Shi'b Abi Talib
شعب أبي طالب
A ravine at Mecca where Banu Hashim and Banu al-Muttalib, believers and unbelievers alike, were confined with the Prophet ﷺ for three years under the boycott Quraysh imposed, from the night of the Muharram crescent in the seventh year of the mission.
At a glance
- Era
- The Prophetic Era
- Region
- Arabia
- Review
- Draft Completeness 1/5 · Help complete it
In space
Map: Natural Earth, public domain · places and route from the graph
Overview
The Shi'b Abi Talib is a place in Mecca where Banu Hashim and Banu al-Muttalib were confined, believers and unbelievers alike, along with the Prophet, for three years in the boycott imposed by Quraysh. 1 2
In al-Rahiq al-Makhtum
The book mentions that they withdrew into the shi'b and were confined in it on the night of the crescent of Muharram in the seventh year of the mission. It mentions that Abu Lahab separated from Banu Hashim and remained with Quraysh. 1 The siege was severe, to the point that they ate leaves and hides, and the weeping of their women and children from hunger could be heard from behind the shi'b. 2
Not covered here
The book does not describe the site of the shi'b or its geographical details. What the regional books say about it needs its own source.
For young visitors
The shi'b is a narrow place between the mountains of Mecca, where Quraysh confined the Prophet's family for three years until they nearly died of hunger.
Connections
- Site of
- Nullification of the boycott covenant and the exit from Shi'b Abi Talib
- Located in
- Mecca
People and things also explored
The boycott of the Banu Hashim· Abu Jahl (Amr ibn Hisham)· Abu Talib ibn Abd al-Muttalib· Hisham ibn Amr al-Amiri· Mut'im ibn Adi· Zuhayr ibn Abi Umayya· Nullification of the boycott covenant and the exit from Shi'b Abi Talib· Mecca
Sources
- al-Raheeq al-Makhtum — Safi al-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri, p.109
- al-Raheeq al-Makhtum — Safi al-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri, p.110
- Sahih al-Bukhari
- Zad al-Ma'ad — Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya
Cite this page
islam.museum contributors. “Shi'b Abi Talib”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/place/shib-abi-talib/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Accessed 2026-10-17.