Flowers for the Women Wearing Veils - Volume I — Page 368
! ! 368 him for ten years and that after crying for him these past ten years , Zaid’s mother had lost her eyesight. The Holy Prophet Muhammad sa went to t he Ka ‘ ba h and announced , “ O people , b e witness to this. Zaid is free and here stands his father. Go with him. For ten years, he abandoned his business and squandered a portion of his life to search for you. ” Zaid ra r eplied, “I recognize my father and we meet again after much time. He has suffered much for my sake and who could say that they do not love their parents? I know that he has wasted ten years of his life in his love for me. However, I see no other parents before me , besides you. ” I magine the love and affection Zaid ra had for the Holy Prophet Muhammad sa. His father left weeping , but the son could not bear to be parted from the Holy Prophet Muhammad sa. Zaid ’s ra example demonstrates the true extent of the h onesty, trustworthiness , sincerity , and truthfulness of the Holy Prophet Muhammad sa. The Holy Prophet Muhammad sa openly asked , “O people! I have lived a lifetime among you. Tell me now. Have I ever lied to you? W ould I then now lie concerning Allah?” It was on this basis that Haz rat Abu Bakr ra immediately accepted Holy Prophet Muhammad ’s sa claim. Hazrat Abu Bakr ra was out of town when the Holy Prophet Muhammad sa announced his claim of prophet hood. On his way back to the city he had stopped at a friend’s home and had just taken off his chad o r to lay down to rest when the maid of the house came and told him , “How unfortunate that your friend [ the Holy Prophet Muhammad sa ] has lost his mind and claims that angels have descended upon him. ” Haz rat Abu Bakr ra did not even lay down , but immediately gathered up his cha d o r and left for the Holy Prophet Muhammad ’s sa home. There, he asked the Holy Prophet Muhammad sa if it was true that angels had descended upon him. As Haz rat Abu Bakr ra was the Holy Prophet Muhammad ’s sa closest friend and he sa did not wish for him to falter [in his faith], he sa hoped to facilitate the conversation. However, Haz rat Abu Bakr ra insisted that the Holy Prophet Muhammad sa swear to him that what he sa said was true. The Holy Prophet Muhammad sa replied that it was indeed true. Haz rat Abu Bakr ra replied, “Stand witness to my faith. Why would you lessen my reward [ of accepting you ] by bringing forward proofs?” These were the people who accepted the Holy Prophet Muhammad sa.