Life-of-Muhammad

66Life of Muhammad sait would expose the Prophet's sa face to the volley ofenemy arrows." The few men who were left with theProphet sa could not have stood the army which theyfaced. A party of the enemy advanced forward andpushed them off. The Prophet sa then stood alone like awall, and soon a stone struck his forehead and made adeep gash in it. Another blow drove the rings of hishelmet into his cheeks. When the arrows were fallingthick and fast and the Prophet sa was wounded heprayed, "My God, forgive my people for they know notwhat they are doing" (Muslim). The Prophet sa fell on thedead, the dead who had lost their lives in his defence.Other Muslims came forward to defend the Prophet safrom more attacks. They also fell dead. The Prophet sa layunconscious among these dead bodies. When the enemysaw this, they took him for dead. They withdrew in thecertainty of victory, and proceeded to line up again.Among the Muslims who had been defending theProphet sa and who had been pushed by the avalanche ofenemy forces, was ‘Umar ra . The battlefield had nowcleared. ‘Umar ra who saw this, became certain that theProphet sa was dead. ‘Umar ra was a brave man. Heproved it again and again; best of all, in fightingsimultaneously the great Empires of Rome and Iran. Hewas never known to blench under difficulties. This‘Umar ra sat on a stone with drooping spirits, crying likea child. In the meantime another Muslim, Anas binNadr ra by name, came wandering along in the belief thatthe Muslims had won. He had seen them overpower theenemy but, having had nothing to eat since the nightbefore, had withdrawn from the battlefield, with somedates in his hand. As soon as he saw ‘Umar ra crying, hestood amazed and asked, ''‘Umar ra , what is the matterwith you that instead of rejoicing over a magnificentvictory won by the Muslims, you are crying?''‘Umar ra replied, "Anas ra , you do not know what hashappened. You only saw the first part of the battle. Youdo not know that the enemy captured the strategic pointon the hill and attacked us fiercely. The Muslims had