GENERAL SOCIAL BOYCOTT:
Four events of special significance occurred within less than four weeks — the conversion of Hamzah,  the conversion of ‘Umar, Muhammad’s (Peace be upon him) refusal to negotiate any sort of  compromise and then the pact drawn up between Banu Muttalib and Banu Hashim to immunize
Muhammad (Peace be upon him) and shield him against any treacherous attempt to kill him. The  polytheists were baffled and at a loss as to what course they would follow to rid themselves of this  obstinate and relentless obstacle that had appeared to shatter to pieces their whole tradition of life.
They had already been aware that if they killed Muhammad (Peace be upon him) theblood would  surely  flow profusely in the valleys of Makkah and they would certainly be exterminated. Taking this dreadful  prospect into consideration, they grudgingly resorted to a different iniquitous course that would not  imply murder.
A PACT OF INJUSTICE AND AGGRESSION:
The pagans of Makkah held a meeting in a place called Wadi Al-Muhassab, and formed a confederation  hostile to both Bani Hashim and Bani Al-Muttalib. They decided not to have any business dealings with  them nor any sort of inter-marriage. Social relations, visits and even verbal contacts with Muhammad
(Peace be upon him) and his supporters would discontinue until the Prophet (Peace be upon him) was  given up to them to be killed. The articles of their proclamation, which had provided for merciless  measures against Bani Hashim, were committed to writing by an idolater, Bagheed bin ‘Amir bin
Hashim and then suspended in Al-Ka‘bah. The Prophet (Peace be upon him) invoked Allâh’s  imprecations upon Bagheed, whose hand was later paralysed.
Abu Talib wisely and quietly took stock of the situation and decided to withdraw to a valley on the  eastern outskirts of Makkah. Banu Hashim and Banu Al-Muttalib, who followed suit, were thus  confined  within a narrow pass (Shi‘b of Abu Talib), from the beginning of Muharram, the seventh year of
Muhammad’s mission till the tenth year, viz., a period of three years. It was a stifling siege. The  supply  of food was almost stopped and the people in confinement faced great hardships. The idolaters used  to  buy whatever food commodities entered Makkah lest they should leak to the people in Ash-Shi‘b, who  were so overstrained that they had to eat leaves of trees and skins of animals. Cries of little children  suffering from hunger used to be heard clearly. Nothing to eat reached them except, on few  occasions,  some meagre quantities of food were smuggled by some compassionate Makkans. During ‘the  prohibited months’ — when hostilities traditionally ceased, they would leave their confinement and buy  food coming from outside Makkah. Even then, the food stuff was unjustly overpriced so that their  financial situation would fall short of finding access to it.
Hakeem bin Hizam was once on his way to smuggle some wheat to his aunt Khadijah (May Allah be  pleased with her) when Abu Jahl intercepted and wanted to debar him. Only when Al-Bukhtari  intervened, did Hakeem manage to reach his destination. Abu Talib was so much concerned about the  personal safety of his nephew. Whenever people retired to sleep, he would ask the Prophet (Peace be  upon him) to lie in his place, but when all the others fell asleep, he would order him to change his  place  and take another, all of which in an attempt to trick a potential assassin.
Despite all odds, Muhammad (Peace be upon him) persisted in his line and his determination and  courage never weakened. He continued to go to Al-Ka‘bah and to pray publicly. He used every  opportunity to preach to outsiders who visited Makkah for business or on pilgrimage during the sacred  months and special seasons of assemblies.
This situation ultimately created dissension amongst the various Makkan factions, who were tied with  the besieged people by blood relations. After three years of blockade and in Muharram, the tenth year  of Muhammad’s mission, the pact was broken. Hisham bin ‘Amr, who used to smuggle some food to
Bani Hashim secretly at night, went to see Zuhair bin Abi Omaiyah Al-Makhzoumy and reproached him  for resigning to that intolerable treatment meted out to his uncles in exile. The latter pleaded  impotence, but agreed to work with Hisham and form a pressure group that would secure the  extrication of the exiles. On the ground of motivation by uterine relations, there emerged a group of  five people who set out to abrogate the pact and declare all relevant clauses null and void. They were
Hisham bin ‘Amr, Zuhair bin Abi Omaiya, Al-Mut‘im bin ‘Adi, Abu Al-Bukhtari and Zam‘a bin Al-Aswad.
They decided to meet in their assembly place and start their self-charged mission from the very  precinct of the Sacred House. Zuhair, after circumambulating seven times, along with his colleagues