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The Socioeconomic boycott:
When a large number of the Meccan Muslims migrated to Abyssinia, the leaders of paganism sent an ultimatum to the tribe of the Prophet, demanding that he should be delivered to the pagans for being put to death. Every member of the tribe, Muslim and non-Muslim rejected the demand.
In reaction the city decided on a complete boycott of the two tribes "Bani-Hashim" and "Bani-Abdul Muttalib". It was decided that nobody should marry the women of these two clans nor give their women to them in marriage; neither should they buy from nor sell to them. Having solemnly agreed to these points, the agreement was put into writing and the parchment was hung in the Ka’bah in order to give it a religious sanction thereby making it mandatory for all. The Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) predicted and told his uncle, Abu Talib, that God has given the white ants power over the document.
The ban was so rigorously enforced that the Prophet's (Peace Be Upon Him) clan was reduced to eating acacia leaves and the cries of hungry children reverberated all over the valley.
The Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) never ceased preaching the message he had brought to his own people and even towards others, whenever he got the opportunity. After three dire years, some people more humane than the rest and belonging to different clans proclaimed publicly their denunciation of the unjust boycott.
When the Quraish had assembled in the sanctuary, Zuhayr whose mother was from one of the tribes under sanction, cried out to the people, "O ye people of Mecca, shall we eat and drink while Bani Hashim should die of hunger, unable even to buy or sell? By God I will not take rest until this cruel and unjust decree is torn into pieces." Almost all the people except Abu Jahl agreed with him and they lifted the ban and ended the boycott.
Mut’im Ibn Adiy then went up to tear the document promulgating the pact
of boycott which had been hung in the Ka’bah, was found, as Muhammad (Peace
Be Upon Him) had predicted, eaten by white ants, that spared nothing
but the words "God" and "Muhammad".
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