According to the historical documents transmitted from the...

According to the historical documents transmitted from the Imams of Ahlu ‘l-bayt and the extant poems composed by Abu Tālib, Abu Tālib had also embraced Islam; however, because he was the sole protector of the Prophet, he hid his faith from the people in order to preserve the outward power he had with the Quraysh. After this period, according to Divine instruction, the Prophet began to propagate his mission openly.

With the beginning of open propagation the people of Mecca reacted most severely because the Islamic message —of worshipping One God and of equality among the believers without any distinction of race, colour or wealth— fared completely against the status quo. Most painful afflictions and tortures were inflicted upon the Prophet and the people who had become newly converted to Islam.

For example, Bilal, an Ethiopian slave who had accepted Islam, was taken by his master Umayya who tied him onto the burning sand of the Arabian desert and placed a large stone on his chest with the warning that he will be left in that state until he rejects Islam. But the only sound heard from Bilal’s lips was: “Ahad! Ahad!” (One God!

One God!) The severe treatment dealt out by the Quraysh reached such a degree that a group of about 100 Muslims, under leadership of Ja’far bin Abi Tālib, left their homes and belongings, and migrated to Abyssinia. The Prophet had told them that they would find the Abyssinian king to be a just ruler. With the intention of stopping the spread of Islam, the Quraysh pursued them to Abyssinia seeking their extradition.

But Ja’far eloquently presented the Muslims’ case to the Abyssinian king, and the request of the Quraysh was rejected. Ja’far said: O King!