Khalid bin Waleed

319 Pages·2004·6.3 MB·English

Part I: In TheTimeoftheProphet(saws)
Chapter 1
(TheBoy)
Page1
“ThebestofyouinJahiliyyaharethebest ofyouinIslam,aslongastheyhave
understanding.”
[ProphetMuhammad (SAWS)]1
Khalid and thetallboyglared ateach other.Slowlytheybegan to movein acircle,the
gazeofeach fixed intentlyupon theother,each lookingforan openingforhisattackand
each waryofthetricksthat theothermightuse.Therewasnohostilityin theireyes-justa
keenrivalryand an unshakeabledetermination towin.And Khalid found itnecessaryto
becautious, forthetall boywasleft-handed and thusenjoyed theadvantage thatall left-
handershaveovertheiropponentsin afight.
Wrestlingwasapopularpastime amongtheboysofArabia,and theyfrequentlyfought
eachother.Therewasno malicein these fights.It wasasport,and boysweretrained in
wrestlingas oneoftherequirements ofArab manhood.Butthesetwoboyswerethe
strongestofall and theleadersofboysoftheirage.Thismatch was,so to speak,afight
fortheheavy-weighttitle.Theboyswerewellmatched.Ofaboutthesameage,theywere
in theirearlyteens.Both weretalland lean,and newlyformed musclesrippledon their
shouldersand armsastheirsweatingbodies glistened in thesun.Thetallboywas
perhapsan inch tallerthan Khalid.And theirfaceswereso alikethatonewasoften
mistaken fortheother.
Khalid threwthetallboy;butthiswas noordinaryfall. Asthetallboyfelltherewasa
distinctcrack,and amoment laterthegrotesquelytwistedshapeofhis legshowed that
thebonehad broken.Thestricken boylaymotionlesson theground,and Khalid stared in
horroratthebroken legofhisfriend and nephew.(Thetall boy's mother,Hantamah bint
Hishambin AlMugheerah,wasKhalid'sfirstcousin.)
In courseoftimetheinjuryhealed and thelegofthetallboybecamewholeandstrong
again.Hewould wrestleagain and beamongthebestofwrestlers.And thetwoboys
would remain friends.Butwhiletheywereboth intelligent,strongand forcefulbynature,
neitherhad patienceortact.Theywereto continueto competewitheachotherin almost
everythingthattheydid.
Thereadershould makeamentalnoteofthistallboyforhewasto playan important role
in thelifeofKhalid.Hewastheson ofAl Khattab,andhisnamewasUmar.
Soon afterhis birth Khalid wastaken away fromhismother,aswasthecustomamong
thebetterfamiliesoftheQuraish,and sentto aBedouin tribein thedesert.Afoster
motherwas found forhim,who wouldnursehimandbringhimup.In theclear,dryand
unpolluted airofthedesert,thefoundationswerelaid ofthetremendousstrength and
robusthealth that Khalid wasto enjoythroughouthis life.Thedesertseemed to suit
Khalid,and hecameto loveitand feelathomein it.Frombabyhoodhegrewinto early
childhood amongtheArabsofthedesert;and whenhewasfiveorsix years old he
returned tohisparents'home in Makkah.
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Sometimeinhischildhoodhehadan attackofsmall pox,butitwas amild attackand
caused nodamageexceptto leaveafewpockmarksonhis face.Thesemarks didnot,
however,spoilhisruggedlyhandsomeface,whichwas to causealotoftroubleamong
thebellesofArabia-and some-tohimselftoo.
Thechild became aboy;and ashereached theageofboyhoodhecameto realisewith a
thrillofpridethat hewas theson ofachief. His father, Al Waleed,wastheChiefofthe
BaniMakhzum-oneofthenoblestclansoftheQuraish -and was also known in Makkah
bythetitleofAlWaheed-theUnique.Khalid'supbringingwas nowundertakenbythe
fatherwho didhisbest(and with excellentsuccess)to instilinto Khalid allthevirtuesof
Arab manhood-courage,fightingskill,toughnessand generosity.Al Waleed tookgreat
pridein hisfamilyandhisancestors,and told Khalid thathewas:
Khalid
son ofAl Waleed
son ofAl Mugheerah
son ofAbdullah
son ofUmar
son ofMakhzum(afterwhomtheclan wasnamed)
son ofYaqza
son ofMurra
son ofKab
son ofLuwayy
son ofGhalib
son ofFihr
son ofMalik
son ofAl Nazr
son ofKinana
son ofKhuzeima
son ofMudrika
son ofIlyas
son ofMuzar
son ofNizar
son ofMa'add
son ofAdnan
son ofUdd
son ofMuqawwam
son ofNahur
son ofTeirah
son ofYa'rub
son ofYashjub
son ofNabit
son ofIsma'il (regarded asthefatheroftheArabians)
son ofIbrahim(theprophet)
son ofAzar
son ofNahur
son ofSarugh (orAsragh)
son ofArghu
son ofFalakh
son ofEibar
son ofShalakh
son ofArfakhshaz
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son ofSaam
son ofNoah(theprophet)
son ofLamk
son ofMattushalakh
son ofIdris (theprophet)
son ofYard
son ofMuhla'il
son ofQeinan
son ofAnush
son ofSheis
son ofAdam(the fatherofmankind)
1.Bukhari,from Abu Hurayrah.Sahih Al-Jami’ Al-SaghirNo.3267
Page2
ThegreattribeoftheQuraish thatinhabited Makkah had evolved aclear-cutdivision of
privilegeand responsibilityamongitsmajorclans.ThethreeleadingclansoftheQuraish
weretheBani Hashim,theBaniAbduddar(ofwhich theBaniUmayyah wasan offshoot)
and theBaniMakhzum.TheBaniMakhzumwasresponsibleformattersofwar.This
clan bred and trained thehorseson which theQuraish rodeto war; itmadearrangements
forthepreparation andprovisioningofexpeditions;and frequentlyitprovided the
officersto lead Quraish groupsinto battle.ThisroleoftheBaniMakhzumset the
atmospherein which Khalid was to growup.
Whilestillachild hewas taughtto ride.AsaMakhzumihehad tobeaperfectriderand
soonacquired masteryovertheart ofhorsemanship.Butit wasnotenough to beable to
handletrainedhorses;hehad lo beableto rideanyhorse.Hewouldbegiven young,
untrainedcoltsand had to breakthemand train themintoperfectlyobedientand well-
disciplined warhorses.TheBaniMakhzumwereamongthebesthorsemen ofArabia,
and Khalidbecameoneofthebest horsemen oftheBani Makhzum.Moreover,no Arab
could claimtobeagood riderifheonlyknewhorses;hehad to bejustasgood on a
camel,forboth animalswerevital forArab warfare.Thehorsewasused forfighting,and
thecamelforlongmarches,in whichhorseswere tagged alongunmounted.
Alongwith riding,Khalid learned theskillsofcombat.Helearntto useallweapons-the
spear,thelance,thebowand thesword.Helearntto fighton horsebackand on foot.
Whilehebecameskilfulin theuseofall weapons,theonesfor whichheappearstohave
had anaturalgift werethelance,used while chargingon horseback,andthe sword for
mounted anddismounted duelling.TheswordwasregardedbytheArabsas the weapon
ofchivalry, forthisbroughtonenearesttoone'sadversary; and in sword fightingone's
survival depended on strength and skilland notonkeepingatasafedistantfromthe
opponent.Thesword wasthemosttrusted weapon.
As Khalid grewto manhood,heattained agreat height-oversixfeet.Hisshoulders
widened,hischestexpanded and the muscleshardened onhislean and athleticbody.His
beard appeared full and thickon hisface,Withhisfinephysique,hisforcefulpersonality,
and hisskill atridingand the useofweapons,hesoonbecameapopularand much-
admired figurein Makkah.As awrestler,heclimbed highon theladderofachievement,
combiningconsummateskill with enormousstrength.
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TheArabshad large families,thefatheroftenhavingseveral wivesto increasehis
offspring,Al Waleed wasoneofsixbrothers.(Theremayhavebeen more,butthenames
ofonlysixhavebeen recorded.)And thechildrenofAl Waleed that weknowofwere
fivesonsand two daughters.ThesonswereKhalid,Waleed (named afterthefather),
Hisham, Ammarah and Abdu Shams.ThedaughterswereFaktah and Fatimah.
Al Waleed wasawealthyman.ThusKhaliddid nothave to work foralivingandcould
concentrateon learningthe skillsofridingand fighting.Becauseofthiswealthy
background,Khalid grewup to disregard economyandbecameknown forhislavish
spendingand hisgenerosityto allwhoappealed tohimforhelp.Thisgenerositywasone
dayto get himinto serioustrouble.
Al Waleed wasawealthyman.ButtheQuraish wereasurprisinglydemocraticpeople
and everybodywasrequired to do someworkortheother-either forremunerationorjust
tobeausefulmemberofsociety.And Al Waleed,who hired andpaid alargenumberof
employees,would workhimself. In hissparetimehewasablacksmith1 and butcher2 ,
slaughteringanimalsfortheclan.Hewasalso atrader,and alongwithotherclanswould
organiseand send tradecaravansto neighbouringcountries.On morethanoneoccasion
Khalid accompanied tradecaravansto Syria and visited thegreattradingcitiesofthat fair
provinceofRome.Herehe would meettheChristian ArabsoftheGhassan,Persians
fromCtesiphon,CoptsfromEgypt,and theRomansoftheByzantineEmpire.
Khalid had manyfriendswith whom,aswith isbrothershewould rideand hunt.When
notengagedoutdoors theywould recitepoetry,recount genealogicallines andhave bouts
ofdrinking.Someofthesefriendsweretoplayan important partin Khalid'slifeand in
thisstory;and theonesdeservingspecialmention besidesUmar,were Amrbin Al Aas
and AbulHakam.Thelatter'spersonalnamewasAmrbin Hishambin AlMugheerah,
thoughhewasto earn yetanothernamelater:Abu Jahl.Hewasaneldercousin of
Khalid.And therewasAbulHakam'sson,Ikrimah,Khalid's favouritenephewand bosom
friend.
Al Waleed wasnotonlythefatherand mentorofhissons;hewasalso theirmilitary
instructor,and fromhimKhalid gothis first lessonin theartofwarfare. Helearnthowto
movefastacrossthedesert,howto approach ahostilesettlement,howto attackit.He
learned theimportanceofcatchingtheenemyunawares,ofattackinghimat an
unexpected momentandpursuinghimwhen hebrokeand fled.Thiswarfarewas
essentiallytribal,buttheArabswell knewthevalueofspeed,mobilityand surprise,and
tribalwarfarewasmainlybasedon offensivetactics.
On reachingmaturityKhalid'smain interestbecamewarand thissoon reached the
proportionsofan obsession.Khalid'sthoughtswerethoughtsofbattle;hisambitions
wereambitionsofvictory.Hisurges wereviolent and hisentirepsychologicalmake-up
wasmilitary.Hewoulddreamoffightinggreatbattlesand winninggreatvictories,
himselfalwaysthechampion-admired andcheeredbyall.Hepromisedhimselfbattle.He
promised himselfvictory. Andhepromisedhimselflotsand lotsofblood.Unknown to
him,destinyhad much thesameideasaboutKhalid,son ofAl Waleed.
1.Ibn Qutaibah:p.575.
2.IbnRusta:p.215.
Page2
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Chapter 2
(TheNewFaith)
Page1
"ItisHewho hassentHisMessengerwithGuidanceand theReligionofTruth,to
makeit prevail overallreligion,and Allahis sufficientasa witness."
[Quran48:28]
Acertain Arab would walkthe streetsofMakkah atnight,lost in thought.Hewasa
member,no longerwealthy,ofthenobleclan ofBaniHashim.Astrikinglyhandsome
man ofmediumheightwith broad,powerfulshoulders,hishairended in curlsjustbelow
hisears.Hislarge,darkeyes,fringed withlonglashes,seemedpensiveand sad.
Therewasmuch in thewayoflifeoftheArabsthatcausedhimpain.Everywherearound
himhesawsignsofdecay-in theinjusticedoneto thepoorandhelpless,in the
unnecessarybloodshed,in thetreatment ofwomenwho wereconsidered asnobetterthan
domesticanimals.He would bedeeplyanguishedwheneverheheard reportsofthelive
burialofunwanted femalechildren.
Certain clansoftheArabshad madeahorribleritualofthe killingofinfantdaughters.
Thefatherwould letthechild growup normallyuntil shewasfiveorsix yearsold.He
would then tellherthathewould takeherforawalkanddressherup as ifforaparty.He
would takeheroutofthetownorsettlementto thesiteofa gravealreadydugforher.He
would makethechild standon theedgeofthisgraveand thechild,quiteunawareofher
fateandbelievingthatherfatherhadbroughtheroutforapicnic,would lookeagerly at
him,wonderingwhen thefun would start.Thefatherwould thenpushherinto thegrave,
and as thechild cried to herfathertohelp herout,hewouldhurl largestonesat her,
crushingthelifeoutofhertenderbody.When all movement hadceased in thebruised
and brokenbodyofhispoorvictim,hewould fill thegravewith earth and return home.
Sometimeshewould bragaboutwhathehad done.
This customwasnot,ofcourse,verywidespread in Arabia. Amongthefamousfamilies
ofMakkah-theBaniHashim,theBani Umayyah and theBaniMakhzum-thereisnota
singleinstanceon record ofa femalechild beingkilled.Thishappenedonlyamongsome
deserttribes,and onlyin someclans.Buteven theexceptional occurrenceofthis
revoltingpracticewassufficienttohorrifyand sicken themoreintelligent and virtuous
Arabsofthetime.
Then thereweretheidolsofMakkah.TheKabah hadbeen builtbytheProphet Ibrahim
astheHouseofGod,but had beendefiled with godsofwood and stone.TheArabs
wouldpropitiatethesegodswith sacrificialofferings,believingthattheywouldharma
man when angered and bebountifulwhen pleased.In and around theKabah therewere
360 idols,themostworshipped ofwhomwereHubal,Uzzaand Lat.Hubal,theprideof
theArab pantheon,wasthelargest ofthesegodsand was carvedofred agate.When the
inhabitantsofMakkah had imported thisidol fromSyriaitwaswithoutarighthand;so
theyfashioned anewhand ofgold and stuckitonto its arm.
In thereligion oftheArabs there wasacuriousmixtureofpolytheismand beliefin Allah-
thetrueGod.Theybelieved that Allah wasLord and Creator,buttheyalsobelieved in
theidols,regardingthemassons and daughtersofAllah.Theposition ofthedeityin the
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Arab mind waslike thatofadivinecouncil,God beingthePresidentofthecouncilof
which theseothergodsandgoddessesweremembers,each havingsupernatural powers,
though subservientto the President.The Arabswould swearbyHubal orbyanothergod
orgoddess.Theywould also swearbyAllah.Theywould nametheirsons AbdulUzza,
i.e.theSlaveofUzza.Theywould alsonametheirsonsAbdullah i.e.theSlaveofAllah.
Itwould notbecorrectto suggestthateverythingwaswrongwith theArab cultureofthe
time.Therewasmuch in theirwayoflifewhich wasgloriousandchivalrous.Therewere
qualitiesin theArab characterwhich wouldbeenviabletoday-courage,hospitalityand a
senseofpersonaland tribalhonour.There wasalso anelement ofvindictiveness,in the
blood feudswhich werepasseddown fromfatherto son,but thiswasunderstandable,and
evennecessary,in atribalsocietywhere no centralauthorityexisted to enforcelawand
order.Violent tribaland personalretaliation wastheonlywayto keep thepeaceand
preventlawlessness.
Whatwaswrongwith Arab culturelayin the fieldsofethicsand religion,and in these
fieldsArab lifehad hitan all-timelow.Thisperiodbecameknown in historyas the
Ignorance.DuringtheIgnoranceArab actionswereactsofignorance; Arab beliefswere
beliefsofignorance.TheIgnorancewas thusnotonlyan erabut an entirewayoflife.
TheArab mentioned at thebeginningofthischaptertookto retiringto acavein ahillnot
far fromMakkah, foronemontheveryyear. In thiscavehewould spend histimein
meditation and reflection,andhewould wait-notknowingjust whathewaswaitingfor.
Thenoneday,whilehe wasmeditatingin thecave;hesuddenlybecameconsciousofa
presence.Hecould seenooneand therewasno soundofmovement,buthecould feel
thatsomeonewas there.Then avoicesaid,"Read!"
Page2
Alarmedbythephenomenon ofthedisembodied voice,theArab exclaimed,"What shall
Iread?"Thevoicewaslouderasitrepeated,"Read!"Again theArab asked,"Whatshall
Iread?"Thevoicenowseemed terribleasitcalledsternly,"Read!"Then thevoice
continued in amoregentletone:
Read:inthenameofyourLordwho created,
Createdmanfroma clot.
Read:anditisyourLordtheBountiful
Who taughtbythepen;
Taughtmanthatwhichheknew not.[Quran95:1-5]
Thishappenedon aMondayin themonth ofAugust,610 CE.Theworld would neverbe
thesameagain, forMuhammad had receivedhisfirst revelation.Anewfaith was born.
When Muhammad (SAWS)received thisrevelation,Khalid was24 yearsold.
ForthreeyearstheProphet remained silent,receivingguidancethrough theAngelJibril.
Thenhewasordered tostartexpoundingthereligionofAllah,andhestarted withhis
own familyandclan.Most ofthem,however,scorned histeachingand madefun ofthe
newfaith.
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Onedaythe Prophetdecided to collecthiscloserrelativesand givethemagood mealat
hishouse.Thiswould givehiman opportunityto get themtogetherandput themin a
situation wheretheywouldhaveto listen to him.Themeal wasdulyarranged and
heartilyeatenbytheguests.TheProphetthen addressed theassembled guests and said,
"OBani AbdulMuttalib!ByAllah,Ido notknowofanyman among theArabswho has
cometo you with anythingbetterthan Ihavebrought you.Ibring you thebestofthis
worldand thenext.IhavebeenorderedbyAllah to callyou to Him.Who willhelp mein
thisworkand bemybrotheranddeputy?"
Theresponseofthe entiregatheringwassilence.Noonereplied,each watchingthe
othersto seeifanyonewould getup to supportthisman. And thenathin,under-sized
boywith skinnylegs,in hisearlyteens,sprangup and piped in avoicewhich hadnotyet
broken,"I,O ProphetofAllah,willbe yourhelper!"
Therewasaroaroflaughterfromtheguestsatwhatappeared at thetimetobea
ridiculoussight-rudeand contemptuouslaughter-as theystoodup and began to
walkaway.Buttheboywasimperviousto such rudeness,forthenextinstanthe hadbeen
claspedbytheProphetin alovingembrace.TheProphet declared,"Thisismybrother
anddeputy."1TheboywastheProphet'scousin-Ali,son ofAbuTalib.Hewasthefirst
maleto acceptIslamat thehandsoftheProphet.2
Graduallythetruth began to spread;and afewindividuals,mostlyyouthsorweak,
helplesspeople,accepted the newfaith.Theirnumberwassmall but theircouragewas
high.And theProphet'ssphereofactivitywidened. In spiteoftherebuffsand insults
which werehurled at himbytheQuraish,hecontinued to accostpeopleatstreetcorners
and in themarket placeand to warn themofthe Firewhich awaited theevil-doer.He
wouldderidetheiridolsofwood and stoneand call themto theworshipofthetrueGod.
As his activitiesincreased,theopposition oftheQuraish becameharderandmore
vicious.Thisopposition wasdirected mainlybyfourmen:Abu Sufyan (whosepersonal
namewasSakhrbin Harb,and who was theleaderoftheBani Umayyah), AlWaleed
(fatherofKhalid),Abu Lahab (uncleoftheProphet)and Abul Hakam.Ofthe firstand
thelastwewillhearalot more in thisstory.
Abu Sufyan and Al Waleed weremenofdignityand self-respect.Whiletheydirected the
opposition againsttheProphet,theydid notdemean themselvesbyresortingto violence
orabuse.Al Waleed'sinitialreaction wasoneofruffled dignity."Istheprophethood to
bebestowedon Muhammad,"heexploded,"whileI,thegreatest oftheQuraish and their
elder,amto getnothing? And thereisAbu Masud,thechiefof theSaqeef.Surelyheand I
arethegreatestofthetwo towns."3Thisgrandoldman lived in aworld ofhisown where
everythingdependedon nobilityofbirth and rank.Hewas,ofcourse,beingunfairto the
Prophet,forthelineofMuhammad joinedhis ownsixgenerationsback,and the family
ofMuhammad wasno lessnoblethan hisown.In fact,in recenthistorytheProphet's
familyhad acquired greaterprominencethan anyother familyin Makkah.TheProphet's
grandfather,AbdulMuttalib,had beenthechiefofalltheQuraish in Makkah.
1.Tabari:Vol.2,p.63;Ibn Sad:Vol.1,p.171.
2.Ibn Hisham:Vol.1,p.245;Tabari:Vol.2,p.56.Masudi:Muruj;Vol.2,p.283.
3.Ibn Hisham:Vol.1,p.361.Quran 95:1-5
Page3
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Accordingto Ibn Hisham,itwas in connection with thisstatementofAl Waleed that the
Quranicverse wasrevealed:And theysay:Ifonly thisQuranhadbeenrevealedto
somemanfromthe, two greattowns![Quran43:31].Thetwo townswereMakkah
andTaif. And anotherQuranicrevelation believed tohavereferred to AlWaleed who,as
wehavestated in theprecedingchapter,wasknownbythetitleofAl Waheed (the
Unique),reads:LeaveMe(to deal)withhimwhomIcreatedWaheed;andbestowed
uponhimamplemeans;andsonsabiding inhispresence;andmade(life)smooth
forhim.YethedesiresthatIshouldgivemore.Nay,forlo, he has beenstubborn
aboutOurrevelations.OnhimIshall imposea fearfuldoom…Thenhelooked;then
hefrownedandshoweddispleasure;thenhe turnedaway inpride andsaid:Thisis
nothing butmagicfromofold; thisisnothing but thespeechofa man.HimshallI
fling into thefire:[Quran74:11-17 and21-26]
Themostblood-thirstyand vindictiveoftheseleaderswasAbul Hakam-cousin and
friend ofKhalid.Asaresultofhisviolent opposition to Islamhewasgiven bythe
MuslimsthenicknameofAbu Jahl,theIgnorantOne,and itis bythisnamethatposterity
wasto knowhim.Asmall,tough and wiryman with asquint,hehasbeen describedbya
contemporaryas:"a man with a faceofiron,a lookofiron anda tongueofiron."1 And
Abu Jahlcouldnotforgetthatin theiryoungerdays,in afiercewrestlingmatch,
Muhammadhad thrown himbadly,gashinghisknee,thescarofwhich wasto remain
untilhisdeath.2
TheseprominentmenoftheQuraish,and someothers, findingitimpossibleto stop the
Prophetbyeitherthreatorinducement,decided to approach theaged and venerableAbu
Talib,uncleoftheProphet and leaderoftheBani Hashim.Theywouldhavekilled the
Prophetbutforthestrongsenseoftribal and familyunitywhichprotected the Prophet.
Hiskillingwouldhaveled to aviolentblood feudwith theBaniHashim,who would
undoubtedlyhavetaken revengebykillingthekilleroramemberofthekiller's family.
Thedelegation oftheQuraishnowapproached AbuTalib and said "OAbu Talib!You are
ourleaderand thebestamong us.You have seen whatthesonofyour brotherisdoing to
ourreligion.Heabusesourgods.Hevilifiesourfaithand thefaithofourfathers.You
areoneofusin our faith.Eitherstop Muhammadfromsuchactivitiesorpermitusto
deal with himaswe wish."3
AbuTalib spokegentlyto them,said thathewould lookinto thematter,anddismissed
themwith courtesy.Butbeyond informingtheProphetofwhatthe Quraish had said,he
didnothingtostop himfromspreadingthenew faith.AbuTalib wasapoet.Whenever
anythingofthis sorthappened,hewould composealongpoemandpourall histroubles
into it.
In thehouseofAl Waleed,theactions oftheProphet becamethemostpopulartopicof
conversation.In theeveningAl Waleed would sit withhissonsandotherrelativesand
recounttheactionsofthe dayand allthattheQuraishweredoingtocounterthe
movementofMuhammad.Khalid andhisbrothersheard theirfatherdescribetheentire
proceedingsofthefirst delegation to AbuTalib.Someweekslater,theylistened to him
tellall abouttheseconddelegation to Abu Talib,which hadno moreeffectthan thefirst.
TheProphetcontinued withhismission.
Then Al Waleed tookabold step.Hedecided to offerhisown son,Ammarah,to Abu
Talib in return forthepersonofMuhammad.Ammarah wasafine,strappingyouth in
whommen and women sawallthevirtues and gracesofyoungmanhood.TheQuraish
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delegation approached AbuTalib withAmmarah in tow."OAbu Talib"said the
delegates."HereisAmmarah,sonofAlWaleed.Heisthefinestofyouthsamong the
Quraish,and thehandsomestandnoblestofall.Takehimasyourson.Hewillhelpyou
andbeyoursas anyson could be.In return giveusthesonofyourbrother-theonewho
hasturned againstyourfaith and thefaithofyourfathersand hascauseddissension in
ourtribe.Weshallkillhim.Isthat not fair-a man for a man?"
AbuTalib wasshockedbytheoffer."Ido not think thatitisfair atall," hereplied."You
givemeyourson to feed andbringup while you wantmineto kill.ByAllah,thisshallnot
be."4Themission failed.Wedo not knowhowAmmarah reacted to thefailureofthe
mission-with disappointmentorrelief!
1.Waqidi:Maghazi,p.20;Ibn Rustap.223.
2.Tabari:Vol.1,p.265; Ibn Sad:p.186.
3.Ibn Hisham:Vol.1,p.265;Ibn Sad:p.186.
4.Ibn Hisham:Vol.1,p.267;Ibn Sad:p.186.
Page4
NowseeingnohopeofpersuadingAbuTalib tostop theProphetand despairingof
persuadinghimthemselves,theQuraish decided tomakethelife ofMuhammad and his
followersso wretched thattheywouldbeforced tosubmitto thewishesoftheQuraish.
TheysetthevagabondsofMakkah againsthim.Thesehooliganswould shout and jeerat
theProphetwhereverhepassed,would throwdustintohisfaceand spread thorns inhis
path.Theywould fling filth into hishouse,and in thisactivitytheywerejoined byAbu
Lahab and Abu Jahl.Thisilltreatmentwassoon toenteramoreviolentphase.
As the persecution oftheMuslimsgathered momentum,italso increased in varietyof
method.Oneman gotthebrightideathathewouldhurtMuhammad'scause by
challenginghimto awrestlingmatch,and thusbelittleandhumiliatehimin apublic
contest.Thisman wasanunbelievinguncleoftheProphetbythenameofRukkanabin
Abd Yazid,achampion wrestlerwho wasproud ofhisstrength and skill.Noonein
Makkahhad everthrown him."Oson ofmybrother!"heaccosted theProphet."Ibelieve
thatyou area man.And Ibelievethatyou arenota liar.Comeand wrestlewith me.If
you throwmeIshallacknowledgeyouasa trueprophet."Theman was delighted with
himselfat havingthoughtup thisunusualwayofloweringthestockofMuhammad in the
eyesoftheMakkans.Muhammad would eitherdecline,and thus looksmall,oraccept
and getthethrashingofalifetime.Butthatiswhathethought.Hischallengewas
accepted,and in thewrestlingmatch thatensued theProphet threwhimthreetimes!But
thescoundrelwentbackonhis word.1
TheProphethimselfwas reasonablysafe fromphysicalharm,partlybecauseofthe
protectionofhisclan and partlybecausehecould givebetterthanhetookin afight.But
therewereotherMuslimswho werein avulnerable position-thosewho werenot
connected withpowerful familiesorwerephysicallyweak. Theyincluded slavesand
slavegirls.Therewasoneslavegirlthenewsofwhoseconversion so infuriated Umar
thathebeather.Hecontinued to beatthepoorgirl untilhewastoo tired to beat herany
more.And Umarwas averystrongman!
Manyofthemen and women weretorturedbytheQuraish,Themostfamousofthese
sufferers,ofwhomhistoryspeaksin glowingterms,wasBilalbin Hamamah-atall,gaunt
Abyssinian slavewho wastorturedbyhisown master,Umayyah bin Khalf. In the
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