Table of Contents
The Vulnerable Believers in Makkah
When the message of Islam became public in Makkah, those who accepted it were not all from powerful and protected families. Some were slaves, some were freed slaves, some were poor foreigners, and some were women and youths with little tribal backing. Quraysh understood very quickly that they could not easily harm Muhammad ﷺ himself because of the protection of his clan, Banu Hashim, but they could attack those believers who had no such shield.
Among the earliest Muslims there were men like Bilal ibn Rabah, Khabbab ibn al-Aratt, Ammar ibn Yasir and his parents Yasir and Sumayyah, as well as many unnamed slaves, clients, and dependents. They carried the heaviest burden of physical torture. Their suffering reveals how cruel the opposition to Islam was in Makkah, and also how firm the faith of the early believers became.
Quraysh’s aim was to frighten people away from Islam, to force those who had already believed to return to idol worship, and to pressure Muhammad ﷺ to stop calling people to Allah. Yet through all this, the weak and oppressed among the believers gained an honoured rank, and their stories became a lasting reminder of patience in the path of Allah.
Reasons the Weak Were Targeted
Quraysh society was built upon tribal power and protection. Every person was tied to a clan, and that clan was expected to defend its members regardless of personal belief. Those who had no strong clan, or who were owned as slaves, were effectively outside this system of honour and defense.
Many of the weak who embraced Islam were attracted by its clear call to the oneness of Allah, its rejection of idols, and its promise that all human beings are equal before their Creator. This message challenged the social order of Makkah, where nobles looked down on slaves and the poor. For this reason, Quraysh believed that if they could crush the faith of these weaker Muslims, they would stop Islam from appearing as a refuge for the downtrodden.
Furthermore, the chiefs of Quraysh thought Islam might be a passing idea that could be broken by fear and pain. They tried to use torture as a tool to expose Islam as weak. Instead, their cruelty revealed their own injustice and raised the status of the oppressed believers in the sight of Allah.
Allah described the oppression of believers in general and warned those who torture them in the Quran:
إِنَّ الَّذِينَ فَتَنُوا الْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَالْمُؤْمِنَاتِ ثُمَّ لَمْ يَتُوبُوا فَلَهُمْ عَذَابُ جَهَنَّمَ وَلَهُمْ عَذَابُ الْحَرِيقِ
“Indeed, those who have persecuted the believing men and believing women and then have not repented, for them is the punishment of Hell, and for them is the punishment of the Burning Fire.”
[Surah al‑Buruj 85:10]
Although this verse was revealed later, its meaning fits very closely the situation of the early Muslims who were tortured in Makkah.
Methods of Torture in Makkah
The tortures used by Quraysh were varied, but they shared one aim. They wanted the Muslims to abandon Islam and declare belief in the idols, even if only with their tongues. The weak were beaten, starved, tied up, left under the burning sun, dragged on the ground, and threatened with death.
The burning desert of Makkah became, for some of them, a prison. The midday sun, the hot stones and sand, and heavy armour or stones placed on their bodies were used to increase their pain. They were sometimes denied water or food and were insulted constantly for their faith.
Some oppressors were relatives who felt ashamed that someone in their family would leave the “religion of the forefathers.” Others were masters who believed that their slaves had no right to choose a faith different from that of their owners.
The Prophet ﷺ was deeply pained by what happened to his followers, but he had few worldly means to stop Quraysh from abusing those under their authority. However, he comforted the oppressed believers, reminded them of the reward with Allah, and sometimes arranged for those who could be bought to be purchased and freed. The torture in Makkah therefore became both a trial and a purification for the early community.
The Martyrdom of Yasir and Sumayyah
Among the most tragic and noble stories of the weak in Makkah is the family of Yasir. Yasir was from Yemen and had come to Makkah where he joined Banu Makhzum as a client. He married Sumayyah bint Khayyat, and Allah blessed them with a son, Ammar. Because they did not have a powerful clan, they were easy targets when they believed in Islam.
The family of Yasir was tortured by Abu Jahl and others from Banu Makhzum. They were dragged into the open desert, tied, beaten, and forced to suffer under the heat. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ would pass by them and could see their pain, but he could not end it by force. Instead, he addressed them with words that carried the promise of Paradise.
In the books of seerah it is narrated that he said:
صَبْرًا آلَ يَاسِرٍ، فَإِنَّ مَوْعِدَكُمُ الْجَنَّةُ
“Patience, O family of Yasir, for your promised place is Paradise.”
Sumayyah, the mother of Ammar, was severely tortured by Abu Jahl when she persisted in saying that Allah is One and refused to praise the idols. In anger and hatred, he killed her with his spear. The scholars of seerah mention her as the first martyr in Islam. Her husband Yasir also died under torture. Thus both parents of Ammar gave their lives for the sake of Allah.
Their story shows that weakness in worldly status does not mean weakness in faith. In fact, the family of Yasir reached one of the highest ranks, that of martyrdom, while they were among the most oppressed in the society of Makkah.
The Trial of Ammar ibn Yasir
Ammar ibn Yasir shared the torture of his parents and saw their suffering with his own eyes. The enemies beat him and forced him to say words that displeased him and went against his heart. Under heavy pressure, he uttered words against Islam to escape further punishment, while his heart remained attached to Allah and His Messenger.
He later came to the Prophet ﷺ in great distress, feeling that he had betrayed his faith. The Prophet ﷺ asked him about the state of his heart when he said those words. Ammar replied that his heart was full of faith. The Prophet ﷺ then informed him that if they returned to torture him in the same way, he could again speak what they wanted in order to protect himself, so long as his heart remained firm upon iman.
Allah revealed regarding such a situation:
مَن كَفَرَ بِاللَّهِ مِن بَعْدِ إِيمَانِهِ إِلَّا مَنْ أُكْرِهَ وَقَلْبُهُ مُطْمَئِنٌّ بِالْإِيمَانِ
“Whoever disbelieves in Allah after his belief, except for one who is compelled while his heart is at peace with faith...”
[Surah an‑Nahl 16:106]
This verse shows that Allah knows what is in the heart and that a believer who is forced to speak words of disbelief under torture, while his heart remains firm upon faith, is not like one who truly turns away from Islam.
A believer may be forced under extreme torture to say words of disbelief, but if the heart remains firm upon iman, Allah does not count this as true disbelief, as indicated in Surah an‑Nahl 16:106.
The experience of Ammar became an important example in the early Muslim community. It clarified that Islam looks at the heart and intention, especially in situations where the believer has no ability to defend himself. It also showed the deep love and mercy of the Prophet ﷺ toward those who suffered for the sake of Allah.
Bilal and Other Slave Believers
Among the weak and oppressed who were tortured in Makkah, Bilal ibn Rabah stands out as a symbol of steadfastness. His story is so central that it is treated separately, but it should be remembered here that he too belonged to those who had no clan to protect them. His master Umarah ibn al‑Walid, and most famously Umayyah ibn Khalaf, punished him harshly when he accepted Islam. They dragged him on the hot gravel of Makkah, placed heavy stones on his chest, and ordered him to praise their idols. Yet he continued to repeat “Ahad, Ahad,” meaning “One, One,” in reference to Allah.
There were many others in similar positions. Khabbab ibn al‑Aratt, who was a blacksmith and a slave, was made to lie on burning stones. The fire burned through his back until the fat of his body put out the flames. He later showed his scars to some of the companions, and they were amazed at the severity of what he had endured.
Khabbab once came to the Prophet ﷺ while the Muslims were still in Makkah, seeking a prayer for relief. He reported:
شَكَوْنَا إِلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ وَهُوَ مُتَوَسِّدٌ بُرْدَةً لَهُ فِي ظِلِّ الْكَعْبَةِ، قُلْنَا لَهُ: أَلَا تَسْتَنْصِرُ لَنَا؟ أَلَا تَدْعُو لَنَا؟
“We complained to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ while he was reclining on his cloak in the shade of the Ka‘bah. We said to him: ‘Will you not seek help for us? Will you not supplicate for us?’”
The Prophet ﷺ answered by reminding them of the trials faced by previous nations, where believers were sawn in two yet did not leave their religion. He then said:
وَلَكِنَّكُمْ تَسْتَعْجِلُونَ
“But you are being hasty.”
This response did not belittle their suffering. Rather, it placed their pain within the long history of faith and struggle, and it taught them that the path to victory passes through tests.
Some slave believers were later freed when companions like Abu Bakr رضي الله عنه purchased them. Yet many others remained in bondage. Their acceptance of Islam was not a path to worldly comfort, but a path to greater difficulty in this life and greater reward in the next.
Women, Foreigners, and the Powerless
It was not only male slaves who suffered. Women who embraced Islam without family protection were often mocked, beaten, or isolated. Some were locked in their homes or denied food as punishment for following Muhammad ﷺ. Their names and details are not always preserved in history, but the pattern is clear. Quraysh used every pressure available to the families to make them abandon Islam.
Foreigners who had come to Makkah for trade or work, and who did not belong to any tribe, were also targeted. Their economic dependence made them vulnerable. Employers could threaten to cut off their pay or expel them from Makkah if they did not leave the new faith. Despite this, many of them stayed firm and became among the earliest companions.
Youth without their own clans, and those whose parents were still idol worshipers, were placed under severe social pressure. They were insulted at home, threatened with being disowned, and sometimes physically harmed. Yet because they were considered too small or weak to be noticed by the noble families, their early iman often grew in the shadows of the society.
In all these cases, the measure of honor was reversed in Islam. Those who had little value in the eyes of Quraysh were elevated in the sight of Allah. The Prophet ﷺ later said:
رُبَّ أَشْعَثَ أَغْبَرَ ذِي طِمْرَيْنِ، لَا يُؤْبَهُ لَهُ، لَوْ أَقْسَمَ عَلَى اللَّهِ لَأَبَرَّهُ
“It may be that a disheveled, dusty man, with two worn garments, whom people do not pay attention to, if he were to swear by Allah, He would certainly fulfill it.”
[Reported in Muslim]
The weak Muslims in Makkah were exactly of this type. They were not valued by the nobles of Quraysh, but Allah valued them and accepted their sacrifices.
Spiritual Strength in Physical Weakness
The torture of the weak in Makkah may seem to be an image of defeat, but in the language of faith it is one of the clearest signs of spiritual victory. The bodies of the believers were under the control of their oppressors, yet their hearts were free. They could be tied, beaten, and even killed, but their inner certainty in Allah did not die.
The Quran summarizes this inner state when it describes the believers who suffered:
وَمَا نَقَمُوا مِنْهُمْ إِلَّا أَن يُؤْمِنُوا بِاللَّهِ الْعَزِيزِ الْحَمِيدِ
“And they resented them only because they believed in Allah, the Exalted in Might, the Praiseworthy.”
[Surah al‑Buruj 85:8]
The only “crime” of these early Muslims was that they believed in Allah alone. Their patience turned their weakness into a source of strength for the entire Muslim community. Later Muslims could look back at their example and understand that faith is not measured by safety or success in this world, but by loyalty to Allah in every condition.
True strength in Islam is the firmness of the heart upon faith, even when the body is under harm or threat. Weakness in status or power does not lessen a believer’s honor with Allah.
The torture of the weak in Makkah also exposed the injustice of Quraysh and prepared the ground for the later migration and the building of a new society in Madinah. The cries of the oppressed did not go unheard. Although relief did not come at once, Allah was preparing a future when the same people who had been humiliated would walk with dignity as honored believers.
Patience, Hope, and the Promise of Allah
Throughout these painful years, the Prophet ﷺ continued to teach patience as a central response to oppression. He did not encourage his followers to answer violence with uncontrolled violence, especially while they were few and without a state. Instead, he taught them to hold tightly to their faith, to avoid surrendering their hearts to fear, and to look forward to Allah’s promise.
The oppressed believers in Makkah held onto verses such as:
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اصْبِرُوا وَصَابِرُوا وَرَابِطُوا وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ
“O you who have believed, be patient, outdo others in patience, remain steadfast, and fear Allah so that you may be successful.”
[Surah Aal ‘Imran 3:200]
Their patience was not passive. It was an active choice to remain loyal to Allah despite pain. It was filled with trust that Allah sees and hears and will judge with justice.
In later years, when Islam became strong and many of those same individuals lived to see victory, their early suffering took on a new meaning. It became a badge of honor, and the Prophet ﷺ often remembered the sacrifices of the first believers. The Muslim community learned to respect those who had been tortured in Makkah as people of special rank.
The chapter of torture of the weak, therefore, is not only a story of cruelty. It is a story of faith burning bright in the harshest wind, of ordinary people raised to extraordinary levels by their love of Allah, and of how the path of Islam, from the very beginning, has included the voices and tears of those who had no power except their trust in their Lord.