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In Mecca Quraysh hurt the weak among the first Muslims — the best known were Bilal, Ammar, Yasir, Sumayya and Khabbab. The Prophet passed the family of Yasir and said, 'Patience, family of Yasir, your appointment is Paradise,' and Abu Bakr bought Bilal and the women who were being hurt and freed them.

Quraysh harmed the weak among those who became Muslim in Mecca after the first methods failed: each tribe mistreated its own converts, and those without a tribe suffered every kind of persecution. Abu Jahl would shame a convert of rank and harm a weak one; Umayya ibn Khalaf had Bilal taken out into the desert at noon while he said 'One, One' until Abu Bakr bought and freed him. Yasir, Ammar and Sumayya were taken out to al-Abthah, and the Prophet ﷺ passed them saying 'Patience, family of Yasir, your appointment is Paradise'; Khabbab was hurt grievously; and Abu Bakr bought and freed the Muslim slave-women — Zinnira, al-Nahdiya, Umm Ubays. Sumayya is remembered as the first martyr of Islam.

Storytellers (10–12) read the Explorers text, then cross to the Scholars text.

Quraysh tortured the weak among the Meccan converts once the first methods failed: each tribe tormented its own converts, and the tribeless suffered every form of persecution. Abu Jahl's procedure: shame and disgrace a convert of rank, beat and incite against a weak one; Uthman ibn Affan (may God be pleased with him)'s uncle wrapped him in a palm mat and smoked him from below; Mus'ab ibn Umayr's mother starved him and expelled him. The detail: Umayya ibn Khalaf laid Bilal on the noon sands with the stone on his chest while he said 'One, One' until Abu Bakr bought him; the family of Yasir were taken to al-Abthah in the heat and the Prophet ﷺ passed saying 'Patience, family of Yasir, your appointment is Paradise' — Yasir died under torture and Sumayya was speared, the first martyr of Islam; Khabbab with plucked hair, burning coals and a stone; Abu Fakiha (may God be pleased with him) dragged on the ground; Zinnira, al-Nahdiya and her daughter and Umm Ubays — slave-women given the like; a slave girl of Banu Mu'mmil beaten by Umar, then still a polytheist, until he tired. Abu Bakr bought these and freed them, as he freed Bilal and Amir ibn Fuhayra (may God be pleased with him).

Summary

After the first methods had worn them out, Quraysh tortured the weak among those who had embraced Islam in Mecca. Each tribe tortured those of its members who had become Muslim, and those with no tribe were subjected to various kinds of persecution by the rabble and the chiefs. ¹ ² Among the best known of those tortured were Bilal, Ammar, Yasir, Sumayya and Khabbab. ² ³

Abu Jahl and his measures

Whenever Abu Jahl heard of someone who had embraced Islam and who had standing and protection, he reproached and disgraced him. If the convert was weak, he beat him and incited others against him. ¹ ⁴ The uncle of Uthman ibn Affan would wrap him in a mat of palm leaves and then smoke him from underneath. When the mother of Mus'ab ibn Umayr learned of his Islam, she starved him and drove him out of her house. ¹ ⁵

The torture of Bilal, Ammar, Sumayya and Yasir

Umayya ibn Khalaf would put a rope around the neck of Bilal and hand it to boys, who dragged him around the hills of Mecca. He would cast him onto the sand of Mecca in the heat of midday, with a rock placed on his chest, while Bilal said: "One, One." This continued until Abu Bakr passed by, bought him and freed him. ² ⁶ When the polytheists brought out Yasir, his family, Ammar and Sumayya, to al-Abtah when the sand was scorching, the Prophet ﷺ passed by them and said: "Patience, family of Yasir; your rendezvous is Paradise." Yasir died under the torture. Abu Jahl stabbed Sumayya with a spear in her private parts, and she died; she was the first martyr in Islam. ²

Khabbab, Abu Fukayha and others

The polytheists tortured Khabbab by plucking out his hair, laying him on glowing coals and placing a stone on him. ² ⁷ Abu Fakiha, a client of Banu Abd al-Dar, had a rope tied to his leg and was dragged along the ground. ² Zinnira, al-Nahdiyya, her daughter and Umm Ubays were slave-women who had embraced Islam, and the polytheists inflicted similar torments on them. ³ A slave-woman of Banu Mu'ammal embraced Islam, and Umar ibn al-Khattab, who was then a polytheist, beat her until he tired. ³ Abu Bakr bought these slave-women and freed them, as he had freed Bilal and Amir ibn Fuhayra (may God be pleased with him). ³

Notes for researchers

The book lists those who were tortured and notes that the list is long and painful. It refers readers to the sources rather than detailing each case.
What is attributed to Uthman regarding the mat and the smoke is related by the book from Rahmat lil-'Alamin. The museum passes it on as it is.

For young visitors

The polytheists tortured the poor and the enslaved among those who had embraced Islam. Bilal was tortured with stones in the desert. Ammar and his family were tortured, and Sumayya died as the first martyr of Islam. Abu Bakr bought them and freed them.

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The persecution of the vulnerable Muslims

At a glance

In time

In space

Summary

Abu Jahl and his measures

The torture of Bilal, Ammar, Sumayya and Yasir

Khabbab, Abu Fukayha and others

Notes for researchers

Connections

People and things also explored

Sources

Time

Mecca