Introduction to the Study of The Holy Quran — Page 213
213 "No," said the Prophet. "If he observes our laws and commits no visible offence, how can we kill him?" "But," said the believers, "when a person says and does one thing but believes and desires quite another, would he not deserve to be treated accordingly?" "I cannot deal with people according to what they have in their hearts. God has not charged me with this. I can deal with them according to what they say and do. " The Prophet went on to tell the believers that one day this man and others of his kin would stage a rebellion in Islam. The Prophet’s words came true. In the time of ‘Ali, the Fourth Khalifah of Islam, this man and his friends led the rebellion against him and became the leaders of a universally condemned division of Islam, the Khawarij. After dealing with the Hawazin, the Prophet returned to Medina. It was another great day for its people. One great day was when the Prophet arrived at Medina, a refugee from the ill-treatment of the Meccans. On this great day, the Prophet re- entered Medina, full of joy and aware of his determination and promise to make Medina his home. Machinations of Abu ‘Amir We must now turn to the activities of one Abu ‘Amir Madani. He belonged to the Khazraj tribe. Through long association with Jews and Christians he had acquired the habit of silent meditation and of repeating the names of God. Because of this habit, he was generally known as Abu ‘Amir, the Hermit. He was, however, not a Christian by faith. When the Prophet went to Medina after the Hijrah, Abu ‘Amir escaped from Medina to Mecca. When at last Mecca also submitted to the growing influence of Islam, he began to hatch a new intrigue against Islam. He changed his name and his habitual mode of dress and settled down in Quba’, a village near Medina. As he had been away for a long time and had altered his appearance and his dress, the people of Medina did not recognize him. Only those hypocrites recognized him with whom he had relations in secret. He took the hypocrites of Medina into his confidence and with their concurrence planned to go to Syria and excite and provoke the Christian rulers and Christian Arabs into attacking Medina. While he was engaged in his sinister mission in the north, he had planned for the spread of dis- affection in Medina. His colleagues, the hypocrites, were to spread rumours that Medina was going to be attacked by Syrian forces. As a result of this dual plot Abu ‘Amir hoped that Muslims and Syrian Christians would go to war. If his plot did not succeed, he hoped that Muslims would themselves be provoked into attacking Syria. Even thus a war might start between Muslims and Syrians and Abu ‘Amir would have something to rejoice over. Completing his plans, he went to Syria. While he was away the hypocrites at Medina—according to plan—began to spread rumours that caravans had been sighted which were coming to attack Medina. When no caravan appeared, they issued some kind of explanation.