Iblees, the accursed, appeared at this gathering in the form of an old man and stood at the door. When the people asked him whom he was, he replied, “I am a sheikh from Najd. I wish to listen to your discussion, and if possible, I will assist you by expressing my personal opinion and advice.” The people allowed him entry and the discussion thereafter commenced.
One of the chieftains suggested that Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) should be imprisoned within a fully enclosed closet. To this, the ‘Najdi Shaikh’ (i.e. Iblees) responded, “No, this is not the ideal solution because if his companions learn of his imprisonment, they will overwhelm you and free him.”
Another chieftain proposed that Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) should be expelled and banished from Makkah altogether. To this, the ‘Najdi Shaikh’ (Iblees) said, “No! This opinion is definitely not acceptable. Are you not aware of the attraction, sweetness, and captivating effect which his speech has on people’s hearts? If you drive him out of here, then perhaps the inhabitants of another city will listen to his words and believe in him. Thereafter, all of them may unite and launch an attack against us.”
Abu Jahal then said, “I am of the opinion that we should neither imprison him nor should we banish and expel him from Makkah. Rather, we should select a young man from each and every tribe, and all of them should jointly assassinate Muhammed (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam). In this manner, Muhammed’s (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) blood (i.e. the cause of his death) will be spread out over all the tribes, and his tribe, the Banu Abdu Manaaf, will not be able to fight against all the tribes. Thus, they will be forced to settle the matter by accepting blood money.”
The ‘Najdi Shaikh’ (Iblees) exclaimed, “By Allah! This seems like the most excellent plan!” The other members of the meeting were also pleased with this suggestion and approved of it. It was also agreed in that very meeting that this sinister plan would be carried out that very night.
(Extracted from Seeratul Mustafa 1/356-357)