الْجَهْرُ بِالدَّعْوَةِ وَالْهِجْرَةُ إِلَى الْحَبَشَةِ

The call on Aṣ-Ṣafaa When "And warn your closest relatives" was revealed (verse 26:214, below), the Prophet ﷺ climbed the hill of Aṣ-Ṣafaa and called the clans of Quraysh. When they had gathered, he asked: "If I told you that a cavalry was coming into the valley to attack you, would you believe me?" They replied: "We have never known you to lie." He said: "Then I warn you of a terrible punishment." His uncle Abu Lahab replied: "May you perish! Is it for this that you gathered us?" And Allah revealed Surah Al-Masad (Bukhari 4770, Muslim 208).

Why Quraysh opposed him The leaders of Quraysh did not fear only for their idols. Islam challenged their power (equality between master and slave), their trade (pilgrims came for the idols) and the religion of their forefathers. They first tried mockery ("poet", "sorcerer", "madman"), then offers (money, power, marriage), then threats, and finally violence.

The believers who were tortured • Bilaal ibn Rabaaḥ, a slave of Umayya ibn Khalaf, was laid on the burning sand with a rock on his chest; he kept repeating: "Aḥad, Aḥad" (One, One). Abu Bakr bought him and set him free (Ibn Hishaam). • Yaasir, his wife Sumayya and their son 'Ammaar were tortured. Sumayya was killed by Abu Jahl: she is the first martyr of Islam. The Prophet ﷺ would say to them: "Patience, family of Yaasir, your meeting place is Paradise" [À VÉRIFIER : référence]. • Khabbaab ibn al-Aratt came to complain; the Prophet ﷺ reminded him that believers before them had been sawn in two without giving up, and added: "But you are in a hurry" (Bukhari 3612). The Prophet ﷺ himself was insulted, and the entrails of a camel were thrown on his back while he was prostrating (Bukhari 240, Muslim 1794); but he was protected by his uncle Abu Ṭaalib.

The emigration to Abyssinia Around the fifth year of prophethood, the Prophet ﷺ advised some believers to leave for Abyssinia (present-day Ethiopia), to a just Christian king, the Negus (An-Najaashi). A first group left, then a second, larger one of about eighty people [À VÉRIFIER : nombres]. Quraysh sent two envoys with gifts to bring them back. The Negus listened to both sides. Ja'far ibn Abi Ṭaalib described the Jaahiliyya, then what Islam had brought: truthfulness, keeping trusts, ties of kinship, good neighbourliness. He recited the beginning of Surah Maryam; the Negus wept and refused to hand the Muslims over (reported by Ahmad) [À VÉRIFIER : numéro]. When he died, the Prophet ﷺ offered the funeral prayer for him in Madinah (Bukhari 1245, Muslim 951).

The boycott Ḥamza, the Prophet's ﷺ uncle, then 'Umar ibn al-Khaṭṭaab embraced Islam, which strengthened the believers. Quraysh then decided to boycott Banu Haashim and Banu l-Muṭṭalib: no trade and no marriage with them. They were confined in the ravine of Abu Ṭaalib for about three years, to the point of eating leaves [À VÉRIFIER : durée]. The boycott ended when men of Quraysh themselves became ashamed of this injustice.

Exercise: think of someone around you who is going through difficulty because of their faith or principles. How can you be for them what Abu Bakr was for Bilaal?

The text: Surah Ash-Shu'araa' (26), verse 214 وَأَنْذِرْ عَشِيرَتَكَ الْأَقْرَبِينَ ﴿٢١٤﴾

Meaning: "And warn your closest relatives." After three years of discreet call, this command opens the public call: the Prophet ﷺ begins with his own family and his own tribe.

Arabic text: Tanzil Quran Text (Simple, version 1.0.2), © 2008-2010 Tanzil.net, Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 licence, reproduced without any change (http://tanzil.net). Each verse is on its own line, followed by its number; the basmala, which the Tanzil file places at the start of the first verse, is written on its own line.

Understanding the lesson

Explanation The call on Aṣ-Ṣafaa begins with a clever question: the Prophet ﷺ first has Quraysh acknowledge that he has never lied. His past life becomes the proof of his message. Scholars see in this a rule of calling to Islam: credibility is built before speech. Persecution did not affect everyone in the same way: slaves and the weak, with no clan to protect them, suffered the most. The Prophet ﷺ could not always defend them; he gave them patience and the hope of Paradise. His answer to Khabbaab, "you are in a hurry", teaches that Allah's victory comes at its appointed time. Abyssinia shows another wisdom: seeking the protection of a just ruler, even a non-Muslim one. Ja'far's speech is a model: he presents Islam through its values (truthfulness, keeping trusts, ties of kinship) which the Negus could recognise. And the funeral prayer for the Negus shows the Prophet's ﷺ faithfulness to those who did good. Finally, the boycott shows that family solidarity can protect: the non-Muslims of Banu Haashim suffered with the Muslims, out of loyalty to the Prophet ﷺ.

Lessons to draw from it • Win people's trust through an honest life before calling them. • Be patient in trial, without hurrying to see the result. • Help in practical ways those who suffer for their faith, as Abu Bakr did for Bilaal. • Recognise justice wherever it is found, and be grateful for it. • Present Islam through its values, with wisdom.

Key points to remember • 26:214: "warn your closest relatives"; Aṣ-Ṣafaa (Bukhari 4770, Muslim 208). • Bilaal: "Aḥad, Aḥad"; Sumayya, the first martyr. • Bukhari 3612: "you are in a hurry". • Abyssinia and the Negus; Ja'far; Bukhari 1245, Muslim 951. • The boycott in the ravine of Abu Ṭaalib, about three years.

The main message The truth cost the first believers dearly, but they held firm through patience and solidarity: be steadfast, and support those who suffer for their faith.