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