The Seerah · Chapter 13
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PART 2 · THE MAKKAN PERIOD · الْعَهْدُ الْمَكِّيُّ

STAGE 4 · THE YEARS OF HARDSHIP

عَامُ الْحُزْنِ وَالطَّائِفُ

Chapter 13: The Year of Sorrow and the Journey to Ṭā’if

Losing his protector and his wife — and the mercy he showed at Ṭā’if

Sheikh Mohamed Fawzyالشيخ محمد فوزي

© 2026 Sheikh Mohamed Fawzy. All rights reserved. Version 1.7

Year 10 وَفَاةُ أَبِي طَالِبٍ

“Uncle, say Lā ilāha illā Allāh”

عَنِ الْمُسَيَّبِ بْنِ حَزْنٍ: أَنَّ أَبَا طَالِبٍ، لَمَّا حَضَرَتْهُ الْوَفَاةُ دَخَلَ عَلَيْهِ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَعِنْدَهُ أَبُو جَهْلٍ فَقَالَ «أَيْ عَمِّ، قُلْ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ. كَلِمَةً أُحَاجُّ لَكَ بِهَا عِنْدَ اللَّهِ». فَقَالَ أَبُو جَهْلٍ وَعَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ أَبِي أُمَيَّةَ يَا أَبَا طَالِبٍ، تَرْغَبُ عَنْ مِلَّةِ عَبْدِ الْمُطَّلِبِ فَلَمْ يَزَالَا يُكَلِّمَانِهِ حَتَّى قَالَ آخِرَ شَيْءٍ كَلَّمَهُمْ بِهِ عَلَى مِلَّةِ عَبْدِ الْمُطَّلِبِ. فَقَالَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ «لَأَسْتَغْفِرَنَّ لَكَ مَا لَمْ أُنْهَ عَنْهُ». فَنَزَلَتْ ﴿مَا كَانَ لِلنَّبِيِّ وَالَّذِينَ آمَنُوا أَنْ يَسْتَغْفِرُوا لِلْمُشْرِكِينَ وَلَوْ كَانُوا أُولِي قُرْبَى مِنْ بَعْدِ مَا تَبَيَّنَ لَهُمْ أَنَّهُمْ أَصْحَابُ الْجَحِيمِ﴾ وَنَزَلَتْ ﴿إِنَّكَ لَا تَهْدِي مَنْ أَحْبَبْتَ﴾.
al-Musayyab reported: When death came to Abū Ṭālib, the Prophet ﷺ came in to him, and Abū Jahl was with him. He said: “Uncle, say: Lā ilāha illā Allāh — a word I can plead for you with before Allah.” Abū Jahl and ‘Abdullāh ibn Abī Umayyah said: “Abū Ṭālib, will you turn away from the religion of ‘Abd al-Muṭṭalib?” They kept talking to him until the last thing he said was: “[I am] on the religion of ‘Abd al-Muṭṭalib.” The Prophet ﷺ said: “I will keep asking forgiveness for you as long as I am not forbidden.” Then these verses were revealed: “It is not for the Prophet and the believers to ask forgiveness for the polytheists…” and “Indeed, you do not guide whom you like…”
Sahih al-Bukhari 3884Sahih
إِنَّكَ لَا تَهۡدِي مَنۡ أَحۡبَبۡتَ وَلَٰكِنَّ ٱللَّهَ يَهۡدِي مَن يَشَآءُۚ وَهُوَ أَعۡلَمُ بِٱلۡمُهۡتَدِينَ ۝٥٦
Indeed, [O Muhammad], you do not guide whom you like, but Allah guides whom He wills. And He is most knowing of the [rightly] guided.
Surat al-Qaṣaṣ 28:56سورة القصص: ٥٦

A painful lesson: guidance is in Allah’s hands alone. Even the Prophet ﷺ could not give it to the uncle he loved.

The same year وَفَاةُ خَدِيجَةَ

Losing Khadījah

عَنْ عُرْوَةَ بْنِ الزُّبَيْرِ قَالَ: تُوُفِّيَتْ خَدِيجَةُ قَبْلَ مَخْرَجِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ إِلَى الْمَدِينَةِ بِثَلَاثِ سِنِينَ ...
‘Urwah ibn al-Zubayr said: “Khadījah died three years before the Prophet ﷺ left for Madinah…”
Sahih al-Bukhari 3896Maqṭū‘

Two losses

Within a short time he lost Abū Ṭālib, his protector outside the home, and Khadījah, his comfort inside it.

‘Ām al-Ḥuzn

The scholars of the Seerah called this year the Year of Sorrow. Quraysh now harmed him more than ever.

Note: the name “Year of Sorrow” and the order of the two deaths follow Ar-Raḥīq al-Makhtūm.
Looking for support رِحْلَةُ الطَّائِفِ

Walking to Ṭā’if

Makkah مكةṬā’if الطائفQarn al-Tha‘ālib قرن الثعالب

With Makkah closed to him, the Prophet ﷺ walked to Ṭā’if, the town of the tribe of Thaqīf, hoping they would accept Islam and protect the message. He spoke to their leaders — and they rejected him harshly.

Source: Ar-Raḥīq al-Makhtūm dates the journey to Shawwāl of the 10th year.

The story of the boy ‘Addās and the well-known supplication of Ṭā’if come through weak chains, so they are not taught in this course; only the authentic hadith of al-Bukhari (3231) is used.

The hardest day مَلَكُ الْجِبَالِ

“No — I hope Allah will bring from them…”

عَنْ عَائِشَةَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهَا زَوْجَ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ حَدَّثَتْهُ أَنَّهَا قَالَتْ لِلنَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ هَلْ أَتَى عَلَيْكَ يَوْمٌ كَانَ أَشَدَّ مِنْ يَوْمِ أُحُدٍ قَالَ لَقَدْ لَقِيتُ مِنْ قَوْمِكِ مَا لَقِيتُ، وَكَانَ أَشَدُّ مَا لَقِيتُ مِنْهُمْ يَوْمَ الْعَقَبَةِ، إِذْ عَرَضْتُ نَفْسِي عَلَى ابْنِ عَبْدِ يَالِيلَ بْنِ عَبْدِ كُلَالٍ، فَلَمْ يُجِبْنِي إِلَى مَا أَرَدْتُ، فَانْطَلَقْتُ وَأَنَا مَهْمُومٌ عَلَى وَجْهِي، فَلَمْ أَسْتَفِقْ إِلَّا وَأَنَا بِقَرْنِ الثَّعَالِبِ، فَرَفَعْتُ رَأْسِي، فَإِذَا أَنَا بِسَحَابَةٍ قَدْ أَظَلَّتْنِي، فَنَظَرْتُ فَإِذَا فِيهَا جِبْرِيلُ فَنَادَانِي فَقَالَ إِنَّ اللَّهَ قَدْ سَمِعَ قَوْلَ قَوْمِكَ لَكَ وَمَا رَدُّوا عَلَيْكَ، وَقَدْ بَعَثَ إِلَيْكَ مَلَكَ الْجِبَالِ لِتَأْمُرَهُ بِمَا شِئْتَ فِيهِمْ، فَنَادَانِي مَلَكُ الْجِبَالِ، فَسَلَّمَ عَلَيَّ ثُمَّ قَالَ يَا مُحَمَّدُ، فَقَالَ ذَلِكَ فِيمَا شِئْتَ، إِنْ شِئْتَ أَنْ أُطْبِقَ عَلَيْهِمِ الْأَخْشَبَيْنِ، فَقَالَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ بَلْ أَرْجُو أَنْ يُخْرِجَ اللَّهُ مِنْ أَصْلَابِهِمْ مَنْ يَعْبُدُ اللَّهَ وَحْدَهُ لَا يُشْرِكُ بِهِ شَيْئًا.
‘Ā’ishah asked the Prophet ﷺ: “Did a day ever come upon you harder than the day of Uḥud?” He said: “I suffered from your people what I suffered, and the hardest was the day of al-‘Aqabah, when I offered myself to Ibn ‘Abd Yālīl ibn ‘Abd Kulāl and he did not answer me as I wished. I went away, full of sorrow, not knowing where I was going, and I only came to myself at Qarn al-Tha‘ālib. I raised my head, and there was a cloud shading me. I looked, and in it was Jibrīl. He called me and said: ‘Allah has heard what your people said to you and how they answered you. He has sent you the angel of the mountains, so that you may order him to do what you wish to them.’ The angel of the mountains called me, greeted me and said: ‘O Muḥammad, it is as you wish: if you wish, I will bring the two mountains together upon them.’ The Prophet ﷺ said: ‘No — rather, I hope that Allah will bring out from their descendants people who worship Allah alone and do not associate anything with Him.’”
Sahih al-Bukhari 3231Sahih

No picture of angels or of this scene is drawn. Pause before the last line and ask the class: what would you have answered?

Think الرَّحْمَةُ

Mercy, not revenge

He had the power

Tap

One word, and the mountains would have crushed those who hurt him.

He chose hope

Tap

He hoped for their children — people not yet born.

His hope came true

Tap

Thaqīf later accepted Islam (Chapter 27), and Ṭā’if became a Muslim town.

“And We have not sent you except as a mercy to the worlds” (al-Anbiyā’ 21:107).

Lessons دُرُوسٌ وَعِبَرٌ

What we learn

1

Guidance is from Allah

Love alone does not guide anyone; only Allah guides.

2

Sorrow is part of life

Even the Prophet ﷺ had a “Year of Sorrow” — and he kept going.

3

Mercy over revenge

He forgave those who hurt him and hoped for their children.

Review مُرَاجَعَةٌ

Quick quiz

Score: 0 / 4
1.What did the Prophet ﷺ ask Abū Ṭālib to say?
Correct (al-Bukhari 3884).
“Uncle, say Lā ilāha illā Allāh.”
2.Why is it called the Year of Sorrow?
Right.
He lost Abū Ṭālib and Khadījah.
3.Which tribe lived in Ṭā’if?
Correct.
Thaqīf.
4.What did he answer the angel of the mountains?
Yes (al-Bukhari 3231).
He hoped for believers among their descendants.

After sorrow, Allah honoured him

ṣallā Allāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam ﷺ

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