When we speak of the companions of the Prophet (peace be upon him) and how they suffered for following the Prophet and adopting Islam, we normally tend to think of those who were in vulnerable positions, such as slaves or former slaves and those who affiliated themselves to one tribe or another, as they were isolated from their own tribe. Bilal, for example, was a former slave, while Ammar and his father, Yassir, were affiliated to the Makhzoom clan. Yassir had come to Makkah from Yemen, searching for a brother of his with whom all contact was lost. He loved Makkah and decided to stay there. In order to be safe, he had to enter into a contract of alliance with one of the Quraysh clans so as to be affiliated to it. Such affiliates were never treated as belonging to the tribe; rather they belonged to a secondary tier, where they had to fulfill all duties without enjoying many privileges. We rarely think of the leading personalities among the Prophet’s companions as having to endure persecution. But many in fact found themselves subjected to various types of pressure and hardship.
We hardly, if ever, remember that a man like Abu Bakr was subjected to physical harm. We read that he bought slaves who were persecuted and set them free. However, he himself was at times at the receiving end of such abuse. This occurred in the early days of Islam. Ayeshah, his daughter and the Prophet’s wife, reports that when Muslims numbered 38 men, Abu Bakr suggested to the Prophet that they should go public. The Prophet said to him: “We are still few in number.” He apparently repeated his advice several times, until the Prophet acted on it. The Prophet declared himself while his companions joined their respective clans as they sat around the Kaaba. Abu Bakr then stood up while the Prophet was seated. Abu Bakr spoke out calling on people to believe in God and His Messenger. Thus, Abu Bakr was the first man to deliver a speech for the purpose.
This was a challenge to the unbelievers, who did not like what they saw. They, therefore, went on the rampage and beat the Muslims up very badly. However, Abu Bakr came out worst, as people trampled over him and beat him up. Utbah ibn Rabeeah, a leading personality who normally took a moderate attitude, was this time most brutal. He used a thick pair of shoes to beat up Abu Bakr, and tried to cut his face with the edges of his shoes. He jumped over Abu Bakr, smashing his nose. His tribesmen from Taym rushed to Abu Bakr’s help, rescuing him from his persecutors and then carrying him home feeling that he was done for, and that he would certainly die. Therefore, the Taym people went back to the Mosque and declared most solemnly that should Abu Bakr die, they would kill Utbah to avenge his death.
Some of his tribesmen continued to try to revive Abu Bakr, speaking to him but receiving no reply until it was evening when he spoke, asking: “What happened to God’s Messenger.” His tribesmen rebuked him for doing what he did, saying it was totally unwise. Before they left, they told his mother to feed him and give him something to drink. When she was alone with him, he again asked her about the Prophet, but she protested that she had no knowledge of anything happening to him. He told her to go to a certain woman, Umm Jameel bint Al-Khattab, to inquire about him. When she met her, Umm Jameel denied all knowledge of Abu Bakr or Prophet Muhammad. However, she said to his mother: “If you like, I will come with you to see your son.” Abu Bakr’s mother welcomed the suggestion. When Umm Jameel saw Abu Bakr in this state, almost dying, she cried out: “Such people as would do this to you are indeed deep in sin and unbelief. I pray that God will punish them for what they have done to you.” Abu Bakr asked her about the Prophet, but she said: “Here is your mother listening.” He said: “You need not fear anything from her.” She then said: “He is well and in good spirits, staying at Al-Arqam’s home.” Abu Bakr then said: “I pledge to God that I will taste neither food nor drink until I have seen the Prophet.”
The two women decided to wait until nightfall, when few people would be walking about. They then went with him, supporting him on both sides until they reached the house where the Prophet was. The Prophet took him with both hands and kissed his forehead, and the Muslims who were with him also welcomed him warmly. The Prophet asked him how he felt. He answered: “By God! I am all right, except for what this evil person did to my face. Here is my mother and she is taking good care of her son. Please pray for her and invite her to become a Muslim. May God save her from hell through your prayer.” The Prophet prayed for her and spoke to her about Islam. She soon became a Muslim. Those early companions of the Prophet stayed with him in Al-Arqam’s house for a month numbering only 39 people.
This story explains that whenever unbelievers have a chance to attack, assault, harm or even kill a believer, they do not hesitate to do so. Abu Bakr belonged to one of the Quraysh clans, and his kinsmen were prepared to defend him, as we learn from the story. They rescued him when he was being beaten up and vowed to kill Utbah, should Abu Bakr die as a result of his injuries, because Utbah was the one who did most to cause these injuries.
We also learn from the story how the Muslims were very careful in the early days of Islam not to identify themselves. Up till then, advocacy for Islam was carried out in secret. Hence, Umm Jameel would not tell Abu Bakr’s mother anything about the Prophet, denying that she knew anything about him or indeed about Abu Bakr himself. When she saw him, she was still unwilling to give any information in his mother’s presence, until he reassured her that there was no chance that his mother would inform on her.
What is also important to note is Abu Bakr’s love of the Prophet. In his condition, when he needed to eat and drink in order to preserve his life, he still would taste nothing until he had met the Prophet and assured himself of his safety.
If we wish to put a date on this event, we would say that it took place in the third year of the beginning of Islamic revelations, and ten years before the Muslims’ immigration to Madinah. We deduce this from the number of the Muslims at the time, and from the fact that it all happened on the very first time when the call to Islam went public. We know that the message was preached in secret for three years and here Abu Bakr was urging the Prophet to go public. So it must have been shortly before that landmark.
