VOL 6.7

The Messenger of God Preaches to the Arab Tribes

The Messenger of God used to appear at the times of pilgrimage

before the Arab tribes, summoning them to God, informing them

that he himself was a prophet sent by God, and asking them to

believe his words and defend him so that he might make manifest

the message from God he had been sent to convey.

Ibn Humayd— Salamah— Muhammad b. Ishaq— Husayn b. 'Abdallah

b. 'Ubaydallah b. 'Abbas : 195 1 heard Rabi'ah b. 'Abbad telling

my father: "I was in Mina with my father when I was a young man

while the Messenger of God was stopping at the encampments of

the Arab tribes and saying, Banu so-and-so, I am God's Messenger

to you, commanding you to worship God and not to associate

anything with Him, to cast off whatever idols you worship other

than Him, to believe in me, and the truth of my message, and to

defend me so that I may make manifest the message of God I have

been sent to convey".

Behind him was a freshly washed man with a squint, with two

locks of hair, wearing an 'AdanI robe. When the Messenger of

God had completed his speech and his appeal, the man would say,

"Banu so-and-so, this man is calling upon you to cast off al-Lat and

[1205] al-TJzza from your necks, both you and your confederates from

the jinn of the Banu Malik b. Uqaysh, and to accept the heresy

and the error which he has brought; so do not obey him and do

not listen to him." I said to my father, "Father, who is that man

who is following Muhammad and contradicting what he says?"

He answered, "That is his uncle, 'Abd al-'Uzza Abu Lahab b. 'Abd

al-Muttalib."

Ibn Humayd — Salamah — Muhammad b. Ishaq — Muhammad b.

Muslim b. Shihab al-Zuhri: The Messenger of God went to the

Kindah — among whom was one of their chiefs called Mulayh —

195. From here to p. 1224 Tabari follows Ibn Hisham, Sirah, 282-301, with some

omissions.

Other Events up to the Hijrah

121

in their encampments, and summoned them to God and offered

himself to them, but they refused him.

Ibn Humayd— Salamah — Muhammad b. Ishaq — Muhammad b.

'Abd al-Rahman b. 'Abdallah b. Husayn: He went to a clan of

Kalb called the Banu 'Abdallah in their encampments, summoned

them to God and offered himself to them, and finally said, "Banu

'Abdallah, God has given your ancestor an excellent name." However,

they did not accept what he offered them.

Ibn Humayd — Salamah— Muhammad b. Ishaq— one of his

companions— 'Abdallah b. KaT> b. Malik: The Messenger of God

went to the Banu Hanifah in their encampments, summoned

them to God and offered himself to them, but not one of the Arabs

gave him an uglier answer than they.

Ibn Humayd— Salamah— Muhammad b. Ishaq and Muhammad

b. Muslim b. Shihab al-Zuhri: He went to the Banu 'Amir b.

Sa'sa'ah, called them to God and offered himself to them. One

of them called Bayharah b. Firas said, "By God, if I could take [1206)

this young man from Quraysh I could conquer all the Arabs with

him." Then he said, "Do you think that if we follow you and God

gives you victory over your opponents we shall have the command

after you?" He replied, "Command belongs to God, who places it

where He wills." Bayharah said, "Are we to expose our throats to

the Arabs in your defense, and when you are victorious the command

will go to someone else? We do not need your religion." So

they refused him. When the pilgrims dispersed, the Banu 'Amir (b.

Sa'sa'ah) went back to one of their shaykhs who was so old that

he was unable to participate in the pilgrimage with them. On returning

to him they would tell him what had happened during

the pilgrimage. In this particular year he asked them on their return

what had happened during the pilgrimage, and they said, "A

young man from the Quraysh, one of the Banu 'Abd al-Muttalib,

who claimed that he was a prophet, came to us and called upon us

to defend him, stand with him, and bring him back with us to our

country." The old man put his hand to his head and said, "Banu

'Amir, is there any way we can put this right? Can we regain our

lost opportunity? By him in whose hand my soul rests, no descendant

of Ishmael has ever falsified this. It is indeed the truth! What

happened to your ability to judge him?"

The Messenger of God continued in this manner. Whenever

122

people gathered for the pilgrimage, he would go to them, summon

the tribes to God and to Islam, and offer them himself together

with the right guidance and mercy which he had brought to them

from God. Whenever he heard of an arrival who had name and nobility

among the Arabs, he would give special attention to him,

summon him to God, and offer him his message.

The First Madmans Said to Have Accepted Islam

Ibn Humayd — 'Asim b. 'Umar b. Qatadah al-Zafari— some

shaykhs of his people: Suwayd b. Samit the brother of the Banu

'Amr b. 'Awf came to Mecca on the pilgrimage or the ' umrah . 196

Among themselves Suwayd's people called him al-Kamil (the perfect one)

on account of his steadfastness, his poetry, his descent,

and his nobility. He is the author of the following lines:

Many a man is there whom you call a friend, but if

you knew

what he says behind your back, his slanders would

grieve you.

His words are like fat when he is in your presence,

but when you are absent they are a sword pointed

at the base of your throat.

His outward appearance delights you, but beneath his skin

is false slander which cuts through the sinews of your

back.

His eyes show you what he is concealing

for there is no concealing hatred and the malignant

glance.

Aid me with good deeds, for you have been weakening me

for too long;

the best friends are those who aid without weakening.

He also composed many other poems.

196. The ' umrah or "lesser pilgrimage" consisted of those rites of the full pilgrimage | hajj) which took place in Mecca itself, and it could be performed at any

time of the year. Banu 'Amr b. 'Awf was an important clan of the tribe of al-Aws in

al-Madinah. The phrase "brother of (a clan)" is common in al-Madinah and seems

to be equivalent to "member of" the clan; it is perhaps to be explained by the persistence in al-Madinah of matrilineal kinship; see Watt, Muhammad at Medina , 378-85, etc.

Other Events up to the Hijrah

123

When the Messenger of God heard of his arrival, he was attentive

to him and summoned him to God and to Islam. Suwayd

said to him, "Perhaps what is with you is like what is with me."

The Messenger of God asked, "What is with you?" "The book

of Luqman," he replied, meaning the wisdom of Luqman. 197 The

Messenger of God said, "Expound it to me." He expounded it to

him, and he said, "This speech is good, but I have a speech better

than this, a Qur'an which God has revealed to me, guidance

and light." Then the Messenger of God recited the Qur'an to him

and summoned him to Islam. He was close to accepting, and said,

"This is indeed an excellent saying." He left him and went back

to al-Madinah, and soon afterwards was killed by the Khazraj. His

clan used to say that he was a Muslim when he was killed; his

death took place before (the battle of) Bu'ath. 198

Ibn Humayd — Salamah — Muhammad b. Ishaq — al-Husayn b.

'Abd al-Rahman b. 'Amr b. Sa'd b. Muadh, brother of the Banu

'Abd al-Ashhal-— Mahmud b. Labld, brother of the Banu 'Abd al-

Ashhal: When Abu al-Haysar Anas b. RafT came to Mecca ac-

companied by some young men of the Banu 'Abd al-Ashhal, 199

including Iyas b. Mu 'adh, seeking an alliance with the Quraysh

against their fellow citizens from the Khazraj, the Messenger of

God heard of their arrival, came to them and sat down with them.

He said to them, "Would you like something better than what you

have come for?" "What is that?" they asked. He said, "I am the

Messenger of God whom He has sent to His servants that I may

call them to God, so that they may worship God and not associate

anything with Him. He has revealed the Book to me." Then

he told them about Islam and recited the Qur'an to them. Iyas

b. Mu'adh, who was a young lad, said, "My people, by God, this is

better than what we came for." Abu al-Haysar Anas b. Rafi' took

up a handful of dust from the valley, threw it in the face of Iyas b.

197. Luqman was a legendary wise man of Arab tradition, also mentioned in the

Qur'an, Surah 31.

198. The battle of Bu'ath between two factions of the inhabitants of al-Madinah,

and involving nearly all of them, occurred about the year a.d. 617; see El 2 , s.v.

Bu'ath. The story illustrates the rivalry between clans and tribes to claim priority

in the acceptance of Islam.

199. Banu 'Abd al-Ashhal was another important clan of the tribe of al-Aws. The

story has been handed down in the clan as a claim to have had one of the first

Muslims in al-Madinah.

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Muhammad at Mecca

Mu'adh, and said, "Enough of that. By my life, we did not come

here for this." Iyas remained silent, the Messenger of God rose up

to leave them, and they went back to al-Madlnah, where the battle

of Bu'ath took place between the Aws and the Khazraj. Iyas b.

Mu'adh died soon afterwards.

Mahmud b. Labld: Those of my clan who were with him when

he died told me that they heard him saying continually until he

died, "There is no deity but God," "God is very great," "Praise

be to God," "Glory be to God." They had no doubt that he died

a Muslim, having embraced Islam at that meeting when he heard

the Messenger of God saying what he said.

The First Deputation from al-Madinah

When God wished to make His religion victorious, to render His

Prophet mighty, and to fulfil His promise to him, the Messenger

of God went out during that pilgrimage in which he met the group

of the Ansar , 200 and appeared before the Arab tribes as he had been

doing in every pilgrimage season. While he was at al-'Aqabah, he

met a party of the Khazraj to whom God wished good.

Ibn Humayd — Salamah — Muhammad b. Ishaq — 'Asim b. 'Umar

b. Qatadah — some shaykhs of his tribe: When the Messenger of

God met them he said to them, "Who are you?" They said, "We

are a group of the Khazraj." "Mawlas 201 of the Jews?" he asked.

"Yes," they said. "Will you not sit down so that I may speak to

you?" he asked. "Certainly," they said. So they sat down with

him, and he summoned them to God, expounded Islam to them,

and recited the Qur'an to them.

One of the things which God had done for them in order to prepare

them for Islam was that the Jews lived with them in their

land. The Jews were people of scripture and knowledge, while the

Khazraj were polytheists and idolaters. They had gained the mastery

over the Jews in their land, and whenever any dispute arose

200. The Ansar ("helpers") are the Muslims of al-Madinah as a whole, but the

name, given in honor for their support of Muhammad, was not conferred until after

this date.

201. Mawali is the plural of mawla, which can mean either "client" or "pa-

tron"; the latter would be more appropriate here, since most of the Arab clans of

al-Madinah were now politically stronger than the Jewish groups allied with them,

as is indicated below.

Other Events up to the Hijrah

125

among them the Jews would say to them, "A prophet will be sent

soon. His time is at hand. We shall follow him, and with him as

our leader we shall kill you as 'Ad and Iram 202 were killed." When

the Messenger of God spoke to this group of people and called

them to God, they said to one another, "Take note! This, by God,

is the prophet with whom the Jews are menacing you. Do not let

them be before you in accepting him." They responded to his call,

believed in the truth of his message, and accepted the Islam which

he expounded to them, saying, "We have left our people behind

us, and no people is as divided by enmity and malice as they are.

Perhaps God will reunite them by means of you ; 203 we shall go to

them, summon them to your proposals, and expound to them this

religion which we have accepted from you. If God reunites them

in it, there will be no man mightier than you."

Then they left the Messenger of God to go back to their country,

believing and accepting the truth of his message. I have been told

that they were six men of the Khazraj; from the Banu al-Najjar,

who are Taym Allah, in particular from the Banu Malik b. al-

Najjar b. Thalabah b. 'Amr b. al-Khazraj b. Harithah b. Tha'labah

b. ‘Amr b. "Amir: As'ad b. Zurarah b. TJdas b. TJbayd b. Thalabah

b. Ghanm b. Malik b. al-Najjar, who is Abu Umamah, and 'Awf

b. al-Harith b. Rifa'ah b. Sawad b. Malik b. Ghanm b. Malik b. al-

Najjar, who is Ibn 'Afra' ; from the Banu Zurayq b. 'Amir b. 'Abd

Harithah b. Malik b. Ghadb b. Jusham b. al-Khazraj b. Harithah

b. Tha'labah b, 'Amr b. 'Amr b. 'Amir: Raft' b. Malik b. al-'Ajlan

b. 'Amr b. 'Amir b. Zurayq; from the Banu Salimah b. Sa'd b. 'All

b. Asad b. Saridah b. Tazld b. Jusham b. al-Khazraj b. Harithah b.

Tha'labah b. 'Amr b. Amir, in particular from the Banu Sawad:

Qutbah b. 'Amir b. Hadidah b. 'Amr b. Sawad b. Ghanm b. KaT b.

Salimah; from the (subclan) Banu Haram b. KaT b. Ghanm b. Kal>

b. Salimah: TJqbah b. 'Amir b. Nabi b. Zayd b. Haram,- and from

the (subclan) Banu TJbayd b. 'Adi b. Ghanm b. KaT) b. Salimah:

Jabir b. 'Abdallah b. Ri'ab b. al-Nu'man b. Sinan b. Ubayd.

When they went back to their people in al-Madlnah, they told

them about the Messenger of God and summoned them to Islam,

202. Two Arab tribes mentioned in the Qur'an, but extinct by this time.

203. The hope of overcoming the divisions in al-Madinah which had reached a

climax in the battle of Bu'ath (n. 176), was an important motive for the acceptance

of Islam there.

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Muhammad at Mecca

so that it spread among them, and there was not a single dwelling

among the dwellings of the Ansar in which the Messenger of God

was not spoken of.

The First Pledge of al-'Aqabah

The following year, twelve of the Ansar came on the pilgrimage

and met the Messenger of God at al-'Aqabah, this being the first

al-'Aqabah, and took an oath of allegiance to him according to the

terms of the "pledge of women." 104 This was before the duty of

making war was laid upon them.

They were; from the Banu al-Najjar: As ad b. Zurarah b. 'Udas

b. 'Ubayd b. Tha'labah b. Ghanm b. Malik b. al-Najjar, who is

Abu Umamah, 'Awf and Mu'adh, sons of al-Harith b. Rif a 'ah b.

Sawad b. Malik b. Ghanm b. Malik b. al-Najjar, who are the sons

of 'Afra'; from the Banu Zurayq b. 'Amir: Rafi' b. Malik b. al-

'Ajlan b. 'Amr b. 'Amir b. Zurayq and Dhakwan b. 'Abd Qays b.

Khaldah b. Mukhallad b. 'Amir b. Zurayq; from the Banu 'Awf

b. al-Khazraj: from the (subclan) Banu Ghanm b. 'Awf, who are al-

Qawaqil, 'Ubadah b. al-Samit b. Qays b. Asram b. Fihr b. Tha'labah

b. Ghanm b. 'Awf b. al-Khazraj and Abu 'Abd al-Rahman, who is

Yazid b. Tha'labah b. Khazmah b. Asram b. 'Amr b. 'Ammarah,

one of the Banu Ghudaynah of the tribe of Ball, a confederate

of theirs; from the Banu Salim b. 'Awf b. 'Amr b. 'Awf b. al-

Khazraj: 'Abbas b. 'Ubadah b. Nadlah b. Malik b. al-'Ajlan b. Zayd

b. Ghanm b. Salim b. 'Awf; from the Banu Salimah, from the (subclan)

Banu Haram: 'Uqbah b. 'Amir b. NabI b. Zayd b. Haram b.

Kal) b. Ghanm b. KaT) b. Salimah; from the (subclan) Banu Sawad,

Qutbah b. 'Amir b. Hadidah b. 'Amr b. Sawad b. Ghanm b. KaTi

b. Salimah. From (the tribe of) al-Aws b. Harithah b. Tha'labah b.

'Amr b. 'Amir, from the clan of the Banu 'Abd al-Ashhal, there was

present Abu al-Haytham b. al-Tayyihan, whose name is Malik, a

confederate of theirs, and from (the clan of) the Banu 'Amr b. 'Awf:

'Uwaym b. Sa'idah b. Sal'ajah, a confederate of theirs.

204. This was a pledge to accept and practice the religion of Islam, but with-

out any undertaking to protect Muhammad. It is called "the pledge of women"

because in Surah 60:12 Muhammad is told to require something like this from be-

lieving women wanting to become Muslims. A modified version of the Qur'anic

requirements is given below on p.1213.

Other Events up to the Hijrah

127

Ibn Humayd — Salamah — Muhammad b. Ishaq — Yazid b. Abl

Habib— Marthad b. 'Abdallah al-Yazani-Abu 'Abdallah 'Abd al-

Rahman b. Usaylah al-Sunaji — TJbadah b. al-Samit: I was among

those who were present at the first al-'Aqabah. There were twelve

of us, and we took an oath of allegiance to him according to the

terms of the "pledge of women, " this being before the duty of making

war was laid upon us. The terms were that we should not associate

anything with God, should not steal, should not commit

adultery, should not kill our children, should not produce any lie

we have devised between our hands and feet, and should not disobey

him in what was proper. If we fulfilled this, we should have

paradise, and if we committed any of these sins, we should be punished

with the prescribed penalties in this world, which would be

an expiation for them, while if we concealed them to the Day of

Resurrection, then the matter was in God's hands; if He wished,

He would punish us, and if He wished He would forgive us.

Ibn Humayd — Salamah — Ibn Ishaq — Ibn Shihab — 'A'idh Allah

b. 'Abdallah Abu Idris al-Khawlanl — TJbadah b. al-Samit — the

Prophet: A similar account.

Islam Begins to Spread in al-Madlnah

Ibn Humayd — Salamah — Ibn Ishaq: When they left the Messenger

of God he sent with them Mus'ab b. Umayr b. Hashim b. 'Abd

Manaf b. 'Abd al-Dar b. Qusayy, commanding him to teach them

to recite the Qur'an, to teach them Islam, and to instruct them in

their religion. In al-Madlnah Mus'ab was called "al-Muqri' " (the

Qur'an reciter) and lodged with As 'ad b. Zurarah b. TJdas Abu

Umamah.

Ibn Humayd— Salamah— Muhammad b. Ishaq— TJbaydallah b.

al-Mughirah b. Mu'ayqib and 'Abdallah b. Abi Bakr b. Muhammad

b. 'Amr b. Hazm: As 'ad b. Zurarah went out with Mus'ab b.

'Umayr to take him to the dwellings of the Banu 'Abd al-Ashhal

and the Banu Zafar. Sa'd b. Mu'adh b. al-Nu'man b. Imru' al-

Qays was the son of As 'ad b. Zurarah's maternal aunt. As'ad took

Mus'ab into one of the gardens of the Banu Zafar by a well called

Bi'r Marq, and the two sat down there, while some of those who

had become Muslims gathered around them. Sa'd b. Mu'adh and

Usayd b. Hudayr were at that time the two chiefs of their clan, the

128

Banu 'Abd al-Ashhal, and both of them were polytheists according

to the religion of their people. When they heard of the arrival of

As ad and Mus'ab, Sa'd b. Mu'adh said to Usayd b. Hudayr, "My

excellent friend, go to those two men who have come to our quarter

to make fools of our weaker members, drive them off, and forbid

them to return to our quarter. If it were not that, as you know,

As 'ad b. Zurarah is related to me, I would do it for you, but he is

my maternal aunt's son, and I cannot tackle him in any way. "

Usayd b. Hudayr took his javelin and went up to them. When

As 'ad b. Zurarah saw him he said to Mus'ab, "This is the chief of

his clan who has come to you, so be true to God in dealing with

him." Mus'ab answered, "If he sits down I will speak to him."

Usayd stood by them with a grim expression on his face and said,

[1215] "Why have you come to us to make fools of our weaker members?

Depart from us, if you set any value on your lives." Mus'ab said

to him, "Why do you not sit down and listen? If you like anything

which we say, you can accept it, and if not, then what you dislike

will have been removed from you." Usayd replied, "You have spoken

fairly," planted his javelin in the ground and sat down with

them. Mus'ab spoke to him of Islam and recited the Qur'an to him.

It is reported that the two (Mus'ab and As ad) said of this, "By God,

we recognized Islam in (Usayd's) face, in its radiance and easiness,

before he spoke." Then (Usayd) said, "How fair and beautiful is

this. What do you do when you wish to enter this religion?" The

two (As 'ad and Mus'ab) replied, "Wash, purify yourself, pronounce

the shahadah of Truth and then pray two rak'ahs ." 205

Usayd rose up, washed himself, purified himself, pronounced

the shahadah of truth, and then rose and performed two rak'ahs.

After this he said, "I have come from a man not one of whose

clan, if he were to follow you, would lag behind him. I shall send

him to you now. His name is Sa'd b. Mu'adh." He took his javelin

and went to Sa'd and his people, who were sitting in their assembly.

When Sa'd b. Mu'adh saw him coming he said, "I swear, by

God, that Usayd b. Hudayr is coming back to you with a -

205. The shahadah is the "witnessing" that "there is no deity but God,

Muhammad is the Messenger of God." A tak'ah is a cycle of actions and words

constituting part of the prayer or formal worship [salat). Each salat has two, three,

or four rak'ahs, according to the time of day, as well as an introduction and a conclusion.

Other Events up to the Hijrah

129

different face from that with which he left you." When Usayd stood by

the assembly, Sa'd said to him, "What did you do?" He answered,

"I spoke to the two men, and I did not find any harm in them. I

forbade them to come here, and they said, 'We will do what you

wish.' However I have been told that the Banu Harithah 206 have

come out against As 'ad b. Zurarah in order to kill him; they want

to show that you cannot protect your kin, for they know that he

is your maternal aunt's son."

Sa'd rose in anger and in haste, being alarmed by what Usayd

had told him about the Banu Harithah. He took the javelin from

Usayd's hand, saying, "By God, I think that you are useless," and

went up to As 'ad and Mus'ab. When he saw that they were at ease,

he realized that Usayd had only wanted him to listen to them. He

stood by them with a grim expression on his face, and then said

to As 'ad b. Zurarah, "Abu Umamah, if we were not related, you

would not seek to do this to me, coming to us in our dwellings

with a message which we do not want." As 'ad had said to Mus'ab,

"By God, Mus'ab, there has come to you the acknowledged chief

of his clan, no two of whom will oppose you if he follows you."

Accordingly, Mus'ab said to Sa'd, "Will you not sit and listen? If

you are pleased with anything or desire it, you can accept it, and

if you do not like it we shall take away from you that which you

dislike." Sa'd replied, "You have spoken justly," stuck the javelin

into the ground and sat down. Then Mus'ab expounded Islam to

him and recited the Qur'an to him. The two (Mus'ab and As 'ad)

said of this, "We recognized Islam in (Sa'd's) face, in its radiance

and easiness, before he spoke of it." Then Sa'd said, "What do you

do when you accept Islam and enter into this religion?" They said

to him, "Wash, purify yourself, pronounce the shahadah of truth

and pray two iak'ahs."

He rose up, washed himself, purified himself, pronounced the

shahadah of truth and prayed two iak'ahs. Then he took his

javelin and headed for his people's assembly accompanied by Usayd

b. Hudayr. When his people saw him coming, they said to

one another, "We swear, by God, that Sa'd is coming back to you

with a different face from that with which he left you." When Sa'd

stood by them he said, "Banu 'Abd al-Ashhal, what do you -

206. A clan whose ancestor Harithah was reckoned to be a brother of 'Abd al-

Ashhal.

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Muhammad at Mecca

recognize my position to be amongst you?" They replied, "You are our

chief, the best of us in judgement and the most blessed of us in

spirit." Then he said, "It is forbidden to me to speak to any man

or woman of you until you believe in God and in His Messenger."

By that evening there was not a man or woman in the dwellings

of the Banu 'Abd al-Ashhal who had not accepted Islam. As ad

and Mus'ab went back to As 'ad b. Zurarah's house, and Mus'ab

remained with him calling people to Islam until there was not

a dwelling place among the dwellings of the Ansar in which

[1217] there were not Muslim men and women, except for those in the

dwellings of the Banu Umayyah b. Zayd, Khatmah, Wa'il, and

Waqif; these were the group Aws Allah, of (the tribe of al-Aws

b. Harithah. 207 The reason for this was that Abu Qays b. al-Aslat,

whose name was Sayfi, was among them. He was their poet and

their leader, whom they used to heed and obey. He caused them

to hold back from Islam, and continued in this course until the

Messenger of God had emigrated to al-Madinah and the battles of

the first Badr, Uhud, and the Trench had taken place.

The Second Pledge of al-’Aqabah

After this Mus'ab b. 'Umayr went back to Mecca. Some of the

Muslim Ansar went on the pilgrimage together with polytheist

pilgrims from their people, and when they came to Mecca they

agreed to meet the Messenger of God at al-'Aqabah in the middle

of the days of abtashriq , 208 Thus God wished to honor them, to

aid his Prophet, to make Islam and its followers mighty, and to

humble polytheism and its followers.

Ibn Humayd— Salamah — Muhammad b. Ishaq— Ma'bad b. KaT)

b. Malik b. Abi KaT) b. al-Qayn, brother of the Banu Salimah — his

brother 'Abdallah b. KaT), who was one of the most learned men of

207. The four small clans Umayyah b. Zayd, Khatmah, Wa’il, and Waqif were

collectively known as Aws Allah, originally Aws Manat. They were a small section

of the tribe of al-Aws, but of little political importance and perhaps to some extent

dependent on Jewish clans. This last point may explain why they did not at first

become Muslims.

208. The three days of tashrlq are the eleventh to the thirteenth of the month

of Dhu al-Hijjah, following on the day of sacrifice on the tenth. The pilgrims have

to spend these days at Mina and are not to fast. The original meaning of tashrlq is

uncertain.

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131

the Ansar— his father KaT) b. Malik, who was one of those present

at al-'Aqabah and swore the oath of allegiance to the Messenger

of God there We set out among the pilgrims of our tribe, having

prayed and become instructed in our religion. With us was al-Bara'

b. Ma'rur, our chief and our oldest member. When we set off on

our journey and left al-Madlnah al-Bara' said to us, "By God, I have

made a decision, and I do not know whether you will agree with

me in it or not." We said, "What is that?" and he said, "I have

decided that I shall not turn my back on this building (meaning

the Kabbah) and that I shall pray toward it." We said, "By God,

we have not heard that our Prophet prays in any other direction

than toward Syria, and we do not wish to differ from him. 209 He

answered, "I shall pray toward the Kaljah." "We shall not do so,"

we said.

When the time for prayer came, we prayed toward Syria and

he prayed toward the Kabbah. This continued until we came to

Mecca. We reproached him for what he was doing, but he insisted

upon continuing the practice. When we came to Mecca he said

to me, "Nephew, let us go to the Messenger of God so that I can

ask him about what I have done during my journey, for I became

concerned about it when I saw how you opposed me over it." We

went to ask for the Messenger of God, as we did not know him

and had not seen him before. We met a man from Mecca and asked

him about the Messenger of God. "Do you know him?" he asked.

"No," we said. "Do you know al- 'Abbas b. 'Abd al-Muttalib, his

uncle?" he asked. We said that we did, as we knew al- 'Abbas, who

came frequently to us on business. He said, "When you go into the

mosque, he is the man sitting with al- 'Abbas b. 'Abd al-Muttalib."

We went into the mosque, and there was al- 'Abbas sitting down,

with the Messenger of God sitting with him. We greeted him, and

then sat down with him. The Messenger of God said to al- 'Abbas,

"Do you know these two men, Abu al-Fadl?" "Yes," he said. "This

is al-Bara' b. Ma'rur, the chief of his people (that is, the clan of

Salimah) and this is KaT> b. Malik." By God, I shall never forget

how the Messenger of God asked, "The poet?" to which al- 'Abbas

replied, "Yes."

209. Facing towards Syria means, of course, facing towards Jerusalem as the Jews

did. The final change of qiblah (direction faced in prayer), from Jerusalem to Mecca

occurred about February A.D. 624.

Al-Bara' b. Ma'rur said to him, "0 Prophet of God, I set out on

my journey, having been guided by God to Islam, and I decided

that I would not turn my back on this building, and so I prayed

toward it. My companions opposed me in this, and I became concerned

about it. What is your opinion, O Messenger of God?" The

Messenger of God replied, "You would indeed have had a qiblah,

had you kept to it patiently." 210 Then al-Bara' returned to the Messenger

of God's qiblah and prayed with us toward Syria. His family

assert that he prayed toward the KaT)ah until he died, but it is not

as they say. We know more about the matter than they do.

Then we went on the pilgrimage, and agreed to meet the Messenger

of God at al-'Aqabah in the middle of the days of al-tashriq.

When we had finished (the rites of) the pilgrimage, the night came

upon which we had promised to meet the Messenger of God. We

had with us 'Abdallah b. 'Amr b. Haram Abu Jabir. We had concealed

our purpose from the polytheists among our people who

were with us, but we told him about this meeting and spoke to

him as follows: "Abu Jabir, you are one of our chiefs and one of

our nobles, and we do not wish you to remain in your present

state, which is that you will be fuel for the flames of Hell on the

morrow." Then we summoned him to Islam, and informed him of

the Messenger of God's arrangement to meet us at al-'Aqabah. He

accepted Islam and was present at al-'Aqabah With us, and became

a naqib . 1,1

We spent that night encamped with our people, but when a third

of the night had gone by we left our encampment to meet the

Messenger of God. We slipped away secretly, moving as silently

as sand grouse, and met in the ravine by al-'Aqabah. We were seventy

men and two women, Nusaybah bt. KaT? Umm 'Umarah, a

woman of the Banu Mazin b. al-Najjar, and Asma' bt. 'Amr b. 'Adi,

a woman of the Banu Salimah, who was Umm Man!'. We gathered

in the ravine to wait for the Messenger of God. He came to us accompanied

by his paternal uncle al-'Abbas b. 'Abd al-Muttalib,

who at that time still adhered to the religion of his people, but

wished to be present when his nephew was negotiating and to

210. The meaning of this reply is ambiguous.

211. Muhammad asked that each clan which had accepted Islam should appoint

a "representative" {naqib), presumably to form a council of some sort, but there

is no record of them ever functioning as such (see below p.1221).

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133

see that there was a firm agreement. When he had sat down, al-

' Abbas b. 'Abd al-Muttalib was the first to speak, and said, "People

of the Khazraj (the Arabs used to call the Ansar, the Khazraj

and the Aws together, by the name of the Khazraj), you know

what Muhammad's position is among us. We have protected him

against those of our people who have the same religious views as

ourselves. He is held in honor by his own people and is safe in his

country. He is determined to leave them and to join you, so if you

think that you can fulfil the promises which you made in inviting

him to come to you and can defend him against his enemies,

then assume the responsibilities which you have taken upon yourselves.

But if you think that you will abandon him and hand him

over after he has come to you, then leave him alone now, for he is

honored by his people and is safe in his country."

We said to him, "We have heard what you have said. Speak,

Messenger of God, and choose what you want for yourself and

your Lord." The Messenger of God spoke, recited the Qur'an, summoned

us to God, and made us desirous of Islam. Then he said,

"I will enter a contract of allegiance with you, provided that you

protect me as you would your wives and children."

Then al-Bara' b. Ma'rur took his hand and said, "By Him who

sent you with the truth, we shall defend you as we would our

womenfolk. Administer the oath of allegiance to us, O Messenger

of God, for we are men of war and men of coats of mail; we have

inherited this from generation to generation."

He was interrupted as he was speaking to the Messenger of God

by Abu al-Haytham b. al-Tayyihan, the confederate of the Banu

'Abd al-Ashhal, who said, "O Messenger of God, there are ties between

us and other people which we shall have to sever (meaning

the Jews). If we do this and God gives you victory, will you perhaps

return to your own people and leave us?" The Messenger of

God smiled and then said, "Rather, blood is blood, and blood shed

without retaliation is blood shed without retaliation. You are of

me and I am of you. I shall fight whomever you fight and make

peace with whomever you make peace with." Then he said, "Appoint

twelve representatives (naqlb) from among you for me, who

will see to their people's affairs." They appointed twelve representatives,

nine from the Khazraj and three from the Aws.

Ibn Humayd — Salamah — Muhammad b. Ishaq — 'Abdallah b.

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Muhammad at Mecca

Abi Bakr b. Muhammad b. 'Amr b. Hazm: the Messenger of God

said to the representatives, "You are to see to your people's affairs;

you are a surety for them, as the disciples were for Jesus, son of

Mary, and I am for my people." They agreed to this.

Ibn Humayd — Salamah — Muhammad b. Ishaq — 'Asim b. 'Umar

b. Qatadah: When they gathered to take the oath of allegiance to

the Messenger of God, al-'Abbas b. Ubadah b. Nadlah al-Ansari,

the brother of the Banu Salim b. 'Awf, said, "People of the Khazraj,

do you know what you are pledging yourselves to in swearing allegiance

to this man?" "Yes," they said. He continued, "In swearing

allegiance to him you are pledging yourselves to wage war against

all mankind. If you think that when your wealth is exhausted by

misfortune and your nobles are depleted by death you will give

him up, then stop now, for, by God, it is disgrace in this world

and the next if you later give him up. But if you think that you

will be faithful to the promises which you made in inviting him,

even if your wealth is exhausted and your nobles killed, then take

him, for, by God, he is the best thing for you in this world and the

next. " They answered, "We shall take him even if it brings the loss

of our wealth and the killing of our nobles. What shall we gain for

this, O Messenger of God, if we are faithful?" He answered, "Paradise."

"Stretch out your hand," they said. He stretched out his

hand, and they swore alleginace to him. According to 'Asim b.

Umar b. Qatadah, al-'Abbas (b. 'Ubadah) only said this in order

to make the contract more binding upon them, while according

to 'Abdallah b. Abi Bakr he only said it in order to delay them

that night in the hope that 'Abdallah b. Ubayy b. Salul 212 would

come, which would give more weight to the people's decision,* but

God knows best which version is true. The Banu al-Najjar claim

that Abu Umamah As 'ad b. Zurarah was the first to clasp hands,

while the Banu 'Abd al- Ashhal say that on the contrary it was Abu

al-Haytham b. al-Tayyihan.

Ibn Humayd — Salamah — Muhammad (b. Ishaq) — MaT)ad b.

KaT) b. Malik; and also Sa'id b. Yahya b. Sa'id — his father —

Muhammad b. Ishaq — Ma'bad b. KaT)— his father KaT> b. Malik:

212. This is the man who a year or two later became the leader of the Hypocrites

[munafiqun), that is. those men of al-Madinah who had accepted Islam but were

not happy to have Muhammad as their leader. It is said that before Muhammad's

arrival 'Abdallah b. Ubayy had hoped to become ruler of al-Madinah.

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135

The first to clasp the hand of the Messenger of God was al-Bara'

b. Ma'rur, and after this they clasped his hand one after another.

When we had all sworn the oath of allegiance to the Messenger of

God Satan shouted from the top of al-'Aqabah in the most piercing

voice I have ever heard, "people of the stations 213 of Mina, do you

want a blameworthy person and the apostates with him 214 who

have gathered together to wage war on you?" The Messenger of

God said, "What does the Enemy of God say? This is the (devil)

Azabb of al-'Aqabah, the son of the devil Azyab. 215 Listen, Enemy

of God. By God, I shall deal with you!"

The Messenger of God told them to disperse to their encamp-

ments, and al- 'Abbas b. TJbadah b. Nadlah said to him, "By Him

who sent you with the truth, if you wish we shall fall upon the

people of Mina with our swords tomorrow." The Messenger of

God replied, "We have not been commanded to do this; go back

to your encampments."

We went back to our beds and slept upon them until the morning,

when the chief men of Quraysh came to us in our encampments

and said to us, "Men of the Khazraj, we have heard that you

have come to this companion of ours to take him from our midst

and to swear an oath of allegiance to him to wage war against

us. By God, there is not tribe of the Arabs between whom and

ourselves we should be more unwilling for war to break out than

you." Those of the polytheists of our people who were there immediately

swore to them by God that nothing of the sort had taken

place and that they knew nothing about it. They were telling the

truth, for they did not know.

We looked at one another, and the men of Quraysh rose up,

among them al-Harith b. Hisham b. al-Mughlrah al-Makhzumi,

who was wearing a pair of new sandals. I (KaT) b. Malik) spoke

a few words as though I wished to associate all of our people

with what our polytheists had said; "Abu Jabir, 216 can you not

get sandals like those of this young man of Quraysh (that is al-

213. The place where the stomachs ( jabajib ) of the sacrificial victims were scat-

tered.

214. "Blameworthy" ( mudhammam ) is an insulting way of referring to

Muhammad, whose name can mean "praiseworthy." The subat (plural of sabi')

are people who have changed their religion.

215. Nothing further is known about this matter.

216. This is 'Abdallah b. 'Amr of the subclan Haram of the clan of Salimah.

136

Muhammad at Mecca

Harith), seeing that you are one of our chiefs?" Al-Harith heard

these words, took the sandals off his feet, and threw them at me,

saying, "By God, put them on your feet!" Abu Jabir said, "Gently!

By God, you have annoyed the young man! Give him back his sandals.

" I replied, "By God, I will not! It is a good omen. If the omen

proves true I shall plunder him." This is KaT) b. Malik's account

of al-'Aqabah and what he witnessed there.

Abu Ja'far (al-Tabari): Other authorities than Ibn Ishaq say that

those of the Ansar who came to swear allegiance to the Prophet

came in (the month of) Dhu al-Hijjah. After this the Messenger of

God remained in Mecca for the rest of that Dhu al-Hijjah and for

the months of Muharram and Safar, and emigrated to al-Madlnah

in the month of Rabi' I (July-September 622) arriving there on

Monday, the twelfth of that month (24 September).

'Ali b. Nasr b. 'All and 'Abd al-Warith b. 'Abd al-Samad b. 'Abd

al-Warith — 'Abd al-Samad b. 'Abd al-Warith — his father — Aban al-

'Attar — Hisham b. 'Urwah — 'Urwah: When those who had emigrated

to Abyssinia before the Messenger of God's emigration to

al-Madinah came back from there, the number of Muslims began

to increase and multiply. Many of the Ansar in al-Madinah

accepted Islam, which spread widely there, and the people of al-

Madinah began to come to the Messenger of God in Mecca. When

the Quraysh saw this, they urged one another to torment the Muslims

and treat them harshly. They seized them and were eager to

torment them, and the Muslims suffered great hardship. This was

the second trial; there were two trials, one which forced out those

of them who emigrated to Abyssinia, when the Messenger of God

commanded them to do so and gave them permission to go there,

and one they came back and saw the people of al-Madinah coming

to them.

The seventy representatives, 217 chiefs of those who had accepted

[1 225] Islam, came to the Messenger of God from al-Madinah met him

during the pilgrimage, and swore an oath of allegiance to him at al-

'Aqabah. They gave him their pledge in the following words: "We

are of you and you are of us ; whoever comes to us of your Companions,

or you yourself if you come to us, we shall defend you as we

217. The word naqib is used here in a general sense. They did in a sense represent their clans, but not all of them were the "representatives" asked for by Muhammad.

Other Events up to the Hijrah

137

would defend ourselves." After this Quraysh began to treat them

harshly, and the Messenger of God commanded his Companions

to go to al-Madlnah This was the second trial, during which the

Messenger of God told his Companions to emigrate and himself

emigrated. It was concerning this that God revealed:

* And fight them until persecution is no more, and religion

is all for God. 218

Ibn Humayd — Salamah — Muhammad b. Ishaq — 'Abdallah b.

Abi Bakr b. Muhammad b. 'Amr b. Hazm: 219 They (the Quraysh)

came to 'Abdallah b. Ubayy b. Salul and said much the same

as KaT) b. Malik reports them as saying. He replied, "This is a

weighty matter,- my people are not men to make a decision without

consulting me in such a matter, and I have no knowledge that

it has taken place." They then left him.

When the people dispersed from Mina, Quraysh investigated the

report thoroughly, and found that there had indeed been an agreement.

They went out in pursuit of the (men of al-Madinah), and

overtook Sa'd b. TJbadah at al-Hajir together with Al-Mundhir b.

'Amr the brother of the Banu Sa'idah b. KaT) b. al-Khazraj; both of

these were representatives. Al-Mundhir evaded capture, but they

took Sa'd, tied his hands to his neck with the thong of his camel's

saddle girth and went back to Mecca with him, beating him and

dragging him by his hair, for he had very luxuriant hair.

Sa'd said of this, "By God, I was in their hands when a group

of the Quraysh came up to me, among them a white, clean, tall,

pleasant-looking man. I said to myself, 'If there is any good among

them, it will be in this man.' When he came near me, he raised his

hand and gave me a severe blow. I said to myself, 'By God, there is

no good in them after this.' I was in their hands and they were dragging

me along, when one of the men with them was moved by pity

for me and said, 'For heaven's sake! Don't you have any bond of

protection or any compact with any of the Quraysh?' 'Certainly,'

I said, 'I used to protect Jubayr b. Mut'im b. 'Adi b. Nawfal b. 'Abd

Manaf 's commercial agents and defend them against anyone who

218. This verse (8:39) was probably not revealed until after the battle of Badr.

The almost identical verse 2:193 seems not to have been revealed until shortly

before the conquest of Mecca.

219. Ibn Hisham, SIrah, 301L

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Muhammad at Mecca

wished to wrong them in my country, and I did the same for al-

Harith b. Umayyah b. 'Abd Shams b. 'Abd Manaf.' 'Well then, ' he

said, 'call out these two men's names and say what links there are

between you and them.'

"I did so, and he went to them and found them in the mosque

by the Kabbah. He told them that a man of the Khazraj was being

beaten in the valley and that he was calling upon them and saying

that there were bonds of protection between himself and them.

They asked who it was, and he said that it was Sa'd b. 'Ubadah.

They said, 'He speaks the truth, by God. He used to protect our

agents and defend them against oppression in his country.' They

came and released me from my captors' hands, and I departed.

The person who punched me was Suhayl b. 'Amr, the brother of

the Banu'Amir b. Lu'ayy."

Abu Ja'far (al-Tabari) : When they came to al-Madinah they

proclaimed Islam there. There were among their people some of

their shaykhs who remained in their polytheistic religion, among

whom was 'Amr b. al-Jamuh b. Zayd b. Haram b. KaT) b. Ghanm

b. Salimah, whose son Mu'adh b. 'Amr had been present at al-

'Aqabah and had sworn an oath of allegiance to the Messenger of

God along with others of their young men. Those members of the

Aws and the Khazraj who took the oath of allegiance at the second

al-'Aqabah took the pledge of war, when, in contrast to the terms

of the first al-'Aqabah, God permitted fighting. The first was the

pledge of women, as I have mentioned above on the authority of

'Ubadah b. al-Samit. The second pledge of al-'Aqabah was to wage

war against all men, 220 as I have mentioned above on the authority

of 'Urwah b. al-Zubayr.

Ibn Humayd — Salamah — Muhammad b. Ishaq — 'Ubadah b. al-

Walid b. 'Ubadah b. al-Samit — his father al-Walld — 'Ubadah b. al-

Samit, who was one of the representatives: 221 We took the oath of

allegiance to the Messenger of God according to the terms of the

pledge of war. 'Ubadah was one of the twelve who took the pledge

at at first al-'Aqabah.

220. That is, on anyone who injured or killed Muhammad.

221. Ibn Hisham, Sirah, 304.

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139

The Messenger of God Commands the

Muslims to Emigrate to al-Madinah 222

Abu Ja'far (al-Tabari): After God had given his Messenger permission

to fight by revealing the verse: 223 "And fight them until persecution

is no more, and religion is all for God," and the Ansar

had pledged themselves to support him according to the terms

which I have described, the Messenger of God commanded those

of his Companions from among the Muslims who were with him

at Mecca to emigrate, go to al-Madinah, and join their brethren,

the Ansar. He told them, "God has made for you brethren and

an abode in which you will be safe." They went in groups. The

Messenger of God remained in Mecca waiting for his Lord to

give him permission to leave Mecca and go to al-Madinah. The

first of the Messenger of God's Companions to emigrate to al-

Madinah was from the Quraysh, from the Banu Makhzum. He

was Abu Salamah b. 'Abd al-Asad b. Hilal b. 'Abdallah b. Umar b.

Makhzum, who emigrated to al-Madinah a year before the people

of al-'Aqabah took the oath of allegiance to the Messenger of God.

He had come to the Messenger of God in Mecca from Abyssinia,

and when Quraysh persecuted him and he heard that some of the

Ansar had accepted Islam, he went to al-Madinah as an Emigrant.

The first of the emigrants to go to al-Madinah after Abu Salamah

was 'Amir b. Rabi'ah the confederate of the Banu 'Adi b. KaT), accompanied

by his wife Layla bt. Abi Hathmah b. Ghanim b. 'Abdallah

b. 'Awf b. 'Abld b. 'Awij b. 'Adi b. KaT), and after him 'Abdallah

b. Jahsh b. Ri'ab and Abu Ahmad b. Jahsh, who was blind

and used to go about Mecca, both die upper and the lower parts,

without a guide. After this, the Companions of the Messenger of

God went to al-Madinah in successive groups, but the Messenger

of God remained in Mecca after his Companions had emigrated,

waiting to be given permission to emigrate. 224 None of the Emigrants

 remained behind with him in Mecca except those who had

been seized and imprisoned (by their families) or who had been

222. This follows Ibn Hisham, Shah, 314, 316 closely, though Tabari does not

mention the fact.

223. 8:39.

224. From this point to p.1234, Tabari follows Ibn Hisham, Shah, 323-26, apart

from a paragraph on p.1232.

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Muhammad at Mecca

seduced (from Islam j.The only exceptions were 'All b. Abi Talib

and Abu Bakr b. Abi Quhafah. Abu Bakr would often ask the Messenger

of God for permission to emigrate, but the Messenger of

God would say to him, “Do not do so; perhaps God will provide a

companion for you.“ Abu Bakr hoped that the Messenger of God

would be that companion.

The Quiaysh Plot to Kill the Messenger of God

When Quraysh saw that the Messenger of God had acquired a following

and Companions from a tribe other than themselves in a

region other than theirs, and when they saw his Emigrant Companions

going to join them, they realized that these had found a

home and were safe from their attacks. The Quraysh were now

anxious about the Messenger of God going to the people of al-

Madinah as they knew that he had decided to join the Madmans

in order to make war on the Quraysh. They therefore met together

about this matter in the House of Assembly, formerly the house

of Qusayy b. Kilab, where Quraysh had always made their decisions,

and there they deliberated what to do about the Messenger

of God, since they had come to be afraid of him.

Ibn Humayd— Salamah — Muhammad b. Ishaq— 'Abdallah b.

Abi Najlh — Mujahid b. Jabr Abu al-Hajjaj — Ibn 'Abbas; also al-

Kalbi — Abu Salih — Ibn 'Abbas and al-Hasan b. 'Umarah — al-

Hakam b. 'Utaybah — Miqsam — Ibn 'Abbas: They gathered together

for this purpose and at the fixed time went into the House

of Assembly to deliberate there about the Messenger of God. On

the morning of the day fixed (the day called al-Zahmah) they went

there, and the Devil met them in the form of a venerable old man

wearing a coarse garment and stood at the door of the house. When

they saw him standing at the door they said, "Who is this old

man?" He said, "I am an old man from Najd who has heard what

you have arranged to meet for and has come to be with you to

hear what you say; perhaps you will not lack judgement and good

advice from him." They replied, "Certainly, come in," so he went

in with them. All the nobles of Quraysh, of every clan, had gathered

there,- from the Banu 'Abd Shams, Shaybah and 'Utbah the

sons of Rabi'ah and Abu Sufyan b. Harb; from the Banu Nawfal b.

'Abd Manaf, Tu'aymah b. 'Adi, Jubayr b. Mut'im and al-Harith b.

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141

'Amir b. Nawfal; from the Banu 'Abd al-Dar b. Qusayy, al-Nadr b.

al-Harith b. Kaladah; from the Banu Asad b. 'Abd al-TJzza, Abu

al-Bakhtari b. Hisham, Zam'ah b. al-Aswad b. al-Muttalib and

Hakim b. Hizam,* from the Banu Makhzum, Abu Jahl b. Hisham;

from the Banu Sahm, Nubayh and Munabbih the sons of al-Hajjaj;

and from the Banu Jumah, Umayyah b. Khalaf. In addition there

were others, some from the Quraysh and others who were not

counted as Quraysh.

They said to one another, "This man has done what he has done,

and you have seen it for yourselves. We cannot be sure that he will

not fall upon us with his followers who are not of us> so come to a

decision about him." When they began to deliberate, one of them

said, "Keep him in fetters, lock him up, and wait for the same

kind of death to overtake him which overtook other poets of his

sort before him, Zuhayr, al-Nabighah 225 and others." The old man

from Najd said, "No, by God, this is not judicious; if you were

to imprison him as you say, news of what had happened to him

would leak out to his companions from behind the door which

you had shut upon him, and in no time at all they would fall upon

you and snatch him away from your hands. Then their numbers

would grow against you and they would seize power from you.

This is not judicious, so consider something else."

They consulted again, and one of them said, "Let us expel him

from among us and banish him from our land; when he has left [1231]

us, by God, we will not care where he goes or where he settles.

The harm which he has been doing will disappear, we shall be rid

of him and we shall be able to put our affairs in order again and

restore our social harmony to what it was before." The old man

from Najd said, "By God, this is not judicious,* do you not see the

beauty of his discourse, the sweetness of his speech and how he

dominates the hearts of men with the message which he brings?

By God, if you expel him, I think it not unlikely that he will de-

scend upon some tribe of the Arabs and win them over with this

speech and discourse of his so that they follow him in his plans;

then he will lead them against you, crush you with them, seize

power from your hands and do with you what he wants. Come to

some other decision about him."

225. Two of the most famous pre-Islamic poets. The circumstances of their

deaths are obscure.

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Muhammad at Mecca

Abu Jahl b. Hisham said, "By God, I have an idea about him,

which I do not think you have hit upon yet." "What is it, Abu al-

Hakam?" they asked. He said, "I think that you should take one

young, strong, well-born, noble young man from each clan; then

we should give each young man a sharp sword; then they should

make for him and strike him with their swords as one man and

kill him. Thus we shall be relieved of him, and if they do this, the

responsibility for shedding his blood will be divided up among all

the clans, and the Banu 'Abd Manaf 226 will not be able to wage

war against the whole of their tribe, and will be content to take

blood money from us, which we can pay them." The old man from

Najd was saying, "What this man says is right. This is the correct

decision; you have no other." Thereupon they dispersed, having

agreed upon this.

The Messenger of God Escapes

from the Attempt to Kill Him

Then Gabriel came to the Messenger of God and said, "Do not

spend this night in the bed in which you usually sleep." When

[1232] the first third of the night had gone past, the young men gathered

at his door and waited for him to go to sleep so that they could

fall upon him. When the Messenger of God saw them there he

said to 'All b. Abi Talib, "Sleep on my bed and wrap yourself up

in my green Hadrami cloak; nothing unpleasant will befall you

from them." The Messenger of God used to sleep in that cloak

when he went to bed.

Abu Ja'far (al-Tabari): At this point one authority adds the following

words to this story: Muhammad said to 'All, "If Ibn Abi

Quhafah — that is, Abu Bakr — comes to you, tell him that I have

gone to Thawr and ask him to join me; send me some food, hire

a guide for me who can show me the road to al-Madinah, and buy

me a riding camel." Then the Messenger of God went off, and God

blinded the sight of those who were lying in wait for him so that

he departed without their seeing him.

Ibn Humayd— Salamah— Muhammad b. Ishaq — Yazid b. Ziyad —

Muhammad b. KaT al-Qurazi: They gathered against him,

226. This must mean only the subclans Hashim and al-Muttalib, since the other

two subclans of 'Abd Manaf were represented at the meeting.

Other Events up to the Hijrah

143

and among them was Abu Jahl b. Hisham, who said, while they

were waiting at his door, “Muhammad claims that if you follow

him in his religion, you shall be the kings of the Arabs and the

non- Arabs, that after your death you shall be brought back to life

and your lot shall then be gardens like the gardens of Jordan. He

also claims that if you do not do this, you shall meet with slaughter

from him, and that after your death you shall be brought back

to life, and your lot shall then be a fire, in which you shall burn."

Then the Messenger of God came out, took a handful of dust and

said, "Yes, I do say that; and you are one of them." Then God took

away their sight so that they could not see him, and Muhammad

began to sprinkle the dust on their heads while reciting the following

verses from Surat Ya' Sin:

Ya' Sin. By the wise Qur'an, you are one of those sent on

a straight path . . .

to the words:

and we have set a barrier before them and a barrier behind

them, and have covered them so that they do not see. 227

By the time he had finished reciting these verses he had put

dust on the heads of every one of them, after which he went to

where he wished to go. Someone who had not been with them

came to them and said, "What are you waiting here for?" They

answered, "Muhammad." He said, "God has frustrated you, for

Muhammad has gone out despite you; furthermore, he has put

dust on the heads of every one of you, and has gone away about

his business. Do you not see what has happened to you?"

Every man of them put his hand on his head and found dust

on it; then they began to investigate, and saw 'All on the bed

shrouded in the Messenger of God's cloak. They said, "By God,

this is Muhammad asleep in his cloak," and they continued in

this fashion until morning came, when 'All rose up from the bed.

Then they said, "By God, the person who spoke to us was telling

the truth."

Among the passages of the Qur'an revealed concerning that day

and what they had agreed upon are the following:

227. 3:1-9.

144

Muhammad at Mecca

And when those who disbelieve plot against you to wound

you fatally or to kill you or to drive you out; they plot, but

God plots; and God is the best of plotters.

and:

Or they say: he is a poet, one for whom we may await the

accident of time. Say ; await! I am with you among those who

await. 228

Some of them assert that Abu Bakr came to 'All and asked him

[1234] about the Prophet of God. He told him that he had gone to the cave

of Thawr and said, "If you have any business with him, join him

there." Abu Bakr went out hastily and caught up with the Prophet

of God on the road. The Messenger of God heard the sound of Abu

Bakr coming in the darkness of the night and thought that he was

one of the polytheists. He increased his pace and his sandal strap

snapped, and he skinned his big toe on a stone. It bled profusely,

and he walked even faster. Abu Bakr was afraid that he would

cause the Messenger of God distress, and so he raised his voice and

spoke to him. The Messenger of God recognized him, and stopped

until Abu Bakr reached him. They then set off again, with the

Messenger of God's foot pouring blood. The cave was reached at

dawn and they went in together.

When morning came the group of people who were lying in wait

for the Messenger of God went into his house. 'Ali rose from his

bed, and when they came close to him they recognized him and

said, "Where is your companion?" He replied, "I do not know. Do

you expect me to keep watch over him? You told him to leave,

and he has left." They scolded him and beat him. Then they took

him to the mosque and imprisoned him for a while, but after this

they left him alone. Thus God delivered his Messenger from their

plotting. About this event God revealed: "and when those who

disbelieve plot against you to wound you fatally or to kill you or

to drive you out; they plot, but God plots; and God is the best of

plotters." 229

228. 8:30; 52:30-31.

229. 8:30.

The Messenger of God Emigrates to al-Madinah

Abu Ja'far (al-Tabari): After this God gave his Messenger permis-

sion to emigrate.

'All b. Nasr ai-Jahdami— 'Abd al-Samad b. 'Abd al-Warith; also

'Abd al-Warith b. 'Abd al-Samad b. 'Abd al-Warith— his father

('Abd al-Samad)— Aban al-'Attar— Hisham b. TJrwah — TJrwah:

When the Messenger of God's Companions had gone to al-

Madinah but before he himself left Mecca, and before the verse

was revealed in which they were commanded to fight, 230 Abu Bakr,

who had not been commanded to go, asked Muhammad's permission

to leave with the rest of his companions. The Messenger of

God kept him back, however, and said, "Give me a little time. I

do not know. Perhaps I shall be given permission to depart." Abu

Bakr had bought two riding camels and had prepared them for departure

to al-Madinah with the Messenger of God's Companions.

When the Messenger of God asked him to wait and told him of the

hope which he had that God would give him permission to leave,

he kept the two camels in expectation of accompanying the Messenger

of God, and fed them well and fattened them. When the

Messenger of God's departure was delayed, Abu Bakr said to him,

"Do you hope that permission will be given to you?" He replied,

"Yes. Wait until it comes." He then waited patiently.

'A'ishah told me that on a certain day, while they were in their

house at noon time, there being nobody with Abu Bakr except

his daughters 'A'ishah and Asma', the Messenger of God suddenly

appeared while the noonday sun was at its height. It had been his

habit to come to Abu Bakr's house every day without fail at the beginning

of the day and at the end of it, and so when Abu Bakr saw

the Prophet coming at noon he said to him, "O Prophet of God,

only something special has brought you here." When he came in,

the Prophet said to Abu Bakr, "Ask whoever is with you to leave."

He answered, "There are no spies upon us here. These are only my

two daughters." Then the Prophet said, "God has given me permission

to depart for al-Madinah." Abu Bakr said, "O Messenger

of God, may I accompany you?" "Yes," he replied. Abu Bakr said,

"Take one of the riding camels." These were the riding camels

which he had been feeding in preparation for departure when -

230. The verse was alleged to be 8:39; see above pp.1225, 1227, and n. 218.

146

permission was granted to the Messenger of God. He gave him one

of them and said, "Take it, O Messenger of God, and ride it." The

Prophet replied, "I accept it, for its price."