7.1 The Year of Sorrow (‘Am al-Huzn)

The Meaning of the “Year of Sorrow”

The scholars of Seerah use the phrase “ʿAm al‑Huzn,” the Year of Sorrow, to describe a very specific period in the Makkan life of the Prophet ﷺ. It refers to the year in which two of the greatest supports in his worldly life were taken from him: his uncle Abu Talib and his beloved wife Khadijah رضي الله عنها. This occurred about ten years after the beginning of revelation, shortly after the end of the harsh boycott that the Quraysh had imposed upon Banu Hashim and Banu al‑Muttalib.

In that single year, the Prophet ﷺ lost his strongest outward protector among the men of Quraysh and the most loyal companion of his heart and home. Because of this, his grief was deep and continuous. The description “Year of Sorrow” does not mean that he fell into despair, for he was the one whom Allah سبحانه وتعالى chose and strengthened. Rather, it shows the human side of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, that he felt loss, pain, and sadness when the people he loved left this world, yet he remained patient and trusting in his Lord.

Allah indicated the emotional weight of these trials in more than one verse, reminding him that even though he was deeply hurt, he was never abandoned. In Surah ad‑Duha, which had been revealed earlier as a general consolation, Allah said:

وَٱلضُّحَىٰ
وَٱلَّيْلِ إِذَا سَجَىٰ
مَا وَدَّعَكَ رَبُّكَ وَمَا قَلَىٰ
وَلَلْٵخِرَةُ خَيْرٌ لَّكَ مِنَ ٱلْأُولَىٰ
وَلَسَوْفَ يُعْطِيكَ رَبُّكَ فَتَرْضَىٰ
أَلَمْ يَجِدْكَ يَتِيمًا فَـَٔاوَىٰ
وَوَجَدَكَ ضَآلًّا فَهَدَىٰ
وَوَجَدَكَ عَآئِلًا فَأَغْنَىٰ

“By the morning brightness, and by the night when it grows still, your Lord has neither forsaken you nor hates you. And surely the Hereafter is better for you than the present life. And your Lord is going to give you and you will be pleased. Did He not find you an orphan and give shelter, find you seeking and guide, and find you in need and make you self‑sufficient”
(Quran 93:1‑8)

These verses present a pattern that helps us understand the Year of Sorrow. The Prophet ﷺ had already known orphanhood, poverty, and loss in childhood. Now, near the end of his Makkan mission, he was tested again with the removal of those who had been like a shelter to him. Yet the promise of “your Lord has neither forsaken you nor hates you” remained true throughout.

The Death of Abu Talib

Abu Talib, the paternal uncle of the Prophet ﷺ, had raised him in his youth, protected him in childhood, and then, after the beginning of revelation, used his position among Quraysh to shield him from harm. Although he never embraced Islam, he stood firmly before the leaders of his people and refused to hand over his nephew or to silence him.

After the long years of boycott in the valley of Abu Talib, his body became weak and his health declined. When he finally fell seriously ill, the Prophet ﷺ visited him in his last moments, hoping that he would accept faith before death. Authentic narrations describe this scene in a simple and painful way. Abu Saʿid al‑Khudri رضي الله عنه reported, as found in Sahih al‑Bukhari:

عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمَا أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ دَخَلَ عَلَى أَبِي طَالِبٍ وَعِنْدَهُ أَبُو جَهْلٍ وَعَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ أَبِي أُمَيَّةَ، فَقَالَ: «يَا عَمِّ، قُلْ: لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ، كَلِمَةً أُحَاجُّ لَكَ بِهَا عِنْدَ اللَّهِ».
فَقَالَ لَهُ أَبُو جَهْلٍ وَعَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ أَبِي أُمَيَّةَ: أَتَرْغَبُ عَنْ مِلَّةِ عَبْدِ الْمُطَّلِبِ؟
فَلَمْ يَزَلْ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ يَعْرِضُهَا عَلَيْهِ وَيُعِيدَانِهِ، حَتَّى قَالَ أَبُو طَالِبٍ آخِرَ مَا قَالَ: هُوَ عَلَى مِلَّةِ عَبْدِ الْمُطَّلِبِ، وَأَبَى أَنْ يَقُولَ: لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ

Ibn ʿAbbas رضي الله عنهما said: “The Messenger of Allah ﷺ entered upon Abu Talib when he was dying, and there with him were Abu Jahl and ʿAbdullah ibn Abi Umayyah. He ﷺ said, ‘O uncle, say: La ilaha illa Allah (there is no god but Allah), a word by which I will plead for you before Allah.’
Abu Jahl and ʿAbdullah ibn Abi Umayyah said to him, ‘Will you turn away from the religion of ʿAbdul‑Muttalib?’
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ continued to offer it to him, and they continued repeating their words, until the last thing he said was that he remained on the religion of ʿAbdul‑Muttalib, and he refused to say: La ilaha illa Allah.”
(Bukhari)

The Prophet ﷺ loved his uncle and had hoped that he would respond. After his death, the Prophet ﷺ even expressed the desire to seek forgiveness for him. However, revelation corrected this wish and fixed an important principle. Allah revealed:

مَا كَانَ لِلنَّبِيِّ وَٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوٓا۟ أَن يَسْتَغْفِرُوا۟ لِلْمُشْرِكِينَ وَلَوْ كَانُوٓا۟ أُو۟لِى قُرْبَىٰ مِنۢ بَعْدِ مَا تَبَيَّنَ لَهُمْ أَنَّهُمْ أَصْحَٰبُ ٱلْجَحِيمِ

“It is not for the Prophet and those who have believed to seek forgiveness for the polytheists, even if they are near of kin, after it has become clear to them that they are companions of the Fire.”
(Quran 9:113)

Thus the Year of Sorrow included not only the emotional pain of losing Abu Talib, but also the painful knowledge that someone so close to him had chosen to remain on the way of his forefathers instead of accepting the truth.

The Loss of Protection and the Change in Quraysh’s Behavior

During the life of Abu Talib, the Prophet ﷺ had enjoyed a kind of tribal protection. Even those who hated his message hesitated to attack him physically because they feared the anger of Banu Hashim and the position of Abu Talib among them. When Abu Talib died, this shield was removed.

Ibn Ishaq and later historians mention that Quraysh’s behavior became much harsher after his passing. Incidents that had once been rare now became more frequent. The Prophet ﷺ would be insulted more openly, garbage would be thrown in his path, and he would be mocked in new and cruel ways. The people who had once held back out of respect for Abu Talib no longer felt restrained.

There is a report that once a foolish person placed the intestines and filth of a slaughtered animal on the back of the Prophet ﷺ while he was in sujud at the Kaʿbah, and that this type of act became easier for them to repeat after the Year of Sorrow because the fear of tribal revenge had lessened. The Prophet ﷺ bore these harms with patience, but the contrast between the time under Abu Talib’s protection and the time after his death was clear to everyone in Makkah.

Allah acknowledged the deep hurt that such rejection caused in the Prophet’s heart, while also directing his mind to the reality behind it. In Surah al‑Anʿam, Allah said:

قَدْ نَعْلَمُ إِنَّهُۥ لَيَحْزُنُكَ ٱلَّذِى يَقُولُونَ ۖ فَإِنَّهُمْ لَا يُكَذِّبُونَكَ وَلَٰكِنَّ ٱلظَّٰلِمِينَ بِـَٔايَٰتِ ٱللَّهِ يَجْحَدُونَ

“We certainly know that what they say grieves you. Indeed, they do not really call you a liar, but the wrongdoers reject the signs of Allah.”
(Quran 6:33)

So the Year of Sorrow also marks the point where persecution in Makkah grew more intense and more personal, because the former barrier of tribal leadership was gone.

The Death of Khadijah رضي الله عنها

Shortly after the death of Abu Talib, another blow struck the heart of the Prophet ﷺ. His wife Khadijah bint Khuwaylid رضي الله عنها, his closest companion since his early manhood, fell ill and passed away. She was the first person to believe in his prophethood, the one who comforted him on the night of the first revelation, and the one whose wealth, status, and heart were all placed in the service of Islam.

The time she died came after years of sacrifice, especially during the boycott in the valley that had affected her as well. Her body had grown weak, but her faith and love for the Messenger of Allah ﷺ remained strong until her last breath. The exact details of her final illness are not recorded with certainty, but the Seerah agrees that she passed away in that same heavy year, leaving a deep emptiness in the Prophet’s home.

Her special place in his life did not end with her death. Years later, when parts of the Seerah had moved to Madinah and new events had taken place, the Prophet ﷺ continued to mention Khadijah with honor and emotion. A famous hadith in Sahih al‑Bukhari and Sahih Muslim shows this clearly. Aishah رضي الله عنها said:

مَا غِرْتُ عَلَى أَحَدٍ مِنْ نِسَاءِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ مَا غِرْتُ عَلَى خَدِيجَةَ، وَمَا رَأَيْتُهَا، وَلَكِنْ كَانَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ يُكْثِرُ ذِكْرَهَا، وَرُبَّمَا ذَبَحَ الشَّاةَ ثُمَّ يُقَطِّعُهَا أَعْضَاءً ثُمَّ يَبْعَثُهَا فِي صَدَائِقِ خَدِيجَةَ، فَرُبَّمَا قُلْتُ لَهُ: كَأَنَّهُ لَمْ يَكُنْ فِي الدُّنْيَا امْرَأَةٌ إِلَّا خَدِيجَةُ. فَيَقُولُ: «إِنَّهَا كَانَتْ، وَكَانَتْ، وَكَانَ لِي مِنْهَا وَلَدٌ»

“I was never more jealous of any of the wives of the Prophet ﷺ than I was of Khadijah, though I never saw her. But the Prophet ﷺ used to mention her often. Sometimes he would slaughter a sheep and cut it into pieces, then send them to the friends of Khadijah. Sometimes I would say to him, ‘It is as if there was no woman in the world except Khadijah.’ He would say, ‘She was such and such (he would praise her), and I had children from her.’”
(Bukhari, Muslim)

In another narration, the Prophet ﷺ mentioned that Allah sent Khadijah a greeting from above the heavens. Abu Hurayrah رضي الله عنه reported in Sahih al‑Bukhari:

أَتَى جِبْرِيلُ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ فَقَالَ: يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ، هَذِهِ خَدِيجَةُ قَدْ أَتَتْ مَعَهَا إِنَاءٌ فِيهِ إِدَامٌ أَوْ طَعَامٌ أَوْ شَرَابٌ، فَإِذَا هِيَ أَتَتْكَ فَاقْرَأْ عَلَيْهَا السَّلَامَ مِنْ رَبِّهَا وَمِنِّي، وَبَشِّرْهَا بِبَيْتٍ فِي الْجَنَّةِ مِنْ قَصَبٍ، لَا صَخَبَ فِيهِ وَلَا نَصَبَ

“Jibril came to the Prophet ﷺ and said: ‘O Messenger of Allah, here is Khadijah coming to you with a vessel in which there is some food or drink. When she comes to you, convey to her the greeting of salam from her Lord and from me, and give her glad tidings of a house in Paradise made of hollowed pearl, in which there will be no noise and no fatigue.’”
(Bukhari)

These narrations highlight how special she was even in the sight of the angels and her Lord, and they help us imagine the depth of loss that the Prophet ﷺ felt when she returned to Allah.

Combined Weight of the Two Losses

The closeness in time between the death of Abu Talib and the death of Khadijah رضي الله عنها made that year especially heavy. The Prophet ﷺ lost with Abu Talib his main public protection among the men of Quraysh, and with Khadijah he lost the one who had been the strongest in belief and most comforting in private. It is as if the support around his mission was struck on two sides at once, one in the public sphere and one in the inner circle of his home.

Abu Talib had been the person who would speak for him in the gatherings of Quraysh, who would refuse to surrender him despite pressure, and who would organize the clan to stand together. Khadijah had been the one who received him at home after the first revelation and said:

كَلَّا، وَاللَّهِ مَا يُخْزِيكَ اللَّهُ أَبَدًا، إِنَّكَ لَتَصِلُ الرَّحِمَ، وَتَحْمِلُ الْكَلَّ، وَتَكْسِبُ الْمَعْدُومَ، وَتَقْرِي الضَّيْفَ، وَتُعِينُ عَلَى نَوَائِبِ الْحَقِّ

“No, by Allah, Allah will never disgrace you. You keep the ties of kinship, you bear the burdens of the weak, you give to those who have nothing, you honor the guest, and you help in all matters of truth.”
(Bukhari)

Now, in that same year, both of these pillars were removed. This is why the Seerah writers emphasize that his sadness was not only due to personal attachment, but also because of what these deaths meant for the outward situation of the daʿwah in Makkah.

Yet, even in this period, he ﷺ did not neglect his mission. He continued to call people to Allah, to recite the revelation, and to bear harm with patience. His sorrow did not turn him away from his duty. Instead, it became a moment where his trust in Allah alone was made even more pure.

The Prophet’s Human Grief and Prophetic Patience

The Year of Sorrow teaches an important balance. The Prophet ﷺ felt sadness and expressed it, but he did so within the limits that Allah loves. He did not object to Allah’s decree, nor did he lose hope in His mercy. Later events in his life show how he understood and lived this balance.

When his own son Ibrahim died in Madinah, the Prophet ﷺ held him and cried. ʿAbdur‑Rahman ibn ʿAwf رضي الله عنه was surprised and asked about the tears. The Prophet ﷺ replied, as in Sahih al‑Bukhari:

فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ: «إِنَّ الْعَيْنَ تَدْمَعُ، وَالْقَلْبَ يَحْزَنُ، وَلَا نَقُولُ إِلَّا مَا يُرْضِي رَبَّنَا، وَإِنَّا بِفِرَاقِكَ يَا إِبْرَاهِيمُ لَمَحْزُونُونَ»

“The eyes shed tears and the heart grieves, but we do not say except that which pleases our Lord. Indeed we are, by your separation, O Ibrahim, surely saddened.”
(Bukhari)

This hadith, although from a later time, is a clear window into how the Prophet ﷺ would have felt in the Year of Sorrow. His eyes could fill with tears, his heart could tighten with grief, but his tongue remained obedient, speaking only words that pleased Allah. His sadness was not a sign of weak faith, rather it was a sign of his human nature, controlled and directed by prophetic patience.

Allah had told him in multiple verses that the path of calling to truth would involve heavy emotional burdens. One such verse is:

وَلَقَدْ كُذِّبَتْ رُسُلٌ مِّن قَبْلِكَ فَصَبَرُوا۟ عَلَىٰ مَا كُذِّبُوا۟ وَأُوذُوا۟ حَتَّىٰٓ أَتَىٰهُمْ نَصْرُنَا ۚ وَلَا مُبَدِّلَ لِكَلِمَٰتِ ٱللَّهِ ۚ وَلَقَدْ جَآءَكَ مِن نَّبَإِ ٱلْمُرْسَلِينَ

“Messengers before you were surely denied, but they were patient over their rejection and their harm until Our help reached them. None can change the words of Allah, and surely there has already come to you some of the news of the messengers.”
(Quran 6:34)

In this light, the Year of Sorrow becomes part of a larger pattern of prophetic trials and victories. The Prophet ﷺ stood in the same line as the earlier messengers, carrying grief in his heart yet holding firm to the message in his hands.

A Turning Point Between Makkah and Madinah

The Year of Sorrow did not only mark an emotional low point, it also prepared the ground for a new phase. With the deaths of Abu Talib and Khadijah رضي الله عنها and the increase in hostility in Makkah, it became clearer that the Makkan environment was closing its doors. This was part of the divine plan that would soon open another door in a different city and among a different people.

Shortly after this heavy year, the Prophet ﷺ would travel to Taʾif in search of new hearts that might accept the message. He would face another painful rejection there, yet again respond with mercy. Then he would be honored by the miraculous journey of Isra and Miʿraj and, in the years that followed, he would meet the people of Yathrib who would become the Ansar of Madinah.

The Year of Sorrow sits at the edge of these later events. It is like a deep valley between two stages of the Seerah. On one side is the long, difficult period in Makkah, protected partly by kinship and supported at home by Khadijah. On the other side is the road that will lead to Madinah, to the building of a new society, and to the outward strength of Islam. The removal of the old supports in that year pushed the Makkan chapter toward its end and made the next steps necessary.

In this way, the Year of Sorrow was not only a time of loss, it was also a hidden mercy that prepared the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and his followers for a wider horizon. Their attachment shifted more and more from tribal leaders and family support to direct trust in Allah and to a broader Muslim community that was about to be born.

Lessons for the Student of Seerah

When studying the Seerah at this point, it is important to recognize that even the best of creation experienced seasons of hardship. The Prophet ﷺ passed through orphanhood, poverty, rejection, boycott, and then the Year of Sorrow. Yet each time, Allah brought a new opening after the trial. This pattern is summarized by a verse that many scholars see as describing a general rule in the life of believers:

فَإِنَّ مَعَ ٱلْعُسْرِ يُسْرًا
إِنَّ مَعَ ٱلْعُسْرِ يُسْرًا

“So indeed, with hardship comes ease. Indeed, with hardship comes ease.”
(Quran 94:5‑6)

The repetition in this short surah promises that no difficulty remains without some kind of relief. In the Seerah, the Year of Sorrow is followed by new signs of mercy, as will be seen in the next chapters. By keeping this connection in mind, the reader can see that the life of the Prophet ﷺ is not a series of disconnected events, but a continuous story where every hardship is a bridge to a greater blessing.