At the beginning of the 4th year of the Prophetic Mission and for a period of several months, the Quraysh limited their intimidation to ridiculing and distorting the message. When they realised that this would not be enough to halt the stream of converts to Islam, they resorted to more extreme measures. The leaders of the Quraysh came together to deliberate and decided to torture the Muslims so that they would leave Islam.
Furthermore, it is important to refer back to the Jahiliyyah period, and in particular the sections where the Makkan-Arab society was explained. Tribes are an important element within the dynamics of society, and the consequence of this is that not every Muslim in Makkah could simply be tortured. Although all Muslims would be persecuted, not all Muslims could simply be tortured. This depended on the social status and tribe of the person. Those with a high social status and connection to a strong tribe were persecuted on a social and economic level. But slaves, on the other hand, bore the brunt and endured brutal tortures that in some cases led to death.
While the stories of Bilal ibn Rabah ﵁ and the Yasir family ﵃ are often told as examples of the cruel persecution by the Quraysh, there were many other companions who endured comparable or even worse atrocities. Their stories are sometimes less well known, but no less important in telling the history of steadfastness and sacrifice for the faith in the earliest days of Islam.
Khabbab ibn al-Aratt: Tortured with Burning Metal
Khabbab ibn al-Aratt ﵁ was one of the earliest converts and among the most cruelly persecuted. As a slave and blacksmith, he had no tribe to protect him from the rage of his mistress, Umm Anmaar, and other Quraysh. Khabbab was a skilled blacksmith, known for his ability to make swords and metal objects. When his mistress discovered that he had become Muslim, she subjected him to cruel tortures. She had charcoal lit until it was white-hot, and then ordered Khabbab to lie on it with his bare back. The torturers pressed him down, expecting that the unbearable pain would force him to renounce his iman (faith).
Years later, when Islam had been established, Khabbab showed the scars on his back to the companions and said: “They lit a fire and dragged me through it, and only the fat from my back extinguished the fire.” Despite these tortures, he refused to give up his faith.
On one occasion, Khabbab ﵁ went to the Prophet ﷺ while he was resting in the shade of the Ka’bah. He asked: “Will you not pray for our victory? Will you not call upon Allah for us?” The Prophet ﷺ sat upright, his face red with emotion, and answered:
“Among those who came before you, a man was buried in the ground with only his head visible. Then a saw was placed on his head and he was sawn in two, but that did not prevent him from holding onto his faith. Another was torn with iron combs down to the bone and sinew, but nothing could turn him from his faith. By Allah, this cause will prevail, until a traveller from San’a to Hadramaut will fear nothing except Allah and the wolf for his sheep, but you are hasty.”
Zinnira al-Rumiyya: Blinded by Torture
Zinnira al-Rumiyya ﵂ was a Roman slave woman who was one of the first women to accept Islam. Her story is particularly striking because of both the cruelty she endured and the miracle that accompanied it. Abu Jahl and other Quraysh leaders tortured Zinnira ﵂ so cruelly that she temporarily went blind. Rather than doubting her faith, she remained steadfast. The polytheists mocked her and said: “You see? Lat and Uzza (their idols) have taken away your sight.”
Zinnira ﵂ answered resolutely: “No, by Allah, that is not true. Lat and Uzza can neither harm nor help anyone. My Lord is able to restore my sight.” The following morning, Allah had fully restored her vision, which astonished the Quraysh. Yet they persisted in claiming that this was “one of the spells of Muhammad.” In the aftermath of this event, Abu Bakr ﵁ held great esteem for the steadfastness of Zinnira ﵂ and purchased her freedom, along with six other persecuted slaves, including Bilal ibn Rabah, Lubaynah ﵂, Al-Nahdiah ﵂ and her daughter, Umm Ubays ﵂ and a slave woman of the Banu Mu’ammil.
Abu Fakeeh Aflah: Bound and Dragged
Abu Fakeeh Aflah ﵁ was a slave of Safwan ibn Umayyah and also one of the early converts. His persecution was particularly cruel and became a notorious example of the atrocities in Makkah. When his master discovered that Abu Fakeeh had become Muslim, he tied a heavy rope around his feet and dragged him through the hot desert of Makkah. The stones and hard ground scraped the flesh from his back, leaving open wounds that bled and then became infected in the burning sun. This was done repeatedly over a long period, in an attempt to force him to renounce Muhammad ﷺ and Islam. Despite this horrific torture, Abu Fakeeh remained steadfast and refused to give up his faith, constantly repeating “Ahad, Ahad” (One, One), just like Bilal ﵁.
Lubaynah: The Persevering Servant
Lubaynah ﵂ was a slave of Umar ibn al-Khattab ﵁ before his conversion. Umar ﵁, who had not yet converted and was a fierce opponent of Islam, tortured Lubaynah daily when he discovered she had become Muslim. He would beat her until his arms grew tired, then stop and say: “I do not stop out of compassion, but because I am tired.”
To which Lubaynah replied: “May Allah do the same to you.”
Despite the persistent torture, she refused to give up her faith. Her steadfastness continued to amaze and frustrate Umar ﵁, and it formed one of the seeds that would later lead to his own conversion. Lubaynah was eventually bought and freed by Abu Bakr ﵁, just like many other persecuted slaves. Her strength and perseverance make her one of the most impressive, though lesser-known, female companions.
Amr ibn Fuhayrah: The Shepherd-Martyr
Amr ibn Fuhayrah ﵁ was a freed slave of Abu Bakr ﵁ who played a crucial role in the Hijrah (migration) to Madinah, but whose earlier persecution and eventual martyrdom are often overlooked.
Before his liberation, Amr was severely tortured by his original masters on account of his conversion. He was dragged through the streets of Makkah and publicly humiliated. After being freed by Abu Bakr, he worked as a shepherd and played a crucial role during the Hijrah by passing the cave of Thawr, where the Prophet ﷺ and Abu Bakr were hiding, with his flock of sheep to erase their footprints.
Abdullah ibn Mas’ud: First Public Recitation
Although Abdullah ibn Mas’ud ﵁ would later become one of the great scholars among the companions, he was first a young, physically small shepherd who stood for his faith before the most feared men of Makkah.
In an extraordinary act of courage, Abdullah ibn Mas’ud decided to recite the Quran publicly at the Ka’bah, where the Quraysh leaders were gathered. He recited Surah Ar-Rahman in a loud, clear voice. The enraged Quraysh attacked him, striking him in the face and head until he bled, but he continued to recite as long as he could. When he returned to his companions, they saw his injuries and said: “This is exactly what we feared they would do to you.” Ibn Mas’ud replied: “Allah’s enemies have never been as powerless as I saw them just now. If you wish, I will do the same thing tomorrow.” They answered: “No, you have made them hear what they hate, and that is enough.”
The Fruits of the Cultivation Phase
When we read the stories of these companions, we should ask ourselves how they were able to remain so steadfast in these wretched circumstances. A society in which you were effectively declared an outlaw and could not appeal to the protection of your tribe. The consequence of this was that you were persecuted and tortured in brutal fashion. What made them so steadfast? The answer is the cultivation phase, in which they were cultivated by the Prophet ﷺ. During this phase, under the guidance of the Prophet ﷺ, they were transformed into true Islamic Personalities. Individuals whose outlook on every aspect of life, their frame of reference and their entire conduct is based on Islam. In other words, all the ideas they held before Islam, namely the Jahiliyyah ideas, gave way to Islamic ideas.
If we were to extend this to the present day, we should ask ourselves whether we as Muslims are influenced by non-Islamic ideas that affect our thinking and conduct. It is not necessarily about knowledge; it is above all about mentality. Sayyidina Bilal or sayyidina Khabbab ﵄ were not known for their knowledge. But it was their mentality with which they defeated the enemies of Islam, and their sacrifice and legacy is one of the reasons for the emergence of the worldwide ummah of nearly 2 billion Muslims. What should we do to rid ourselves of foreign, non-Islamic ideas that prevent the worldwide ummah from uniting?