Throughout history people who presented something for the betterment and righteousness of society, were either exiled, imprisoned, murdered or burnt alive. Such people negate and contradict centuries old customs and exploitation of those who thrive on such traditions. People take it as a threat to their survival therefore resolve to oppose these reformists.

The Quraysh observed that the king of Abyssinia was not willing to return the Muslims who had taken refuge in his land. Also back home the popularity of the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) was increasing steadily. They decided, to banish the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) and his followers to eradicate Islam forever. In this connection they formulated a scheme for their complete social and economic boycott by implementing special restrictions for Muslims.

It was not tolerable to Umar^R.A that Quraysh should worship their gods, openly at the Holy Ka’bah, while the believers worshipped Allah in secret. Quraysh were determined not to allow the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) to imagine that he had defeated them. Under pressure from Abu Jahal they decided that the best solution would be to place an interdiction on the whole clan of Hashim. With the exception of Abu Lahab, all others were resolved to protect their kinsman whether they believed him to be a Prophet or not. In order to nullify this support a document was drawn up. No less than forty leaders of Quraysh set their seal to this agreement.

Quraysh hung this notice or "Saheefah" as the Arabs called it on the walls of the Holy Ka’bah that directed the people to make a complete boycott of the Muslims. "Saheefah" is a statement of an order, decree or announcement. The orders were, that "No citizen of Makkah is allowed to talk to any Muslim (whether male or female). The Makkans are forbidden to touch a Muslim or to shake hands with him. If they do so they would become un-clean. The Makkans have no right to transact any business with the Muslims. The Makkans will neither accept nor give any girl or woman in marriage to the Muslims. If one owes money to a Muslim, one should not repay his debt. These orders will remain active until Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) revokes his religion or Banu Hashim suspend their support to the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace)".

In 616 AD, Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) along with other Muslims was expelled from Makkah. They were still patronised by Banu Hashim who also left Makkah with them even though some of them, including the Prophet’s (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) uncle, were not Muslims. The gallantry of Abu Talib could not permit him to abandon his nephew. Only "Abu Lahab" of Banu Hashim was not on their side. The Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) shifted to a "Sha’ib" owned by Abu Talib.

Literally "Sha’ib" means a crag in a rock. However, figuratively it is a pass or a valley carved naturally in a mountain.

Each of the ten tribes of Quraysh owned a separate "Sha’ib". Whenever a person or a tribe sought refuge from any of the Qurayshite tribes, it was provided for in one of the particular "Sha’ib". The Arabs did not consider any refugee tribe or person as one of their own. Hence a stranger was never accommodated as being one of them, and such a person could not live among them.

In tribal life, the tents were fixed in such a way that one could know at a glance which tent belonged to the chief. The chieftain was always in the middle. On his right and left were his sons. Next to them were the tents of the chieftain’s brothers, daughters and son-in-laws. The more distant the relation, the farther was the tent from the centre.

Sha’ib Abu Talib was used only to provide shelter to strangers and the needy, and not for Abu Talib himself or his tribesmen. It was a small place that could not accommodate so many people as there was no place in the surroundings for shelter. All around this "Sha’ib" were either sand dunes or passes.

During the Prophet’s (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) period, the land of Makkah was surrounded by dunes and huge rocks that heated like a great oven. During summer, there were no trees, grass or birds. Although the situation is quite different now, yet at some distance from the city are still present the same barren rocks and dunes found during the Prophet’s (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) period.

When Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) and his followers left Makkah, they could not bring enough eatables with them. They had been abandoned socially and economically. Their shelter was also far from any caravan’s route.

They faced the worst of hardships for sustenance. They fed themselves by boiling pieces of hides and leather of the sacrificed animals. It was only during the four months of "Harem" that they could come into the city for buying food. They collected skins as well as food to feed themselves through the rest of the year.

During this exile, the nephew of Khadijah^R.A sneaked out of Makkah one day to deliver some eatables to his aunt. The Quraysh, who were on the guard, followed him. They confiscated all the eatables and beat him severely.

Some Islamic historians, in respect and honour of the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), have left his period of exile un-mentioned, or at least have not described it in detail. They opine that if this period is discussed in detail, it would be a sort of dis-respect to the Prophet’s (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) glory.

Having said this one must also realise that these three years were to have a great impact on the Prophet’s (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) later life. He dealt with all the misery and hardship of this exile with immense resolve and determination. Where the Makkans had been anticipating the death of this new religion there came a new vigour in the spirits of those stranded in the "Sha’ib Abi Talib ".

He was sure of his prophethood and therefore did not give way to the demands of the Quraysh and spent three years in destitute and hunger.

It was during this time that Khadijah^R.A, the Prophet’s (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) wife for twenty-five years, died. He himself was fifty at the time. Khadijah^R.A had been not only his wife but also an adviser. She always counselled him and gave the best possible advice which the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) took seriously. She was the first woman to believe in his prophethood and unlike the business class which usually had nothing to do with religion, she spent all her wealth for the cause of Islam.

Khadijah^R.A fell ill during exile as there was no means to provide for her treatment and diet. She expired in the year 619 AD. - the year of "A’am-al-Hazn" (the year of sorrow and grief). She was 65 years old at that time.

The Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) mourned her death with tears for two consecutive days. Whenever he recalled her memories, his eyes filled with tears. Though there was a marked difference of ages, yet there occurred no disparity between them from the start to the end of their marital life. They complimented each other with true adoration.

There was no shroud, in the camp for "Kafin", therefore she was wrapped in "Saooqah", a type of coverlet or veil used by the Arab women to cover their heads.

She was a devoted and sincere Muslim whose material support played a very important role in the propagation of Islam. It was she who always stood by the side of the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) and shared all his burdens.

Two days after her death, the Muslims were struck by another grief. The Prophet’s (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) uncle "Abu Talib" breathed his last. He was eighty-six years old then.

When Abu Lahab received news of his brother’s approaching death, he went to his place and standing at the head of the bed addressed him, "O brother! swear that you have not attested Muhammad’s (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) religion and that you are departing the world on the footsteps of your ancestral religion".

The devotion and sacrifice of Khadijah^R.A is not surprising as the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) was her husband and the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) as well. It is his Uncle’s sacrifices and hardships that are commendable and surprising. He neither believed in Islam nor accepted his nephew as Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), yet he offered his life for him to fulfil his obligation towards "Assiyah" (tribal loyalty).

"Assiyah" - was a form of tribal conceit. It was so predominant in Arabs that a person like Abu Talib, a chieftain, forsook his peaceful life, in spite of his old age, and accepted refuge in a fissure, for a person he did not believe in. He had to make sure that none of his subjects remained helpless and shelterless. After his death, the Banu Hashim had no choice but to choose a new chieftain and according to the custom, Abu Talib’s brother Abu Lahab was offered this position. Ironically he was the worst enemy of Islam in Makkah.

The ban on Hashim and Muttalib was for three years. It showed no signs of having any of the desired effects. The time had come for a change of mind to take place, and the first man to act was Hashim who had so often sent his camel with food and clothes for the Hashmites. He was joined by another man named Zuhayr.

Early one day they joined the gathering of the people in the Mosque and Zuhayr, clad in a long robe, went round the Holy Ka’bah seven times. Then he turned to face the assembly and said: "O people of Makkah, are we to eat food and wear clothes, while the sons of Hashim perish. They are unable to buy and unable to sell? By God, I will not be seated until this iniquitous ban be torn up". "Thou liest!" said his cousin Abu Jahal. "It shall not be torn up". "Thou art the better liar" said Zam’ah "We were not in favour of its being written, when it was written. Zam’ah is right," said Abu l-Bakhtari. "We are not in favour of what is written in it, neither do we hold with it". "You are both right" said Mut’im, "and he that saith no is a liar".

Mut’im, cut him short by going into the Holy Ka’bah to fetch the document. He came out in triumph with a small piece of vellum in his hand: the worms had eaten it all except the opening words "In Thy Name, O Allah". The ban was formally revoked, and a body of Quraysh went to give the good news to the Bani Hashim and the Bani Al-Muttalib.

Walid and other chiefs proposed that they should all practise both religions. The Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) was saved the trouble of formulating his refusal by an immediate answer that came directly from Heaven in a Surah of six verses:

Except for Ja’far and Ubayd Ibn Jahsh, all the Prophet’s (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) cousins returned. With them came also Uthman^R.A and Ruqayyah^R.A.

When the Makkans observed that the decree hung on the walls of Makkah for social boycott of the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) had been eaten away by termites, they became scared of the unknown. By chance this incident took place when Abu Talib had died and Abu Lahab had just taken oath. The Quraysh were thus worried about these string of events. They proposed to allow the Muslims to return to which Abu Lahab agreed. Thus the Muslims returned to their native city after three years. During this time the Muslims had undergone great losses financially. Most of their businesses were ruined and even people like Abu Bakr^R.A, who was extremely rich, was left only with 5000 Dirhams.

When Abu Lahab was asked of his unlikely permission for the Muslims to return, he replied that being the chieftain he had to patronise his tribe. He hoped that Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) would abide by the tribal laws for he would expel him from the tribe if he did not. He was not like Abu Talib who would leave for Sha’ib Abi Talib for his tribe and suffer on the account of Muslims.

Abu Lahab could not restrain himself from opposing Islam. One day he invited all the people of Banu Hashim to a feast, including the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace). When all gathered, he addressed the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), "I intend to ask you, in front of all these people of Banu Hashim, about Abu Talib. You say about pagans going to hell, is Abu Talib in hell or heaven?".

In answer, the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) recited a verse of Surah Tauba verse 113.

Then Abu Lahab asked whether his brother Abu Talib had been pardoned the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) replied that as Abu Talib had died a non-believer, his matter rested with Allah.

Abu Lahab again inquired about the fate of some other ancestors. The Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) again recited a Holy Quranic verse and said that the final decision rests with Allah, who accommodates neither any change nor any concessions. Those in attendance were speechless.

Ancestors were thought of with great reverence among the Arabs. The criticism of one’s ancestors was an act of grave offence. Till then the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) had propagated Islam and invited the Makkans to it, but had not criticised his ancestors with such courage.

Abu Lahab asked the audience whether using his authority as the chieftain, he should expel the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) from the tribe. They all agreed unanimously. Abu Lahab instantly declared his verdict. The meeting was adjourned and the people returned to their homes. From that very moment, the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) was turned into a person to whom right of protégé was denied.

In Makkah, shedding blood of a person who had been expelled from his tribe was lawful. He could be killed, enslaved, sold or even burned alive by anyone. There was no punishment for the killer as he would not be considered guilty of any crime. The expelled person had no right of appeal to the tribal jury. In short such a person had no right to live.

Thus Abu Lahab had practically made the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) a social outcast. He (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) was left completely alone and defenceless. There was neither Khadijah^R.A nor Abu Talib to solace him. He asked for Allah’s succour. Allah not only helped and comforted him, but also invited the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) to His throne in the Heavens. This was the "Prophet’s (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) Ascension". We the Muslims term this event as "Maira’aj".