Guillaume--Life of Muhammad.pdf - Radical Truth

The Life of Muhammad The Life of Muhammad 237
to be made, so it was duly fashioned to be beaten when the Muslims should
pray.
Meanwhile 'Abdullah b. Zayd b. Tha'laba b. 'Abdu Rabbihi hrother of
B. al-I:Iarith heard a voice in a dream, and came to the apostle saying:
'A phantom visited me in the night. There passed by me a man wearing
two green garments carrying a clapper in his hand, and I asked him to sell
it to me. \Vhen he asked me what I wanted it for I told him that it \vas
to summon people to prayer, \vhereupon he offered to shO\v me a better
way: it was to say thrice "Allah Akbar. I bear witness that there is no
God but Allah I bear witness that Muhammad is the apostle of God.
Come to prayer. Come to prayer. Come to divine service. I Come to
divine service. Allah Akbar. Allah Akbar. There is no God but Allah".'
\Vhen the apostle was told of this he said that it \vas a true vision if God
so willed it, and that he should go with Dil5.l and communicate it to him
so that he might call to prayer thus, for he had a more penetrating voice.
\Vhen Bilal acted as muezzin 'Cmar heard him in his house and came
to the apostle dragging his cloak on the ground and saying that he had seen
precisely the same vision. The apostle said, 'God be praised for that!'
I was told of this tradition by Muhammad b. IbrahIm b. al-!:Iarith on
the authority of Muhammad b. 'Abdullah b. Zayd b. Tha'laba himself
(288).
3+8 Muhammad b. Ja'far b. al-Zuhayr told me on the authority of 'Drwa
b. al-Zubayr from a woman of 13, al-::\ajjar who said: ~'Iy house was the
highest of those round the mosque and Bilal used to give the call from
the top of it at dawn every day. He used to come before daybreak and
would sit on the housetop "\vaiting for the dawn. \Vhen he saw it he woulJ
stretch his arms and say, '0 God, I praise thee and ask thy help for Quraysh
that they may accept thy religion.' 1 nl'ver knew him to omit these words
for a single night.
ABU QAYS B. ABO A~AS
\Vhcn the apostle was established in his house and God had manifested
his religion therein and made him gbd with the company of the l'migrants
and helpers Abl"i Qays spoke the following verses (289).
He \vas a man who had lived as a monk in heathen days and \vorn a
black mantle of camel-hair, given up idols, washed himself after impurity,
kept himself clean from women in their courses. He had thought of
adopting Christianity but gave it up and \vent into a house of his and made
1 F«I