Life-of-Muhammad

Life of Muhammad sa 211you may talk to Thabit bin Qais bin Shams ra , who willact as my representative." He then returned. AbuHuraira ra was also with him. Somebody inquired of theProphet sa what he meant by saying that God would dealout to Musailima what had been revealed to him. TheHoly Prophet sa replied: "I saw in a dream two braceletsround my wrists which I disliked. While still in mydream I was directed by God to blow upon the bracelets.When I blew upon them, both of them disappeared. Iinterpreted this to mean that two false claimants (toprophethood) would appear after me" (Bukhari, KitabulMaghazi). This incident occurred towards the end of theHoly Prophet's sa life. The last and the largest of the Arabtribes who had not yet accepted him was prepared tomake its submission and the only condition put forwardby it was that the Holy Prophet sa should appoint its chiefas his successor. Had the Prophet sa been actuated evenremotely by any personal motives, nothing stood in theway of his securing the unity of the whole of Arabia bypromising his succession to the chief of the largest tribeof Arabia. The Holy Prophet sa had no son of his own andno dynastic ambition could have stood in the way ofsuch an arrangement, but he never regarded even thesmallest thing as belonging to him and as being at hisabsolute disposal. He could, therefore, not deal with theleadership of Muslims as if it were in his gift. Heregarded it as a sacred divine trust and believed thatGod would bestow it upon whomsoever He thought fit.He therefore rejected Musailima's offer with contempt,and told him that, let alone the leadership of Muslims,he was not prepared to bestow upon him even a drypalm twig.Whenever he referred to or discoursed about God, itappeared to onlookers as if his whole being was in thegrip of a passion of love for and devotion to God.He always insisted upon simplicity in divine worship.The mosque, that he built in Medina and in which healways led prayers, had only a mud floor which wasinnocent of all covering or matting and the roof, which