The Life & Character of the Seal of Prophets (sa) - Volume I — Page 320
Seal of the Prophets - Volume I 320 daughter, but what was the use of all this? Finally, an open announcement was made that whoever brings Muḥammad (peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him) back, dead or alive, shall be given a bounty of 100 camels. Therefore, longing for this reward, many people set out in all directions of Makkah. Even the chieftains of the Quraish set out behind the Holy Prophet sa , and following clues, they precisely reached the mouth of the Cave of Thaur. Arriving here, their detectives said, “That is it. The footsteps go no further. Therefore, either Muḥammad is hiding nearby, or he has flown to the heavens. ” Someone said, “Go and check the inside of this cave as well,” but someone else said: “Alas! What logic is there in such an idea? Is it possible for an individual to hide in such a Cave? This is an extremely dark and dangerous place, and we have always looked upon it as such. ” It is also narrated that after the Holy Prophet sa entered the cave, a spider spun a web on the tree which was located just at the entrance of the cave, and a pigeon made a nest and laid its eggs on the branch which was exactly in front of the cave. This narration is weak, but if something of this sort happened, it is not bewildering in the least. In some cases, a spider weaves a web over a vast area in just minutes, and it does not take long for a pigeon to make a nest and lay its eggs. Therefore, if, by His Divine power, God the Almighty made this happen for the protection of His messenger, it is not unbelievable. Rather, considering the situation at hand, it is completely plausible. In any case, no man from the Quraish went in, and all the people returned from here. 1 It is narrated that the Quraish reached so near that their feet could be seen from inside the cave, and their voices could be heard. At this instance, Ḥaḍrat Abū Bakr ra apprehensively, but quietly, said to the Holy Prophet sa , “O Messenger of Allāh! The Quraish are so close that their feet can be seen. If they come forward even a little more, and snare in, they will be able to see us. ” The Holy Prophet sa said: 1 * Sharḥul-‘Allāmatiz-Zarqānī ‘alal-Mawāhibil-Ladunniyyah, By Muḥammad bin ‘Abdul-Bāqī Az-Zarqānī, Volume 2, p. 126, Bābu Hijratil-Muṣṭafā wa Aṣḥābihi ilal-Madīnah, Dārul-Kutubil- ‘Ilmiyyah, Beirut, Lebanon, First Edition (1996) * Tārīkhul-Khamīs, By Ḥusain bin Muḥammad bin Ḥasan Dayār Bakrī, Volume 1, p. 329, Al-Faṣlul- Awwalu fī Khurūjihi sa ma‘a Abī Bakrin mim-Makkata ilal-Ghār, Muwassasatu Sha‘bān, Beirut