya mkutano katika mahali panapoitwa Wadi Al-Muhassab, wakaunda muungano wa uadui dhidi ya Bani Hashim na Bani Al-Muttalib. Waliamua kutofanya biashara yoyote nao, wala kuoana nao kwa namna yoyote. Mahusiano ya kijamii, ziara na hata mawasiliano ya maneno na Muhammad ﷺ na wafuasi wake yangekomeshwa hadi Nabii ﷺ atakabidhiwa kwao ili auawe. Vifungu vya tangazo lao, ambavyo vilitoa hatua zisizo na huruma dhidi ya Bani Hashim, viliandikwa na mshirikina Bagheed bin ‘Amir bin Hashim, kisha vikabandikwa ndani ya Al-Ka‘bah. Nabii ﷺ alimwomba Allah amlaani Bagheed, ambaye mkono wake baadaye ulipooza.
The pagans of Makkah held a meeting in a place called Wadi Al-Muhassab, and formed a confederation hostile to both Bani Hashim and Bani Al-Muttalib. They decided not to have any business dealings with them nor any sort of inter-marriage. Social relations, visits and even verbal contacts with Muhammad (Peace be upon him) and his supporters would discontinue until the Prophet (Peace be upon him) was given up to them to be killed. The articles of their proclamation, which had provided for merciless measures against Bani Hashim, were committed to writing by an idolater, Bagheed bin ‘Amir bin Hashim and then suspended in Al-Ka‘bah. The Prophet (Peace be upon him) invoked Allâh’s imprecations upon Bagheed, whose hand was later paralysed.
Abu Talib kwa busara na kimya alipima hali ilivyokuwa, akaamua kujiondoa hadi bonde lililo upande wa mashariki wa pembezoni mwa Makka. Banu Hashim na Banu Al-Muttalib, waliofuata mkondo huo, wakajikuta wamefungiwa ndani ya njia nyembamba (Shi‘b wa Abu Talib), kuanzia mwanzo wa Muharram, mwaka wa saba wa utume wa Muhammad ﷺ, hadi mwaka wa kumi, yaani kipindi cha miaka mitatu. Ilikuwa ni kizuizi kilichokosesha pumzi. Chakula kilikaribia kukatika kabisa, na watu waliokuwa kizuizini walikumbwa na mateso makubwa. Washirikina walikuwa wakinunua kila bidhaa ya chakula iliyoingia Makka, ili isiwafikie watu wa Ash-Shi‘b, ambao walikuwa katika hali ya kuchoka sana hata wakalazimika kula majani ya miti na ngozi za wanyama. Vilio vya watoto wadogo waliokuwa wakiteseka kwa njaa vilisikika wazi. Hakuna chakula kilichowafikia isipokuwa, kwa nyakati chache, kiasi kidogo cha chakula kilichoingizwa kwa siri na baadhi ya watu wenye huruma wa Makka. Wakati wa "miezi iliyokatazwa" — miezi ambayo mapigano yalisitishwa kwa desturi — walikuwa wakitoka kizuizini na kununua chakula kilicholetwa kutoka nje ya Makka. Hata hivyo, bidhaa hizo za chakula zilikuwa zimepandishwa bei kwa dhuluma, kiasi kwamba hali yao ya kifedha ilikuwa haitoshi kuwawezesha kukipata.
Abu Talib wisely and quietly took stock of the situation and decided to withdraw to a valley on the eastern outskirts of Makkah. Banu Hashim and Banu Al-Muttalib, who followed suit, were thus confined within a narrow pass (Shi‘b of Abu Talib), from the beginning of Muharram, the seventh year of Muhammad’s mission till the tenth year, viz., a period of three years. It was a stifling siege. The supply of food was almost stopped and the people in confinement faced great hardships. The idolaters used to buy whatever food commodities entered Makkah lest they should leak to the people in Ash-Shi‘b, who were so overstrained that they had to eat leaves of trees and skins of animals. Cries of little children suffering from hunger used to be heard clearly. Nothing to eat reached them except, on few occasions, some meagre quantities of food were smuggled by some compassionate Makkans. During ‘the prohibited months’ — when hostilities traditionally ceased, they would leave their confinement and buy food coming from outside Makkah. Even then, the food stuff was unjustly overpriced so that their financial situation would fall short of finding access to it.
Hakeem bin Hizam alikuwa njiani mara moja kupeleka ngano kwa shangazi yake Khadijah (Allah amridhie), Abu Jahl akamzuia na kutaka kumzuia asifike. Ni baada tu ya Al-Bukhtari kuingilia kati ndipo Hakeem alipoweza kufika kule alikokuwa akielekea. Abu Talib alikuwa na wasiwasi mkubwa juu ya usalama binafsi wa mpwa wake ﷺ. Kila watu walipoenda kulala, alikuwa akimwomba Mtume ﷺ alale mahali pake, lakini watu wengine wote walipokwisha kulala, alimwamuru abadilishe mahali na kwenda kulala mahali pengine, yote haya ikiwa ni jaribio la kumdanganya muuaji yeyote anayeweza kuwepo.
Hakeem bin Hizam was once on his way to smuggle some wheat to his aunt Khadijah (May Allah be pleased with her) when Abu Jahl intercepted and wanted to debar him. Only when Al-Bukhtari intervened, did Hakeem manage to reach his destination. Abu Talib was so much concerned about the personal safety of his nephew. Whenever people retired to sleep, he would ask the Prophet (Peace be upon him) to lie in his place, but when all the others fell asleep, he would order him to change his place and take another, all of which in an attempt to trick a potential assassin.
Licha ya magumu yote, Muhammad ﷺ aliendelea na msimamo wake, na azma na ujasiri wake haukudhoofika kamwe. Aliendelea kwenda Al-Ka‘bah na kuswali hadharani. Alitumia kila fursa kuwalingania watu wa nje waliokuja Makkah kwa biashara au kwa hija wakati wa miezi mitakatifu na misimu maalum ya mikusanyiko.
Despite all odds, Muhammad (Peace be upon him) persisted in his line and his determination and courage never weakened. He continued to go to Al-Ka‘bah and to pray publicly. He used every opportunity to preach to outsiders who visited Makkah for business or on pilgrimage during the sacred months and special seasons of assemblies.
Hali hii hatimaye ilisababisha mifarakano miongoni mwa makundi mbalimbali ya Makka, ambayo yalikuwa yameunganishwa na watu waliozingirwa kwa uhusiano wa damu. Baada ya miaka mitatu ya kuzingirwa, mnamo mwezi wa Muharram, mwaka wa kumi wa utume wa Muhammad ﷺ, mkataba ulivunjwa. Hisham bin ‘Amr, ambaye alikuwa akipeleka chakula kwa siri usiku kwa Bani Hashim, alimwendea Zuhair bin Abi Omaiyah Al-Makhzoumy na kumkemea kwa kukubali matibabu yasiyovumilika aliyopewa wajomba zake uhamishoni. Huyo alijitetea kwa kusema hana uwezo, lakini alikubali kushirikiana na Hisham na kuunda kikundi cha shinikizo ambacho kingehakikisha wahamishwa wanaokolewa.
Kwa msingi wa motisha ya uhusiano wa damu za mama, kuliibuka kikundi cha watu watano ambao walianza kazi ya kufuta mkataba na kutangaza vifungu vyote husika kuwa batili. Walikuwa ni Hisham bin ‘Amr, Zuhair bin Abi Omaiya, Al-Mut‘im bin ‘Adi, Abu Al-Bukhtari na Zam‘a bin Al-Aswad. Waliamua kukutana mahali pao pa mkutano na kuanza dhamira yao waliyojiwekea kutoka ndani ya eneo takatifu la Nyumba Tukufu. Zuhair, baada ya kuzunguka Kaaba mara saba, pamoja na wenzake walikwenda kwa watu waliokuwepo pale na kuwakemea kwa kujiingiza katika starehe za maisha wakati jamaa zao wa Bani Hashim walikuwa wakiangamia kwa njaa na kususiwa kiuchumi. Waliapa kwamba hawatarudi nyuma hadi hati ya kususia itakaporaruliwa vipande vipande na mkataba kuvunjwa mara moja.
Abu Jahl, aliyesimama karibu, alijibu kwamba haitawahi kuraruliwa. Zam‘a alikasirika na kumshutumu Abu Jahl kwa kusema uongo, akiongeza kwamba mkataba ulianzishwa na hati ilipigwa bila kutafuta idhini yao. Al-Bukhtari aliingilia kati na kumuunga mkono Zam‘a. Al-Mut‘im bin ‘Adi na Hisham bin ‘Amr walithibitisha ukweli wa wenzao hao wawili. Abu Jahl, kwa jaribio la kikatili la kumaliza mjadala huo mkali uliokuwa ukipingana na malengo yake maovu, alijibu kwamba suala hilo lilikwisha kutatuliwa wakati fulani na mahali fulani hapo awali.
This situation ultimately created dissension amongst the various Makkan factions, who were tied with the besieged people by blood relations. After three years of blockade and in Muharram, the tenth year of Muhammad’s mission, the pact was broken. Hisham bin ‘Amr, who used to smuggle some food to Bani Hashim secretly at night, went to see Zuhair bin Abi Omaiyah Al-Makhzoumy and reproached him for resigning to that intolerable treatment meted out to his uncles in exile. The latter pleaded impotence, but agreed to work with Hisham and form a pressure group that would secure the extrication of the exiles. On the ground of motivation by uterine relations, there emerged a group of five people who set out to abrogate the pact and declare all relevant clauses null and void. They were Hisham bin ‘Amr, Zuhair bin Abi Omaiya, Al-Mut‘im bin ‘Adi, Abu Al-Bukhtari and Zam‘a bin Al-Aswad. They decided to meet in their assembly place and start their self-charged mission from the very precinct of the Sacred House. Zuhair, after circumambulating seven times, along with his colleagues approached the hosts of people there and rebuked them for indulging in the amenities of life whereas their kith and kin of Bani Hashim were perishing on account of starvation and economic boycott. They swore they would never relent until the parchment of boycott was torn to piece and the pact broken at once. Abu Jahl, standing nearby, retorted that it would never be torn. Zam‘a was infuriated and accused Abu Jahl of telling lies, adding that the pact was established and the parchment was written without seeking their approval. Al-Bukhtari intervened and backed Zam‘a. Al-Mut‘im bin ‘Adi and Hisham bin ‘Amr attested to the truthfulness of their two companions. Abu Jahl, with a cunning attempt to liquidate the hot argument that was running counter to his malicious goals, answered that the issue had already been resolved sometime and somewhere before.
Abu Talib alikuwa ameketi wakati huo kwenye kona ya Msikiti. Alikuja kuwaambia kwamba wahyi ulikuwa umeteremshwa kwa mpwa wake, Mtume ﷺ, kwamba mchwa walikuwa wamekula tamko lao lote lililonuia dhulma na uchokozi isipokuwa sehemu zile zilizobeba Jina la Allah. Alisema kwamba yuko tayari kumkabidhi Muhammad ﷺ kwao endapo maneno yake yatathibitika kuwa si kweli, lakini kama yatathibitika kuwa kweli, basi wao watalazimika kujiondoa na kufutaususiaji wao. Waquraishi walikubali kuwa pendekezo lake lilikuwa la haki. Al-Mut‘im alikwenda kuona bamba hilo, na huko akagundua kwamba lilikuwa limeliwa na mchwa, na hakuna kilichobaki isipokuwa sehemu iliyobeba (Jina la Allah).
Abu Talib meanwhile was sitting in a corner of the Mosque. He came to communicate to them that a Revelation had been sent to his nephew, the Prophet (Peace be upon him) to the effect that ants had eaten away all their proclamation that smacked of injustice and aggression except those parts that bore the Name of Allâh. He contended that he would be ready to give Muhammad (Peace be upon him) up to them if his words proved untrue, otherwise, they would have to recant and repeal their boycott. The Makkans agreed to the soundness of his proposition. Al-Mut‘im went to see the parchment and there he did discover that it was eaten away by ants and nothing was left save the part bearing (in the Name of Allâh).
Kwa hiyo tamko hilo lilifutwa, na Muhammad ﷺ pamoja na watu wengine waliruhusiwa kuondoka Ash-Sh‘ib na kurejea majumbani mwao. Katika muktadha wa mtihani huu ambao Waislamu walifanyiwa, washirikina walipata fursa nzuri ya kushuhudia ishara ya wazi ya Utume wa Muhammad ﷺ (mchwa weupe waliokuwa wakila karatasi ile), lakini kwa bahati yao mbaya waliacha na kuzidi kukufuru.
The proclamation was thus abrogated, and Muhammad (Peace be upon him) and the other people were permitted to leave Ash-Sh‘ib and return home. In the context of this trial to which the Muslims were subjected, the polytheists had a golden opportunity to experience a striking sign of Muhammad’s Prophethood (the white ants eating away the parchment) but to their miserable lot they desisted and augmented in disbelief:
“Lakini wakiona ishara, hugeuka na kusema: ‘Hii ni uchawi unaoendelea.’” [54:2]
• “But if they see a Sign, they turn away, and say ‘This is continuous magic.” [54:2]