Introduction to the Study of The Holy Quran — Page 150
150 Zayd replied proudly, "What, Abu Sufyan? What do you say? By God, I would rather die, than that the Prophet should tread on a thorn in a street in Medina. " Abu Sufyan could not help being impressed by such devotion. He looked at Zayd in amazement and declared unhesitatingly, but in measured tones, "God is my witness, I have not known any one love another as much as the Companions of Muhammad love Muhammad. " 168 About this time some people of Najd also approached the Prophet for Muslims to teach them Islam. The Prophet did not trust them. But Abu Bara’, chief of the ‘Amir tribe, happened to be in Medina at the time. He offered to act as surety for the tribe and assured the Prophet that they would commit no mischief. The Prophet selected seventy Muslims who knew the Quran by heart. When this party reached Bi’r Ma‘unah one of them, Haram bin Milhan went to the chief of the ‘Amir tribe (a nephew of Bara’) to give him the message of Islam. Apparently Haram was well received by the tribesmen. But while he was addressing the chief, a man stole up from behind and attacked Haram with a lance. Haram died on the spot. As the lance pierced through Haram’s neck, he was heard saying, "God is great. The Lord of the Ka‘bah is my witness, I have attained my goal. " 169 Having murdered Haram in this foul manner, the tribal leaders provoked the tribe into an attack upon the rest of this party of Muslim teachers. "But," said the tribesmen, "Our chief, Abu Bara’, offered to act as surety; we cannot attack this party. " Then the tribal chiefs, with the assistance of the two tribes who had gone to the Prophet to ask for Muslim teachers and some other tribes, attacked the Muslim party. The simple appeal, "We have come to preach and to teach, not to fight," had no effect. They started murdering the party. All but three of the seventy were murdered. One of the survivors was lame and had climbed a hill before the encounter began. Two others had gone to a wood to feed their camels. On returning from the wood they found sixty-six of their companions lying dead on the field. The two counselled together. Said one, "We should go and make a report of this to the Holy Prophet. " Said the other, "I cannot leave a spot where the chief of our party, whom our Prophet appointed our leader, has been murdered. " So saying, he sprang single- handed upon the disbelievers and died fighting. The other was taken prisoner but was later released in fulfilment of a vow which the tribal chief had taken. The murdered party included ‘Amir bin Fuhayrah, a freedman of Abu Bakr. His murderer was one Jabbar who later became a Muslim. Jabbar attributed his conversion to this mass massacre of Muslims. "When I started murdering ‘Amir," says Jabbar, "I heard ‘Amir say, ‘By God I have met my goal' I asked someone why a Muslim said this sort of thing when he was meeting his death. That person explained that Muslims regarded death in the path of God as a blessing and a victory. " Jabbar was so impressed by this reply, that he started making a systematic study of Islam, and ultimately became a Muslim. 170 The news of the two sad events, in which about eighty Muslims lost their lives as the result of a mischievous intrigue, reached Medina simultaneously. These were