BIRTH OF ISLAM 3Despite this resistance, over a period of about four years Muhammad
slowly gathered recruits from the slave and lower classes drawn to the
promise of relief from their earthly sufferings. Alarmed, the Meccan au-
thorities began to actively persecute Muhammad’s followers and forced
the migration of eleven families to Abyssinia. In 615, a further eighty-
three families followed. They found sanctuary in the domain of the Chris-
tian Negus, who refused to deliver them into the hands of their oppressors.
Muhammad did not flee to Abyssinia, but remained shut up in his fam-
ily’s stronghold. At first, the defenders of the status quo tried to bring
Muhammad to a compromise in his preaching against polytheism. They
offered him a throne as king if he would give up his preaching. When
negotiations failed to work, they turned to ostracizing him. His entire clan
was shunned by the powers of Mecca.
Undaunted by the persecution of his fellows, Muhammad continued to
preach and convert. He continued to have revelations. The people of
Mecca, tiring of the ban against the new prophet’s clan, brought out the
documents prepared to establish the ban against communication with Mu-
hammad, only to discover that white ants had destroyed all of the writing,
except the words “In thy name, Oh Allah.” When the elders saw this
“marvel” they had the ban removed and Muhammad was again free to go
about Mecca.
Despite his restored freedom, resistance to Muhammad’s preaching had
become hardened. He turned his attention to the city of Taif, where he
failed utterly. Undiscouraged by this setback, he continued to preach—
and soon found a receptive and useful audience.
InA.D. 620, as the pilgrimage season arrived, he encountered a small
group of men from Yathrib, a city more than 200 miles from Mecca, who
heard him gladly. These men had heard Jewish rabbis speak of a prophet
who would arise among the pagan Arabs, and with whose leadership the
Jews would destroy the pagans. The men of Yathrib—or Medina as it is
now universally known—took Muhammad for this man, and on their re-
turn home they related what they had seen and heard. During this meeting
the Yathribs swore allegiance to him in the pact of Al-ÛAqabah. The oath
they swore to Muhammad is the same oath that was later extracted from
female converts, with no mention of fighting as existed in the original.
This would become important later—and it would change for the men of
Yathrib. When they returned to their homes, they took one of Muham-
mad’s converts with them. This teacher spread the word in Yathrib and
soon every house in the city knew of Muhammad.
Two years later, during pilgrimage season, a deputation of seventy-five
men was sent from Yathrib with the purpose of meeting Muhammad. They