The Life & Character of the Seal of Prophets (sa) - Volume II — Page 322
Seal of the Prophets - Volume II 322 idolatrous mother of Muṣ‘ab bin ‘Umair ra are especially worthy of mention. 1 According to the ancient custom of Arabia, these women had brought along their musical instruments, so that they could sing motivational couplets and beat their drums, in order to rouse the spirits of their men. After a journey of about ten or eleven days, this army of the Quraish reached close to Madīnah, circled to the north of Madīnah and stopped near the mount of Uḥud. The lush green field of ‘ Arīḍ was situated nearby, where the animals of Madīnah would graze and some farming took place here as well. Before anything else, the Quraish raided this pasture and wreaked havoc in it to their hearts’ content. 2 When the Holy Prophet sa received news from his informants that the army of the Quraish had reached nearby, he sent a Companion named Ḥabbāb bin Mundhir ra to obtain information as to the enemy’s number and strength. 3 Moreover, the Holy Prophet sa also emphasized that if the strength of the enemy was greater than their own and the Muslims were in a state of danger, Ḥabbāb ra should not announce this news openly upon his return in the gathering; rather, he should convey this news privately, so that no one was disheartened. Ḥabbāb ra quietly left and returned with great skill in a short period of time submitting his report to the Holy Prophet sa. 4 It was now Thursday, and news of the arrival of the army of the Quraish had spread throughout Madīnah. Their raid on ‘Arīḍ had also become widely known. Although the masses had not been given detailed knowledge with respect to the army of the disbelievers, even so, this night in Madīnah was one of great fear and danger. Select Companions guarded the home of the Holy Prophet sa all night long. 5 The following day was a Friday. The Holy Prophet sa gathered the Muslims and sought their counsel with regards to this attack of the Quraish; whether they should remain in Madīnah, or set out to fight the 1 * Aṭ-Ṭabaqātul-Kubrā, By Muḥammad bin Sa‘d, Volume 2, p. 268, Ghazwatu Rasūlillāhi sa Uḥudan, Dāru Iḥyā’it-Turāthil-‘Arabī, Beirut, Lebanon, First Edition (1996) * As-Sīratun-Nabawiyyah, By Abū Muḥammad ‘Abdul-Mālik bin Hishām, p. 522, Ghazwatu Uḥudin, Dārul-Kutubil-‘Ilmiyyah, Beirut, Lebanon, First Edition (2001) 2 Aṭ-Ṭabaqātul-Kubrā, By Muḥammad bin Sa‘d, Volume 2, p. 268, Ghazwatu Rasūlillāhi sa Uḥudan, Dāru Iḥyā’it-Turāthil-‘Arabī, Beirut, Lebanon, First Edition (1996) 3 Aṭ-Ṭabaqātul-Kubrā, By Muḥammad bin Sa‘d, Volume 2, p. 268, Ghazwatu Rasūlillāhi sa Uḥudan, Dāru Iḥyā’it-Turāthil-‘Arabī, Beirut, Lebanon, First Edition (1996) 4 Kitābul-Maghāzī, By Abū ‘Abdillāh Muḥammad bin ‘Umar bin Wāqidil-Wāqidī, Volume 1, pp. 191- 192, Ghazwatu Uḥudin, Dārul-Kutubil-‘Ilmiyyah, Beirut, Lebanon, (2004) 5 Aṭ-Ṭabaqātul-Kubrā, By Muḥammad bin Sa‘d, Volume 2, p. 268, Ghazwatu Rasūlillāhi sa Uḥudan, Dāru Iḥyā’it-Turāthil-‘Arabī, Beirut, Lebanon, First Edition (1996)