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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502 The <strong>Life</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Muhammad</strong><br />
Then they sent to him al-l:Iulays b. 'Alqama or Ibn Zabbiin, who was at<br />
that time chief <strong>of</strong> the black troops, being one <strong>of</strong> B. al-l:Iarith b. 'Abdu<br />
Manat b. Kinana. \Vhen he saw him the apostle said, 'This is one <strong>of</strong> the<br />
devout people, so send the sacrificial animals to meet him sO that he can<br />
see them! When he saw them going past him from the side <strong>of</strong> the wadi with<br />
their festive collars round their necks and how they had eaten their hair l<br />
because they had been so long kept back from the place <strong>of</strong> sacrifice, he<br />
went back to Quraysh and did not come to the apostle, so greatly was he<br />
impressed by what he had seen. When he told them that, they said, 'Sit<br />
down ! You are only a Bedouin, utterly ignorant.'<br />
'Abdullah b. Abu Bakr told me that this enraged al-l:Iulays, who said:<br />
'You men <strong>of</strong> Quraysh, it was not for this that we made an alliance and<br />
agreement with you. Is a man who comes to do honour to God's house to<br />
be excluded from it? By him who holds my life in his hand, either you let<br />
<strong>Muhammad</strong> do what he has come to do or I shall take away the black troops<br />
to the last man.' They said, 'Be quiet, I:Iulays! until we obtain for ourselves<br />
acceptable terms.'<br />
In his narrative al-Zuhri said: Then they sent 'Vrwa b. Mas'ud al<br />
Thaqafi to the apostle and he said: 'You men <strong>of</strong> Quraysh, I have seen the<br />
744 harshness and rude words with which you have received those you sent to<br />
<strong>Muhammad</strong> when they returned to you. You know that you are the father<br />
and I am the son-for 'Vrwa was the son <strong>of</strong> Subay'a d. 'Abdu Shams-I<br />
heard <strong>of</strong> what befell you and I collected those <strong>of</strong> my people who obeyed<br />
me; then I came to you to help you.' They agreed and said that they<br />
did not suspect him. So he came to the apostle and sat before him and said:<br />
'<strong>Muhammad</strong>, have you collected a mixed people together and then brought<br />
them to your own people to destroy them? Quraysh have come out with<br />
their milch-camels 2 clad in leopard skins swearing that you shall never<br />
enter Mecca by force. By God I think I see you deserted by these people<br />
(here) tomorrow.' Now Abu Bakr was sitting behind the apostle and he<br />
said, 'Suck al-Lat's nipples! Should we desert him?' He asked who had<br />
spoken, and when he heard it was Ibn Abu Qul,lafa he said, 'By Allah, did<br />
I not owe you a favour 1 would pay you back for that, but now we are<br />
quits.' Then he began to take hold <strong>of</strong> the apostle's beard as he talked to<br />
him. AI-Mughira b. Shu'ba was standing by the apostle's head clad in<br />
mail and he began to hit his hand as he held the apostle's beard saying,<br />
'Take your hand away from the apostle's face before you lose it.' 'Vrwa<br />
said, 'Confound you, how rough and rude you are!' The apostle smiled<br />
and when 'Vrwa asked who the man was he told him that it was his<br />
brother's son, al-l\1ughira b. Shu'ba and he said, '0 wretch, it was only<br />
yesterday that I washed your dirty parts!' (750).<br />
The apostle told him what he had told the others, namely that he had<br />
not come out for war. He got up from the apostle's presence having seen<br />
I It is just possible that aubJr is the pI. <strong>of</strong> wibJr, a bitter salty herb with thorns (btimi(ja).<br />
In that case it would support the rendering <strong>of</strong> I;Iamt;i on p. 741. :z v.s.<br />
The <strong>Life</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Muhammad</strong> 503<br />
how his companions treated him. \Vhenever he performed his ablutions<br />
t~ey ran to get the \vater he had used; if he spat they ran to it; if a hair <strong>of</strong> 745<br />
hIs head fell they ran to pick it up. So he returned to Quraysh and said<br />
'I have been to Chosroes in his kingdom, and Caesar in his kingdom and<br />
t~e Negus in his kingdom, but never have 1 seen a king among a people<br />
lIke <strong>Muhammad</strong> among his companions. I have seen a people who will<br />
never ab~n.do~ him for any reason, so form your own opinion.'<br />
A tradltlOnIst told me that the apostle called Khirash b. Umayya al<br />
Khuza'i and sent him to Quraysh in l\1ecca, mounting him on one <strong>of</strong> his<br />
camels called al-Tha'iab to tell their chiefs from him what he had come<br />
for. They hamstrung the apostle's camel and wanted to kill the man but<br />
the black troops protected him and let him go his way so that he ~ame<br />
back to the apostle.<br />
One whom I do not suspect from 'Ikrima client <strong>of</strong> Ibn 'Abbas from the<br />
latter told me that Quraysh had sent forty or fifty men with "rders to<br />
surround the apostle's camp and get hold <strong>of</strong> one <strong>of</strong> his companions for<br />
them, but they were caught and brought to the apostle, who forgave them<br />
and let them go their way. They had attacked the camp with stones and<br />
arrows. Then he called 'Umar to send him to l\lecca with the same message,<br />
but 'Vmar told him that he feared for his life with Quraysh, because<br />
there were none <strong>of</strong> B. 'Adiy b. Ka'b in Mecca to protect him, and Quraysh<br />
knew <strong>of</strong> his enmity and his rough treatment <strong>of</strong> them. He recommended<br />
that a man more prized there than himself should be sent, namely 'Uthman.<br />
The apostle summoned 'Vthman and sent him to AbU Sufyan and the<br />
chiefs <strong>of</strong> Quraysh to tell them that he had not come for war but merely to<br />
VISIt the house and to venerate its sanctity.<br />
As 'Uthman entered or was about to enter Mecca Aban b. Sa'id b. 31-<br />
'~~ met ~im and carried him in front <strong>of</strong> him. Then he gave him his protectIOn<br />
untIl he could convey the apostle's message to them. Having heard<br />
what 'Vthman had to say, they said: 'If you want to go round the temple, 746<br />
go round it.' He said that he could nat do so until <strong>Muhammad</strong> did so and<br />
Quraysh kept him a prisoner with them. The apostle and the Mu~lims<br />
were informed that 'Vthman had been killed.<br />
THE WILLING HOMAGE<br />
'Abdullah b. Abu Bakr told me that when the apostle heard that 'Vthmiin<br />
had been killed he said that they would not leave until they fought the<br />
enemy,. an~ he summoned the men to give their undertaking. The pledge<br />
<strong>of</strong> al-RI