درب الطائف

The route to al-Taif: in Shawwal of the 10th year of prophethood, the Prophet ﷺ went on foot from Mecca to al-Taif, with Zayd ibn Haritha, seeking support from Thaqif after the Year of Sorrow ¹. He then stayed in al-Taif for ten days and returned by way of Wadi Nakhla to Mecca ².

The siege of the Banu Hashim in the Shi'b of Abu Talib ended after three years. Abu Talib died in Rajab of the 10th year of prophethood, and Khadija died in Ramadan of the same year ³. After that, Quraysh became bold against the Prophet, and the year was named the Year of Sorrow ⁴. From there he went out to al-Taif, hoping that they would shelter and support him ⁴.

When the Prophet reached al-Taif, he approached three brothers, leaders of the town: Abd Yalil, Mas'ud and Habib, who were sons of Amr ibn Umayr al-Thaqafi. He invited them to Islam and to support him, but they rejected him ⁵. He then stayed for ten days meeting its notables, but none of them responded. When he prepared to leave, they set their foolish men and slaves on him, and they stoned him until his sandals were stained with blood. Zayd shielded him with his own body ⁵.

The stoning brought him to a wall belonging to Utba and Shayba, the sons of Rabi'a, three miles from al-Taif. He sat in the shade of a grape vine and made the well-known supplication, complaining of the weakness of his strength and the scarcity of his resources ⁶. The two sons of Rabi'a sent him a bunch of grapes through their Christian slave Addas. When the Prophet named God before eating and the two talked, Addas became Muslim ⁷.

Then the Prophet returned on the road to Mecca. When he reached Qarn al-Manazil, God sent Gabriel to him, with the angel of the mountains, asking his leave to close the two mountains upon the people of Mecca. The Prophet refused and hoped that God would bring forth from their loins someone who would worship Him ⁸. Then he reached Wadi Nakhla and stayed there for some days, and a group of jinn listened to him and believed ⁹.

When he drew near Mecca, he sent to al-Mut'im ibn Adi asking for his protection, and he granted it. He proclaimed among Quraysh that he had given protection to Muhammad, so no one should harm him. Then the Prophet entered the Sacred Mosque, touched the Corner, prayed two rak'as and went home, while al-Mut'im and his sons stood around him with weapons ¹⁰.

• Al-Rahiq does not fix the day of departure from Mecca or the day of arrival at al-Taif. The days on this route are a relative order, not dates.
• Al-Rahiq does not mention the means of travel after al-Taif, nor the number of days between Wadi Nakhla and Mecca.
• Al-Rahiq does not name the tribes the Prophet passed on the road to al-Taif, and says that they did not respond.
• The Gregorian date (early summer 619 CE) is al-Rahiq's estimate for the Hijri month in the year of prophethood, not an independent date.