Table of Contents
Signs of the Boycott’s Collapse
As the years of hardship in Shiʿb Abi Talib dragged on, the situation in Makkah slowly began to change. The social and economic boycott, which had been designed to crush Banu Hashim and stop the daʿwah of the Prophet ﷺ, created unease even among some of the idolaters themselves. Many Quraysh were still opposed to Islam, yet their old tribal codes of honor and basic human decency were becoming disturbed by what they saw.
Some influential Makkan leaders who were not Muslim began to feel that the pact had gone too far. They saw children crying from hunger, trade cut off, and an entire clan imprisoned within a valley simply for protecting one of their own. That reality, combined with the passage of time, weakened the unity of Quraysh around the boycott and prepared the ground for its end.
It is important to note that the boycott ended not because Quraysh accepted Islam, but because their internal sense of shame, tribal rivalry, and divine intervention all came together. This combination opened a door that Allah had already decreed.
The Termites and the Destroyed Document
The key to the end of the boycott was the very document on which Quraysh had written their pact. They had hung this document inside the Kaʿbah as a public, sacred symbol of their agreement to cut off Banu Hashim and Banu al-Muttalib. The Prophet ﷺ informed his uncle Abu Talib of what had happened to that document by Allah’s command.
It is reported that the Prophet ﷺ said to Abu Talib that Allah had sent creatures to destroy the pact. In the narrations, he ﷺ told him that termites had eaten the parchment except for the words that mentioned Allah. The words of oppression and cruelty were destroyed, and only the mention of Allah’s name remained untouched.
Abu Talib, who was still a leader among his people, seized this as an opportunity. He went to Quraysh and challenged them, saying that his nephew had informed him of something hidden inside the Kaʿbah. He told them that if Muhammad ﷺ was truthful, they must end the boycott, and if he was lying, then Abu Talib would no longer protect him.
The Makkan leaders agreed to this challenge because they were confident in their pact and wanted to prove Abu Talib and the Prophet ﷺ wrong. They opened the Kaʿbah and brought down the parchment.
As the Prophet ﷺ had informed, they found that the termites had eaten everything except the parts on which the name of Allah was written. The pact of injustice had been literally eaten away, leaving only the name of the One whom they claimed to honor.
This event was a clear sign of Allah’s support and power. The Qur’an reminds us that Allah always has knowledge of what people write and plot:
مَا يَكُونُ مِنْ نَجْوَىٰ ثَلَاثَةٍ إِلَّا هُوَ رَابِعُهُمْ
“There is no private conversation of three but that He is the fourth of them.”
(Quran 58:7)
Although the verse speaks about secret councils, it reflects a general truth. Allah knew of the secret pact of Quraysh, and He exposed it at the time He willed, in a way that displayed His power and the truthfulness of His Messenger ﷺ.
The destruction of the boycott document, leaving only the name of Allah, was a divine sign that injustice cannot stand forever when Allah has decreed its end.
The Courage of the Fair-minded Non-Muslims
Alongside this miraculous sign, Allah moved the hearts of some non-Muslim Quraysh who still carried a sense of justice. Several influential men stood against the boycott. Among them, the sources mention names such as Hisham ibn ʿAmr, Zuhayr ibn Abi Umayyah, al-Mutʿim ibn ʿAdiyy, Abu al-Bukhtari ibn Hisham, and Zamʿah ibn al-Aswad.
These men did not accept Islam at that time, yet they could not tolerate the continued suffering of their relatives and clansmen. One of them, Zuhayr, whose mother was from Banu Hashim, is reported to have addressed the leaders of Quraysh with powerful words. He confronted them with their contradictions and reminded them of their responsibilities to maintain ties of kinship.
They made a secret plan among themselves to publicly challenge the pact inside the Haram. When the people gathered, these men spoke out, one after the other, calling the boycott unjust and shameful. By speaking in public, they forced the rest of Quraysh to react. Tribal pride, existing rivalries, and their own fear of being seen as cruel all played a role in weakening the boycott.
Their stand did not come from Islamic faith, but Allah used it as a means to support His Prophet ﷺ. This shows that Allah can bring support from unexpected sources. The Prophet ﷺ later remembered some of these men with respect for their fairness and for the protection they offered at crucial times.
The Qur’an states a general rule about truth and falsehood:
بَلْ نَقْذِفُ بِالْحَقِّ عَلَى الْبَاطِلِ فَيَدْمَغُهُ فَإِذَا هُوَ زَاهِقٌ
“Rather, We hurl the truth against falsehood, and it shatters it, and behold, it is vanishing.”
(Quran 21:18)
The stance of these fair-minded leaders, combined with the destroyed document, was like truth striking at the falsehood of the pact. Once it was exposed, the boycott could no longer continue in the same way.
Public Annulment of the Pact
When the termite-eaten parchment was brought and Quraysh saw what had happened, they were shocked. The incident matched exactly what Muhammad ﷺ had told Abu Talib. Those who had objected to the boycott took advantage of this moment. They demanded that the pact be cancelled.
Voices were raised in the Haram. Some leaders who supported the boycott argued back, but their position was now weak. The sacredness of the Kaʿbah, the exposed document, and the public challenge from their own people all worked together. The pact that had been proudly hung inside the Kaʿbah was now exposed as powerless.
Faced with the clear sign and the strong opposition within their own ranks, Quraysh had no choice but to end the boycott officially. The written pact was torn apart. The clans of Banu Hashim and Banu al-Muttalib were allowed to leave Shiʿb Abi Talib and rejoin the life of Makkah. After three harsh years, the physical siege was over.
The believers came out of the valley weakened in body but strong in faith. Their trust in Allah had been deepened through hunger, fear, and isolation. Yet they had seen, once again, that Allah’s help comes after hardship. The Qur’an expresses this principle clearly:
فَإِنَّ مَعَ ٱلْعُسْرِ يُسْرًا. إِنَّ مَعَ ٱلْعُسْرِ يُسْرًا
“For indeed, with hardship comes ease. Indeed, with hardship comes ease.”
(Quran 94:5-6)
Every hardship faced by the believers is followed by a form of ease that Allah has written, even if it comes after long patience and apparent hopelessness.
Immediate Aftermath for the Muslims
The end of the boycott did not mean the end of persecution, but it did mark a real change. The believers could interact again in Makkah, resume some trade, and re-establish family connections that had been cut. Children could see relatives, food could reach them more freely, and the crushing isolation was lifted.
However, Quraysh did not suddenly become accepting of Islam. Their hatred for the message of tawhid remained. They continued to oppose the Prophet ﷺ, mock him, and harm his followers. The boycott ended, but the struggle of the daʿwah entered a new phase.
For the Prophet ﷺ personally, leaving Shiʿb Abi Talib meant returning to the broader stage of Makkan society. He continued to call people to Allah with even more patience and trust. Yet the years of hardship had taken a toll on the elderly among Banu Hashim. Soon after the boycott, some of the most important supporters in his life would pass away, leading to what is known as the Year of Sorrow.
The events that followed, such as the deaths of Abu Talib and Khadijah رضي الله عنها, did not cancel the relief of leaving the valley, but they showed that the path of the Prophet ﷺ was still full of trials. Allah says:
أَحَسِبَ ٱلنَّاسُ أَن يُتْرَكُوا أَن يَقُولُوا آمَنَّا وَهُمْ لَا يُفْتَنُونَ
“Do people think that they will be left to say, ‘We believe’ and they will not be tested?”
(Quran 29:2)
The end of the boycott was one such test. It brought outward relief but prepared the believers for even greater emotional trials and, eventually, for new horizons beyond Makkah.
Lessons from the End of the Boycott
From the way the boycott ended, several key lessons become clear. These lessons are specific to this moment and help us understand Allah’s sunnah in supporting His messengers and the believers.
First, Allah’s help may come through extraordinary signs and through ordinary human actions at the same time. The termites that ate the pact were a sign of direct divine intervention. The courage of the fair-minded Quraysh who challenged the pact was a human action. Both came together by Allah’s plan.
Second, even those who are not Muslim can stand for justice and be used by Allah as a means to support the truth. Their reward in the hereafter depends on faith, but their worldly stance still matters. The Prophet ﷺ later recognized the virtue of some of these men for the protection they gave, and this became part of the Seerah.
Third, oppressive systems often collapse when their inner contradictions are exposed. Quraysh claimed to be people of honor, protectors of the Kaʿbah, and maintainers of kinship, yet they starved their own relatives next to the House of Allah. When this contradiction was brought into the open, especially in the Haram, their pact could not be defended in the same proud way.
Fourth, the end of one hardship does not mean the end of all trials. Instead, it often marks a transition to new kinds of tests. The believers did not leave Shiʿb Abi Talib to enter a life of comfort. They left it to face emotional loss and new challenges in daʿwah, but with stronger hearts and clearer certainty.
Finally, Allah’s timing is perfect. The boycott ended only when Allah willed, not earlier and not later. During those years, the companions learned reliance on Allah, solidarity, and patience. When Allah removed the barrier, they were ready for the coming stages, including the Year of Sorrow, the journey to Taʾif, and eventually the Hijrah to Madinah.
The story of the end of the boycott therefore stands as a reminder that no written pact of oppression can remain when Allah has decreed its fall, and that the name of Allah, preserved even on a half-eaten parchment, is stronger than all the agreements of those who oppose His message.