purity of his way of living, Ali had become one of the most popular
heroes of Islam, but his extreme poverty forced him to hire himself
out to an Ansar, a garden landlord. When Ali was not engaged in
prayer, he passed the hours in watering date-trees. He deserved that
this lowly situation, bearing no comparison with his exploits, should
have been changed so as to give him new lustre in the eyes of the
people.
Abu Bakr and Usman, finding him one day busily engaged in drawing
water from a well, bade him halt in his work, and reminded him of a
former desire of his, when he had thought of marrying Fatimah, the
Prophet's daughter. Ali got out of temper. 'Ye know how poor I am,' he
told them. 'It's cruel of you to bring up a dream that can never come
true!'
But they were so persistent, affirming that he could count upon their
good offices, that Ali repressed his timidity, and carrying his sword,
armour and sandals, that constituted his sole wealth, went and knocked
at the Prophet's door. Mohammad welcomed him with these words: 'Here
stands a man more dear to me than any other.' Ali remained silent,
with bowed head. 'Speak!' commanded Mohammad.--'O Prophet!' Ali made
up his mind to reply at last, 'thou didst bring me up, an orphan boy,
with a father's love. This day have I arrived at an age when a man
should have a home of his own. Once more I seek thine aid. I come to
ask thee to give me thy daughter Fatimah in marriage.'--What dower
bringest thou?'--'Thou knowest my poverty. I bring thee all I possess:
my sword, armour and sandals.'--'Thy sword belongeth to thy religion,
I cannot accept it. But thy good right arm is strong enough to defend
thy breast better than any cuirass. Go sell thine armour and bring me
the price thereof to serve as my daughter's dower.'
Ali, all his wishes gratified, sought out a buyer. Usman offered him a
good price and then gave him back his armour, begging him to accept it
as a wedding-present.
The marriage was soon arranged; ratified by Mohammad saying to Ali:
'Verily, Allah gave thee my daughter in Heaven before I gave her to
thee in this world.'
A great number of the Faithful, summoned by Bilal, were present to
listen to the "khutbah" (sermon) of their chief, who wished to apprise
them of the betrothal of his daughter to Ali. Bilal was charged to
procure the few simple things indispensable in a household. Half the
dowry served to buy a mattress and a pillow of palm-fibre, a goat-skin
for water and a few earthenware platters. With the other half, were
purchased butter, dates, and flour, forming the frugal betrothal
repast.
When, according to custom, a group of women came to fetch the bride
and lead her into her husband's room, the Prophet, in memory of her on
whom this duty would have devolved, namely Khadijah, Fatimah's mother,
was overtaken by a profound fit of sadness. Showers of tears coursed
down his cheeks. When he had mastered his emotion, he placed Ali at
his right hand, with Fatimah at his left, saying to them: 'May Allah
cause to be born to you noble descendants, who shall be an honour to
our race!'
For three days and three nights, the newly-married couple remained
absorbed in prayer. It was only on the fourth night that chaste Ali,
to whom Mohammad declared that he hoped a long line of male children
would spring from this marriage, dared to approach his wife in whose
veins coursed the blood of the Prophet.
Nine months later, Fatimah brought into the world a son who was named
Hasan. A year after the birth of Hasan, his brother Husain was born.
The offspring of Hasan and Husain, called _Sharifs_, are the sole
descendants of the Prophet.
[Sidenote: THE PROPHET'S MARRIAGE WITH HAFSAH AND UMMU'L-MASAKIN.]
Hafsah, daughter of Umar and widow of Khunes, wished to marry again,
but she was of such a haughty disposition that no one came forward to
offer to be her husband. Abu Bakr, and Usman after him, to whom her
hand had been proposed, both declined. Umar, greatly annoyed at his
daughter's humiliation, opened his heart to the Prophet who replied:
'Usman will marry a better woman than Hafsah; and Hafsah will marry a
better man than Usman.' Mohammad gave his daughter Ummi-Kulsum in
marriage to Usman, whilst, to honour Umar, the Prophet took haughty
Hafsah to wife.
Shortly afterwards, Mohammad also espoused the widow of Ubaidah, the
martyr of Badr. She was a woman whose charity was inexhaustible and
earned the surname of "Ummu'l-Masakin," (the Mother of the Poor).
[Sidenote: THE BATTLE OF UHUD (_Year III of the Hegira, A.D. 625_)]
The inhabitants of Makkah could not console themselves for the defeat
at Badr. The future seemed to them black indeed. Their caravans dared
not venture on the Syrian road, blocked by the Prophet's bold stroke.
Ruin and famine were inevitable at an early date. To guard against
such impending disaster, they decided to devote the large profits made
by their great caravan to arming an expedition which would avenge
their dead and grant them commercial security. Allured by offers of
money, numerous Bedouins of the vicinity came forward to proffer
assistance. Already worked up by the inflammatory satires of the poets
Kab ibn Ashraf and Abu Uzd, these tribesmen, called "Habash," or
Confederates, were enrolled in the ranks of the army raised by Abu
Sufyan.
At the head of these troops, three thousand strong, were Safunah and
Ikrimah, sons of Ibn-i-Khalaf and Abu Jahal, two of the mighty dead of
Badr, and Khalid ibn Walid, the unconquerable soldier. The women's
thirst for revenge was equally ardent; and Hind, the wife of Abu
Sufyan, bore along behind her a horde of her companions resolved to
stop any warrior who might be tempted to run away.
In the fertile plains, north of Al-Madinah, the fellahs were
peacefully engaged in their work of agriculture, or watching over
their grazing flocks, when all of a sudden, the soldiers of Abu
Sufyan, who had taken the greatest precautions to hide their rapid
advance, debouched from the ravines of the western mountains. All
resistance being impossible, the ill-fated peasants fled in great
haste to escape being massacred, and to warn their fellow-citizens of
the invasion of Allah's enemies.
From the top of their ramparts, the dwellers in Al-Madinah looked down
on a sight that made their agriculturists' hearts bleed. Like a swarm
of gigantic locusts, the camels of the idolatrous army ravaged the
verdant meadows, whilst horsemen slaughtered cattle and, madly
rushing, the riders trampled down and scattered the golden harvest,
with all the disdain of traders for the work of husbandmen.
In the face of this havoc wrought before their eyes, the Faithful
found themselves in a state of most irritating powerlessness. The
plain afforded commodious space for the manoeuvres of their enemies'
countless cavalry, and the Believers had no mounted men to put in the
field.... Their sole resource was the wisdom of Allah's Apostle; so,
ready for any sacrifice, they gathered round him.
Now Mohammad had dreamed that he saw his sword-blade notched; his foes
slaughtering his flocks, whilst a breastplate was close to his hand.
The Prophet told his followers of his dream and explained what it
signified. 'The notched blade means that I shall be wounded. The
slaughtered flocks show that a great number of my disciples will die;
and the breastplate near me symbolizes the ramparts of Al-Madinah
which alone can save us from disaster. Let us shut ourselves up in the
city and we shall have nothing to fear from our adversaries. Should
they attack, they can easily be repulsed and made to suffer cruel
losses; and if they fall back without attacking, they will be crushed
in their retreat by the shame of not having dared to fight us.'
Such had always been the tactics of the people of Al-Madinah from time
immemorial; but their quality of Mussulmans and their victory at the
battle of Badr had changed all their ideas. Thinking that they were
now and for ever invincible, they no longer had the patience to remain
impassible while their gardens were laid waste. Furthermore, those who
had not fought at Badr were burning with desire to show that they too
were full of courage. The worst that could befall them was martyrdom
to which they sincerely aspired.
Abdullah ibn Abi Salul, chief of the "Hypocrites," was alone opposed
to an advance. For once in a way, the Prophet agreed with him.
Nevertheless, in the face of the unanimity and the enthusiasm of the
true Believers, Mohammad considered that he ought to give way, and
resolved to order the march out that he disapproved in his foresight.
After having recited the afternoon prayer, _Asr_, he went back into
his house to buckle on his armour.
The warriors, too, were ready. A compact crowd surrounded the dwelling
of the Prophet who soon appeared, girt with his coat of mail, helmet
on head, sword by his side, shield on his shoulders, and spear in
hand....
Whilst waiting, the Faithful had had time to reflect. They began to
regret their hasty decision, and their chiefs, ashamed at having
upheld different ideas to those of Allah's Chosen One, said to him:
'We ought to have bowed down to thy judgment. We feel inclined to
remain where we are. Thou canst put aside thine armour.'--'When a
Prophet hath buckled on his breastplate,' replied Mohammad, 'he
forfeits the right to take it off until the fight is finished.'
The army of the Believers numbered a thousand foot-soldiers, but
possessed only two horses. The standard of the Mohadjirun was confided
to Musab ibn Amir; that of the Aus to Uqaid; the banner of the
Khazraj being borne by Habbab. Just before sunset, the column went
forward, taking a northerly direction.
Scarcely had they passed the ramparts, when they were rejoined by a
troop of six hundred men, all well-armed. They were Jews; allies of
Abdullah, the "Hypocrite," and it was thanks to his counsel that they
offered their assistance to the Prophet. 'Allah's aid sufficeth,' he
answered, as he sent them away, for knowing their secret sympathies,
he feared they might betray him.
Abdullah, belittled by the rejection of his allies, lost no time in
trying to spread anxiety in the soldiers' ranks by perfidious remarks
such as these: 'Mohammad listens to the chatter of good-for-nothing
folks, and spurns the good advice I give him. Why go to face certain
death?' In this way, he succeeded in decoying a third of the little
army, thus reduced to about seven hundred men and, at the head of the
deserters, he turned back on the road to Al-Madinah, followed by the
hooting of the true Believers.
The next morning, on a Saturday, the eleventh day of the month of
Shawwal, before daybreak, the Prophet ordered the tents to be folded.
He asked for a guide clever enough to lead his troops, unseen by the
enemy, to the Jabl-ul-Uhud, a mountain rising isolated in the plain.
Abu Haythama came forward and led them through the orchards and
palm-tree plantations of the Banu Harith.
The owner of one of these gardens, a "Hypocrite," named Mirba, his
eyes eaten away by ophthalmia, rose up as he heard Mohammad's
footsteps at the head of his troops, and shouted to him: 'If even it
were true that thou art the Prophet of Allah, I would not authorise
thee to go through my garden!' Picking up a clod, he added: 'By Allah!
if I did not fear to strike someone else, I would hurl this earth in
thy face.' The Believers wished to punish the insolence of the
"Hypocrite" by taking his life, but Mohammad restrained them, saying:
'Kill him not, for he is blind. His heart is as blind as his eyes.'
Along this by-path, and concealed behind the thick foliage of the
orchards, the Mussulmans reached the mountain of Uhud before sunrise,
without having been caught sight of by their foes.
The Prophet arranged his forces for the fight. They had the mountain
behind them; their left wing being covered by the pass of Ainin, so
that there was no fear of being turned. To be more sure, he posted Ibn
Jubayr above this defile, with fifty of his most skilful archers, to
whom Mohammad gave the following strict order: 'If the idolaters'
cavalry attempt to outflank us, by slipping through the ravine,
repulse them with showers of arrows. But whether the enemy should be
above or below us, remain steadfast at your post, and whatever
befalls, take care not to go forward!'
At this juncture, a loud outcry was heard resounding in the direction
of the plain. The Makkans had just perceived the Believers who, with
the oblique rays of the sun playing on their spears, stood out in
glowing relief on the rocky slopes of the Jabal-ul-Uhud. Exactly as
the Prophet had foreseen, the enemy's army, its right wing directed by
Khalid ibn Walid, the terrible, and its left wing commanded by
Ikrimah, son of Abu Jahal, spread itself out in a semi-circle, so as
to surround and turn the Mussulmans.
Abu Sufyan, chieftain of the Infidels, trying to wound the vanity of
the Banu Abdi'd-Dar, guarding the flag, called to them thus: 'O ye who
carried our standard at Badr, remember the disaster of which the blame
must be laid on you. A soldier should follow the flag, but ye fled
with it. If this day ye fear to be unable to defend it, let me confide
it to other hands.' Stung to the quick by such an insult, the Banu
Abdi'd-Dar threw up their heads boldly. 'We shall know how to guard
our flag,' said they; 'and if we are alive to-morrow, thou shalt do
justice to our valour.'
Hind now came forward, leading her companions to take their stand
behind the guardians of the flag. And the women sang:
"Courage! O sons of the Abdi'd-Dar!--Courage! O defenders of the women
at your heels!--Strike with every blade!--We are daughters of the star
of Tariq--Our feet glide on soft carpets.--Pearls glisten in our
necklaces--And musk perfumeth our tresses.--If ye show a bold front to
the enemy, we will embrace you!--Should you flee from the foe, we
shall repulse you--And you will be dishonoured eternally by our
scorn!"
On the side of the Believers, the Prophet was not sparing of
encouragement. 'Who among you,' he exclaimed, offering a glistening
sword, 'is capable of giving this weapon its due?'--'And what is its
due, prithee?' asked Abu Dujana, coming forward.--'Its due is to
strike with its blade till it be twisted!'--'Well then, I swear to
give it its due!'
Abu Dujana was a redoubtable warrior. He received the sabre from
Mohammad's hands and, rolling round his head a red turban that he
never wore, except on great occasions when death was nigh, he strode
superbly up and down in front of the ranks. 'Such defiant bearing
would give rise to Allah's wrath,' the Prophet declared, 'on any other
occasion but this.'
Among the enemy was an inhabitant of Medinah, Abu Amir, converted to
Christianity and nicknamed "Ar Rahib," which means "the Monk." Having
got into his head that he could lead a few of his fellow-countrymen in
the Aus tribe astray from the cause of Islam, he went and stood before
them, saying: 'O "qawm" of the Aus! 'tis I, Abu Amir, a son of your
soul. Will ye not hear me out?'--'May Allah refuse thee all favour, O
scoundrel!' they replied. Choking with shame and rancour, "the Monk"
went away, after picking up a pebble which he threw in fury at them.
When "the Monk" had retired, an idolater of terrible appearance,
bestriding a gigantic camel, advances; challenging the Believers
thrice. At the third provocation, Zubayr stepped out of the ranks.
With the leap of a panther, he sprang on to the camel's rump, threw
his arms round his adversary, and rolling with him on the ground,
never let go his hold until he had torn his throat open.
Seeing the combat beginning, Abu Dujana could restrain himself no
longer. He drew his sword. 'There is no good fortune in the ranks of
cowards!' he exclaimed. 'I strike with the sword of Allah and His
Prophet!' The scarlet turban was seen digging into the very centre of
the enemy's massed troops like a glowing brand.
By dint of prodigies of audacity, he struck down all those he met on
his way, when suddenly he found himself facing a strange being who,
vomiting forth the vilest blasphemy, was followed by a crowd of girls
playing on tabors. Abu Dujana brandished his blade over his
adversary's head, but on hearing the piercing shrieks uttered by Hind,
he recognised her. The sword of the Prophet was rendered generous by
him, for he knew it ought not to strike a woman.
Following Abu Dujana's onslaught, the battle raged furiously and all
the combatants were at grips. Arshah, the Quraish standard-bearer, was
struck down by Hamzah, and showed all his teeth in the snarling grin
of death. Siba-al-Ghassani picked up the flag, and challenged his
companion's conqueror. 'Come a little nearer, O son of the procuress!'
replied Hamzah; and at a single stroke, he made him share the fate of
Arshah.
Wishing to avenge his uncle Tahaimah, slain at Badr by Hamzah, Zubayr
ibn Mutam promised to free his Abyssininan slave, Al-Uhayha, if he
succeeded in killing Hamzah.
Thus spoke Al-Uhayha: "During the battle, I had no eyes but for
Hamzah. When I caught sight of him, he was like a rutting grey camel,
throwing down all he met with such terrible blows that none of them
rose again. Not daring to face him, I dogged his footsteps, skulking
behind bushes or rocks. At last, he neared the spot where I was
hidden. I am skilled at throwing the Abyssinian javelin and rarely
miss my mark. Just as Hamzah cut Siba down with a blow on the head, I
balanced my spear and sent it hissing at him. It stuck in his groin,
coming out between his thighs. Terrible in his wrath, Hamzah turned to
attack me, but his strength failing him, he fell down in a huddled
heap and died on the spot. I then came out of my place of concealment,
tore my spear from his dead body and left the battlefield. I only
struck at Hamzah to gain my freedom."
The standard-bearer of the Mohadjirun, Musab ibn Amir, was slain at
the Prophet's side. His murderer, Qaumiah-al-Lissi, thinking that he
had killed Mohammad himself, returned to his comrades. 'I've slain
Mohammad!' he bawled, puffed up with pride.
Ali seized the standard that had slipped from Musab's grasp, and
accepted the challenge of Abu Sad ibn Abi Talhah, the idolaters'
standard-bearer, who uttered these jeering words:
'O companions of Mohammad! ye maintain that our swords send you to
Paradise whilst yours despatch us to hell! By Lat and Uzza! ye lie in
your teeth, for ye take good care not to rush on our blades!'
Ali did not allow him to say anything else. No sooner did the two men
meet, than the mocking idol-worshipper was sent rolling in agony to
earth. Ali's arm was lifted to finish him off when suddenly the young
man averted his head and turned away: Abu Sad, in falling, had exposed
his nakedness to his conqueror.
A furious fight took place round the flag of the Quraish, and, many
other Infidels passed from life to death. Two defenders of this
banner, Mishfah and his brother, Al Zulas, both pierced through and
through by arrows, dragged themselves along to their mother, Sulafa,
one of Hind's companions. The two lads, vomiting streams of blood,
rested their heads in the lap of the woman who had brought them into
the world. 'O my poor boys!' she cried, her voice choked with sobs,
'who dealt you these terrible blows?'--'When we fell,' her sons
replied, 'we heard a voice saying: "Take these darts from me. I am
Asim, son of Allah."' And Sulafa swore that Asim's skull should be
fashioned by her into a cup from which she would drink vinous liquors.
The balance of victory was clearly in favour of the Believers. The
Quraish flag was laid out on the ground, close to a heap of dead
bodies, and no idolater dared to lift the banner. The rout of Allah's
foes had begun. The fury of Hind, her serving-girls, and her female
friends was changed to terror. They lifted their draperies, showing
their legs, in order to flee more easily in wild haste. The archers,
posted near the ravine on the slopes of the Uhud, could see all this
better than anyone else, and they stamped with hot impatience, fearing
that they would not be able to take a hand in plundering the
vanquished.
In vain their chieftain, Ibn Jubayr, tried to retrain them by bidding
them remember the Prophet's strict orders, and their duty which was to
cover the army's flank by guarding the mountain pass. 'The fight is
finished,' they answered in ill-humour. 'Victory is ours! We mean to
have our share of the booty, or deserve the crown of martyrdom.' Like
a living torrent, they rushed down the declivity of the ravine,
disobeying Allah and His Messenger.
"_Already had Allah made good to you His promise, when by His
permission ye destroyed your foes, until your courage failed you, and
ye disputed together about the order, and disobeyed, after that the
Prophet had brought you within view of that for which ye longed._"
(THE QUR'AN, III, 145.)
Khalid, the valiant, farseeing warrior commanding the Quraish left
wing and who, till then, recognised that it was impossible to turn the
position, perceived the fault of the archers. At the head of his
cavalry, he charged Ibn Jubayr, surrounded by a handful of men
remaining faithful to him, and after they were crushed beneath the
hoofs of the horses, Khalid took the Mussulmans in the rear while they
were engrossed with the thoughts of plunder.
At the same time, a woman of the idolaters, Amr bint Alqamah, lifted
the standard abandoned by the Makkans who, ashamed at their own
cowardice when they saw what this courageous woman had done, went back
and fought again. In triumphant tones, dominating all clamour and
clash of arms, the voice of Qumiah, slayer of Musab, rang out:
'Verily, Mohammad hath just been killed!'
The current of the combat deviated. The day, that had begun so
favourably, became a day of calamity. Attacked in the rear, maddened
by the fatal news, the Mussulmans gave way, and a number fled to
Al-Madinah. Even Usman, in despair, allowed himself to be led away.
A great many of the most noble combatants fell martyrs in the fight,
and Allah's enemies rained showers of arrows and stones on a small
group of the Faithful surrounding the Prophet. One stone, thrown by
the son of Abu Waqas, struck Mohammad, splitting his lip, breaking a
front tooth, on the right. Another projectile smashed the rings of his
helmet, driving them into his cheek.
Abu Ubaidah, by biting the rings forced into the flesh, managed to
drag them out. Little he recked when he broke a tooth on each; and he
sucked in ecstasy the blood flowing from the wounds of Allah's Chosen
One. Moved by such fierce devotion, Mohammad said to him: 'He who hath
sucked my blood hath naught to fear from the flames of Hell; but how
can those men prosper who have shed the blood of their Prophet?'
Meanwhile, the situation became more and more critical. During the
thick of the fight, Mohammad was knocked down, and thrown into a deep
hole that he had not noticed behind him. Ali and Talha helped him out
at once.
Then Ali, together with Abu Bakr and Umar, both wounded, hurled
themselves on the assailants whose forces increased unceasingly,
threatening to encircle the Believers. There were moments when the
Prophet had no one with him except Abu Dujana, shielding him with his
body riddled by arrows, and Abu Talha who protected Mohammad by means
of a leather buckler.
Abu Talha was an archer so strong that he broke three bows by bending
them. He said to Mohammad who rose up to see the result of the
fighting and give directions: 'O thou for whom I would give father and
mother in ransom, lie down, I beg of thee. Thou might be struck by an
arrow. Let my breast protect thy breast.' At that moment, a foeman's
dart, that he dashed aside, mutilated his hand. No longer able to use
his bow, he unsheathed his sabre, but was so greatly exhausted by
fatigue that, overcome by sleep, he closed his eyes and his weapon
fell from his grasp.
Umm-i-Amr, a heroine of the Ansars, a goat-skin on her back, flew
along the ranks of the Believers, pouring water in their mouths to
refresh them. She seized a sword and fought with manly vigour near
Mohammad, until she fell, badly wounded.