Guillaume--Life of Muhammad.pdf - Radical Truth

400 The LIfe of ]\!Iuhammad
God says: 'Rejoicing in the favour and bounty of God and that God does
not waste the wages of the believers' because they have seen the fulfilment
of the promise and the great reward.
Ismii'il b. Umayya told me from Abu'l-Zubayr from Ibn 'Abbas: The
apostle said when your brethren \vere slain at U1)ud, 'God has put their
spirits in the crops of green birds which come down to the rivers of the
Garden; they eat of its fruits and come home to where there are golden
605 candlesticks in the shadow of the throne; and \vhen they experience the
goodly drink and food and their beautiful resting-place they say: Would
that our brethren knew what God has done with us that they might not
dislike fighting and shrink from war!' And God says 'I will tell them of
you' so He sent down to His apostle these verses 'And do not think,' &c.
AI-I:larith b. al-Fue,layLtold me from Mal,1mud b. Labid al-An~ari from
Ibn 'Abbas: The martyrs are at Bariq, a river at the gate of the Garden, in
a green tent, their provision from the Garden coming out to them morning
and evening.
One whom I do not suspect told me from 'Abdullah b.-Mas·iid that he
was asked about these verses 'Do not think', &c., and he said, V\,re asked
about them arid \ve were told that when your brethren \vere slain at UI;lUd
God put their spirits in the crops of green birds whjch come down to the
rivers of the Garden and eat of its fruits and come home to \vhere there are
golden candlesticks in the shade of the throne and God takes one look at
them and says,-'O My servants, "Vhat do you wish that I should give you
more?' And they say, '0 our Lord, there is nothing beyond the Garden
which T'hou hast given us from \vhich we eat \vhen we please.' After the
question has been put three times they say the same, adding, 'except that
we should like our spirits to return to our bodies and then return to the
earth and fight for Thee until we are killed again.'
One of our companions told me from 'Abdullah b. Muhammad b. 'Aqil
from Jiibir b. 'Abdullah: The apostle said to me, 'I will give yOll good
news, Jabir. God has restored to life your father who was killed at Ul,1ud.'
Then He asked him what he would like Him to do for him and he said
that he would like to retum to the world and fight for Him and be killed
a second time.
606 'Amr b. 'Ubayd told me from al-Basan that the apostle swore that there
was no believer who had parted from the world and wanted to return to it
for a single hour even if he could possess it with all it has except the
martyr who \vould like to return and fight for God and be killed a second
time.
Then God said, 'Those ·who responded to God and His apostle after
harm had befallen them,' i.e. wounds. They arc the believers who went
with the apostle on the morrow of UJ:1ud to I;Iamra'u'I-Asad in spite of the
pain of their wounds, 'for those of them who do well and are pious there is
a great reward; those to whom men said: The men (of Mecca) have
gathered against you so fear them, and that but increased their faith and
The Life ofMuhammad 4 01
they said, AlIah is sufficient for us and a fine one in whom to trust.' The
men who said that were a number of 'Abdu'I-Qays to whom Abu Sufyiin
spoke. They said: 'Abu Sufyan and his company are certainly coming back
t~ you.' God says, 'So they returned with God's grace ahd favour. Harm
did not, befall them and they followed God's pleasure and God is of great
bounty In that He turned away their enemy so that they did not meet
him. 'It is only the devil,' i.e. those men and what Satan put into their
mouths, ',:ho would make men fear his adherents,' i.e. frighten you by
means of hIS adherents. 'But fear them not and fear Me if you are believers.
L:t no; those w~o vie i~ ru~~ing to disbelief grieve you,' i.e. the hypo~
cnte.s, t?ey can In no WIse Injure God. God wills not to assign them a
portlOn m the next world where they will have a painful punishment,
Those who buy infidelity with faith will in no wise injure God: they will
have a pamful pumshment. Let not those who disbelieve think that the
respite W ~ give th~m is good for them. We give them a respite only that
they may Increase m trespass. Theirs is an ignominious punishment. It
is not God's purpose to leave the believers as you are till He shall separate
the evil from the good,' i.e. the hypocrites. 'And it is not God's purpose to
let you know the unseen,' i.e. what He wills to try you with that you may
take heed of what comes to you. 'But God chooses whom He will of His
messengers,' i.e. He lets him know that 'So believe in God and His
messengers and if you believe and are pious,' i.e. return and repent 'then
you will have a great reward.'
THE NAMES OF THE MUSLIMS WHO WERE MARTYRED 607
AT UI;lUD
The Muslims who were martyred at Ul,1ud in the company of the apostle
were as follows:
Emigrants from Quraysh: of the B. Hashim: Hamza whom Wahshi the
slave ofJubayr b. Mut'im killed. Of B. Umayya b. 'Abdu Shams: ;Abdullah
b. Jal,1sh, an ally from B. Asad b. Khuzayma. Of B. 'Abdul'l-Dar:
Mu~'ab b. 'Umayr whom Ibn Qami'a al-Laythi killed. Of B. Makhzum
b. Yaqa?a: Shammas b. 'Uthman. Total4.
Of the An~ar: of B. 'Abdu'I-Ashhal: 'Amr b. lIfu'adh; al-Barith b.
Anas b: Rafi'; and 'Umara b. Ziyad b. al-Sakan (625); Salama b. Thiibit b.
Waqsh and 'Amr his brother ('A~im b. 'Umar b. Qatada asserted to me
that their father Thabit was killed that day); and Rifa'a b. Waqsh; and
Busayl b. Jabir Abu Budhayfa who was al-Yaman (the YIuslims killed him
unwittingly andJ::Iudhayfa forewent his blood-wit incumbent on the
slayer); and :;>ayfi and BaMb sons of Qani; and 'Abbad b. Sah]; and aI­
Barith b. Aus b. Mu'adh. Total12.
Of the men of Ratij:' Iyas b. Aus b. 'Auk b. 'Amr b. 'Abdu'I-A'lam b.
B 4080
lOne of the forts in Medina.
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