Life-of-Muhammad

Life of Muhammad sa 175became brisk, Shaiba ra drew his sword and startedadvancing towards the Prophet sa . As he came very near,he became unnerved. His determination began to shake."When I got very near the Prophet sa ," says Shaiba ra , "Iseemed to see a flame threatening to consume me. Ithen heard the voice of the Prophet sa saying, 'Shaiba ra ,come near me.' When I got near, the Prophet sa moved hishand over my chest in great affection. As he did so, hesaid, 'God, relieve Shaiba ra of all satanic thought'." Withthis little touch of affection Shaiba ra changed. Hishostility and enmity evaporated, and from that momentShaiba ra held the Prophet sa dearer than anything else inthe world. As Shaiba ra changed, the Prophet sa invitedhim to come forward and fight. "At that moment," saysShaiba ra , "I had but one thought, and that was to die forthe sake of the Prophet sa . Even if my father had comemy way, I would have hesitated not a moment to thrustmy sword in his chest" (Halbiyya).The Prophet sa then marched towards Ta’if, the townwhich had stoned him and driven him out. TheProphet sa besieged the town, but accepting thesuggestion of some friends abandoned the siege. Later,the people of Ta’if joined Islam voluntarily.THE PROPHET sa DISTRIBUTES BOOTYAfter the conquest of Mecca and the victory ofHunain, the Prophet sa was faced with the task ofdistributing the money and property paid as ransom orabandoned in the battlefield by the enemy. If customhad been followed, this money and property should havebeen distributed among the Muslim soldiers who tookpart in these encounters. But on this occasion, insteadof distributing it among the Muslims, the Prophet sadistributed it among the Meccans and the people wholived round about Mecca. These people had yet to showan inclination towards the Faith. Many were professeddeniers. Those who had declared their faith were yet