The leaders and nobles of Quraysh gathered at the house of Abu Talib while the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) was present. A discussion took place between the two sides concerning the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family), his religion, and the problems that his mission had created in Mecca.

The Quraysh tried to persuade the Prophet to abandon his call and his mission, but they were unsuccessful. When they despaired of achieving the result they wanted, they rose from their places to leave Abu Talib’s house. Uqbah ibn Abi Mu'ayt said angrily and threateningly, “We will never return to him again. What could be better than assassinating Muhammad?!”

Abu Talib became angry at these words, but what could he do? They were his guests, and they were in his own house. It so happened that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) left the house that day and did not return. Abu Talib and his uncles came to his home but could not find him.

Abu Talib gathered some young men from Banu Hashim and Banu al-Muttalib and said—believing that Quraysh might have harmed the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family):

“Let each one of you take a sharp sword, and follow me. When I enter the mosque, let each of you sit beside one of their leaders, including Ibn al-Hanzaliyyah”—meaning Abu Jahl—“for he should not escape harm if Muhammad has been killed.”

The young men replied, “We will do so.”

Then Zayd ibn Harithah came and found Abu Talib in that state. He said, “O Zayd, have you seen my nephew?”

He replied, “Yes. I was with him a short while ago.”

Abu Talib said, “I will never enter my house until I see him.”

Zayd quickly went out until he reached the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family), who was in a house near al-Safa with some of his companions, talking with them. Zayd informed him of what had happened.

The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) then went to Abu Talib. Abu Talib said, “My nephew, where have you been? Were you safe?”

He replied, “Yes.”

Abu Talib said, “Enter your house.”

So the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) entered his home.

The following morning, Abu Talib went to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family), took him by the hand, and stood with him before the gatherings of Quraysh. The young men of Banu Hashim and Banu al-Muttalib were with him.

He said, “O Quraysh, do you know what I was about to do?”

They replied, “No.”

He told them what had happened and then said to the young men, “Uncover what you have in your hands.”

They uncovered their hands, and each of them was holding a sharp sword.

Abu Talib then said, “By Allah, if you had killed him, I would not have spared a single one of you until we had all perished together—you and us.”

The people were intimidated, and the one most shaken by this threat was Abu Jahl.

Dear reader, if you observe these pages and other accounts from the history of Abu Talib and study his life, you will see how, throughout forty-two years, day and night, Abu Talib cared for the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family), defended him, and protected him.

This was especially evident during the final ten years of Abu Talib’s life, which coincided with the beginning of the Messenger of Allah’s mission and his call to Islam. During that period, Abu Talib demonstrated a level of defense of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family), concern for his life, and protection of his mission that was greater than one might imagine.

The sole factor that drove him to maintain such a firm and extraordinary position in support of the Prophet was the depth of his faith in the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) and the strength of his sincere conviction in his prophetic mission.