Page 46 - Bigotry: The Dark Danger

Bigotry:
The Dark Danger

tige. The Quraysh regarded the spread of Islam in Mecca as a
threat, because they thought that this would act against their own
interests and also attract the hostility of other tribes. They also knew
that Islam regarded everyone as equal and made no discrimination
on grounds of lineage or wealth. Leading members of the Quraysh
therefore believed they needed to take precautions to stop the spread

of Islam. These "precautions" frequently included the torture and
even the killing of Muslims. (Ibn Hisham, 1/287)

The pagans of the time could not do much harm to members of
strong and eminent families, such as Hazrat Abu Bakr and Hazrat
Uthman, but they viciously mistreated poor and unprotected Mus-
lims. Worthy Muslims exposed to such severe mistreatment included
Abu Fakih, Khabbab ibn al-Aratt, Bilal ibn Rabah, Suhaib ar-Rumi,

Ammar ibn Yasir, Yasir ibn Amir and Sumayyah bint Khayyat.

Abu Fakih, a slave of Safwan ibn Umayyah, was tied by his feet
every day by his master and dragged over hot gravel and sand.

The iron-worker Khabbab ibn al-Aratt was laid on hot coals and
his chest pressed down onto the coals until they had cooled.

Ammar ibn Yasir's father, Yasir ibn Amir, had his legs tied to
camels which were then driven in different directions, tearing his
body apart. Unable to bear the pain of her husband being martyred
in that savage way, Sumayyah bint Khayyat spoke out against the
pagans and was killed by an arrow fired by Abu Jahl. (Zad al-Maad,

2/116; The Age of Felicity, 1/254)

Umayyah ibn Khalaf would lay his slave Bilal al-Habashi down
naked on baking sand every day. He would then place a huge rock
on his chest and leave him there for hours; he tortured him to try and
make him go against the Prophet (pbuh) and abandon Islam. One
day he tied his hands and feet and placed a rope round his neck. He

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