The Life & Character of the Seal of Prophets (sa) - Volume II — Page 453
X - Siege of Madīnah and Delicate State of the Muslims, Failure of the Disbelievers and Reality of Miracles 453 arguments of both parties, he smiled and said, “Salmān is from neither one of these parties, rather, ِ سَلْمَان ُ مِنَّا اَھْل َ الْبَیْت , i. e. , ‘ Salmān is to be counted from amongst the members of my family. ’” 1 From then on, Salmān received the honour of being known as a family member of the Holy Prophet sa. Hence, after the plan of digging a ditch had been finalised, the Companions came into the field of battle dressed as labourers. The work of excavation was not an easy task, and then, the cold season was also in full force, due to which the Companions were made to bear severe hardships. Moreover, since all other business came to a halt, those people who earned their bread and butter on a daily basis, and there were many such people from among the Companions, were compelled to bear the adversity of hunger and starvation as well. Furthermore, since the Companions did not have servants and slaves, all of them had to work with their own hands. 2 Within these parties of ten, there was a further division of work, where certain men would dig and others would fill this excavated earth and stones in baskets carried on their shoulders and throw it away. The Holy Prophet sa would spend most of his time near the ditch and would often join the Companions in digging and transporting the dirt. In order to keep their spirits high, on certain occasions, during the course of work, the Holy Prophet sa would begin to recite couplets, upon which the Companions would sing along the same verse with the Holy Prophet sa. The following couplet recited by the Holy Prophet sa has been especially recorded in narrations: ْ فَاغْفِر ْ لِلْاَنْصَار ِ وَالْمُھَاجِرَة ْ اَللّٰھُم َّ اِن َّ الْعَیْش َ عَیْش ُ الْاٰخِرَة “O Our Lord! True life is that of the hereafter. Make it so by Your Grace, that the Anṣār and Muhājirīn are blessed with your forgiveness and bounty in the life of the hereafter. ” 3 In response to this couplet, on certain occasions, the Companions would recite the following verse: 1 * Tārīkhur-Rusuli Wal-Mulūk (Tārīkhuṭ-Ṭabarī), By Abū Ja‘far Muḥammad bin Jarīr Aṭ-Ṭabarī, Volume 3, p. 98, Thumma Kānatis-Sanatul-Khāmisatu Minal-Hijrati / Dhikrul-Khabari ‘An Ghazwatil-Khandaqi, Dārul-Fikr, Beirut, Lebanon, Second Edition (2002) 2 Ṣaḥīḥul-Bukhārī, Kitābul-Maghāzī, Bābu Ghazwatil-Khandaqi Wa Hiyal-Aḥzābu, Ḥadīth No. 4099 3 Ṣaḥīḥul-Bukhārī, Kitābul-Maghāzī, Bābu Ghazwatil-Khandaqi Wa Hiyal-Aḥzābu, Ḥadīth No. 4099