Introduction to the Study of The Holy Quran — Page 124
124 The leader of this party al-Bara’ replied assuredly: We have heard you. Our resolution is firm. Our lives are at the disposal of the Prophet of God. We are decided, and only await his decision. 140 The Prophet gave a further exposition of Islam and its teaching. Explaining this, he told the party that he would go to Medina if they would hold Islam as dear as they held their wives and children. He had not quite finished when this party of seventy- three devotees cried, 'Yes,' 'Yes,' in one voice. In their zeal they forgot that they could be overheard. ‘Abbas cautioned them to speak low. But the party was full of faith. Death now was nothing in their eyes. When ‘Abbas cautioned the party, one of them said aloud, "We are not afraid, O Prophet of God. Permit us, and we can deal with the Meccans right now and avenge the wrongs they have done you. " But the Prophet said he had not yet been commanded to fight. The party then took the oath of fealty and the meeting dispersed. The Meccans did get to know of this meeting. They went to the Medina encampment to complain against these visitors to their chiefs. ‘Abdullah bin Ubbayy bin Salul—Chief of chiefs—knew nothing of what had happened. He assured the Meccans that it must be some false rumour which they had heard. The people of Medina had accepted him as their leader and could not do anything without his knowledge and permission. He did not know that the people of Medina had cast off the rule of Satan and accepted the rule of God instead. The Hijrah The party returned to Medina and the Prophet and his followers started preparations for migration. Family after family began to disappear. Muslims, certain that the Kingdom of God was near, were full of courage. Sometimes a whole lane would be emptied in the course of a night. In the morning Meccans would see the doors locked and realise that the residents had migrated to Medina. The growing influence of Islam amazed them. At last not a single Muslim remained in Mecca save a few slave converts, the Prophet himself, Abu Bakr and ‘Ali. The Meccans realised that their prey was about to escape. The chiefs assembled again and decided they should now kill the Prophet. By a special divine design, it seems, the date they appointed for killing the Prophet was appointed for his escape. When the Meccan party was collecting in front of the Prophet’s house with intent to kill, the Prophet was moving out in the secrecy of the night. The Meccans must have feared anticipation of their foul design by the Prophet. They proceeded cautiously and when the Prophet himself passed by, they took him for someone else, and withdrew to avoid being noticed. The Prophet’s closest friend Abu Bakr had been informed of the Prophet’s plan the day before. He duly joined and then both left Mecca, and took shelter in a cave called Thawr, about three or four