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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372 The <strong>Life</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Muhammad</strong><br />
stay in Medina, do not go Qut to them. We have never gone out to fight an<br />
enemy but we have met disaster, and none has come in against us without<br />
being defeated, so leave them where they are. !ftheystay, they stay in an evil<br />
predicament, and if they come in, the men will fight them and the women<br />
and children will throw stones on them from the walls, and if they retreat<br />
they will retreat low-spirited as they came.' Those who wanted to fight<br />
Quraysh kept urging the apostle until he went into his house and put on<br />
his armour. That was on the Friday when he had finished prayers. On<br />
that day one <strong>of</strong> the An~ar, Malik b. 'Amr one <strong>of</strong> the B. ai-Najjar died, and<br />
the apostle prayed over him, and then went out to fight. Meanwhile the<br />
people had repented <strong>of</strong> their design, saying they thought they had persuaded<br />
the apostle against his will, which they had no right to do, so that when he<br />
went out to them they admitted that and said that if he wished to remain<br />
inside the city they would not oppose him. The apostle said, 'It is not<br />
fitting that a prophet who has put on his armour should lay it aside until<br />
559 he has fought,' so he marched out with a thousand <strong>of</strong> his companions (583),<br />
until when they reached al-Shau! between Medina and UJ.1ud, 'Abdullah b.<br />
Ubayy withdrew with a third <strong>of</strong> the men, saying, 'He has obeyed them and<br />
disobeyed me. We do not know why we should lose our lives here, 0<br />
men.' So he returned with the waverers and doubters who followed him}<br />
and 'Abdullah b. 'Amr b. I:!aram, brother <strong>of</strong> the B. Salama, followed them,<br />
saying, 'a people, I adjure you by God not to abandon your people and<br />
your prophet when the enemy is at hand.' They replied, 'If we knew that<br />
you would fight we would not abandon you, but we do not think that there<br />
will be a battle.' So when they \vithstood him and persisted in withdrawing,<br />
he said, 'May God curse you, you enemies <strong>of</strong> God, for God will make His<br />
prophet independent <strong>of</strong> you.' Someone, not Ziyad,r from I\1uhammad b.<br />
Is1).aq from al-Zuhrl, said that on that day the An~ar said, '0 apostle, should<br />
we not ask help from our allies, the Jews?' He said, 'We have no need <strong>of</strong><br />
them.' Ziyad said <strong>Muhammad</strong> b. IsJ.1aq told me that the apostle went his<br />
way until he passed through the izarra <strong>of</strong> the B. I:!aritha and a horse<br />
swished its tail and it caught the pommel <strong>of</strong> a sword so that it came out <strong>of</strong><br />
its sheath (584). The apostle, who liked auguries, though he did not<br />
observe the flight <strong>of</strong> birds, said to the owner <strong>of</strong> the sword, 'Sheath your<br />
sword, for I can see that swords will be drawn today.'<br />
Then the apostle asked his companions whether anyone could take them<br />
near the Quraysh by a road which would not pass by them. Abu Khaythama,<br />
brother <strong>of</strong> B. I:!aritha b. al-I:!arith, undertook to do so, and he took<br />
him through the izarra <strong>of</strong> B. I:!aritha and their property until he came out<br />
in the territory <strong>of</strong> Mirba' b. Qay?[ who was a blind man, a disaffected<br />
person. When he perceived the approach <strong>of</strong> the apostle and his men he<br />
got up and threw dust in their faces saying, 'You may be the apostle <strong>of</strong><br />
560 God, but I \\'on't let you through my garden!' I was told that he took a<br />
handful <strong>of</strong> dust and said, 'By God, <strong>Muhammad</strong>, if I could be sure that I<br />
I<br />
Ziyad b. 'Abdullah al-Bakka'i.<br />
The <strong>Life</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Muhammad</strong><br />
should not hit someone else I would throw it in your face' Th 3~3<br />
~~7~~: 7~~1:~dki~~~:~t:nb~I~~e:r~I~~~.~ai~;,~~.~:y~Ilib~~~;:~~~;h~:<br />
hIt h U<br />
-Ash~alh rushed at hun before the apostle had forb'idden thIS and<br />
1m on t e ead WIth hIS bow so that he split it open<br />
The apostle went on untIl he came down the gorge <strong>of</strong> Uhud h h' h<br />
ground <strong>of</strong> the wadI towards the mountain. He put his c~m Ion tde 19<br />
towards Uhud and said 'L t f ,es an army<br />
Now Quraysh had let th~ir c:m~l~ne ~ h YoU fight untIl we give the word.'<br />
which were in al Shan orses loose to pasture In some crops<br />
W - . amg a, a part <strong>of</strong> Qanat belongmg to th M r<br />
hen the apostle had forbidden them to fi ht f h A _e. us ImS.<br />
the crops <strong>of</strong> the B Q I b gone 0 t e n$ar saId} 'Are<br />
The apostle d . h~y a to e grazed on WIthout our striking a blow?'<br />
rew up IS troops for battle abo t H .<br />
archers 'Abdullah b J b b h ' ' u 7°0 men. e put over the<br />
tinguished that da b u ayr rot er <strong>of</strong> B. 'Amr b. 'Auf who Was dishe<br />
said 'Kee th y Y hIS whIte garments. There were 50 archers and<br />
come' fP e hcavalry away from us \vith your arrows and let the~ not<br />
on us rom t e rear whether the b ttl<br />
us' and keep your I h a e goes III our favour or against<br />
The apostle then ~;~e so: at we cannot be got at from )our direction.'<br />
Mus'ab b 'u p b n two coats <strong>of</strong> mall and delIvered the standard to<br />
. . mayr, rother <strong>of</strong> B. 'Abdu'I-Dar (5 8 5).<br />
The Quraysh mustered their troo s ab<br />
'<br />
which they had led alon 'h pout 3,000 men WIth 200 horses 561<br />
commanded by KhalId ~ w;:wt~:';. ~helr cavalry on the left flank was<br />
Jah!. . a a I ,an on the nght by 'Ikrima b. Abu<br />
[M. The apostle wore two coats <strong>of</strong>mail on the day <strong>of</strong> L'hud d h k<br />
up a s\\tord and brandIshed '] 'v T e too 1\1.65<br />
right ~'I S It sayrng \ ho wIll take thIS sword WIth ItS<br />
Abu D ,_om~me_nk got up to take It but he WIthheld It from them untIl<br />
uJana Ima b. Kharasha brother <strong>of</strong> B S-' d<br />
[M. 'Umar got up t t k' : , . . a 1 a, got up to take it.<br />
prophet turned awa~ t e It, ~aymg} I WIll take it WIth its right,' but the<br />
the same words. T~enr~~~~~ :nbd ~r~ndIsh_ed it a second time using<br />
rejected and the two <strong>of</strong> th y. -hAwwam got up and he too was<br />
&<br />
' em were muc mortified Th Ab - D .<br />
c.] He asked 'Wh t" . h . en u UJana,<br />
'Th ',a IS ItS fIg t} 0 Apostle <strong>of</strong> God?' He ans\\ered<br />
thata~{:~~i:~~:;;'~~t~h~t:~i~~ih with it ~n~il it ~nds.' When he said<br />
a brave but conceited man in battI: ~~v; It'h 1m. a;' Abu DUja~a \vas<br />
turban <strong>of</strong> his, people knew that he was a \\ enever e put on thIS red<br />
sword from the apostle's ha ld [h b bout to fight. \\ hen he took the<br />
1 e egan to walk to the fight saymg: M. 65<br />
I'm the man who took the sword<br />
When 'Use it right' was the prophet's word<br />
For the sake <strong>of</strong> God, <strong>of</strong> all the Lord .<br />
Who doth to all their food afford.]<br />
And he began to strut up and down between the lines.<br />
t<br />
i.e. use it as it ought and deserves to be used.