30. The deaths of Abū Ṭālib and Khadīja

Sirat Ibn Hisham 486No grade recorded
وَفَاةُ أَبِي طَالِبٍ وَخَدِيجَةَ قَالَ ابْنُ إسْحَاقَ: وَكَانَ النَّفَرُ الَّذِينَ يُؤْذُونَ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ فِي بَيْتِهِ: أَبَا لَهَبٍ، وَالْحَكَمَ بْنَ الْعَاصِ بْنِ أُمَيَّةَ وَعُقْبَةَ بْنَ أَبِي مُعَيْطٍ، وَعَدِيَّ بْنَ حَمْرَاءَ الثَّقَفِيَّ، وَابْنَ الْأَصْدَاءِ الْهُذَلِيَّ؛ وَكَانُوا جِيرَانَهُ لَمْ يُسْلِمْ مِنْهُمْ أَحَدٌ إلَّا الْحَكَمُ بْنُ أَبِي الْعَاصِ، فَكَانَ أَحَدُهُمْ - فِيمَا ذُكِرَ لِي - يَطْرَحُ عَلَيْهِ ﷺ رَحِمَ الشَّاةِ وَهُوَ يُصَلِّي، وَكَانَ أَحَدُهُمْ يَطْرَحُهَا فِي بُرْمَتِهِ إذَا نُصِبَتْ لَهُ، حَتَّى اتَّخَذَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ حِجْرًا يَسْتَتِرُ بِهِ مِنْهُمْ إذَا صَلَّى، فَكَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ إذَا طَرَحُوا عَلَيْهِ ذَلِكَ الْأَذَى، كَمَا حَدَّثَنِي عُمَرُ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عُرْوَةَ بْنِ الزُّبَيْرِ عَنْ عُرْوَةَ بْنِ الزُّبَيْرِ، يَخْرُجُ بِهِ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ عَلَى الْعُودِ، فَيَقِفُ بِهِ عَلَى بَابِهِ، ثُمَّ يَقُولُ: يَا بَنِي عَبْدِ مَنَافٍ، أَيُّ جِوَارٍ هَذَا ثُمَّ يُلْقِيهِ فِي الطَّرِيقِ
✧ The death of Abū Ṭālib and Khadījah. Ibn Isḥāq said: The group who used to harm the Messenger of God ﷺ in his house were: Abū Lahab, al-Ḥakam b. al-ʿĀṣ b. Umayyah, ʿUqbah b. Abī Muʿayṭ, ʿAdī b. Ḥamrāʾ al-Thaqafī, and Ibn al-Aṣdāʾ al-Hudhalī. They were his neighbors; none of them became Muslim except al-Ḥakam b. Abī al-ʿĀṣ. One of them—as was mentioned to me—would throw a sheep's uterus upon him ﷺ while he was praying, and one of them would throw it into his cooking pot when it was set up for him, until the Messenger of God ﷺ took a stone to screen himself from them when he prayed. When they threw that harm upon him, as ʿUmar b. ʿAbd Allāh b. ʿUrwah b. al-Zubayr related to me from ʿUrwah b. al-Zubayr, the Messenger of God ﷺ would carry it out on a stick, stand with it at his door, then say: 'O Banū ʿAbd Manāf, what kind of neighborly protection is this?' Then he would throw it into the road.
Sirat Ibn Hisham 487No grade recorded
[ طَمَعُ الْمُشْرِكِينَ فِي الرَّسُولِ بَعْدَ وَفَاةِ أَبِي طَالِبٍ وَخَدِيجَةَ ] قَالَ ابْنُ إسْحَاقَ: ثُمَّ إنَّ خَدِيجَةَ بِنْتَ خُوَيْلِدٍ وَأَبَا طَالِبٍ هَلَكَا فِي عَامٍ وَاحِدٍ، فَتَتَابَعَتْ عَلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ الْمَصَائِبُ بِهُلْكِ خَدِيجَةَ، وَكَانَتْ لَهُ وَزِيرَ صِدْقٍ عَلَى الْإِسْلَامِ، يَشْكُو إلَيْهَا؛ وَبِهُلْكِ عَمِّهِ أَبِي طَالِبٍ، وَكَانَ لَهُ عَضُدًا وَحِرْزًا فِي أَمْرِهِ، وَمَنَعَةً وَنَاصِرًا عَلَى قَوْمِهِ، وَذَلِكَ قَبْلَ مُهَاجَرِهِ إلَى الْمَدِينَةِ بِثَلَاثِ سِنِينَ. فَلَمَّا هَلَكَ أَبُو طَالِبٍ، نَالَتْ قُرَيْشٌ مِنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ مِنْ الْأَذَى مَا لَمْ تَكُنْ تَطْمَعُ بِهِ فِي حَيَاةِ أَبِي طَالِبٍ، حَتَّى اعْتَرَضَهُ سَفِيهٌ مِنْ سُفَهَاءِ قُرَيْشٍ، فَنَثَرَ عَلَى رَأْسِهِ تُرَابًا قَالَ ابْنُ إسْحَاقَ: فَحَدَّثَنِي هِشَامُ بْنُ عُرْوَةَ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ عُرْوَةَ بْنِ الزُّبَيْرِ، قَالَ: لَمَّا نَثَرَ ذَلِكَ السَّفِيهُ عَلَى رَأْسِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ ذَلِكَ التُّرَابَ، دَخَلَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ بَيْتَهُ وَالتُّرَابُ عَلَى رَأْسِهِ، فَقَامَتْ إلَيْهِ إحْدَى بَنَاتِهِ، فَجَعَلَتْ تَغْسِلُ عَنْهُ التُّرَابَ وَهِيَ تَبْكِي، وَرَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ يَقُولُ لَهَا: لَا تَبْكِي يَا بُنَيَّةِ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ مَانِعٌ أَبَاكَ. قَالَ: وَيَقُولُ بَيْنَ ذَلِكَ: مَا نَالَتْ مِنِّي قُرَيْشٌ شَيْئًا أَكْرَهُهُ حَتَّى مَاتَ أَبُو طَالِبٍ
✧ He said: Then Khadījah bt. Khuwaylid and Abū Ṭālib died in a single year, and the misfortunes came upon the Messenger of God ﷺ in succession with the death of Khadījah, who had been a true minister to him in Islam, to whom he complained; and with the death of his uncle Abū Ṭālib, who had been a support and protection for him in his affair, and a defense and helper against his people — and that was three years before his emigration to Madinah. When Abū Ṭālib died, Quraysh inflicted upon the Messenger of God ﷺ harm which they had not aspired to during the life of Abū Ṭālib, until a fool among the fools of Quraysh confronted him and scattered dust on his head. Ibn Isḥāq said: Hishām b. ʿUrwah reported to me, from his father ʿUrwah b. al-Zubayr, who said: When that fool scattered that dust upon the head of the Messenger of God ﷺ, the Messenger of God ﷺ entered his house with the dust upon his head, and one of his daughters rose to him and began to wash the dust from him while she wept, while the Messenger of God ﷺ said to her: 'Do not weep, my little daughter, for God will protect your father.' He said: And in the midst of that he would say: 'Quraysh did not attain from me anything I disliked until Abū Ṭālib died.'
Sirat Ibn Hisham 488No grade recorded
[ الْمُشْرِكُونَ عِنْدَ أَبِي طَالِبٍ لَمَّا ثَقُلَ بِهِ الْمَرَضُ، يَطْلُبُونَ عَهْدًا بَيْنَهُمْ وَبَيْنَ الرَّسُولِ ] قَالَ ابْنُ إسْحَاقَ: وَلَمَّا اشْتَكَى أَبُو طَالِبٍ، وَبَلَغَ قُرَيْشًا ثِقَلُهُ قَالَتْ قُرَيْشٌ بَعْضُهَا لِبَعْضِ: إنَّ حَمْزَةَ وَعُمَرَ قَدْ أَسْلَمَا، وَقَدْ فَشَا أَمْرُ مُحَمَّدٍ فِي قَبَائِلِ قُرَيْشٍ كُلِّهَا، فَانْطَلِقُوا بِنَا إلَى أَبِي طَالِبٍ، فَلْيَأْخُذْ لَنَا عَلَى ابْنِ أَخِيهِ، وَلْيُعْطِهِ مِنَّا، وَاَللَّهِ مَا نَأْمَنُ أَنْ يَبْتَزُّونَا أَمْرَنَا. قَالَ ابْنُ إسْحَاقَ: فَحَدَّثَنِي الْعَبَّاسُ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ مَعْبَدِ ( بْنِ عَبَّاسٍ ) عَنْ بَعْضِ أَهْلِهِ، عَنْ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ، قَالَ: مَشَوْا إلَى أَبِي طَالِبٍ فَكَلَّمُوهُ ؟ وَهُمْ أَشْرَافُ قَوْمِهِ: عُتْبَةُ بْنُ رَبِيعَةَ، وَشَيْبَةُ بْنُ رَبِيعَةَ، وَأَبُو جَهْلِ بْنُ هِشَامٍ، وَأُمَيَّةُ بْنُ خَلَفٍ، وَأَبُو سُفْيَانَ بْنُ حَرْبٍ، فِي رِجَالٍ مِنْ أَشْرَافِهِمْ، فَقَالُوا: يَا أَبَا طَالِبٍ، إنَّكَ مِنَّا حَيْثُ قَدْ عَلِمْتَ، وَقَدْ حَضَرَكَ مَا تَرَى، وَتَخَوَّفْنَا عَلَيْكَ، وَقَدْ عَلِمْتَ الَّذِي بَيْنَنَا وَبَيْنَ ابْنِ أَخِيكَ، فَادْعُهُ، فَخُذْ لَهُ مِنَّا، وَخُذْ لَنَا مِنْهُ، لِيَكُفَّ عَنَّا، وَنَكُفَّ عَنْهُ، وَلِيَدَعَنَا وَدِينَنَا، وَنَدَعَهُ وَدِينَهُ، فَبَعَثَ إلَيْهِ أَبُو طَالِبٍ، فَجَاءَهُ. فَقَالَ: يَا ابْنَ أَخِي: هَؤُلَاءِ أَشْرَافُ قَوْمِكَ، قَدْ اجْتَمَعُوا لَكَ، لِيُعْطُوكَ، وَلِيَأْخُذُوا مِنْكَ. قَالَ: فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ: نَعَمْ، كَلِمَةٌ وَاحِدَةٌ تُعْطُونِيهَا تَمْلِكُونَ بِهَا الْعَرَبَ، وَتَدِينُ لَكُمْ بِهَا الْعَجَمُ. قَالَ: فَقَالَ أَبُو جَهْلٍ: نَعَمْ وَأَبِيكَ، وَعَشْرَ كَلِمَاتٍ، قَالَ: تَقُولُونَ: لَا إلَهَ إلَّا اللَّهُ، وَتَخْلَعُونَ مَا تَعْبُدُونَ مِنْ دُونِهِ. قَالَ: فَصَفَّقُوا بِأَيْدِيهِمْ ثُمَّ قَالُوا: أَتُرِيدُ يَا مُحَمَّدُ أَنْ تَجْعَلَ الْآلِهَةَ إلَهًا وَاحِدًا، إنَّ أَمْرَكَ لَعَجَبٌ ( قَالَ ): ثُمَّ قَالَ بَعْضُهُمْ لِبَعْضِ: إنَّهُ وَاَللَّهِ مَا هَذَا الرَّجُلُ بِمُعْطِيكُمْ شَيْئًا مِمَّا تُرِيدُونَ، فَانْطَلِقُوا وَامْضُوا عَلَى دِينِ آبَائِكُمْ، حَتَّى يَحْكُمَ اللَّهُ بَيْنَكُمْ وَبَيْنَهُ. قَالَ: ثُمَّ تَفَرَّقُوا
✧ [The polytheists with Abū Ṭālib when his illness became severe, seeking a covenant between them and the Messenger] Ibn Isḥāq said: When Abū Ṭālib fell ill and the severity of his illness reached Quraysh, Quraysh said to one another: "Ḥamzah and ʿUmar have embraced Islam, and the affair of Muḥammad has spread among all the tribes of Quraysh, so come with us to Abū Ṭālib, and let him take for us [a covenant] from his brother's son, and let him give him [a covenant] from us. By God, we do not feel safe that he will snatch our affair from us." Ibn Isḥāq said: Al-ʿAbbās b. ʿAbd Allāh b. Maʿbad (b. ʿAbbās) narrated to me from some of his family, from Ibn ʿAbbās, who said: They walked to Abū Ṭālib and spoke to him—and they were the nobles of his people: ʿUtbah b. Rabīʿah, Shaybah b. Rabīʿah, Abū Jahl b. Hishām, Umayyah b. Khalaf, and Abū Sufyān b. Ḥarb, among men of their nobles. They said: "O Abū Ṭālib, you are of us as you know, and what you see has come upon you, and we fear for you, and you know what lies between us and your brother's son, so call him and take for him from us, and take for us from him, that he should desist from us and we desist from him, and that he should leave us and our religion, and we leave him and his religion." So Abū Ṭālib sent for him, and he came to him. He said: "O son of my brother, these are the nobles of your people. They have gathered for you, to give you [something] and to take from you [something]." He said: The Messenger of God ﷺ said: "Yes—one word you give me by which you will possess the Arabs, and the non-Arabs will submit to you through it." He said: Abū Jahl said: "Yes, by your father, and ten words!" He said: "You say: 'There is no god but God,' and you cast off what you worship besides Him." He said: They clapped their hands, then said: "Do you want, O Muḥammad, to make the gods one god? Indeed your affair is a strange thing." He said: Then some of them said to one another: "By God, this man will not give you anything of what you want, so go and continue upon the religion of your fathers until God judges between you and him." He said: Then they dispersed.
Sirat Ibn Hisham 489No grade recorded
[ طَمَعُ الرَّسُولِ فِي إسْلَامِ أَبِي طَالِبٍ، وَحَدِيثُ ذَلِكَ ] فَقَالَ أَبُو طَالِبٍ لِرَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ: وَاَللَّهِ يَا ابْنَ أَخِي، مَا رَأَيْتُكَ سَأَلْتَهُمْ شَطَطًا، قَالَ: فَلَمَّا قَالَهَا أَبُو طَالِبٍ طَمِعَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ فِي إسْلَامِهِ، فَجَعَلَ يَقُولُ لَهُ: أَيْ عَمِّ، فَأَنْتَ فَقُلْهَا أَسْتَحِلَّ لَكَ بِهَا الشَّفَاعَةَ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ. قَالَ: فَلَمَّا رَأَى حِرْصَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ عَلَيْهِ، قَالَ: يَا ابْنَ أَخِي، وَاَللَّهِ لَوْلَا مَخَافَةُ السُّبَّةِ عَلَيْكَ وَعَلَى بَنِي أَبِيكَ مِنْ بَعْدِي، وَأَنْ تَظُنَّ قُرَيْشٌ أَنِّي إنَّمَا قُلْتهَا جَزَعًا مِنْ الْمَوْتِ لَقُلْتهَا لَا أَقُولُهَا إلَّا لِأَسُرَّكَ بِهَا. قَالَ: فَلَمَّا تَقَارَبَ مِنْ أَبِي طَالِبٍ الْمَوْتُ قَالَ: نَظَرَ الْعَبَّاسُ إلَيْهِ يُحَرِّكُ شَفَتَيْهِ، قَالَ: فَأَصْغَى إلَيْهِ بِأُذُنِهِ، قَالَ: فَقَالَ يَا ابْنَ أَخِي. وَاَللَّهِ لَقَدْ قَالَ أَخِي الْكَلِمَةَ الَّتِي أَمَرْتَهُ أَنْ يَقُولَهَا، قَالَ: فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ: لَمْ أَسْمَعْ
✧ [The Messenger's desire for Abū Ṭālib's conversion to Islam and the account thereof] Abū Ṭālib said to the Messenger of God ﷺ: "By God, O son of my brother, I have not seen you ask them for anything excessive." He said: When Abū Ṭālib said that, the Messenger of God ﷺ hoped for his conversion to Islam, and he began saying to him: "O uncle, just say it, and I will be permitted to intercede for you on the Day of Resurrection." He said: When he saw the eagerness of the Messenger of God ﷺ for him, he said: "O son of my brother, by God, were it not for fear of the reproach that would fall upon you and upon the sons of your father after me, and that Quraysh would think I only said it out of dread of death, I would say it. I would not say it except to please you with it." He said: When death drew near to Abū Ṭālib, he said: Al-ʿAbbās looked at him moving his lips. He said: He inclined his ear to him. He said: Then he said: "O son of my brother, by God, my brother has said the word that you commanded him to say." He said: The Messenger of God ﷺ said: "I did not hear."
Sirat Ibn Hisham 490No grade recorded
[ مَا نَزَلَ فِيمَنْ طَلَبُوا الْعَهْدَ عَلَى الرَّسُولِ عِنْدَ أَبِي طَالِبٍ ] قَالَ: وَأَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى فِي الرَّهْطِ الَّذِينَ كَانُوا اجْتَمَعُوا إلَيْهِ، وَقَالَ لَهُمْ مَا قَالَ وَرَدُّوا عَلَيْهِ مَا رَدُّوا: ص وَالْقُرْآنِ ذِي الذِّكْرِ بَلِ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا فِي عِزَّةٍ وَشِقَاقٍ إلَى قَوْلِهِ تَعَالَى: أَجَعَلَ الْآلِهَةَ إِلَهًا وَاحِدًا إِنَّ هَذَا لَشَيْءٌ عُجَابٌ وَانْطَلَقَ الْمَلَأُ مِنْهُمْ أَنِ امْشُوا وَاصْبِرُوا عَلَى آلِهَتِكُمْ إِنَّ هَذَا لَشَيْءٌ يُرَادُ مَا سَمِعْنَا بِهَذَا فِي الْمِلَّةِ الْآخِرَةِ يَعْنُونَ النَّصَارَى، لِقَوْلِهِمْ: إِنَّ اللَّهَ ثَالِثُ ثَلَاثَةٍ - إِنْ هَذَا إِلَّا اخْتِلَاقٌ ثُمَّ هَلَكَ أَبُو طَالِبٍ
✧ What was revealed concerning those who sought the covenant from the Messenger with Abū Ṭālib. He said: And God, exalted is He, revealed concerning the group who had gathered before him, and he said to them what he said, and they replied to him what they replied: Ṣād. By the Qurʾān, possessing the Reminder! Nay, those who disbelieve are in pride and dissension—until His statement, exalted is He: Has he made the gods one God? Indeed, this is a strange thing. And the eminent among them went forth: Walk, and be patient with your gods; indeed, this is a thing desired. We have not heard of this in the latter religion—meaning the Christians, because of their saying: God is the third of three—this is nothing but a fabrication. Then Abū Ṭālib perished.