Guillaume--Life of Muhammad.pdf - Radical Truth

1011
1012
682 The Life of Muhammad The Lrfe of Muhammad 683
behave thus unless the apostle had come, so he withdrew from his place;
but the apostle pushed him in the back, saying, 'Lead the men in prayer,'
and the apostle sat at his side praying in a sitting posture on the right of
Abu Bakr. When he had ended prayer he turned to the men and spoke
to them with a loud voice ,vhich could be heard outside the mosque:
'0 men, the fire is kindled, and rebellions come like the darkness of the
night. By God, you can lay nothing to my charge. I allow only what the
Quran allows and forbid only what the Quran forbids.'
When he had ended these words Abu Bakr said to him: '0 prophet
of God, I see that this morning you enjoy the favour and goodness of God
as we desire; today is the day of Bint Kharija. May I go to her l' The
apostle agreed and went indoors and Abu Bakr went to his wife in aI-Sun\>.
AI-Zuhri said, and'Abdullah b. Kab b. Malik from'Abdullah b. 'Abbas
told me: That day 'Ali went out from the apostle and the men asked him
how the apostle was and he replied that thanks be to God he had recovered.
'Abbas took him by the hand and said, "Ali, three nights hence you will be
a slave. I swear by God that I recognized death in the apostle's face as I
used to recognize it in the faces of the sons of 'Abdu'l-Mullalib. So let
us go to the apostle; if authority is to be with us, we shall know it, and if it
is to be with others we will request him to enjoin the people to treat us
well.' 'Ali answered: 'By God, I will not. If it is withheld from us none
after him will give it to us.' The apostle died with the heat of noon that day.
Ya'qub b. 'Utba from al-Zuhri from 'Urwa from '.~'isha said: The
apostle came back to me from the mosque that day and lay in my bosom.
A man of Abu Bakr's family came in to me with a toothpick in his hand
and the apostle looked at it in such a way that I knew he wanted it, and
when I asked him if he wanted me to give it him he said Yes; so I took it
and chewed it for him to soften it and gave it to him. He rubbed his teeth
with it more energetically than I had ever seen him rub before; then he
laid it down. I found him heavy in my bosom and as I looked into his
face, 10 his eyes were fixed and he was saying, 'Nay, the most Exalted Companion
is of paradise.' I said, 'You were given the choice and you have
chosen, by Him Who sent you with the truth!' Andso the apostle was taken.
Ya\>ya b. 'Abbad b. 'Abdullah b. al-Zubayr from his father told me
that he heard 'A'isha say: The apostle died in my bosom during my turn:
I had wronged none in regard to him. It was due to my ignorance and
extreme youth that the apostle died in my arms. Then I laid his head on a
pillow and got up beating my breast and slapping my face along with the
other women.
Al-Zuhri said, and Said b. al-Musayyib from Abu Hurayra told me:
When the apostle was dead 'Umar got up and said: 'Some of the disaffected
will allege that the- apostle is dead, but by God he is not dead: he
has gone to his Lord as Moses b. 'Imran went and was hidden from his
people for forty days, returning to them after it was said that he had died.
By God, the apostle will return as Moses returned and will cut off the
hands and feet of men who allege that the apostle is dead.' When Abu
Bakr heard what was happening he came to the door of the mosque as
'Vmar was speaking to the people. He paid no attention but went in to
'A.'isha's house to the apostle, who was lying covered by a mantle of
Yamani cloth. He went and uncovered his face and kissed him, saying,
'You are dearer than my father and mother. You have tasted the death
which God had decreed: a second death will never overtake you.' Then he
replaced the mantle on the apostle's face and went out. 'Vmar was still
speaking and he said, 'Gently, 'Umar, be quiet.' But 'Umar refused and
went on talking, and \vhen Abu Bakr saw that he \vQuld not be silent he
went forward to the people who, when they heard his \vords, came to him
and left 'Umar. Giving thanks and praise to God he said: '0 men, if
anyone worships Muhammad, I\1uhammad is dead: if anyone worships
God, God is alive, immortal.' Then he recited this verse: 'l\luhammad is
nothing but an apostle. Apostles have passed away before him. Can it
be that if he were to die or be killed you would turn back on your heels?
He who turns back does no harm to God and God will reward the gratefuL"
By God, it was as though the people did not know that this verse (To
concerning the apostle) had come down until Abu Bakr recited it that day.
The people took it from him and it was (constantly) in their mouths.
'Vmar said, 'By God, when I heard Abu Bakr recite these words I \vas
dumbfounded so that my legs would not bear me and I fell to the ground
knowing that the apostle was indeed dead.'
THE MEETING IN THE HALL OF B.
SirIDA
When the apostle was taken this clan of the An~ar gathered round Sad
b. 'Ubada in the hall of B. Sa'ida, and 'Ali and al-Zubayr b. al-'Awwam
and Tal\>a b. 'Ubaydullah separated themselves in Fa\ima's house while
the rest of the Muhajirin gathered round Abu Bakr accompaniep by
Usayd b. 1:Iu