Life-of-Muhammad

22Life of Muhammad saimpressed and said, "God be with you." There wasemotion in his voice. This silent scene had upset him.When the Meccans got to know of it, they sent a party inchase. This party went as far as the sea but found thatthe Muslims had already embarked. Not being able toovertake them, they decided to send a delegation toAbyssinia to excite the king against the refugees and topersuade him to hand them over again to Meccans. Oneof the delegates was ‘Amr bin al-‘As ra , who later joinedIslam and conquered Egypt. The delegation went toAbyssinia, met the king and intrigued with his court.But the king proved very firm and, in spite of thepressure which the Meccan delegation and his owncourtiers were able to put upon him, he refused to handover the Muslim refugees to their persecutors. Thedelegation returned disappointed, but in Mecca theysoon thought of another plan to force the return ofMuslims from Abyssinia. Among the caravans going toAbyssinia they set afloat the rumour that all Mecca hadaccepted Islam. When the rumour reached Abyssinia,many Muslim refugees joyfully returned to Mecca butfound on arrival that the rumour which had reachedthem was a fabrication. Some Muslims went back againto Abyssinia but some decided to stay. Among the latterwas ‘Uthman bin Maz‘un ra , son of a leading Meccanchief. ‘Uthman ra received protection from a friend of hisfather, Walid bin Mughira, and began to live in peace.But he saw that other Muslims continued to sufferbrutal persecution. It made him very unhappy. He wentto Walid and renounced his protection. He felt he shouldnot have such protection while other Muslims continuedto suffer. Walid announced this to the Meccans.One day, Labid, poet-laureate of Arabia, sat amongthe chiefs of Mecca, reciting his verse. He read a linewhich meant that all graces must ultimately come to anend. ‘Uthman ra boldly contradicted him and said, "Thegraces of Paradise will be everlasting." Labid, not used tosuch contradictions, lost his temper and said, "Quraish,your guests were not insulted like this before. Whence