Guillaume--Life of Muhammad.pdf - Radical Truth

620 The Life of Muhammad The Life of Muhammad 621
those who tend God's sanctuaries means tend them as they ought to be
tended 'who believes in God and the last day and performs prayer and pays
the poor tax and fears only God,' i.e. those are its tenders, 'perhaps those
may be the rightly guided.' 'Perhaps' coming from God means a fact. Then
he said: 'Wouldyou make the watering of the pilgrims and the tending ofthe
sacred mosque equal to one who believes in God and the last day and
fights in the way of God? They are not equal with God.'
Then comes the story of their enemy until he arrives at the mention of
I:J:unayn and what happened there and their turning back from their
enemy and how God sent down help after they had abandoned one
another. Then He said (v. 28): 'The polytheists are nothing but unclean,
so let them not approach the sacred mosque after this year of theirs, and if
you fear poverty' that was because the people said 'the markets will be cut
off from us, trade will be destroyed, and we shall lose the good things we
used to enjoy,' and God said, 'If you fear poverty God will enrich you
from His bounty,' i.e. in some other way, 'if He will. He is knowing, wise.
Fight those who do not believe in God and the last day and forbid not that
which God and His apostle have forbidden and follow not the religion of
truth from among those who have been given the scripture until they pay...
the poll tax out of hand being humbled,' i.e. as a compensation for what you
fear to lose by the closing of the markets. God gave them compens:ltion
for what He cut off from them in their former polytheism by what He gave
them by way of poll tax from the people of scripture.
Then He mentioned the two peoples of scripture with their evil and their
lies against Him until the words 'Many of the rabbis and monks devour
men's wealth wickedly and turn men from the way of God. Those who
hoard up gold and silver and do not spend it in the way of God, announce
to them a painful punishment.'
Then He mentioned the fixing of the sacred months and the innovations
of the Arabs in the matter. Nasi' means making profane months which
God has· declared holy and vice versa. 'The number of the months with
God is twelve in the book of God on the day He created heaven and earth.
Four of them are sacred; that is the standing religion, so wrong not yourselves
therein,' i.e. do not make the sacred profane or the profane sacred
as the polytheists did. 'Postponement (of a sacred month)' which they
used to practise 'is excess of infidelity whereby those who disbelieve are
misled; they allow it one year and forbid it another year that they may
make up the number of the months which God has made sacred so that
they allow that which God has forbidden, the evil of their deeds seeming
good to them. But God does not guide a disbelieving people.'
Then He mentioned Tablik and how the Muslims were weighed down
by it and exaggerated the difficulty of attacking the Byzantines when the
apostle called them to fight them; and the disaffection of some; then how
the apostle upbraided them for their behaviour in Islam. God said, '0 you
who believe, what was the matter with you that when it ,was said to you,
Go forth in the way of God you were weighed down to the earth' then as
far as His words'He will punish you with a painful punishment and choose
a people other than you' to the words 'if you do not help him still God
helped him when those who disbelieve drove him out the second of two
when the twain were in the cave.'
Then He said to His prophet, mentioning the disaffected: 'Had it been
a near adventure and a short journey they would have followed yOll, but
the long distance weighed upon them. And they will swear by God, Had
we been able we would have set forth with you. They destroy themselves,
God knowing that they are liars,' i.e. that they were able. 'May God forgive
you. Why did you give them leave (to stay behind) before those who told
the truth were plain to you and you knew the liars?' as far as the words
'Had they gone forth with you they would have contributed naught but
trouble and have hurried about among you seeking to cause sedition among
you there being among you some who would have listened to them' (871).
Among the men of high standing who asked his permission (to stay behind)
according to my information were 'Abdullah b. Ubayy b. Sallil and
al-Jadd b. Qays. They were nobles among their people and God kept them 925
back because He knew that if they went forth with him they would cause
disorder in his army, for in the army were men who loved them and would
obey them in anything they asked because of their high standing among
them. God said: 'And among them are some who would have listened to
them and God knows about the evil-doers. In the past they sought to
caus~ sedition,' i.e. before they asked your permission, 'and overturned
your affairs, I i.e. to draw away your companions from you and to frustrate
your affair 'until the truth came and God's command became manifest
though they were averse'. Of them is he who said, Give me permission
(to stay behind) and tempt me not. Have they not fallen into temptation
already?' The one who said that according to what we were told was al­
Jadd b. Qays, brother of B. Salima, when the apostle called him to war
with the Byzantines. Then the account goes on to the words'If they were
to find a refuge or caverns Or a place to enter they would have turned to it
with all speed. And of them is he who defamed you in the matter of alms.
If they are given some they are content; but if they are not given some they
are enraged,' i.e. their whole aim, their satisfaction, and their anger, are
concerned with their worldly life.
Then He explained and specified to whom alms should be given: 'Alms
are only for the poor and needy and the collectors of it and for those whose
hearts are to be won, and to free captives and debtors, and for the way of
God and for the wayfarer as an ordinance from God and God is knowing,
wise.'
Then He mentioned their duplicity and their vexing the apostle and
said: 'And of them are those who vex the prophet and say, He is an ear.
Say: an ear of good for you, who believes in God and is faithful to the
believers and a mercy for those of you who believe. There is a painful