and flow of the fight; and the shouts of the Infidels announcing his
death deprived them of all courage. The three Believers were like
soulless bodies and they did not even think of defending themselves.
Seeing them in this state, Anas ibn Nazir shamed them: 'What aileth
you that ye are so downcast?'--'The Prophet is dead.'--'Well then what
have ye to do with life, now he is gone? Die as he died.' Setting the
example, he dashed forward, and fell covered with so many wounds that
only his sister was able to recognise his dead body, and that by a
peculiarity of his fingers.
This was a rallying signal. Abashed by their own despondency, Ali, Abu
Bakr and Umar, followed by a few of the Faithful, copying Umar, rushed
to a part of the battlefield where the enemy masses were furiously
attacking a few men still standing.
Suddenly, among these heroes resisting with superhuman energy, Kab ibn
Malik recognised the Prophet in person whose eyes sparkled under his
helmet. 'O Mussulmans! O brothers!' shouted Kab, in stentorian
accents. 'Good news! Look at the Prophet of Allah! He is safe and
sound!'
This cry awakened fresh courage in the heart of every man. On all
sides, the Mussulmans rushed recklessly to the spot whence the glad
cry proceeded. After having disengaged the Prophet, they were afire
with irresistible ardour and cut a bloody path through the overthrown
enemy's ranks as far as the ravine of Ainin, which they never ought to
have abandoned. The effort of the idolaters to storm this impregnable
position was unavailing. Ubi ibn Khalaf cried out in his fury: 'O
Mohammad! where art thou? Shouldst thou be still alive, I swear thou
shalt not escape me!'
The Prophet would not allow his partisans to tear Ubi limb from limb
as they wished to do, but dragging a spear from the grasp of Al Haris,
Mohammad drove its steel into Ubi's throat. He dropped forward on his
horse's neck and, after vainly trying to save himself by clutching at
the mane, fell heavily to the ground. The idolaters, exhausted, gave
up the idea of avenging his death. The fight was finished....
Finding a little water in the hollow of a rock, Ali filled his shield
and offered it to the Prophet. But he turned against the smell of this
water and refused to drink it. So Ali then used it to wash the wounds
of Allah's Chosen One, but in vain, his blood continuing to flow so
freely as to give rise to great uneasiness. Fatimah, who in a state of
great anxiety, had arrived at the scene of battle with a few of her
companions, caused some fragments of a rush-mat to be set on fire and
covered her father's wounds with the ashes. This dressing put a stop
to the hemorrhage.
The Prophet recited the midday prayer, but remained seated, in
consequence of extreme fatigue and the suffering brought on by his
wounds. Behind him, also seated for the same reason, all the
combatants prayed with him, and gave thanks to the Almighty for having
saved them despite their disobedience.
The death-roll numbered three score and ten, equalling the count of
the idolatrous prisoners of Badr. Many of the Believers considered
that this coincidence formed a punishment for having accepted a ransom
in their greed for worldly profit.
The bodies of the martyrs of Uhud were in a parlous state. Athirst for
vengeance, the women of the Quraish had thrown away their tabors in
order to hurl themselves on the corpses and mutilate them odiously.
Hind, their mistress, was the most ferocious of them all. Taking out
her earrings, pulling off necklaces, bracelets and ankle-rings, she
handed them all to Al-Uhayha, the slayer of Hamzah; and, in place of
her gewgaws, adorned herself with necklaces and bangles fashioned with
noses and ears sliced from the heads of her foes. Like a filthy hyena,
she squatted on Hamzah's remains. With ensanguined finger-nails, she
tore his body open and dragged out the liver with fury, making her
teeth meet in it. She then climbed to the top of a lofty rock and
turning towards the soldiers of Islam, howled with all the strength of
her lungs:
"We have paid you back for the day of Badr!--I was tortured by the
remembrance of my father--Of my son, and of my uncle, murdered by
you!--My soul is now at rest and my vengeance is glutted.--My "uhayha"
(grief) hath been softened by thee--O Uhayha! O conqueror of Hamzah!
I'll sing thy praises--Until my bones crumble into dust in my grave!"
[Illustration: _Setting out for Al Jihad, or Holy War._ 2 views]
Abu Sufyan, searching every nook and corner of the field of battle in
the hope of finding Mohammad's lifeless body, stopped short in front
of Hamzah's corpse at the same time as Jalis, chief of the Arab
Confederates. Abu Sufyan amused himself by striking the corners of the
dead man's mouth with the point of a spear. 'Take a good taste of the
bitterness of rebellion,' he said.
Seeing this, Jalis, although an idolater, was greatly shocked. 'O Banu
Kinana!' cried he to his partisans, 'admire the behaviour of the Lord
of the Quraish towards his cousin now that he is lifeless!' Abu
Sufyan, alive to the fact that his conduct was vile, drew Jalis on one
side and supplicated him. 'Keep all this a secret, O Jalis, for I am
ashamed of what I did just now in thy presence.'
He then drew near to a spot within hail of the Faithful, entrenched on
the slopes of the Uhud, and called out to them: 'Is Mohammad with
you?' There being no answer, he joyfully concluded that the Prophet
was dead. Before going away, he bawled as loudly as he could:
'Assuredly, war is a game of chance. This day avengeth the day of
Badr; Hubal, our god, is victorious. He is the All-Highest!'
At this blasphemy, the Prophet ordered Umar to reply. He cried out:
'Allah is the Most High; the Most Majestic!' Recognising Umar's voice,
Abu Sufyan asked him: 'O Umar! I conjure thee, inform me if we have
killed Mohammad.'--'No, by my faith! He is even now listening to
thee.' Abu Sufyan, disappointed, rejoined: 'Evidently, I am bound to
believe thee in preference to Ibn Qamiah who boasts of having killed
him. But I swear to meet you next year at Badr.'--'That is
understood!' replied Umar. 'We pledge our word to meet thee there.'
The Prophet despatched Ali to track the Infidels. 'Take heed how they
carry themselves,' Mohammad impressed upon his scout. 'See if they
ride their camels and lead their horses by the bridle. That will
certainly denote that they give up all hope of battle and are going to
Makkah. If, on the contrary, they mount their steeds and drive their
camels before them, it is a sure sign that they are bound for
Al-Madinah with the intention of cutting us off. In that case, there
is but one thing to be done: to hurl ourselves upon them without loss
of time, so as to attack them and hack our way through.'
A few minutes later, Ali returned. He had seen the Quraish alight from
their horses, bestride their camels and set out in the direction of
Makkah.
Reassured as to the enemy's intentions, the Believers busied
themselves with the burial of the martyrs. First of all, the Prophet
sought to find the body of his uncle Hamzah. Mohammad discovered it in
a hollow of the Wadi, the belly ripped open; and with ears and nose
cut off. 'Were it not that I feared to grieve Safiyah (Hamzah's
sister), and to set an example which perhaps would become law, I would
leave these remains unburied, until they should disappear in the
entrails of jackals and vultures; thus keeping alive the hope of
revenge. If the Almighty should ever deliver into our hands the
wretches who have thus treated thee, I swear to exercise most terrible
reprisals.'
The Prophet then received this Revelation: "_If ye make reprisals,
then make them to the same extent that ye were injured: but if ye can
endure patiently, best will it surely be for the patiently enduring._"
(THE QUR'AN, XVI, 127.) Thus warned, Mohammad relinquished his ideas
of retaliation, and earnestly urged the Faithful to abstain from
mutilating their enemies.
The news of the disaster having reached Al-Madinah, all the women, and
Safiyah among them, came in crowds to attend to the wounded and mourn
for the dead. The Prophet charged Safiyah's son, Zubayr ibn Awam, to
send his mother away, to prevent her seeing her brother's corpse, so
atrociously disfigured. 'I have been told that my brother was
mutilated for the cause of Islam,' she replied, 'and I shall be
resigned no matter how horrible the sight, please Allah!' She went
straightway to where Hamzah was lying and after having prayed over him
with fervent firmness, she departed.
Funerals then began. After having led that of his uncle Hamzah, the
Prophet, so as not to fatigue the Believers who were already
exhausted, had the dead bodies buried two by two, or three by three,
in the same grave, and without being washed according to custom. 'For
I bear witness for these martyrs,' he declared. 'Those who have been
struck down on Allah's Road will be resuscitated on the Day of
Resurrection when their wounds will appear fresh and bloody; smelling
sweetly of musk.' When it came to his ears that several families had
carried their dead to Al-Madinah to bury them there, he upbraided them
and ordained: 'Henceforward, ye shall bury your dead where they fall.'
The battle of Uhud did not result fatally for Islam as might
reasonably have been feared. There were grievous losses; but several
advantages accrued from the fight. The defeat was due to having
disregarded the Prophet's first idea, and to disobeying his orders on
the field. In future, the Believers submitted entirely to him; they
were resolved to carry out his commands to the letter even in case he
should be killed, according to the verse alluding to the momentary
despondency of Ali, Abu Bakr, and Umar: "_Mohammad is no more than an
Apostle; other Apostles have already passed away before him; if then
he die, or be slain, will ye turn upon your heels?_" (THE QUR'AN, III,
138.)
Moreover, defeats, when faith is fervent, serve only to sharpen
energy: "_And how many a Prophet hath combated an enemy on whose side
were many myriads? Yet were they not daunted at what befell them on
the path of Allah, nor were they weakened, nor did they basely submit!
And Allah loveth those who endure with steadfastness._" (THE QUR'AN,
III, 140.)
Clemency henceforward was not to be shown to the idolaters: the savage
mutilation of the seventy martyrs proved that compassion was
inadmissible.
A distinction was also clearly established between the true Believers
and the "Hypocrites," such as Abdullah ibn Salul and his partisans.
The Prophet knew what they were, but the majority of his disciples
were ignorant of these double-faced men's perfidy, as demonstrated by
their cowardly desertion in the hour of danger. Concerning the Uhud,
quoth Mohammad: "That mountain loveth us and we return its affection!
O Allah! Abraham declared the territory of Makkah to be sacred. I
declare the territory of Al-Madinah, situated between the two Harrah,
to be sacred also."
[Sidenote: THE MARRIAGE OF MOHAMMAD AND ZAINAB]
Zayd, the enfranchised slave and adopted son of the Prophet, had taken
Zainab bint Jahsh to wife, but the marriage had not been concluded
easily. Zainab was of noble birth. Ali, sent to make the matrimonial
demand, found it rejected by her and her brothers. The union was only
brought about when the Prophet came forward in person, and Zainab
continued to behave most haughtily towards the freed man now her
husband.
Having gone one day to Zayd's dwelling to speak to him, Mohammad was
received by Zainab who, hidden behind a curtain, said: 'Zayd hath gone
out; but come in and wait awhile.' The Prophet refused, and was about
to depart, when a gust of air having lifted the hanging, he
involuntarily caught sight of Zainab. She made a great impression on
him; so much so that as he turned to go, he could not help exclaiming:
'Glory to Him who inclineth all hearts!'
This cry filled Zainab with boundless pride. When poor Zayd returned,
he was received with more scornful haughtiness than ever, and she
hastened to let him know the effect produced upon Allah's Apostle by
her radiant beauty. Zayd began to feel that life with his spouse,
already hard to please, would soon be unbearable. He made up his mind
to see Mohammad; and then he told him: 'Maybe Zainab pleaseth thee? If
so, I'll get rid of her.'--'Go back to thy wife and keep her to
thyself,' replied the Prophet.
But Zayd had had enough of her. Ever since the sight of Zainab had
forced a cry of admiration from the Prophet, her husband did not dare
to approach her and considered that he would have no peace until after
he had divorced her. So he went back to Mohammad. 'O Prophet!' said
he, 'the way Zainab talketh to me is worse than ever. I wish to
repudiate her.'--'Fear Allah,' replied Mohammad, 'and keep thy wife to
thyself.'--'But I'm no longer master in my own house!'--'If that is
so, put her away from thee.'
As soon as she was repudiated, Zainab had but a single thought: to
become the wife of the Prophet; and she never ceased intriguing to
gain her ends. At last a Revelation came down to Mohammad: "_And when
Zayd had settled the necessary matter of her divorce, We married her
to thee._" (THE QUR'AN, XXXIII, 37.) So he resolved to be wedded to
Zainab.
The Jews and the "Hypocrites" declared this was scandalous. 'Mohammad
marries his son's wife!' was their cry, and they worked with a will to
make capital out of the incident and bring him into disrepute. The
following verses, however, stopped every true Believer from listening
to the discreditable group: "_Name your adopted sons after their
fathers: this will be more right before Allah. But if ye know not who
their fathers are, still let them be your brethren in the faith, and
your comrades * Mohammad is not the father of any man among you._"
(THE QUR'AN, XXXIII, 5, 40.)
The adoption of Zayd, dating from before the birth of Islam, and which
might have proved a serious stumbling-block in the political career of
its chief, was thus annulled, and the freed man, called Zayd ibn
Mohammad, now went by his real name: Zayd ibn al-Haris. But the
affection that Mohammad had for Zayd and his son Usamah, was
strengthened by this solution which put an end to all feelings of
restraint.
Such is the adventure of Zainab, which all the historians who are
enemies of Islam have passionately exploited in order to sully the
Prophet's memory. We shall not discuss the subject, because, in our
opinion, the details of the life of a man like Mohammad cannot be
isolated from the whole of his work and judged separately. In common
with all the Prophets, without exception, Mohammad doubtless had what
some call "moments of weakness;" but they have nothing to do with his
inspiration. Moreover, the historians of Mohammad enjoy the unusual
honour of having felt such great respect for his memory, that they
refused to discuss his conduct.
When the historians of other Prophets cut out of their lives all that
they consider may belittle them in the eyes of posterity, the writers
set themselves up, in reality, as critics of their heroes' acts. In
the foregoing narrative, which has served as a pretext for so many
pamphlets, we find the most incontestable proof of the sincerity of
the Arab Prophet's biographers. Following their example, and as a
token of our impartiality, we thought it our duty to relate this
episode, although of secondary interest, and greatly inferior to other
events for which we have not found space in this work.
[Sidenote: THE GHAZWAH, OR EXPEDITION OF ZAT-IR-RIQUA (_Year IV of the
Hegira, A.D. 626_)]
Having heard that the Banu Muharib and the Banu Saliba of the Najd
were preparing an expedition against him, the Prophet decided to be
beforehand with them, and set out to meet his foes. In his haste, he
had only been able to get together a small number of camels; one for
six men who took it in turns to ride. The Believers were compelled to
bind up their cruelly wounded feet, from which the nails were torn by
the sharp stones of the Hammadas, with "ruqqah": fragments of their
apparel. Hence the name of Zat-ir-Riga bestowed on this expedition.
After having camped at Nakhl, Mohammad's soldiers came in sight of the
assembled enemy. The two armies remained motionless, face to face,
neither making up its mind to begin the hostilities; the Mussulmans,
because of their numerical inferiority out of all proportion; and the
Infidels, in consequence of their terror arising from the influence of
the recent victories of Islam. It was in these circumstances that the
Prophet instituted the "Salatu'l-Khauf," the Prayer of Peril. He
divided the Believers into two groups; one saying the prayer, and the
other keeping a vigilant eye on the enemy.
Greatly impressed by the resolute bearing of the Mussulmans, whom
their foes hoped to surprise, but who had come out and showed fight,
the allies began to retreat, one after the other, so that, passing
from extreme vigilance, as shown at first, the Believers became a prey
to exaggerated confidence.
During the torrid heat of the middle of the day, they were scattered
here and there enjoying their "siesta" in the shade of the numerous
"talhah" (gum-trees), growing in the valley, and had posted no
sentinels to keep watch and ward. A Bedouin of the Banu Mustaliq
perceived this lack of precaution. By crawling along on hands and
knees, he succeeded in approaching the Prophet and lifting the
silver-hilted sabre hanging to the branches under which the Apostle
was resting, the tribesman said: 'O Mohammad, let me look at thy
sword-blade.' After having run his thumb along the edge of the steel
as if to try it, he brandished it over the Prophet's head and cried
out: 'O Mohammad! dost thou not fear me?'--'No! Why should I fear
thee?'--'Art thou not afraid of the weapon I hold?'--'No, for Allah
protecteth me,' replied the Prophet, with the greatest calm, gazing
boldly at his agressor.
Petrified at such indifference in the face of danger, the Bedouin was
overwhelmed with supernatural emotion which paralysed his heart's
action. Cold sweat bathed his brow; his fingers, gripping the
sword-hilt, opened out involuntarily, and the sabre fell at Mohammad's
feet. He picked it up quietly. 'And now, what will save thee from my
blows?' he asked.--'Thy generosity!' replied the downcast brigand.
He was right. The Prophet let him depart without compelling him to
embrace the Mohammedan faith, for he wished to accustom idolaters to
the generosity of Islam, so that they should come to it of their own
accord. The Bedouin, who before leaving his own bivouac, had boasted
that he would bring in Mohammad's head, declared to his people: 'I
have just met the best of men.' And he went back to the Prophet and
became a convert to Islam.
[Sidenote: THE GHAZWAH, OR EXPEDITION OF THE BANU MUSTALIQ (_Year V of
the Hegira, A.D. 627_)]
Now it was the turn of the Banu Mustaliq to get restless and conspire
against Islam. The Prophet resolved to punish them, and, at the head
of his troops, he came upon them on their own territory at Qudid, near
the wells of Al Mirisiyah. The two armies crashed together in their
shock, and many were slain on both sides. Allah routed the Banu
Mustaliq; and an enormous amount of booty: camels, sheep and captives,
fell into the hands of his warriors.
Among the prisoners was the daughter of the Lord of the Mustaliqs,
beautiful Juwairiyah. As a result of the drawing by lot, she fell to
Sabit ibn Qais, but promised her master a heavy ransom in exchange for
liberty. She then sought out the Prophet and told him: 'I am
Juwairiyah, daughter of Haris, Lord of the Mustaliqs. Thou knowest my
unlucky fate. I know thy magnanimity and I come to implore thy help to
pay my ransom.'--'I will settle thy ransom,' he replied; 'and I'll
marry thee, if so be thou art willing.' She accepted, and despite
Ayishah's jealousy, aroused by the charm and grace of Juwairiyah, the
marriage was decided.
In the meantime, Haris had arrived, bringing his daughter's ransom.
Mohammad gave him back Juwairiyah, but only to ask him immediately for
her hand, offering as dower the sum of four hundred drachmas. As soon
as the news of this union was noised abroad, the Believers said: 'The
Prophet hath allied himself to the Banu Mustaliq. We must therefore
look upon them as our allies.' The Faithful gave back all the booty;
together with all the captives who had just been shared among them.
Few women ever brought such a blessing to her tribe as this
Juwairiyah.
After the severe fighting, whilst the soldiers were watering their
panting camels at the well Al Mirisiyah, a violent quarrel was nigh
bringing Ansars and Mohadjirun to blows.
Jajjah, leading Umar's horse by the bridle, hustled Simana ibn Ubair,
an ally of the Banu Auf ibn Khazraj, in order to deprive him of his
turn at the well. Simana turned upon him, and the two adversaries,
locked in murderous embrace, rolled on the ground, Simana shouting:
'Help! O comrades of the Ansars!' and Jajjah: 'Help! O comrades of the
Mohadjirun!'
They were hauled apart, and for the moment the quarrel came to
nothing. But on both sides, great effervescence reigned in the minds
of the tribesmen. The "Hypocrite," Abdullah ibn Abi Salul, an
eye-witness of the scuffle, worked up the men's exasperation to the
highest pitch by these words: 'O citizens of Al-Madinah! have ye seen
the impudence of all these Quraish? They pick a quarrel with us in our
own country, abusing our hospitality and relying on their numbers.
Such is the result of your candour, when ye opened your doors to them
and shared your property with them. How true is the saying of our
ancestors: 'Feed thy dog and he will devour thee!' Once back in
Al-Madinah, will not the strong make up their minds to drive out the
weak?'
Zayd, son of Arquam, reported these wicked remarks to Mohammad. By his
side stood Umar who flew into a violent passion. 'O Prophet!' he
cried. 'Wilt thou not order Abbad ibn Bashir to put this impostor to
death?'--'How cometh it, Umar, that thou canst give such a piece of
advice?' rejoined the Prophet. 'If people are able to say: 'Mohammad
cutteth his companions' throats,' what a fine stir there would be in
Al-Madinah. No, no!' he went on, turning to Abbad; 'but give out
orders to depart at once.'
The sun was at its zenith; the heat overpowering. It was not a
favourable moment for folding the tents. Nevertheless, the Prophet,
lashing his she-camel on the tender skin of her belly, to increase her
speed, led his soldiers in a forced march lasting all day, all night,
and all through the morning of the next day till noon.
It was then, seeing his brave warriors beginning to stagger, that he
called a halt. All his men, worn out by fatigue, dropped on the
ground, overcome by deep sleep where they fell, without having been
able to give vent to the feelings of fury seething in their hearts and
which might have caused most sanguinary conflicts among them.
The "Hypocrite" Abdullah had a son who was also called Abdullah. He
was a sincere Believer and he went to the Prophet. 'They tell me,'
quoth the young man, 'that thou didst intend to kill Abdullah, my
father. In that case, charge me to bring thee his head, for by Allah!
thou shalt know that among the Khazraj, there is no son more devoted
to his father than I. If thou shouldst charge any other to execute
him, I should not be able to bear the sight of his murderer going
unpunished and I should kill him. Therefore I should be slaying a true
Mussulman in order to avenge a Mussulman "Hypocrite," and render
myself deserving of hell-fire.'
The Prophet tranquilised the stoical Believer by these words: 'Give no
credit to what thou didst hear. On the contrary, we look upon thy
father as our friend and comrade, so long as he remaineth with us.'
[Sidenote: THE TAYANNUM, OR THE CEREMONY OF ABLUTION PERFORMED WITH
SAND]
It was during this expedition that the following Revelation came down:
"_But if ye are sick, or on a journey, or if one of you come from the
place of retirement, or if ye have touched women and find no water,
then take clean sand and rub your faces and your hands with it._" (THE
QUR'AN, V, 9.)