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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439<br />
The LIfe <strong>of</strong> <strong>Muhammad</strong> The LIfe <strong>of</strong> J11uha1f1111ad 297<br />
sleeping I saw a man advancing on a horse \vith a camel, and then he<br />
you to occupy, so that we can neither advance nor withdraw from it,<br />
halted and said: "Slain arc 'lltba and Shayba and Abu'l-l,lakam and or is it a matter <strong>of</strong> opinion and military tactics?' \\hcll he replied that<br />
Umayya" (and he went on to enumerate the men \\'ho were killed at Badr,<br />
it was the latter he pointed out that it was not the place to stop but that<br />
all nobles <strong>of</strong> Quraysh). Then I saw him stab his camel in the chest and<br />
they should go on to the water nearest to the enemy and halt there, stop<br />
send it loose into the camp, and every single tent was bespattered with its up the wells beyond it, and construct a cistern so that they would haye<br />
blood.' \OVhen the story reached Abu Jahl he said, 'Here's ao«:ther prophet plenty <strong>of</strong> \vater; then they could fight their enemy iy!lO would- haye nothing<br />
from B. al-~'Iunalib! He'll kno\", tomorrow if we mt.:ct them who is going<br />
to drink. The apostle' agreed that this i,"aS an excellent plan and it \\'as<br />
to be killed!'<br />
immediately carried out; the ivells wcre stoppt.:d; a cistern was built and<br />
\Vhen Abu Sufyan sa\v that he had saved his caravan he sent word to filled \vith \vater from which his men replenished their drinking-vessels.<br />
Quraysh, 'Since you came out to save your caravan, your men, and your<br />
'Abdullah b. Abl~l Bakr told me that he "·as informed that Sa'd b. .\1u'adh<br />
property, and God has delivered them, go back.' Abu Jahl said, 'By God, said: '0 prophet <strong>of</strong> God, let us make a booth cr. <strong>of</strong> palm-branches) for<br />
we \vill not go back until we have been to Badr'-Dadr ,vas the site <strong>of</strong> one you to occupy ano have your riding camels stanoing by; then we will meet<br />
<strong>of</strong> the Arab fairs ,vhere they used to hold a market every year. '\Ve will the enemy and if God gives us the victory that is \vhat we desire; if the<br />
spend three days there, slaughter camels and feast and drink ,vine, and worst occurs you can mount your camels and join our people \vho arc left<br />
the girls shall play for us. The Arahs will hear that we have come and behind, for they are just as deeply attached to you as we are. Had they<br />
gathered together, and will respect us in future. So come on!'<br />
AI-Akhnas b. Shariq b. 'Amr b. Wahb al-Tha'lafI, an ally <strong>of</strong> B. Zuhra<br />
who ,vere in al-Ju}}fa, addressed the latter, saying, 'God has saved you<br />
and your property and delivered your companion lVIakhrama h. Naufal;<br />
and as you only came out to protect him and his property, lay any<br />
charge <strong>of</strong> cowardice on me and go back. There is no point in going to war<br />
without pr<strong>of</strong>it as this man would have us,' meaning Ahll Jahl. So they<br />
returned and not a single Zuhrite was present at Badr. They obeyed him<br />
as he \vas a man <strong>of</strong> authority. Every clan <strong>of</strong> Quraysh was represented<br />
except B. 'Adiy b. Ka'b: not one <strong>of</strong> them took part, so with the return <strong>of</strong><br />
D. Zuhra with al-Akhnas these two tribes \vere not represented at all.<br />
There was some discussion between Tiilib b. j\.bll 'Talib, who was with the<br />
army, and some <strong>of</strong> Quraysh. The latter said, '\Vc know, 0 B. Hashim,<br />
that if you have come out with us your heart is with l\luhammad.' So<br />
'Pilib and some others returni:d to l\lecca. Talib said:<br />
() God, if Talib goes forth to \yar unwillingly<br />
\Vith one <strong>of</strong> these squadrons,<br />
Let him be the plundered not the plunderer,<br />
The vanquished not the victor (301).<br />
Quraysh \vent on until they halted on the farther side <strong>of</strong> the wadi<br />
behind al-'Aqan'lal. The bed <strong>of</strong> the wadi-Yalyal-was between Badr and<br />
al-'Aqanqal, the hill behind which lay Quraysh, while tbe \vells at Badr<br />
were on the side <strong>of</strong> the wadi bed nearest to l\ledina. God sent a rain which<br />
turned the s<strong>of</strong>t sand <strong>of</strong> the \vadi into a compact surface \vhich did not<br />
hinder the apostle's movements, but gravely restricted the movements <strong>of</strong><br />
Quraysh. The apostle \",ent forth to hasten his men to the \vater and \vhen<br />
he got to the nearest water <strong>of</strong> Badr he halted.<br />
I was told that men <strong>of</strong> B. Salama said that al-I)ubab b. al-Mundhir h.<br />
aI-Jamul; said to the apostle: 'Is this a place which God has ordered<br />
thought that you would he fighting they would not have staved hehind.<br />
God will protect you by them; they 'will give you good coun;el and fight<br />
with you,' The apostle thanked him ,md blessed him. Then a booth was<br />
constructed for the apostle and he remained there.<br />
Quraysh, having marched forth at daybreak, now carne on. \\'hen the<br />
apostle sa\\' them descending from the hill 'Aqanqal into the valley, he<br />
cried, '0 God, here come the Quraysh in their vanity and pride, contending<br />
with Thee and calling Thy apostle a liar. 0 God, grant the help which<br />
Thou didst promise me. Destroy them this morning!' Before uttering<br />
these \-voreis he had seen among the enemy 'Utba b. Rahi'a, mounted on a<br />
red camel <strong>of</strong> his, and said, 'If tliere is an)' good in anyone <strong>of</strong> them, it will<br />
be \vith the man on the red camel: if they obey him, they \yill take the right<br />
way.' KhuLlf b. Aim::-t' b. RaJ)ac.la, Of hi~ father Airlla' h. Rahada al<br />
Ghifari, had sent to Quraysh, as they passed hy, a son <strong>of</strong> his wi~h "some<br />
camels for slaughter, which he g:,l"ve them as a gift, saying, 'If you want us<br />
to support you with arms and men, we will do so;' but thi:v sent to him the<br />
follo\ving message by the mouth <strong>of</strong> his 80n-')-'ou have- done all that a<br />
kinsman ought. If \ve are fighting only men, we are surely equal to them;<br />
and if we arc fighting God, as ::VIuhammad alleges, none is able to withstand<br />
Him.' And when Quraysh encamped, some <strong>of</strong> them, among whom<br />
was Bakim b. I:Iizam, went to the cistern <strong>of</strong>the apostle to drink. 'Let them<br />
be!' he said; and every man that drank <strong>of</strong> it on that day \yas killed, e'\ccpt<br />
Uakim, I who afterwards became a good :\Iuslim a:1(1 IIsed to sa V, \Y!wn Ill'<br />
was earnest in his oath, ')Jay, by Him who saved me on the da~' <strong>of</strong> Badr.'<br />
My father, Isl).aq b. Yasar, and other learned men told me on"the authority<br />
<strong>of</strong> some elders <strong>of</strong> the l\nsar that when the ent:Jnv had settled in their<br />
camp they sent 'Umayr b. \"1"ahb al-Juma~i to esti,"nJ.tc the number <strong>of</strong><br />
<strong>Muhammad</strong>'s followers. He rode on horsehack round the camp and on his<br />
return said, ''I'hree hundred men, a little more or less; but wait till 1 Sec<br />
1 T. adds: 'He escaped on a hurst: <strong>of</strong> his calkd al-\Vajih.' So also aI-Altho