Guillaume--Life of Muhammad.pdf - Radical Truth
Guillaume--Life of Muhammad.pdf - Radical Truth
Guillaume--Life of Muhammad.pdf - Radical Truth
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286 The <strong>Life</strong> <strong>of</strong> 1Vfuhammad<br />
some men <strong>of</strong> B. Mudlij working at a well and on the date palms. 'Ali<br />
suggested I that we should go and see what the men \vere doing, so ,ve \vent<br />
and watched them for a time until we were overcome by drO\vsincss and<br />
we went and lay down under some young palms and fell fast asleep in the<br />
s<strong>of</strong>t fine dust. And then who should wake us but the apostle himself as he<br />
stirred us with his foot! It \vas as \ve \vere dusting ourselves that the apostle<br />
said to 'Ali when he sa\\' him covered with dust, '\\/hat have you been up<br />
to, Abu Turiib (father <strong>of</strong> dust) " Then he went on, 'Shall I tell you <strong>of</strong> the<br />
two most wretched creatures? Ul)aymir <strong>of</strong> Thamud who slaughtered the<br />
camel, and he who shall strike you here, 'AIi'-and he put his hand to the<br />
side <strong>of</strong> his head-'until this is soaked from if-and he took hold <strong>of</strong> his<br />
beard.<br />
A learned traditionist told me that the real reason \vhy the apostle called<br />
'Ali Abu Turab \vas that when 'Ali' was angry \"ith Fatima he would not<br />
speak to her. He did not say anything to annoy her, but he used to sprinkle<br />
dust on his head. \Vhenever the apostle saw dust on 'Ali's head he knew<br />
that he was angry with Fatima and he \vould say, '\Vhat is your trouble, 0<br />
Abu Turab?' Dut God knows the truth <strong>of</strong> the mattcr.<br />
THE RAID OF SA'D B.<br />
ABt \VAQQ.:\~<br />
I\Ic(lmyhile the apostlc had sent Sa'd b. Abil \"aqqa5 \\lith cight men from<br />
the emigrants. He went as far as al-Kharrar in the Bijaz. Thcn he returned<br />
42.1 without fighting (347).<br />
THE RAID 0.:\ SAFAWj\~, \VHICH IS TILE FIRST RAID OF BADR<br />
The apostle stayed only a fcw nights, less than ten, in l\Iedina when he<br />
came back from raiding AI-'l:shayra, and then Kurz b. Jabir al-Fihri<br />
raided the pasturing camcls <strong>of</strong> l\ledina. The apostle went out in search <strong>of</strong><br />
him (3+8), until he reachcd a valley called Safawan, in the neighbourhood<br />
<strong>of</strong> Badr. Kurz escaped him and he could not overtake him. This was the<br />
first raid <strong>of</strong> Bach. Then the apostle returned to ~1edina aml.stayed there<br />
for the rest <strong>of</strong> Jumada'l Akhira, Rajab, and Sha'ban.<br />
EXPEDITIO~ OF 'ABDULLAH B. JAI.JSII A:;,\"D THE<br />
COJ\lING DOWN OF 'THEY \VILL ASK YOU ABOUT THE<br />
SACRED T\10NTH'<br />
Thc apostle sent ';\bclullah h. Jal)sh b. Ri'ab al-i1.sadi in Rajah on his<br />
return from the first Badr. ITe scnt with him eight emigrants, without any<br />
<strong>of</strong> the An~ar. lIe wrote for him a letter, and ordcred him not to look at it<br />
I In T. (1271 lilt.) the suggestion is made to 'Ali by 'Ammar. Someone has been guilty<br />
('f a deliberate alteration.<br />
The LIfe <strong>of</strong> <strong>Muhammad</strong> 287<br />
until he had journeyed for t\VO days, and to do what he was ordered to do<br />
bu~ not to put pressure on any <strong>of</strong> his companions. The names <strong>of</strong> the eigh~<br />
emIgrants were, Abu I:ludhayfa, 'Abdullah b. Jal:zsh, 'likkasha b. l\Iihsan<br />
'Utba b. Ghazwiin, Sad b. Abu Waqqiie, 'Amir b. Rab!'a, wiiqiri b: 4 2 4<br />
'Abdullah, and Khiilid b. al-Bukayr.'<br />
When 'Abdullah had travelled for two days he opened the letter and<br />
looked into it, and this is what it said; '\Vhcn 'VOll have rcad this letter <strong>of</strong><br />
mine proceed until you reach Nakhla between l\Tccca and Al-Ta'if. Lie in<br />
wait there for Quraysh and find out for us what they arc doiI~g.' Having<br />
read the letter he said, 'To hear is to obey.' Then hc said to his companions,<br />
'The apostle has commanded me 'to go to Nakhla to lie in wait<br />
there for Quraysh so as to bring him ne\ys <strong>of</strong> them. He has forbidden me<br />
to put pressure on any <strong>of</strong> you, so if anyone wishes for martyrdom let him<br />
go forward, and he who docs not, let him go hack; as for me~I am going on<br />
as the prophet has ordered.' So he \vent on, as did all his companions, not<br />
one <strong>of</strong> them falling back. He journe}'ed along the Bijaz until at a mine<br />
called BaJ:1ran above al-Furu', Sa'd and 'Utba lost the camel which they<br />
were riding by turns, so they stayed behind to look for it,' while 'Abdullail<br />
and t~c. rest <strong>of</strong> them went on to ::,\vakhla. A caravan <strong>of</strong> Quraysh carrying<br />
?ry ralsms and leather and other merchandise <strong>of</strong> Quraysh passed by thcm,<br />
Amr b. al-I,ladrami (349), 'Uthmiin b. Abdullah b. al-:Ylughira and his<br />
brot~er J\Taufal the l\Iakhzumites, and al-ljakam b. Kaysin, freedman<br />
<strong>of</strong> Hlsham b. al-l\lughira being among them. \\'hen the caravan saw them<br />
they were afraid <strong>of</strong> them because thc)' had camped ncar them. 'Ckkasha,<br />
who had shaved his head, looked down on theIll, and when they saw him<br />
they felt safe and said, 'They are pilgrims, you have nothing to fear from<br />
them.' The raiders took council among themselvcs, for thi's was the last<br />
~ay <strong>of</strong> Rajab, and they said, 'If you lea\;e them alone tonight the:y will get<br />
Into the sacred area and will be safe from vOU' and if you kill them vou .+25<br />
will kill them in the sacred month,' so th;v \\:ere hesitant and fear~(j to<br />
attack them. Then they encouraged each ~other, and decided to kill as<br />
many as they could <strong>of</strong> them and take what they had. \VJqid shot 'Ann b.<br />
al-I:Ia