Guillaume--Life of Muhammad.pdf - Radical Truth

The Life of Muhammad
'Twill never fail or ever run dry,
'Twill water the pilgrim company
Like an ostrich flock a fraternity,
Their voice God hears most graciously.
A pact most sure from days gone hy
Nought like it canst thou descry,
It lies 'twixt the dung and the flesh bloody (J09).'
94 It is alleged that when this was said to him and he inquired where Zamzam
was, he was told that it was by the ants' nest where the raven will peck
tomorrow, but God knows how true this is. The next day 'Abdu'l Mullalib
with his son al-l;Iarith, who at that time was his only sao, went and
found the ants' nest and the raven pecking beside it between the two idols
Isaf and Na'ila at which Quraysh used to slaughter their sacrifices. He
brought a pick-axe and began to dig where he had been commanded.
Quraysh seeing him at work came up and refused to allow him to dig
between their two idols where they sacrificed. 'Abdu'I-Mullalib then told
his son to stand by and protect him while he dug, for he was determined
to carry out what he had been commanded to do. When they saw that he
was not going to stop work they left him severely alone. He had not dug
deeply before the stone top of the well appeared and he gave thanks to
God knowing that he had been rightly informed. As digging went further,
he found the two gazelles of gold which Jurhum had buried there when
they left Mecca. He also found some swords and coats of mail from Qal'a.'
Quraysh claimed that they had a right to share in this find. 'Abdu'l­
MUllalib denied this, but was willing to submit the matter to the sacred
lot. He said that he would make two arrows for the Ka'ba, two for them,
and two for himself. The two arrows which came out from the quiver
would determine to whom the property belonged. This was agreed, and
accordingly he made two yellow arrows for the Ka'ba, two black ones for
himself, and two white ones for Quraysh. They were then given to the
priest in charge of the divinatory arrows, which were thrown beside Hubal.
(Hubal was an image in the middle of the Ka'ba, indeed the greatest of
their images. It is that referred to by Abu Sufyan ibn !:Iarb at the battle of
Uhud when he cried 'Arise Hubal', i.e. IVlake your religion victorious!)
'Abdu'I-Munalib began to pray to God, and when the priest threw the
arrows the two yellow ones for the gazelles carne out in favour of the Ka'ba.
The two black ones allotted the swords and coats of mail to 'Abdu'l­
MUllalih, and the two arrows of Quraysh remained behind. 'Abdu'l­
MUllalib made the swords into a door for the Ka'ba and overlaid the door
with the gold of the gazelles. This was the first goldt;],!, ornament of the
Ka'ba, at any rate so they allege. Then 'Abdu'I-Munalib took charge of
the supply of Zamzam water to the pilgrims.
1 As these lines are in part identical with those mentioned above, clearly this is a rival
account of the vision.
2 A mountain in Syria, though other sites have been suggested. See Yliqu t.
The Life of ]1,luhammad
WELLS BELONGI'iG TO THE CLANS OF QURAYSH IN
MECCA
Before the digging of Zamzam Quraysh had akeady dug wells in Mecca 95
accordmg to what Ziyad b. 'Abdullah al-Bakka'1 told me from Muhammad
b. Isl;!aq., He said that 'Abdu Shams b. 'Abdu Mana[ dug al-Tawiy which
IS a well ~~ the u~per part of l\1ecca near al-BaY95.', the house of Muhammad
b. Yusuf al- fhaqafi.
Hashim b. 'Abdu Mana[ dug Badhdhar which is near al-Mustandhar, a
spur of Mount al-Khandama at the mouth of the pass of Abu Talib. They
allege that when he had dug It he said: '1 will make it a means of subsistence
for the people' (110).
!'fe' dug Sajl~ which is a well belonging to al-Murim b. 'Adiy b. Naufal
b. Ab~u Manaf whIch IS stdl used today. The B. Naufal allege that
al-Mut 1m bought It from Asad b. !:Iashim, while B. Hashim allege that
he gave it to him when Zamzam ,vas uncovered and people had no further
use for the other wells.
, Um~Yra b. 'Abdu Shams dug al-!:Iafr for himself. The B. Asad b.
Abdu 1- Uzza dug Suqayya' which belongs to them. The B. 'Abdu'l-Dar
dug Umm Al;!rad. The B. Jumal;! dug al-Sunbula which belongs to Khalaf
b. Wahb. The B. Sahm dug al-Chamr which belongs to them.
Th~re were ~o~e old wells outside Mecca dating from the time of Murra
b. Ka band KIlab b. Murra from which the first princes of Quraysh used
to dr~w wate:, namely Rumm and Khumm. Rumm was dug by Murra
b. Ka b b. Lu ayy, and Khumm by B. Kilab b. Murra, and so was al-Hafr.'
Ther~ IS an old poem of!:Iudhayfa b. Ghanim, brother of B. 'Adiy b. 'Ka'b
b. Lu ayy (IJ I), which runs:
In the good old days we were long satisfied
To get our water from Khumm or al-I:Iafr.
Zamzam utterly eclipsed the other wells from which the pilgrims used 96
to get theIr water, and people Went to it because it was in the sacred enclosure
and because its water was superior to any other; and, too, because it
was the well of Isma'il b. Ibrahim. Because of it B. 'Abdu Mana[ behaved
boastfully towards Quraysh and all other Arabs.
~ere are sor:re linesof Musafir b. Abu 'Amr b. Umayya b. 'Abdu Shams
b. AbduManaf b~astlUgover Quraysh that they held the right of watering
and feedlllg the pdgnms, and that they discovered Zamzam, and that B.
,I The editor has bee? untidy here. Commentators point out that Hashim did not dig
thi:ls we~I, and ~l-?u~~~h quotes a poem beginning 'I am Qu~ayy and I dug Sajla'.
Neither Yaqut (m. 105 ~~d 305) 'nor the ancients knew whether the well was called
Su,qayya o~
Shufayya.. Azr. II. In names only Shufayya.
It has Just been said that Umayya ?'. '~bdu Shams dug al·l;Iafr. Yiiqut says 'l;Iafr ...
b.eJongs to B: Taym b, Murra ... al-l;Iazlml spelt it 1afr.' This may account for the inconsistency,
as It seems that there were two wells, !;faCr and Jafr, in Mecca.
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