A Letter to a Dear One — Page 55
Muhammad Zafrulla Khan 55 Once a battle was apparently going against the Muslims. There was no security arrangement left for the Holy Prophet ( ” allall ā hu ‘alaihi wa sallam) and there was chaos among the Muslim troops. The Holy Prophet ( ” allall ā hu ‘alaihi wa sallam) was almost left on his own. He galloped his horse towards the enemy, calling out aloud, “Indeed I am the prophet of God and I am not false— And I am the grandson of Abdul Muttalib. ” The Holy Prophet’s ( ” allall ā hu ‘alaihi wa sallam) tenor was that indeed he used apparent means of battle and defenses by the command of Allah. However, his real trust was not in this apparatus but in Allah—and although he was human, like others, a grandson of Abdul Muttalib, but he was a true prophet of God, Who would, without doubt protect him and grant him victory over his enemies. Indeed that is exactly what happened; in that particular battle, the Muslims had a miraculous victory. Once, on return from a battle the Holy Prophet ( ” allall ā hu ‘alaihi wa sallam) stopped over at a spot. He hung his sword and lay down under a tree to rest. It seems there was some negligence in the security and an enemy appeared on the scene. He picked up the Holy Prophet’s ( ” allall ā hu ‘alaihi wa sallam) sword and having seen him asleep, advanced to attack. The Holy Prophet ( ” allall ā hu ‘alaihi wa sallam) awoke. The enemy said, “O Muhammad, tell me, who can save you now?” The Holy Prophet ( ” allall ā hu ‘alaihi wa sallam) replied, “Allah. ” This simple, spontaneous and assured reply filled the man with awe and the sword fell from his hands. Seeing his perplexity the Holy Prophet ( ” allall ā hu ‘alaihi wa sallam) quickly got hold of his sword and asked him, “Tell me now, who is there to save you now?” The man replied, “No one. Please have mercy on me. ” The Holy Prophet ( ” allall ā hu ‘alaihi wa sallam) forgave the man. Likeness for Moderation The Holy Prophet’s ( ” allall ā hu ‘alaihi wa sallam) nature was completely devoid of hypocrisy and formality. He is known to have said that often while leading sal ā t, he wished to prolong the Prayer. However, in such an instance, if he heard a crying baby, his mind would go to the mother and the trouble she would have to endure and