Life-of-Muhammad

42Life of Muhammad saWhen they saw his party sitting under a tree, many ofthem took Abu Bakr ra for the Prophet sa . Abu Bakr ra ,though younger, had a greyer beard and was betterdressed than the Prophet sa . So they turned to him andsat in front of him, after showing him the obeisance dueto the Prophet sa . When Abu Bakr ra saw that he wasbeing mistaken for the Prophet sa , he rose, took hismantle and hung it against the sun and said, "Prophet saof God, you are in the sun. I make this shade for you"(Bukhari). With tact and courtesy he made plain tovisitors from Medina their error. The Prophet sa stoppedat Quba for ten days, after which the people of Medinatook him to their city. When he entered the town, hefound that all the people, men, women and children,had turned out to receive him. Among the songs theysang was:Moon of the fourteenth night has risen on us from behindal-Wida'. So long as we have in our midst one who calls usto God, it is incumbent upon us to tender our thanks toGod. To you who have been sent to us by God we presentour perfect obedience (Halbiyya).The Prophet sa did not enter Medina from the easternside. When the people of Medina described him as a"moon of the fourteenth night", they meant that theywere living in the dark before the Prophet sa came to shedhis light upon them. It was a Monday when theProphet sa entered Medina. It was a Monday when he leftthe cave Thaur and, strange as it may seem, it was aMonday on which he took Mecca about ten years later.ABU AYYUB ANSARI ra AS PROPHET'S sa HOSTWhile the Prophet sa was in Medina, everybody longedto have the honour of being his host. As his camelpassed through a lane, families would line up to receivehim. With one voice they would say, "Here we are withour homes, our property and our lives to receive you andto offer our protection to you. Come and live with us."