Quraysh's threats to Abu Talib and the offer of Umara
تهديد قريش لأبي طالب ومقايضة عمارة
c. 616 CE
Quraysh's notables threatened Abu Talib with open war, then offered him Umara ibn al-Walid in exchange for his nephew's death; Abu Talib refused, and the Prophet ﷺ told him he would not give up the matter even if the sun were placed in his right hand and the moon in his left.
At a glance
- Era
- The Prophetic Era
- Region
- Arabia
- Review
- Draft Completeness 2/5 · Help complete it
In time
In space
Map: Natural Earth, public domain · places and route from the graph
Overview
The chiefs of Quraysh came to Abu Talib threatening a fight unless he restrained his nephew. Abu Talib put the matter to the Prophet, who said: "By God, if they put the sun in my right hand and the moon in my left, on condition that I give up this affair, I would not give it up." Abu Talib said: I will never hand you over. 1 2
The first threat
The chiefs of Quraysh told Abu Talib that he had age, nobility and standing among them; that they had asked him to restrain his nephew and he had not; and that they would not endure the cursing of their fathers, the mockery of their wisdom and the defaming of their gods, until he restrained him or they fought him and him. 1 Abu Talib sent to the Prophet saying: spare me and yourself, and do not lay on me what I cannot bear. 1
The exchange for Umara
They then brought Abu Talib Umara ibn al-Walid and said: take him as a son, and you will have his mind and his support, and hand over to us your nephew to kill, for it is a man for a man. Abu Talib said: how evil is what you impose on me; you give me your son to feed for you and I give you my son to kill. 1 Al-Mut'im ibn Adi said: by God, Abu Talib, your people have been fair to you. He said: you have not been fair to me, but you have resolved to forsake me and to help the people against me. 3 4
Notes for researchers
- The book dates the two embassies to the middle of the sixth year of the mission, and the sources do not give their dates. 3
For young visitors
The notables of Quraysh came to the Prophet's uncle and asked him to restrain his nephew. Abu Talib refused to hand over his nephew, even in exchange for the offer of his own son.
Connections
- Occurred at
- Mecca
- Had participant
- Abu Talib ibn Abd al-Muttalib· Umara ibn al-Walid· Muhammad
- Part of
- The Prophetic Era
People and things also explored
The three years of the secret call· The boycott of the Banu Hashim· The call to the nearest kin· Death of Abu Talib· Last Quraysh delegation to Abu Talib· The Year of Sorrow· Abu Jahl's plan to crush the Prophet's head with a stone· Abu Talib gathers Banu Hashim and Banu al-Muttalib
Sources
- al-Raheeq al-Makhtum — Safi al-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri, p.97
- al-Sira al-Nabawiyya — Ibn Hisham, 1/265-267
- al-Raheeq al-Makhtum — Safi al-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri, p.98
- al-Sira al-Nabawiyya — Ibn Hisham, 1/267
Cite this page
islam.museum contributors. “Quraysh's threats to Abu Talib and the offer of Umara”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/event/quraysh-threats-to-abu-talib/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Accessed 2026-10-17.