VI - Commencement of Prophethood Ṭālib addressed the Holy Prophetsa weeping, and said, “My nephew, go then and engage in your work. Until I live, I shall stand by you with my full power.”1
Third Delegation
This time, when the Quraish failed, they worked up another plan. They went to Abū Ṭālib along with a promising young man belonging to a noble family of the Quraish named ‘Ammārah bin Walīd. They said: “We have brought ‘Ammārah bin Walīd along with us, for you are aware that he is but one of the best young men of the Quraish. Take this young man in exchange of Muḥammad [peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him], and benefit from him as you wish. If you see fit take him as your son. We fully relinquish his rights, and in his place hand over Muḥammad [peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him] to us, who has betrayed our ancestral religion and raised a tumult in the people. In this way the law of a life for a life shall be fulfilled and you shall have no complaints.” Abū Ṭālib responded: “This is strange justice. You wish for me to take your son and make him my own. I should feed him and give him drink, and give you my own that you may slay him? By God, this shall never happen.” On behalf of the Quraish, Muṭ‘im bin ‘Adiyy said: “Then O Abū Ṭālib, your people have tried to reason with you in every manner and has restrained itself from fighting but you do not seem to agree to any of their terms.” Abū Ṭālib said: “By Allāh, I am not being dealt with in justice, and O Muṭ‘im, in the espousal 1
* Izālah-e-Auhām, By Ḥaḍrat Mirzā Ghulām Aḥmadas (The Promised Messiah & Mahdi), Rūhānī Khazā’in, Volume 3, pp. 110-111 * As-Sīratun-Nabawiyyah, By Abū Muḥammad ‘Abdul-Malik bin Hishām, pp. 200-201, Bābu Mubādāti Rasūlillāhisa Qaumahū wa mā kāna minhu, pp. 200-201, Dārul-Kutubil-‘Ilmiyyah, Beirut, Lebanon, First Edition (2001) * Sharḥul-‘Allāmatiz-Zarqānī ‘alal-Mawāhibil-Ladunniyyah, By Muḥammad bin ‘Abdul-Bāqī AzZarqānī, Dārul-Kutubil-‘Ilmiyyah, Beirut, Lebanon, First Edition (1996)
193