Guillaume--Life of Muhammad.pdf - Radical Truth
Guillaume--Life of Muhammad.pdf - Radical Truth
Guillaume--Life of Muhammad.pdf - Radical Truth
Create successful ePaper yourself
Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.
134 The <strong>Life</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Muhammad</strong><br />
spirit which had got possession <strong>of</strong> him (they used to call the familiar spirit<br />
<strong>of</strong> the jinn ra'iy), then they would exhaust their means in finding medicine<br />
to cure him. The apostle replied that he had no such intention. He sought<br />
not money, nor honour, nor sovereignty, but God had sent him as an<br />
apostle, and revealed a book to him, and commanded him to become an<br />
announcer and a warner. He had brought them the messages <strong>of</strong> his Lord,<br />
and given them good advice. Ifthey took it then they would have a portion<br />
in this world and the next; ifthey rejected it, he could only patiently await<br />
the issue until God decided between them, or words to that effect. 'Well,<br />
<strong>Muhammad</strong>,' they said, 'if you won't accept any <strong>of</strong> our propositions, you<br />
know that no people are more short <strong>of</strong> land and water, and live a harder life<br />
than we, so ask your Lord, who has sent you, to remove for us these<br />
mountains which shut us in, and to straighten out our country for us, and<br />
to open up in it rivers like those <strong>of</strong> Syria and Iraq, and to resurrect for us<br />
our forefathers, and let there be among those that are resurrected for us<br />
QUl}ayy b. Kilab, for he was a true shaikh, so that we may ask them whether<br />
what you say is true or false. If they say you are speaking the truth, and<br />
you do what we have asked you, we will believe in you, and we shall know<br />
what your position with God is, and that He has actually sent you as an<br />
apostle as you say.' He replied that he had not been sent to them with such<br />
an object. He had conveyed to them God's message, and they could either<br />
189 accept it with advantage, or reject it and await God's judgement. They<br />
said that if he would not do that for them, let him do something for himself.<br />
Ask God to send an angel with him to confirm what he said and to contradict<br />
them; to make him gardens and castles, and treasures <strong>of</strong> gold and<br />
silver to satisfy his obvious wants. He stood in the streets as they did, and<br />
he sought a livelihood as they did. Ifhe could do this, they would recognize<br />
his merit and position with God, if he were an apostle as he claimed to be.<br />
He replied that he would not do it, and would not ask for such things, for<br />
he was not sent to do so, and he repeated what he had said before. They<br />
said, 'Then let the heavens be dropped on us in pieces,' as you assert that<br />
your Lord could do if He wished, for we will not believe you unless you<br />
do so.' The apostle replied that this was a matter for God; if He wanted to<br />
do it with them, He would do it. They said, 'Did not your Lord know that<br />
we would sit with you, and ask you these questions, so that He might come<br />
to you and instruct you how to answer us, and tell you what He wall going<br />
to do with us, if we did not receive your message? Information has reached<br />
us that you are taught by this fellow in al-Yamama, called al-Ral,1miin, and<br />
by God we will never believe in the Ral,lmiin. Our conscience is clear. By<br />
God, we will not leave you and our treatment <strong>of</strong> you, until either we<br />
destroy you or you destroy us.' Some said, 'We worship the angels, who<br />
are the daughters <strong>of</strong> Allah.' Others said, 'We will not believe in you until<br />
you come to us with God and the angels as a surety."<br />
When they said this the apostle got up and left them. 'Abdullah b. AbU<br />
I cr. Sura 17. 94.<br />
The <strong>Life</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Muhammad</strong> 135<br />
Umayya b. al-Mughira b. 'Abdullah b. 'Umar b. Makhzum (who was the<br />
son <strong>of</strong> his aunt 'Atika d. <strong>of</strong> 'Abdu'I-Munalib) got up with him and said to<br />
him, cO Muharrunad, your people have made you certain propositions<br />
which you have rejected; first they asked you things for themselves tha~<br />
they might know that your position with God is what you say it is so that<br />
they might believe in you and follow you, and you did nothing; then they<br />
asked you to take something for yourself, by which they might know your<br />
superiority over them and your standing with God, and you would not do '90<br />
it; then they asked you to hasten some <strong>of</strong> the punishment with which you<br />
were frightening them, and you did not do it', or words to that effect, 'and<br />
by God, I will never believe in you until you get a ladder to the sky, and<br />
mount up it until you come to it, while I am looking on, and until four<br />
angels shall come with you, testifying that you are speaking the truth, and<br />
by God, even if you did that I do not think I should believe you.' Then he<br />
went away, and the apostle went to his family, sad and grieving, because<br />
his hope that they had called him to accept his preaching was vain, and<br />
because <strong>of</strong> their estrangement from him. When the apostle had gone Abu<br />
Jahl spoke, making the usual charges against him, and saying, 'I call God<br />
to witness that I will wait for him tomorrow with a stone which I can<br />
hardly lift,' or words to that effect, 'and when he prostrates himself in<br />
prayer I will split his skull with it. Betray me or defend me, let the B.<br />
'Abdu Maniif do what they like after that.' They said that they would<br />
never betray him on any account, and he could carry on with his project.<br />
When morning came Abu Jahl took a stone and sat in wait for the apostle,<br />
who behaY-ed as usual that morning. While he was in Mecca he faced<br />
Syria in prayer, and when he prayed, he .prayed between the southern<br />
corner and the black stone, putting the Ka'ba between himself and Syria.<br />
The apostle rose to pray while Quraysh sat in their meeting, waiting for<br />
what Abu Jahl was to do. When the apostle prostrated himself, Abu Jahl<br />
took up the, stone and went towards him, until when he got near him, he<br />
turned back in flight, pale with terror, and his hand had withered upon the<br />
stone, so that he cast the stone from ·his hand. The Quraysh asked him<br />
what had happened, and he replied that when he got near him a camel's<br />
stallion got in his way. 'By God', he said, 'I have never seen anything like 191<br />
his head, shoulders, and teeth on any stallion before, and he made as<br />
though he would eat m~.'<br />
I was told that the apostle said, 'That was Gabriel. Ifhe had come near,<br />
he would have seized him.' .<br />
When Abu Jahl said that to them, aI-Na