VOL 7.8

According to Ibn Humayd — Salamah — Muhammad b. Ishaq

— 'Asim b. 'Umar b. Qatadah: 1 ” One of the (Ansar) called Hatib b.

Umayyah b. Rafi' had a son called Yazid b. Hatib, who was

wounded on the day of Uhud and brought dying to his people's

settlement. The people of the settlement gathered round him and

the Muslim men and women began to say, "Rejoice, Ibn Hatib, at

the good news of Paradise." Hafib was an elderly man who had

grown old in the Jahiliyyah, and his being a Hypocrite appeared

that day, for he said, "What are you congratulating him on? A

Garden of rue?“° By God, you have deluded this lad into losing his

life, and stricken me with grief at his death."

According to Ibn Humayd — Salamah — Muhammad b. Ishaq

— 'Asim b. 'Umar b. Qatadah: There was among us a stranger,

whose origins were unknown, called Quzman. When anybody

mentioned his name, the Messenger of God used to say, "He is

one of the people of Hell-fire." On the day of Uhud he fought

hard, and killed eight or nine polytheists with his own hand, being

bold, brave, and redoubtable. Finally he was disabled by his

wounds and was carried to the settlement of the Banu Zafar.

Some Muslims began to say, "You have fought valiantly today,

199. IH, 578; W, 263. Hatib and his son belonged to the clan of Zafar, but Hatib

seems to have had some connection with the Jewish clan of Qurayzah (W, 511).

200. Rue ( harmal ) was placed in tombs at the feet of the dead.

136

The Foundation of the Community

Quzman, so rejoice!" "What have I to rejoice about?" he answered.

"By God, I only fought for the honour of my people; but

for that, I would not have fought." When the pain of his wounds

became too severe, he took an arrow from his quiver, Ml slit his

wrists, and bled to death. The Messenger of God was told of this,

and said, "I testify that I am truly the Messenger of God."

Among those who were killed on the day of Uhud was MukHayriq

the Jew. He was one of the Banu Tha'labah b. al-Fityawn. 202

On that day he said, "O Jews, by God you know that it is your

duty to go to Muhammad's aid." They replied, "Today is the Sabbath."

He said, "There is no Sabbath," and took up his sword and

his equipment. Then he said, "If I am killed, I leave my property

to Muhammad to do with as he will." Then he went out to the

Messenger of God and fought along with him until he was killed.

The Messenger of God said, as I have been told, "Mukhayriq is

the best of the Jews."

According to Ibn Humayd — Salamah — Muhammad b. Ishaq: 203

Some of the Muslims carried their dead to Medina and buried

them there. Then the Messenger of God forbade that and said,

"Bury them where they fell."

According to Ibn Humayd — Salamah — Muhammad b. Ishaq

— his father, Ishaq b. Yasar — some shaykhs of the Banu Sa-

limah: 204 The Messenger of God said on that day when he ordered

the burial of the dead, "Look out for 'Amr b. al-Jamuh and 'Abd

Allah b. 'Amr b. Haram. They were close friends in this world, so

put them in one grave.

201. The rest of this sentence and also the following sentence are not in IH, 578.

Al-Waqidi has two accounts of the death of Quzman (223!.; 263) and gives more

information. He was reckoned to the clan of Zafar but his origin was unknown;

and he had no wife or child. Like Hatib b. Umayyah he was reckoned a Hypocrite.

He went out to fight because the women of Zafar taunted him with cowardice. By

committing suicide he condemned himself to Hell. There are many references to

the story in theological contexts because it is taken as an example of predestination

and of Muhammad's foreknowledge of that. This is the reason for Muhammad's testifying below.

202. Tha'labah was an important group of Jews in Medina, but they may have

been Arabs who had accepted Judaism, since they also had links with the tribe of

Ghassan; see Watt, Medina, 193.

203. IH, 585b

204. IH, 586; the sentence about Mu'awiyah, the later caliph, is not in IH.

The Events of the Year 3

137

" When Mu'awiyah dug the canal, they

were exhumed, and their bodies were as supple as though they

had been buried the day before.

Then the Messenger of God left to go back to Medina. He was

met, as I have been told, by Hamnah bt. Jahsh, who was given the

news of the death of her brother 'Abd Allah b. Jahsh. She said,

"We belong to God and to him do we return," and prayed for his

forgiveness. Then she was given the news of the death of her maternal

uncle Hamzah b. 'Abd al-Muttalib, and repeated these

words. Then she was told of the death of her husband Mus'ab b.

'Umayr, and she screamed and wailed. The Messenger of God

said, "The woman's husband occupied a special place in her

heart," because he saw her steadfastness at the death of her

brother and uncle and her screaming over her husband.

The Messenger of God passed by a settlement of Ansar of the

Banu 'Abd al-Ashhal and Zafar and heard sounds of lamentation

and women weeping. The Messenger of God's eyes filled with

tears and he wept, but then he said, "Yet Hamzah has no women

weeping for him." When Sa'd b. Mu'adh and Usayd b. Hudayr

came back to the settlement of the Banu 'Abd al-Ashhal, they told

their women to gird themselves up and to go and weep for the

Messenger of God's uncle.

According to Ibn Humayd — Salamah — Muhammad b.

Ishaq — 'Abd al-Wahid b. Abi 'Awn — Isma'Il b. Muhammad

b. Sa'd b. Abi Waqqa$: The Messenger of God passed by a

woman of the Banu Dinar whose husband, brother, and father had

been killed fighting along with the Messenger of God at Uhud.

When she was told of their deaths, she said, "What about the

Messenger of God?" They said, "He is well. God be praised, he is

as you would wish him to be." She said, "Show him to me, that I

may look upon him." He was pointed out to her, and when she

saw him she said, "Every loss is bearable now that I have seen you

safe." Abu Ja'far (al-Tabari) says: When the Messenger of God got  

back to his family, he gave his sword to his daughter Fatimah and

said, "Wash the blood off this, my daughter." Then 'All gave her

his sword and said, "Wash this one too, for by God it has served

me well today." The Messenger of God said, "If you have fought

well, Sahl b. Hunayf and Abu Dujanah Simak b. Khara-

138

The Foundation of the Community

shah fought well with you." 205 They assert that when 'Ali b. Abl

Talib gave Fatimah his sword, he said:

Fatimah, take the sword which is not blameworthy,

for I am neither cowardly nor blameworthy.

By my life, I fought for love of Muhammad

and in obedience to a Lord who is merciful to his servants.

With my sword in my hand which I was brandishing like a meteor,

hacking with it freedman and noble alike.

I continued in this way until my Lord dispersed them,

and until we had slaked the thirst for vengeance of every forbearing man.

When Abu Dujanah took the sword from the hand of the Messenger

of God, he fought fiercely with it. He used to say, "I saw a

person stirring up the enemy to a fury, so I made my way over

there and attacked with my sword; then she wailed, and I realised

that it was a woman. I respected the Messenger of God's sword

too much to strike a woman with it." Abu Dujanah said:

I am he with whom my friend made a compact

as we were at the foot of the mountain near the date-palms

(1427] That I would not stand forever among those in the rear ranks,

so strike with the sword of God and the Messenger!

The Messenger of God returned to Medina on Saturday, the day

of the battle at Uhud.

The Expedition of Hamia' al-Asad

According to Ibn Humayd — Salamah — Muhammad b. Ishaq

— Husayn b. 'Abd Allah — 'Ikrimah: 206 The day of Uhud was on

Saturday, halfway through Shawwal.

205. It is not clear why these two men are singled out for mention. They are

named together as receiving some of the goods of the clan of al-Nadlr because they

were poor (1453 below; 1^654).

206. IH, 588-90, but without the first isnad ; W, 334-40. The retreat of the

Meccans showed that they had been roughly handled by the Muslims, even if the

Muslim casualties had been higher, and that they were not in a position to attack

the "strongholds" of Medina and so benefit from such advantage as they had

gained. Muhammad presumably realized this, and his march out to Hamra’ al-

Asad was primarily a display of strength to the enemy and a way of boosting the

morale of the Muslims after their losses; see Watt, Medina , i8f.

The Events of the Year 3

139

On the following day,

which was Sunday, 16 Shawwal (March 24, 625), the Messenger

of God's crier called out to the people to go in pursuit of the enemy,

but added that nobody was to join the force except those

who had been present at the battle the day before. Jabir b. 'Abd Allah

b. 'Amr b. Haram 207 spoke to him and said, "O Messenger of

God, my father left me behind to look after my seven sisters and

said to me, 'My son, it is not right for me and you to leave these

women without a man among them, and I am not one to give you

the precedence over myself in fighting along with the Messenger

of God; you must stay behind to look after your sisters.' So I

stayed behind to look after them." The Messenger of God gave

him permission, and he went out with him. The Messenger of

God's only purpose in this expedition was to lower the morale of

the enemy; by going out in pursuit of them, he wanted to give

them the impression that his strength was unimpaired, and that

the Muslims' casualties had not weakened their ability to engage

in fighting.

According to Ibn Humayd — Salamah — Muhammad b. Ishaq

— 'Abd Allah b. Kharijah b. Zayd b. Thabit — Abu al-Sa’ib, the

mawla of 'A’ishah bt. 'Uthman: One of the Messenger of God's

companions from the Banu 'Abd al-Ashhal said, "I and my

brother were present at the battle with the Messenger of God, and

we came back wounded. When the Messenger of God's crier

called on us to go out in pursuit of the enemy, I said to my brother

and he said to me, 'Shall we miss the chance of taking part in an

expedition with the Messenger of God? We have no beast to ride,

and both of us are badly wounded.' So we went out with the Messenger

of God. I was less severely wounded than he was, and at

times when his wounds were too much for him I carried him,

while at other times he walked, until we reached the spot where

the other Muslims were."

The Messenger of God went out until he reached Hamra’ al-

Asad, which is eight miles from Medina, and stayed there three

days — Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday (March 25-27, 625) —

and then went back to Medina.

207. Jabir 's father had been killed at Uhud and, as recorded above buried

in one grave with 'Amr b. al-Jamuh. Jabir took part in many later expeditions.

140 The Foundation of the Community

According to Ibn Humayd — Salamah — Ibn Ishaq — 'Abd Allah

b. Abl Bakr b. Muhammad b. 'Amr b. Hazm: Ma'bad al-Khuza'i

• •

passed by (the Messenger of God). The Khuza'ah, both Muslims

and polytheists, were trusted allies of the Messenger of God in

Tihamah, having made an agreement with him that they would

not conceal from him anything that happened there. At that time

Ma'bad was a polytheist. "O Muhammad," he said, "the losses

among your companions which you have endured are grievous to

(1429) us, and we hope that God will preserve you despite these losses."

Then he left the Messenger of God at Hamra’ al-Asad and went to

Abu Sufyan b. Harb and his men at al-Rawha’. They had decided

to return to the attack against the Messenger of God and his companions.

They argued, "We killed a proportion of Muhammad's

companions, including leaders and nobles, and now we have

turned back home before exterminating them. Let us return to

Medina for the rest of them and finish them off." When Abu

Sufyan saw Ma'bad, be said, "What is going on over there,

Ma'bad?" He replied, "Muhammad has come out at the head of

his companions in pursuit of you, leading an army the like of

which I have never seen. They are burning with anger against

you. Those who stayed away on the day when you fought and

have repented of what they did have gathered round him. I have

never seen the like of their fury against you." "What are you saying,

confound you?" he said. "By God," replied Ma'bad, "I do not

think you will leave here before seeing the forelocks of their cavalry."

"By God," he said, "we have decided to attack them again

to exterminate the remainder of them." "I advise you against

that," said Ma'bad. "By God, what I saw has prompted me to compose

some verses about it." "What are they?" Abu Sufyan asked.

Ma'bad said:

My riding-camel was almost knocked over by the noise

when the earth was flowing with troops of short-haired

horses,

Pounding along carrying noble lions who are not idle

in battle, nor clumsy or weak.

I continued running, thinking that the earth was tilting,

when they brought up a leader who is never deserted,

The Events of the Year 3

141

And I said, "Woe betide Ibn Harb when he meets them,

when the valley is seething with men."

I give an open warning to the people of the sanctuary (of Mecca),

to every intelligent and reasonable man of them,

Of the army of Muhammad, whose riders are far from

contemptible, and my warning is no idle prattle.

This was enough to turn back Abu Sufyan and his men.

When a party of riders from (the tribe of) 'Abd al-Qays went

past (Abu Sufyan), he said to them, "Where are you making for?"

They replied, "We are making for Medina." "Why?" he asked.

"For provisions," they said. "Will you give Muhammad a message

from me," he said, "and I will load these camels of yours

with raisins in 'Ukaz later on, when you get there?" They agreed,

so he said, "When you go to him, tell him that we have resolved

to march against him and his companions and to exterminate the

remainder of them."

The party of riders passed by the Messenger of God while he

was in Hamra’ al-Asad and told him what Abu Sufyan had threatened,

but he only said, "God is sufficient for us, the best in whom

to trust."

Abu Ja'far (al-Tabari) says: Then the Messenger of God left for

Medina after the third day. Some specialists in historical reports

[akhbar] claim that the Messenger of God captured Mu'awiyah b.

al-Mughirah b. Abi al-'As and Abu 'Azzah al-Jumahi on his way to

Hamra’ al-Asad. 1 ™ When he went on that expedition he left Ibn  

Umm Maktum in charge of Medina.

208. There is no mention of this in Ibn Ishaq, but IH has a long addition to Ibn

Ishaq in which he gives several variants ($9of.). According to W, 332-4, and one of

IH's accounts this Mu'awiyah, who was maternal grandfather of the Umayyad caliph ‘Abd al-Malik, had fled from the battle of Uhud and taken refuge with ‘Uthman the later caliph, to whom Muhammad granted security for him for three days; but he mistook the route back to Mecca and after the three days were over fell into the hands of some Muslims and was killed. Abu ‘Azzah ‘Amr b. ‘Abdallah b. ‘Uthman |or ‘Umayr( was captured at Badr, but, because he was a poor man with five daughters, Muhammad allowed him to go free without a ransom on condition he did not fight against him (IH, 471). Before the battle of Uhud, the Meccan leader

Safwan b. Umayyah prevailed on him to join the expedition, promising to enrich

him or, of he was killed, to provide for his daughters (2385 above; IH, 556). It is not

stated how he came to be captured by the Muslims, but when he was brought to

Muhammad the latter ordered his execution because he had given his word and

broken it (IH, 591, from Ibn Hisham only). On p.1402 ’All is said to have killed

him. See also W, ioif., 201, 308!.

142 The Foundation of the Community

The Sons of ‘AS, etc.

In this year, al-Hasan b. ‘All b. Abl Talib was bom, halfway

through the month of Ramadan (about March i, 625).

In this year also, Fatimah became pregnant with al-Husayn; it

is said that there were only fifty days between her giving birth to

al-Hasan and her conceiving al-Husayn.

In this year also, it is said that Jamilah bt. 'Abd Allah b. Ubayy

conceived 'Abd Allah b. Hanzalah b. Abi 'Amir, in Shawwal

(which began March 17, 625 J. 209

209. Jamilah, the daughter of the leading Hypocrite 'Abdallah b. Ubayy, was the

wife of the Hanzalah killed at Uhud and washed by the angels (1412 above). His

death occurred only six days after the month began.

&

The

Events of the Year

4

(June 13, 625-JuNE i, 626)

9

Then the fourth year of the Hijrah commenced.

The Expedition of al-RajP, in Safer

( July-August , 625 j 210

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

' Asim b. 'Umar b. Qatadah: After Uhud a group of men from 'Adal

and al-Qarah came to the Messenger of God and said to him, "O

Messenger of God, some of us are good Muslims; please send a

few of your companions back with us to instruct us in the faith,

teach us to recite the Qur’an, and teach us the laws of Islam." The

Messenger of God agreed and sent six men back with them, Marthad

b. Abl Marthad al-Ghanawi, the confederate of Hamzah b.

'Abd al-Muttalib, Khalid b. al-Bukayr, the confederate of the Banu

'Adi b. Ka'b, 'Asim b. Thabit b. Abi al-Aqlah, the brother of the

210. IH, 638-48; W, 354-63; Watt, Medina, 33!. According to al-Waqidi, the

tribe of Libyan were seeking vengeance for the killing of their chief Sufyan b.

Khalid al-Hudhali, and they paid the men of f A<Jal and al-Qarah to ask for instructors;

but this raises difficulties about dating. ( Adal and al-Qarah were subclans of

al-Hun b. Khuzaymah and included in the Ahabish.

144

The Foundation of the Community

Banu 'Amr b. 'Awf, Khubayb b. 'Adi the brother of the Banu

Jahjaba b. Kulfah b. 'Amr b. 'Awf, Zayd b. al-Dathinnah, the

brother of the Banu Bayadah b. 'Amir, and 'Abd Allah b. Tariq, a

confederate of the Banu Zafar from (the tribe of) Bali. The Messenger

of God put Marthad b. Abi Marthad in charge of them, and

they set out with the delegation. When they got to al-Raji', a watering

place belonging to (the tribe of) Hudhayl, in a district of

Hijaz in the upper part of al-Had’ah, the (delegation) betrayed the

(Muslims) and called Hudhayl to their assistance against them.

The (Muslims) who had bivouacked for the night were taken

completely by surprise by men with swords in their hands; they

took up their swords to fight them, but the (men) said, "By God,

we do not want to kill you. We only want to get some (money) for

you from the people of Mecca. We swear to you by God's covenant

that we will not kill you." Marthad b. Abi Marthad, Khalid

b. Bukayr, and 'Asim b. Thabit b. Abi al-Aqlah said, "By God, we

will never accept a compact or contract from a polytheist," and

then fought until they were all killed. Zayd b. al-Dathinnah,

Khubayb b. 'Adi, and 'Abd Allah b. Tariq, however, were soft and

[1433I yielding, desiring life, and surrendered; they were made prisoners

and taken to Mecca to be sold there.

When they got as far as al-Zahran, 'Abd Allah b. Tariq broke

loose from his bonds, and seized his sword. His captors kept well

back from him, but threw stones at him until they had killed

him. They buried him at al-Zahran. As for Khubayb b. 'Adi and

Zayd b. al-Dathinnah, their captors took them to Mecca and

sold them there. Khubayb was bought by Hujayr b. Abi Ihab al-

Tamimi, the confederate of the Banu Nawfal, on behalf of 'Uqbah

b. al-Harith b. 'Amir b. Nawfal, Hujayr being the brother of al-

Harith b. 'Amir by his mother; this was so that 'Uqbah might kill

him in revenge for his father. Zayd b. al-Dathinnah was bought by

Safwan b. Umayyah in order to kill him in revenge for his father,

Umayyah b. Khalaf.

When 'Asim b. Thabit was killed, Hudhayl had wanted his head

in order to sell it to Sulafah bt. Sa'd b. Shuhayd, 211 because she had

vowed, when he killed her son at Uhud, to drink wine from his

skull if she ever got hold of his head. He was protected by hornets,

however, and when these prevented the men from reaching him,

they said, "Leave him until evening; then the hornets will leave

him and we can take him."

211. See 1405 above. Sulafah was the wife of Talhah b. Abi Talhah, whose clan

'Abd al-Dar were responsible for guarding the Meccan standard. In defence of the

standard Talhah and four sons were killed.

The Events of the Year 4

I4S

But God sent a flood in the wadi

which lifted up 'Asim's body and carried it away. 'Asim had made

a covenant with God that no polytheist should touch him and

that he would never touch a polytheist, for fear of being defiled.

When the news that the hornets had protected him reached

'Umar b. al-Khattab, he used to say, "How wonderful! God protected

his believing servant! 'Asim swore that no polytheist

would ever touch him, and that he would never touch a polytheist

in his life, and God protected him from this after his death just

as he abstained from contact in his life."

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

have a different account of this expedition. One variant version is

that of Abu Kurayb — Ja'far b. 'Awn al-'Amri — Ibrahim b. Isma'il

— *Amr or 'Umar b. Asid — Abu Hurayrah: The Messenger of God

sent out a group of ten men, putting 'Asim b. Thabit in command

of them, and they travelled until they reached Had’ah. There

somebody told a clan of (the tribe of) Hudhayl called the Banu

Lihyan about them. The latter sent a hundred archers against the

Muslims. This force found the remains of the Muslims' food,

which had consisted of dates. "These are the date-stones of Yathrib,"

they said, and followed the Muslims' tracks. When 'Asim

and his companions became aware of them, they withdrew to a

hill, but the others surrounded them and called on them to surrender,

giving them their word that they would not kill them.

'Asim said, "By God, I will not surrender on the word of an infi-

del. O God, inform your prophet about us." Ibn al-Dathinnah al-

Bayadi, Khubayb, and another man gave themselves up, and the

enemy removed the bowstrings from their bows and tied them up

with them. When they wounded one of the three, he said, "By

God, is this the beginning of treachery? By God, I will not follow

you!" — they beat him until he died. Then they took Khubayb and

Ibn al-Dathinnah to Mecca. Khubayb they handed over to the

sons of al-Harith b. 'Amir b. Nawfal b. 'Abd Manaf, as it was he

who had killed al-Harith at Uhud. While he was with al-Harith's

• • •

daughters, he borrowed a razor from one of them to shave himself

146

The Foundation of the Community

with before being killed. The woman, who had a son who was just

beginning to walk, was thunderstruck to see Khubayb with the

boy on his knee and the razor in his hand. She screamed, but

Khubayb said, "Are you afraid that I will kill him? Treachery is

not one of our customs."

The woman said later, "I never saw a more virtuous captive

than Khubayb. At a time when there was no fruit in Mecca, I saw

him with a bunch of grapes in his hand which he was eating; it

was indeed sustenance which God bestowed on Khubayb."

One section of Quraysh sent asking for a part of 'Asim's body to

be brought to them, since he had left his mark on them at Uhud;

but God sent a swarm of hornets which guarded his body, and

they were not able to take any part of him.

When they took Khubayb out of the haiam (sacred area round

Mecca) to kill him, he asked to be allowed to pray two lak'ahs-,

they left him, and he prayed two prostrations. After that, it became

the sunnah for those about to be executed to pray two

rak’ahs. Khubayb said, "If it were not that they would say I did

not want to die, I would have prayed longer.

I do not care which side it comes from; my death is for God."

Then he said:

"This is for God himself, and if he will

he will bless the limbs of a mangled corpse.

O God, count them by number and take them one by one!"

Then Abu Sirwa'ah b. al-Harith b. 'Amir b. Nawfal b. 'Abd

Manaf took him out and beheaded him.

According to Abu Kurayb — Ja'far b. 'Awn — Ibrahim b. Isma'il

— Ja'far b. 'Amr b. Umayyah — his father — his grandfather: 212 The

Messenger of God sent him alone to Quraysh as a spy. He said, "I

came to the cross to which Khubayb was bound, frightened that

someone might see me, climbed up it, and untied Khubayb. He

fell to the ground, and I withdrew a short distance. Then I turned

round, and I could not see a trace of Khubayb — it was as though

the earth had swallowed him up. Nothing has been heard of

Khubayb to this day."

212. According to the isnad on 1437T the great-grandfather [jadd) is 'Amr b.

Umayyah al-Damri. The subtribe of Damrah was part of Banu Bakr b. f Abd Manat

b. Kinanah and had grounds close to Mecca.

The Events of the Year 4

147

According to Abu Ja’far (al-Tabari) — Ibn Humayd — Salamah

— Ibn Ishaq: Zayd b. al-Dathinnah was sent to al-Tan'im by

Safwan b. Umayyah along with a mawla of his called Nistas who

was to take him outside the haiam and then kill him. A group of

Quraysh, among whom was Abu Sufyan b. Harb, gathered around

Zayd, and when he was brought forward to be killed Abu Sufyan

said to him, "I call on you in God's name to tell me the truth,

Zayd; do you not wish that Muhammad was here in your place,

so that we could execute him, and that you were at home among

your family?" "By God," he replied, "I do not even wish that

Muhammad, at home as he is now, should be hurt by a thorn

prick in order that I could be at home among my family." Abu

Sufyan used to say, "I never saw anyone love another person so

completely as Muhammad's companions love Muhammad." Finally Nistas killed him.

The Mission of ‘Amr b. Umayyah against Abu

Sufyan 213

The story of 'Amr b. Umayyah al-Damri, when he was sent by the

Messenger of God to kill Abu Sufyan b. Harb.

When the men whom the Prophet had sent to 'Adal and al-

Qarah were killed at al-Raji* and the news reached the Messenger

of God, he sent 'Amr b. Umayyah al-Damri and one of the An§ar

to Mecca, ordering them to kill Abu Sufyan b. Harb.

According to Ibn Humayd — Salamah b. al-Fadl — Muhammad

b. Ishaq — Ja'far b. al-Fadl b. al-Hasan b. 'Amr b. Umayyah al-

Damri — his father — his great-grandfather, that is 'Amr b. Umayyah,

whose account is as follows: After the death of Khubayb and

his companions, the Messenger of God sent me together with one

of the Ansar, saying, "Go to Abu Sufyan b. Harb and kill him." I

and my companion set out. I had a camel and he had not, and he

had a weakness in his foot, so I carried him on my camel until we

213. This story is not in our text of Ibn Ishaq, and Ibn Hisham (992) says the latter omitted it and gives a version from another unspecified source. Al-Tabari, however, ascribes his version |t437-4i) to Ibn Ishaq. See also Guillaume, xlii, 79on.

( 1437 )

114381

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reached the valley of Ya’jaj. Then we hobbled our camel in the

bottom of a ravine and climbed up. I said to my companion,

"Come with me to Abu Sufyan's house, as I am going to try to kill

him. You keep watch, and if a patrol comes or something alarms

you, get back to your camel, mount it, return to Medina, and go to

the Messenger of God and tell him what has happened. You can

leave me to my own devices, because I know the town well, am

bold, and have strong legs."

When we entered Mecca I had with me the like of an eagle’s

secondary feather — meaning his dagger — which I had ready to

kill anybody who laid hold of me. My companion said to me,

"Shall we make a start by circumambulating the Ka'bah seven

times and praying two iak'ahsV I said to him, "I know the people

of Mecca better than you do. When it gets dark, they sprinkle

their courtyards with water and sit in them,- and I am better

known there than a piebald horse."

But he kept on pestering me until in the end we went to the

Ka'bah, circumambulated it seven times, and prayed two rak’ahs.

When we came out we went past a group of men sitting together,

and one of them recognized me and shouted out at the top of his

voice, "That is 'Amr b. Umayyah! " The Meccans rushed after us,

saying "By God, 'Amr b. Umayyah has not come here for any good

purpose! By the God by whom we swear, he has never come here

except for some evil purpose!" ('Amr had been a cutthroat and a

desperado before accepting Islam).

They set out in pursuit of my companion and myself, and I said

to him, "Let us get out of here! This is just what I was afraid of!

We will never reach Abu Sufyan now, so save your own skin." We

left at full speed, took to the hills, and hid in a cave, where we

spent the night. In this way we gave them the slip, and they had

to return without us. As we went into the cave, I concealed the

entrance with stones, saying to my companion, "Let us wait here

until the hue and cry has died down; they are sure to hunt for us

the rest of the night and all tomorrow until the evening." I was

still in the cave when, by God, 'Uthman b. Malik b. 'Ubayd Allah

al-Taymi came up riding proudly on his horse. He kept coming

nearer and nearer, riding proudly on his horse, until he reached

the entrance to our cave. I said to my companion, "This is Ibn

Malik. By God, if he sees us, he will tell everyone in Mecca about

The Events of the Year 4

149

us!" So I went out and stabbed him below the breast with my dagger.

He gave a shout which all the Meccans heard, and they came

up to him while I went back to my hiding place, went in and said

to my companion, "Stay where you are!" The Meccans hastily

followed the shout, and found him on the point of death. They

asked him, who had wounded him. "'Amr b. Umayyah," he

replied, and died. They could not find anything to show them

where we were, and merely said, "By God, we knew that he came

for no good purpose." The death of their companion impeded

their search for us, for they carried him away. We remained in the

cave for two days until the pursuit had died down and then went

out to al-Tan'lm, where Khubayb's cross was. My companion said

to me, "Shall we take Khubayb down from his cross?" "Where is

he?" I said. "You can see him over there," he said. "Very well," I

said, "but leave it to me, and keep well away from me." The cross

was watched over by a guard, so I said to the Ansari, "If you are

afraid of anything, make your way to your camel, mount it, go to

the Messenger of God, and tell him what has happened." I went

quickly to Khubayb's cross, untied him, and carried him on my

back, but I had gone no more than forty paces when they spotted

me. At once I threw him down, and I will never forget the sound

his body made when it fell. They ran after me, and I took the path

to al-$afra’ and managed to throw them off. They went back,

while my companion made his way to his camel, mounted it,

went to the Prophet and told him what had happened to us. I proceeded

on foot until I was overlooking Ghalil Dajnan. There I

went into a cave with my bow and arrows. While I was in it a tall

one-eyed man from the Banu al-Dil b. Bakr came in driving some

sheep. He said, "Who is there?" and I said, "One of the Banu

Bakr." 114 He said, "I am from the Banu Bakr, one of the Banu

al-Dil." Then he lay down next to me, and raised his voice in

song:

I will not be a Muslim as long as I live,

and will not believe in the faith of the Muslims.

I said, "You will soon see!" Before long the beduin went to sleep

and started snoring, and I went to him and killed him in the most

dreadful way that anybody has ever killed anybody.

[1440)

214. *Amr's tribe of Damrah was part of Bakr, as was also al-Dil.

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I leant over

him, stuck the end of my bow into his good eye, and thrust it

down until it came out of the back of his neck. After that I rushed

out like a wild beast and took to the highway like an eagle, fleeing

for my life. First, I came to such and such a village, then to Rakubah,

and then to al-Naqi'. At this place there were two Meccans

whom Quraysh had sent to spy out how things were with the

Messenger of God. I recognized them and called on them to surrender.

"Shall we surrender to you?" they said; so I shot an arrow

at one of them and killed him, and then called on the other to surrender.

He did so and I tied him up and took him to the Messenger

of God.

According to Ibn Humayd — Salamah — Ibn Ishaq — Sulay-

man b. Wardan — his father — 'Amr b. Umayyah: When I came to

Medina, I went past some shaykhs of the Ansar. "By God," they

said, "that is 'Amr b. Umayyah!" Some boys heard what they

were saying and rushed to the Messenger of God to tell him. I had

tied my prisoner's thumbs together with my bowstring, and the

Messenger of God looked at him and laughed so that his back

teeth could be seen. Then he questioned me and I told him what

had happened. "Well done!" he said, and prayed for me to be

blessed.

Muhammad's Marriage to Zaynab bt. Khuzaymah 21S

In this year, in the month of Ramadan (which began February 4,

626), the Messenger of God married Zaynab bt. Khuzaymah,

known as "the Mother of the Poor," a woman of the Banu Hilal.

He consummated his marriage to her in the same month and settled

twelve uqiyyahs and a nashsh on her as a dowry. She had pre-

viously been married to al-Tufayl b. al-Harith, who had divorced

her. 116

215. This Zaynab, who is not to be confused with Zaynab bt. Jahsh, belonged

to Banu Hilal, part of the nomadic tribe of 'Amir b. Sa'sa'ah. After her divorce

from Tufayl, a Muslim of the Meccan clan of al-Muttalib, she married his brother

'Ubaydah, who was killed at Badr. See i.i775f. below and Watt, Medina , 396.

216. The uqiyyah is usually rendered “ounce" and the nashsh is half of that.

Zaynab's dowry consisted of this weight of gold or silver presumably.

The Events of the Year 4 151

The Story of Bi'r Ma’unah 117

Abu Ja'far (al-Tabari) says: In this year there occurred the disaster

of the expedition sent out by the Messenger of God which was

killed at Bi’r Ma’unah.

According to Ibn Humayd — Salamah — Muhammad b. Ishaq: (1442]

(After the battle of Uhud) the Messenger of God remained in

Medina for the rest of Shawwal, and Dhu al-Hijjah (of year 3) and

Muharram (of year 4) (late March 625 to early July 62s). The polytheists

had charge of the pilgrimage that year. Then in Safar

(which began July 13, 6 2$), four months after Uhud, he sent out

the men of Bi’r Ma'unah. The reason was as follows.

According to (Ibn Ishaq) — my father, Ishaq b. Yasar — al-

Mughirah b. 'Abd al-Rahman b. al-Harith b. Hisham, and also

'Abd Allah b. Abi Bakr b. Muhammad b. 'Amr b. Hazm and other

scholars: Abu Bara’ 'Amir b. Malik b. Ja'far, the "Player with

spear-heads," who was the chief of the Banu 'Amir b. Sa'sa'ah,

came to the Messenger of God in Medina and presented him with

a gift. The Messenger of God declined to accept it, saying, "Abu

Bara’, I do not accept presents from polytheists, so become a Muslim

if you want me to accept it." Then he expounded Islam to

him, explained its advantages for him and God's promises to the

believers, and recited the Qur’an to him. He did not accept Islam,

but was not far from doing so, saying, "Muhammad, this matter

of yours to which you call me is good and beautiful. If you were to

send some of your companions to the people of Najd to call them

to your religion, I would hope that they would respond to you."

The Messenger of God said, "I fear that the people of Najd would

do them some harm." Abu Bara’ replied, "I will guarantee their

protection, so send them to call people to your religion." The

Messenger of God thereupon sent al-Mundhir b. 'Amr, the

brother of the Banu Sa'idah, "he who hastens to death," at the

head of forty of the best Muslims from his companions; among

them were al-Harith b. Simmah, Haram b. Milhan, the brother of

the Banu 'Ad! b. al-Najjar, 'Urwah b. Asma’ b. al-Salt al-Sulami,

Nafi' b. Budayl b. Warqa’ al-Khuza'i, and 'Amir b. Fuhayrah, the

mawla of Abu Bakr, together with other named men from the

best of the Muslims.

217. See also IH, 648-52; W, 346-52; Watt, Medina, 31-)/ El*, art. Bi’r Ma'una

|C. E. Bosworth).

152 The Foundation of the Community

According to Ibn Humayd — Salamah — Muhammad b. Ishaq

— Humayd al-Tawil — Anas b. Malik: The Messenger of God sent

al-Mundhir b. 'Amr with seventy riders. They went on until they

halted at Bi’r Ma'unah, which lies between the territory of the

Banu 'Amir and the harrah of the Banu Sulaym, near to both of

them but closer to the latter. After halting, they sent Haram b.

Milhan to 'Amir b. al-TufayP 18 with a letter from the Messenger of

God. When Haram arrived, 'Amir did not even look at the letter

but rushed on him and killed him. Then he called on the Banu

'Amir to aid him against the Muslims, but they refused to do

what he asked them, saying, "We will not betray Abu Bara’. He

has entered into a compact with them and given them his protection."

'Amir then called on some clans of the Banu Sulaym,

'Usayyah, Ri'l, and Dhakwan, to come to his aid against the Muslims,

and they responded to his request. They set out and took the

Muslims by surprise, surrounding them while they were dismounted

and encamped. The Muslims, on seeing them, snatched

up their swords and fought them until they themselves were

killed to the last man, except for Ka'b b. Zayd, the brother of the

Banu Dinar b. al-Najjar. The enemy left Ka'b at the point of death,

but he was pulled out from among the slain and survived, eventually

being killed at the battle of the Trench (in 5/627,!.

'Amr b. Umayyah al-Damri and one of the Ansar belonging to

the Banu 'Amr b. 'Awf were out with the grazing camels and only

realized what had happened to their companions from the birds

which were hovering over the camp. "By God," they said, "these

birds mean something." They went up to see and found their

companions lying in their blood, while the horsemen who had

killed them stood close by. The Ansari said to 'Amr b. Umayyah,

"What do you think we should do?" He said, "I think that we

should go to the Messenger of God and tell him what has happened."

The Ansari said, "I do not want to leave a place in which

al-Mundhir b. 'Amr has been killed, and I do not want people to

say that I did so."

216. 'Amir b. Tufayl was the nephew of Abu Bara’ and also had a position of

leadership in the tribe, but the precise details are not known. The tribe refused to

support 'Amir in disregarding the protection ( ijarah) granted by Abu Bara’.

The Events of the Year 4 153

He then fought against the enemy until he was

killed. The latter took 'Amr b. Umayyah prisoner, but when he

told them that he was from Mudar ’Amir b. al-Tufayl set him free,

after cutting off his forelock. He freed him, so he claimed, because

of an oath taken by his mother.

'Amr b. Umayyah proceeded towards Medina until, when he

was at al-Qarqarah in the upper part of Qanat, two men of the

Banu 'Amir came up and halted next to him in the shade, where

he was. The 'Amiris had a compact of protection with the Messenger

of God which 'Amr b. Umayyah did not know about. When

they dismounted he asked them who they were, and they replied

that they were from the Banu 'Amir. He let them be until they

were asleep, but then rushed on them and killed them, thinking

that he had taken vengeance on them for the companions of the

Messenger of God who had been killed by the Banu 'Amir. When

he came to the Messenger of God he told him what had happened,

and the Messenger of God said, "You have killed two men for

whom I shall have to pay blood-money." Then he added, "This is

the doing of Abu Bara’. I was opposed to sending out this party

and apprehensive about it." 11 * Abu Bara’ heard of this and was distressed

by 'Amir's betrayal of him and by the disaster which had

befallen the Messenger of God as a result of his guaranteeing the

protection of the party of Muslims. One of those who was killed

was 'Amir b. Fuhayrah.

According to Ibn Humayd — Salamah — Muhammad b. Ishaq

— Hisham b. 'Urwah — his father: 'Amir b. al-Tufayl used to say,

"Which of them is the man whom I saw being raised up between

heaven and earth after his death until 1 saw the heavens beneath

him?" They said, "That was 'Amir b. Fuhayrah."

According to Ibn Humayd — Salamah — Muhammad b. Ishaq

— one of the Banu Ja'far, one of the sons of Jabbar b. Sulma b.

Malik b. Ja'far: Jabbar was one of those who were present that day

219. The reason why Muhammad had to give blood-money for two to Banu

'Amir, while claiming none for the men he had lost, is presumably that the latter

were actually killed by tribesmen of Sulaym, even if r Amir b. al-Tufayl had asked

them to do so and was "morally responsible" according to Western ideas. Abu

Bara' was at most responsible for exaggerating his own ability to protect, but he

felt disgraced because his grant of protection had been betrayed. Hence the poem

below by Hassan b. Thabit.

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with 'Amir, but he accepted Islam later on. He used to say, "One

of the things which summoned me to Islam was that I struck one

of them that day between his shoulders with my spear. I saw

the spearhead coming out of his breast, and I heard him say as I

speared him, "I have won, by God!" I said to myself, "What has

he won? Have I not killed the man?" Later on I asked what he had

said, and was told, "He meant he had won martyrdom." "By

God," I said, "he has won."

Hassan b. Thabit said, 220 inciting the sons of Abu Bara’ against

'Amir b. al-Tufayl:

O sons of Umm al-Banin, have you not been dismayed,

although you are the highest of the people of Najd,

By 'Amir's scornful behaviour to Abu Bara’

in betraying his guarantee of protection; for a mistake is not

like a deliberate act.

Say to Rabi'ah who ever strives,

what have you done in the course of time since I was with

you?

Your father is the man of war Abu Bara’

and your maternal uncle, Hakam b. Sa'd, is glorious.

On the same subject, Ka'b b. Malik said:

The betrayal of Abu Bara’'s guarantee of protection

has spread far and wide in every direction

[1446] It is like Musahhab and his father's sons

by al-Radh in the region of Suwa’

O sons of Umm al-Banin, did you not hear

the call for help at evening time

And the raising of the cry? Nay, you heard it,

but you knew that it was a true battle.

The bags of the Banu Kilab are not empty

of blame for faithlessness, nor those of the Qurata’.

'Amir, 'Amir of shameful acts of old,

you have not gained comprehension or splendour

Have you betrayed the Prophet, when of old you used

to hasten to shameful acts under the open sky?

220. See his Diwan, i.232f., ii. 174-7; the verses are in a different order there.

Umm al-Banin ("mother of the sons") was the mother of Abu Bara’ and had four

other sons, fiakam b. Sa r d was her brother and Rabi'ah the son of Abu Bara’. The

following verses by Ka'b b. Malik are not in IH.

The Events of the Year 4

155

You are not like the protector of Abu Duwad,

nor like al-Asadl, the protector of Abu al-'Ala’

But your shame is an ancient sickness,

and the sickness of treachery, be assured, is worst of all.

When these words of Hassan and Ka'b reached Rabi'ah, the son

of 'Amir Abu Bara’, he attacked 'Amir b. al-Tufayl and thrust at

him with his lance, but the lance was deflected and failed to kill

him. 'Amir fell off his horse and said, "This is the doing of Abu

Bara’. If I die, I give the right to avenge my death to my uncle, 111

and he is not to be held to account for it; but if I live, I shall make

my own decision about what has happened to me."

According to Muhammad b. Marzuq — 'Amr b. Yunus — 'Ikrimah —

Ishaq b. Abi Talhah — Anas b. Malik: The companions of

the Prophet whom he sent to the people of Bi’r Ma'unah, were either

forty or seventy, I do not know. 'Amir b. al- Jufayl al-Ja'fari

was in control of that watering place. This company of companions

of the Prophet travelled until they came to a cave overlooking

the watering place. There they settled down, and then

said to one another, "Which of us will deliver the Messenger of

God’s letter to the people of this watering place?" One of them,

Ibn Milhan the Ansari, I think, said, "I will deliver the Messenger

of God's letter." He reached a group of tents, in front of which he

sat down, and said, "People of Bi’r Ma'unah, I am an envoy of the

Messenger of God to you. I testify that there is no deity but God

and that Muhammad is His servant and His Messenger. So believe

in God and His Messenger." A man came out of a tent flap

with a spear and struck him with it in one side so that it came out

at the other side. He said, "God is most great. I have won, by the

Lord of the Ka'bah." Then they followed his tracks backwards until

they came to his companions in the cave, and 'Amir b. al-

Tufayl killed them all.

According to Ishaq — Anas b. Malik: God revealed concerning

them as part of the Qur’an, "Tell our people of us. Verily we have

met our Lord, and He has been pleased with us and we have been

pleased with Him."

221. That is, to Abu Bara*, presumably. If *Amir b. al-T u feyf lives, it will still be

open to him to seek vengeance.

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Later it was abrogated and removed from the

Qur’an, but for a time we had recited it. God then revealed,

"Think not of those, who are slain in the way of Allah, as dead.

Nay, they are living. With their Lord they have provision, jubi-

lant."

According to Al-'Abbas h. al-Walid — his father — al-Awza'i —

Ishaq b. 'Abd Allah b. Abi Talha al- Ansar! — Anas b. Malik: The

Messenger of God sent to 'Amir b. al-Tufayl al-Kilabi seventy of

the Ansar. Their commander said, "Stay where you are until I

bring you news of the people." When he came to them he said,

"Will you grant me security so that I can tell you about the message

of the Messenger of God?" They said, "Yes," but while he

was with them one of them suddenly stuck his spear into him. He

said, "I have won, by the Lord of the Ka'bah." 'Amir said, "I am

sure that he must have companions," so they followed his tracks

backwards until they came to them and killed them. Nobody escaped

except for one man.

Anas says: We used to recite, as part of what was abrogated,

"Tell our brethren of us, that we have met our Lord, and he has

been pleased with us and we have been pleased with him."

The Expulsion of the Banu al-Nadir 123

In this year, the fourth year of the Hijrah, the Prophet expelled

the Banu al-Nadir from their settlements.

Abu Ja'far (al-Tabari) says: The cause of this was, as we have

mentioned above, that 'Amr b. Umayyah, as he returned from the

expedition sent out by the Messenger of God to Bi’r Ma'unah,

killed two men to whom had been given a promise of protection

by the Messenger of God. It is said that 'Amir b. al-Tufayl wrote

to the Messenger of God, "You have killed two men whom you

had given a promise of protection, so send their blood-money."

The Messenger of God went to Quba’ and then turned towards

the Banu al-Nadir to seek help from them in the payment of the

blood-money.

222. For this revelation not in the Qur’an see Th. Noldeke, Geschichte des

Qorans * Leipzig 1909, i.246-8. The following verse is Qur. 3.169.

223. IH, 652-61? W, 363-83? Watt, Medina, 21 if.