plucked familiarly at his beard, as was the custom in those days
between people engaged in discussion. 'Take thy hand away from the
Prophet's face before I come to rid thee of thine arm!' cried another
of the companions. 'Who is this boor?' asked Ora.--'Dost thou not know
him?' replied the Prophet with a smile. 'He is thy brother's son, Al
Mughairah Shuba.'--'O traitor!' exclaimed Ora to his nephew, 'hast
thou so soon forgotten thy crimes that were pardoned thanks to my
intervention?' He then continued his conversation with Mohammad who
treated him with the respect due to his rank. The Prophet reiterated
his statement that his intentions were purely pacific. During his
sojourn in the camp of the Believers, Ora was able to see how
boundless was their veneration for their chieftain. When the Prophet
performed his ablutions, his companions rushed to share the water he
had used. If he had his head shaved, not a hair fell to the ground
without being picked up and treasured. So Ora, on his return, said to
those who had sent him forth: 'I have seen Chosroes in the midst of
his sumptuous Persian court; Cæsar, in the proud Senate of Roman
patricians; the Negus, at the head of his formidable bodyguard of
Abyssinian warriors. Well then, I swear that I have never met with a
monarch who, surrounded by the noblemen of his court, held the same
position as Mohammad among his companions. And what is more
remarkable, contrary to what taketh place round about the mighty,
Mohammad's followers expect nothing from him; neither favours, riches,
nor honours! That is what I have ascertained. Now act as it pleaseth
you.'
Although the Quraish were deeply affected by his declaration, they
persisted in their delusion and sent forty or fifty of their partisans
to prowl round the Believers' army, with the idea of surprising and
capturing a few soldiers of Islam. The Believers were on their guard
and it was they who took a certain number of the Infidels prisoners.
They were led before the Prophet, but resolved not to belie his own
words of peace, he pardoned and freed them, although by having been
caught attacking perfidiously, they deserved death.
Just then, Mohammad wanted to send Umar with a message to the noblemen
of Makkah, but he made the following reply: 'O Prophet! the Quraish
know my feelings towards them as manifested by many inimical acts of
mine. I have everything to fear from them, because there is no longer
any member of my family in Makkah. But I can show you a man whose
influence will be much more efficacious than mine. I mean Usman ibn
Affan.'
Mohammad, recognising this to be sound advice, despatched Usman to Abu
Sufyan and the noblemen of the city, to assure them that he was
actuated by pacific sentiments, and to inform them of his wish to do
honour to the "House of Allah" by a pilgrimage. When the Prophet's
envoy had finished explaining the object of his mission to the men of
Makkah, they replied: 'O Usman! if thou dost desire to perform the
ritual circuits of the "Tawaf," we authorise thee to do so.'--'I will
not accomplish them unless following in the footsteps of Allah's
Messenger.' This answer exasperated the citizens of Makkah who threw
Usman into a prison, despite his quality of ambassador. Finding that
Usman did not return, the Believers concluded that he had been
murdered and they were overwhelmed with the most profound indignation.
Mohammad hesitated no longer and proclaimed: 'We will not go away
until we have punished the "qawm" of the Infidels for the abominable
crime they have just committed!' Umar, acting under the Prophet's
orders, cried out with all the strength of his lungs: 'O Believers!
come and take the Oath--the Oath! Come while ye invoke the name of
Allah!'
The Prophet, seated in the shade of a gum-tree, awaited the coming of
the Faithful who went in haste to him. They quivered with enthusiasm,
and resolved to follow him blindly even if they had to make war in
holy territory. They struck their palms against his to swear fidelity
till death. Just then, the news of Usman's murder being denied on the
best authority, the Prophet clapped his hands together, so as to take
the oath in place of Usman and acknowledge it.
Meanwhile, the intense agitation manifested on this occasion, in the
ranks of the Believers, was notified by spies to the Quraish. They
grew uneasy and sent Sohail ibn Amr with a flag of truce, giving him
the following instructions: 'Offer peace to Mohammad, but claim as
condition that he turneth back this year, for never could we put up
with the sarcasms of the Arabs who will maintain that he came into our
city in spite of all we said or did. Next year, at the same epoch, he
may accomplish his pilgrimage to the Holy Places, and it pleaseth
him.'
Sohail went back with these proposals and the Prophet accepted,
despite Umar's vehement protestations. 'I am the servant of Allah,'
Mohammad told him. 'He leadeth me not astray, and I cannot disobey the
orders He sendeth me. How now, O Umar? I decide; and thou must
perforce oppose my decision?' Umar, hearing these words, was overtaken
by such confusion that he trembled in every limb, and icy sweat poured
off him....
Quoth Umar: "From that day forth, I have never ceased praying,
fasting, giving alms, and freeing slaves, so as to be granted pardon
for my error."
'O Ali!' said the Prophet, at this juncture, 'write: in the name of
Allah, the Merciful, the Compassionate!'--'I cannot accept that
wording,' protested Sohail. 'Write simply: in Thy name, O Allah!'--'So
be it! Write: in Thy name, O Allah! It hath been agreed between the
undersigned, Mohammad, Prophet of Allah, and--'--'If I acknowledged
that thou art the Prophet of Allah,' interrupted Sohail. 'I should not
be at war with thee!'--'Well then, write: between Mohammad ibn
Abdullah and Sohail ibn Amr: Hostilities shall be suspended for a
period of ten years. Anyone escaping from Makkah and taking refuge
with Mohammad shall be given up to the Quraish. Mohammad and his
followers will turn back, and not attempt to enter into Makkah this
year, against the will of the Quraish. Next year, the Quraish will
cease all opposition to the visit of the Mussulmans to the Holy
Places where they may sojourn for three days, but only carrying
the arms permitted to pilgrims: sheathed sabres.' Hearing these
clauses, seemingly so disadvantageous for them, the Mussulmans
were roused and shouted: 'O Prophet! is it thou who signeth such a
compact?'--'Assuredly!' replied Mohammad with a smile. 'Those among us
who take refuge with the idolaters being insincere, we need not regret
them; and Allah will have rid us of them. As for those of the Makkan
Mussulmans who take refuge with us, if we give them up, Allah will not
abandon them, for He will know how to succour them.'
The treaty had scarcely been signed by the leading Believers and
principals among the idolaters, when Abu Jindal, son of Sohail, who
had become converted and kept a prisoner, suddenly made his
appearance, still dragging round his ankles the links of his broken
chains. He rushed into the midst of his Moslem brethren who welcomed
him with transports of joy.
Sohail flew into a passion at this sight. He lashed his son's face
with a thorny twig; and, seizing him by his garments, drove him into
the Prophet's presence, saying: 'O Mohammad! here is the first
fugitive: I call upon thee to give him up to me; the treaty having
been concluded before he arrived.'--'Thou hast right on thy side.'--'O
my Mussulman brethren!' cried Abu Jindal, 'am I thus given back to the
idolaters who persecute me on account of my religion? See to what
state they have reduced me!' The whole of the stoical Believer's body
was indeed covered with traces of the ill-usage from which he had
suffered. 'Be resigned, O Abu Jindal,' said the Prophet; 'and put thy
trust in Allah. He will not abandon thee; nor you; nor the
"Mustazifin" (those who are oppressed like thee); and He will deliver
thee when the time cometh.... But we have concluded a treaty on these
terms, with the "qawm" of the Quraish, and on no account can we break
our word.'
Nevertheless, the Prophet made overtures to Sohail, asking him to give
up Abu Jindal in exchange for a ransom; but Sohail refused
unmercifully. Umar, in his turn, approached the ill-fated Mussulman,
saying: 'Patience, O Abu Jindal! Thou art in the power of infidels
whose blood hath no more value than that of dogs,' and he showed him
his sword, hoping thereby to incite him to murder his father. Despite
everything, the son loved his father tenderly and thus did he reply:
'Why dost thou not slay him thyself?'--'The Prophet hath forbidden us
to do so.'--'Well then, must not I also observe the conditions imposed
by Mohammad?'
When Muqirris ibn Hafz, one of the Makkans who had accompanied Sohail,
witnessed this distressing scene, he was overcome with pity, and swore
to protect Abu Jindal against his father and all his persecutors.
But whilst their companion was dragged away in the direction of
Makkah, the Believers were heartbroken.... Their sanguine enthusiasm,
arising from the fact of their expedition, gave place to gloomy
discouragement; and when the Prophet, to show them that all was
finished, sent forth his order: 'Sacrifice the victims and shave your
heads!' it seemed as if they had suddenly lost their hearing.
Loudly invoking the name of Allah, Mohammad slew the first victim with
his own hand. He then sat down and was shaved by Khurash ibn Umaiyah.
Recovering from their state of prostration by this example, the
Believers repented, and ashamed at having shown such little eagerness
in obeying their leader, they imitated him at once by sacrificing the
victims and cutting off their own hair. Allah (Glory be to Him!) sent
a high wind that whirled away the shorn locks and carried them within
the precincts of the Holy Temple....
The sojourn of Mohammad at Al-Hudaibiyah extended over nineteen or
twenty days. He gave the signal to return; and his soldiers who, until
the last moment, secretly hoped to march on the enemy, obeyed him
without murmuring, despite their deep disappointment. On arriving at
Al-Madinah, fresh scenes of the kind they had just witnessed, produced
a heartbreaking effect. Nothwithstanding, they were much gratified to
find that the Prophet refused to give up to the idolaters several
Moslem women who had fled from Makkah, such as: Ummi-i-Kulsum bint
Ogbah, Sabiyah bint Al-Haris, etc., a Revelation having taught him
that women were not to be included in the treaty: "_O Believers! when
believing women, fleeing from idolatry, come over to you as refugees,
then make trial of them ... and if ye have ascertained them to be
Believers, let them not go back to the unbelievers; they are not
lawful for them, nor are the unbelievers lawful for these women. But
give the husbands back what they have spent for their dowers._" (THE
QUR'AN, LX, 10.) By way of compensation, the clauses of the treaty
concerning men were scrupulously respected.
Like Abu Jindal, there was a Believer named Abu Basir who had escaped
from his persecutors and he was given back to a tribesman of the Banu
Amar, accompanied by a slave; these two having been sent to Al-Madinah
to claim the refugee. They took him away in full view of the Believers
who would have preferred to sink into the earth sooner than be forced
to remain powerless and witness such a sight. Alone, among them all,
the Prophet who saw what they could not see, remained unmoved and
promised freedom by the aid of the Almighty to his ill-fated
disciples.
At Zu'l Holifah, the three men sat down in the shade of a wall to rest
awhile. The tribesman of the Banu Amar, priding himself on the success
of his mission, thought he would act the part of an invincible hero
and, unsheathing his sabre, he flourished it, bawling: 'With this good
sword, I could cut down Ansars from daybreak to nightfall and never
feel tired!'--'Is thy blade really so sharp as all that?' asked Abu
Basir. 'Let me see if it is, O my brother!'
Blinded by pride, the man of the Banu Amar cast all distrust from his
mind. He allowed the edge of the steel to be examined by Abu Basir
who, suddenly pulling it out of the conceited wretch's hands,
brandished it over the Infidel's head and with a single blow,
stretched him dead at his feet. Seeing this, the slave, overcome by
terror, fled to Al-Madinah where he implored Mohammad's protection. At
the same moment, Abu Basir arrived, bestriding his victim's she-camel
which he had captured. He made the animal kneel before the Mosque and,
with the sabre in his grasp, he went and addressed the Prophet,
saying: 'Thou canst not be blamed for what hath occurred, for thou
didst remain true to thy word in giving me into the hands of my
enemies. But Allah hath delivered me from their persecution! Here are
the spoils. A fifth part is due to thee, Take it!'--'I can touch no
plunder coming from that foe without being false to my oath. Away with
thy booty; and now, go whither it pleaseth thee.' When Abu Basir was
gone, after taking leave of him, the Prophet added: 'Woe to his
people! That man is a brand of war! Would that he were accompanied by
a few comrades as determined as he!'
Abu Basir went to Al-Aish, near the seashore, on the road to Syria
trodden by the Quraish caravans. Once there, he was met by Abu Jindal
and seventy other Mussulmans who, having heard that the Prophet could
not be held responsible for those who freed themselves without his
assistance, had made good their escape from the idolaters. These
refugees were quite as determined as Abu Basir. They elected to remain
in that part of the country because it was very woody and well suited
to the irregular warfare of partisans in ambush. They captured all the
convoys venturing in those regions and their success and the
enticement of booty caused them to be joined by many Arabs of the
Ghifar, Aslams, and Buhaunah tribes, etc., who became converts to
Islam and formed a "jihsh" of more then three hundred highwaymen.
It was then that the Believers began to fathom the reasons for the
Prophet's placidness when he accepted the paragraph, seemingly so
unfavourable, concerning the restitution of fugitives. Hungered by the
stoppage of all revictualling caravans, the Quraish finished by
sending written entreaties, begging him to suppress the very clause
which at first pleased them so much. They informed Mohammad that all
Mussulmans who should get out of Makkah to join him, could remain
under his protection; and he was begged to recall Abu Basir and his
fellow-raiders. So it turned out that when Mohammad gave the Quraish
satisfaction, he had the advantage of doing a generous act at the same
time as he increased his fighting strength to a most appreciable
extent.
The results, therefore, of the expedition of Al-Hudaibiyah, to all
appearances so poor, were of great importance. In the Qur'an, it is
set down as being almost equal to the battle of Badr. In fact, at the
moment when the Mussulmans thought they ought to attack the Holy City,
all of them, whether Makkan Mohadjirun, or Ansars of Al-Madinah, took
the oath of fealty without hesitation. After the Prophet's death, the
tree under which he accepted the pledge was so celebrated that
numerous were the Faithful who came to pray in its shade; and Umar was
obliged to have it felled, because he feared lest it became the object
of a cult tainted with fetichism.
To crown all and complete these results, the following verses came
down: "_Well pleased now hath Allah been with the Believers when they
plighted fealty to thee under the tree; and He knew what was in their
hearts: therefore did He send down upon them a spirit of secure
repose, and rewarded them with a speedy victory. * And with the rich
booty which they took._" (THE QUR'AN, XLVIII, 18, 19.)
[Illustration: (Calligraphy) _Nay rather Allah is your liege lord, and
He is the best of helpers._]
[Illustration: (Ornamental page) CHAPTER THE SEVENTH]
[Illustration: _An Arab Horseman of the Desert._]
[Illustration: (Calligraphy) _Verily, We have won for thee an
undoubted victory._]
CHAPTER THE SEVENTH
Mohammad was never able to get the Jews to ally themselves with him,
despite all his advances, and the encouragement he had lavished on
them. As we have seen already, they could not admit of the expected
Prophet belonging to any other race but theirs; nor pardon him for
having, by means of religious fraternity, put an end to the secular
quarrels of the citizens of Al-Madinah, which, in olden days, had been
a source of abundant profit. To sum up, the victories of the Islamic
Arabs led the Jews to fear that they would never be able to free
themselves from the Arabic yoke. Therefore each fresh success of the
Mussulman armies increased the jealousy of the Jews and their perfidy
soon degenerated into open hostility, necessitating a long series of
expeditions against them.
For the sake of clarity, we gather into one chapter the whole of these
expeditions, although they took place at long intervals.
[Sidenote: EXPEDITION AGAINST THE QAYNUQA JEWS (_Year II of the Hegira
A.D. 624_) ]
An Arab woman, seated close to the shop belonging to a jeweller of the
Qaynuqa Jews, was the victim of a most insulting practical joke.
Without her knowing it, someone had hooked the lowest edge of her robe
to the part of the apparel covering her shoulders, so that when she
rose to her feet, her nakedness was displayed to the gaze of the Jews
in the shop, who were all overtaken by a fit of the most indecent
hilarity.
An Arab, very indignant, struck down the insulter with a blow from a
club. He was felled in his turn, by the jeweller's relatives. Other
Arabs rushed to avenge him, and a pitched battle took place in the
open, blood flowing on both sides.
Jews being the agressors, the Prophet, knowing their deep-rooted
inimical feelings, profited by the opportunity to demand in due form
that they should become converts to Islam. At first he tried
persuasion: 'By so doing, you will be making a loan to Allah which
will bring you in marvellous interest,' he told them.--'Allah must be
very poor,' they replied, 'since He is reduced to borrow of us who are
rich?'
At this blasphemy, the Prophet threatened them with exemplary
punishment, unless they embraced Islam immediately. They shrugged
their shoulders. 'Thou art proud indeed by reason of thy victory over
soldiers of no account,' said the Jews. 'Try now to attack us and thou
wilt see that we are in nowise like thy fellow-countrymen of Makkah.'
Mohammad called upon the Mussulmans to come to his aid, and the Banu
Qaynuqa, losing their arrogance as soon as Allah's warriors showed
themselves, ran away and took refuge in neighbouring strongholds
belonging to their co-religionists. After holding out for a fortnight,
they had to surrender and beg for mercy. The Prophet ordered their
throats to be cut as an example to the other Jews that would deliver
them from the temptation of copying their slaughtered brethren.
Abdullah, the "Hypocrite," with whom they were allied, interceded with
Mohammad in their favour. Twice he answered: 'Let me be.'
Abdullah placed his hand on the heart of Allah's Apostle and
supplicated him, saying: 'I cannot stand by and see them massacred! It
would be black ingratitude on my part!'--'They are at thy disposal,'
the Prophet told him at last. 'But their belongings are ours.'
The Qaynuqa, saved by the intervention of the "Hypocrite," had to go
into exile in Syria, and their property was divided among the victors.
[Sidenote: EXPEDITION AGAINST THE JEWS OF THE BANU NADIR (_Year III of
the Hegira, A.D. 625_)]
The Jews of the Banu Nadir having claimed money compensation for the
death of two of their brethren killed by the soldiers of Amr, the
Prophet went among the tribesmen to enquire into the matter.
He had just given them satisfaction; and, whilst conversing with a few
companions, the Prophet was seated in the shade of a house, when a
Jew, son of Jahsh ibn Ka'b, climbed stealthily on to the flat roof
with the intention of crushing Mohammad with great stones already
brought there. By celestial inspiration, Mohammad looked up just as
the son of Jahsh was about to commit the crime. The Apostle of Allah
moved quickly away from the wall, dragging his companions with him.
As soon as he returned to Al-Madinah, he called his warriors together,
and set out with them to punish the authors of this treacherous act.
The Banu Nadir, having failed in their attempt, shut themselves up in
their strongholds, but after holding out for six days, they had to
follow the example of the Qaynuqa and surrender unconditionally,
throwing themselves on the mercy of their conqueror.
Their lives were spared, but of all their immense wealth, each man was
only allowed the load of one camel.
[Sidenote: EXPEDITION AGAINST THE JEWS OF THE BANU QURAIZAH (_Year V
of the Hegira, A.D. 627_)]
The Confederates, being dispersed following their defeat at the Battle
of the Ditch, the Mussulmans had laid down their arms. One day, when
taking their siesta, recuperating after passing sleepless nights and
undergoing great fatigue during the siege, they were suddenly awakened
by the voice of the Mua'zzin. Acting under the Prophet's orders, he
shouted: 'Let all who hear and obey refrain this day from saying the
prayer of "Asr" (afternoon), unless in the midst of the Banu
Quraizah.'
Mohammad judged that the treachery of these tribesmen, renouncing
their alliance and joining his enemies, deserved immediate punishment.
The same day, he camped with his soldiers at the well of Enna, in
front of his enemies' citadels; and after a blocus of twenty-five
days, forced them to capitulate.
The Aus, to whom the Banu Quraizah had long been allied, begged the
Prophet to spare their lives, as in the case of the Qaynuqa. The
Prophet, however, considered that the treachery of the Banu Quraizah
was a much more serious matter and he was not at all inclined to let
himself be mollified. At last, desirous of meeting them halfway, he
said: 'O Assembly of the Aus! will ye not consent to let one among you
become arbitrator and decide what shall be done with your
allies?'--'Yea! we consent.'--'Then let one of your chieftains, Sa'b
ibn Mu'adh, seal their fate.'
Now, Sa'b ibn Mu'adh had been badly wounded during the Battle of the
Ditch by an arrow which had severed an artery in the arm and he prayed
Allah to let him live long enough to punish the Banu Quraizah for
their felony. Sa'b, corpulent and too weak to walk, had himself placed
on the back of an ass; where propped up by cushions and supported by
two Believers, he was led to the assembly of the Mohadjirun and the
Ansars, who stood up to do him honour, saying: 'The Prophet hath
commissioned thee to decide the fate of they allies.'--'Will ye swear
by Allah that my decision be carried into effect!'--'We swear
it!'--'Well then, I decide that the men shall be slain, their property
divided, and their wives and children sent into bondage.'--'Thy
decision hath been inspired by the will of Allah!' concluded Mohammad.
Seven hundred Jews paid for their unjustifiable treachery with their
lives. The wish for which Sa'b had lived was fulfilled. His old wound
burst open, causing the last drops of his blood to flow away, and he
earned the crown of martyrdom.
[Sidenote: EXPEDITION AGAINST THE JEWS OF KHAIBAR (_Year VI of the
Hegira, A.D. 628_)]
Notwithstanding these grave defeats, the power of the Jews in Arabia
was not definitively crushed.
The land of Khaibar, about ninety-six miles north of Al-Madinah, still
belonged to them and it was richer and more important than the
territory they had lost. Many Jews, driven from the neighbourhood of
Al-Madinah, had taken refuge there; and by their thirst for revenge,
they rekindled the hatred which the inhabitants already felt towards
Islam.
The Jews of Khaibar, fancying themselves safe from any attack of the
Mussulmans, never let an opportunity escape to do them harm; and
copying the manner in which Mohammad had proceeded against the
Makkans, the Jews found out a good way to satisfy their rancour. The
region between Khaibar and the sea was inhabited by the tribe of the
Ghatafans, their allies, and they had come to an agreement to block
the road and stop all Mussulman caravans leaving Al-Madinah to travel
to Syria. The damage inflicted from these tactics had often made the
Prophet think about sending an expedition against the Jews of Khaibar,
but he was too busy round about Makkah, to carry out this plan.
On returning from Al-Hudaibiyah, the ten years' truce, signed with the
Quraish, freed him from all anxiety as regarded them, and the
Revelation he received at that moment: "_He rewarded them with a
speedy victory. * And with a rich booty,_" (THE QUR'AN, XLVIII,
18-19), seeming to him to apply to Khaibar, and nothing else, he
hesitated no longer, and decided to march against this fortress, the
last stronghold of the Jews in Arabia.