Life of Muhammad — Page 175
sa 175 became brisk, Shaiba ra drew his sword and started advancing towards the Prophet sa. As he came very near, he became unnerved. His determination began to shake. "When I got very near the Prophet sa ," says Shaiba ra , "I seemed to see a flame threatening to consume me. I then heard the voice of the Prophet sa saying, 'Shaiba ra , come near me. ' When I got near, the Prophet sa moved his hand over my chest in great affection. As he did so, he said, 'God, relieve Shaiba ra of all satanic thought'. " With this little touch of affection Shaiba ra changed. His hostility and enmity evaporated, and from that moment Shaiba ra held the Prophet sa dearer than anything else in the world. As Shaiba ra changed, the Prophet sa invited him to come forward and fight. "At that moment," says Shaiba ra , "I had but one thought, and that was to die for the sake of the Prophet sa. Even if my father had come my way, I would have hesitated not a moment to thrust my sword in his chest" ( H albiyya ). The Prophet sa then marched towards Ta ’ if, the town which had stoned him and driven him out. The Prophet sa besieged the town, but accepting the suggestion of some friends abandoned the siege. Later, the people of Ta ’if joined Islam voluntarily. THE PROPHET sa DISTRIBUTES BOOTY After the conquest of Mecca and the victory of H unain, the Prophet sa was faced with the task of distributing the money and property paid as ransom or abandoned in the battlefield by the enemy. If custom had been followed, this money and property should have been distributed among the Muslim soldiers who took part in these encounters. But on this occasion, instead of distributing it among the Muslims, the Prophet sa distributed it among the Meccans and the people who lived round about Mecca. These people had yet to show an inclination towards the Faith. Many were professed deniers. Those who had declared their faith were yet