Details of the Boycott of Banu Hashim

When the Quraysh failed to stop the Prophet through persuasion and threats, they imposed a comprehensive social and economic boycott on Banu Hashim and Banu al-Muttalib. A document was written and hung inside the Ka'bah stipulating that no one would marry, trade with, or socialize with the two clans until they handed over Muhammad. The entire clan, both Muslim and non-Muslim members including Abu Talib, was confined to the valley of Abu Talib (Shi'b Abi Talib). The boycott lasted approximately three years, during which the besieged families suffered extreme hunger. The cries of children from starvation could be heard from outside the valley. Some sympathetic Meccans like Hisham ibn Amr would secretly send food on camels at night. The boycott was finally broken when a group of five Quraysh leaders, moved by conscience, publicly opposed it, and when the Ka'bah document was examined, termites had eaten all of it except the words 'In Your Name, O Allah,' confirming the Prophet's prophecy.