Life of Muhammad — Page 61
sa 61 handcuffed, brought tears to the eyes of the Prophet sa and his faithful friend Ab u Bakr ra. ‘ Umar ra , who succeeded Ab u Bakr ra as the Second Khalifah of Islam, saw this but could not understand. Why should the Prophet sa and Ab u Bakr ra weep over a victory? ‘ Umar ra was bewildered. So he made bold to ask the Prophet sa , "Prophet sa of God, tell me why you weep when God has given you such a grand victory. If we must weep, I will weep with you, or put on a weeping face at least. " The Prophet sa pointed to the miserable plight of the Meccan prisoners. This was what disobedience of God led to. The Prophet Isaiah as spoke again and again of the justice of this Prophet sa , who had emerged victorious from a deadly battle. Of this there was a grand demonstration on this occasion. Returning to Medina the Prophet sa rested for the night on the way. The devoted followers who watched him could see that he turned from side to side and could not sleep. They soon guessed that it was because he heard the groans of his uncle, ‘ Abb a s ra , who lay nearby, bound tight as a prisoner of war. They loosened the cord on ‘ Abb a s ra. ‘ Abb a s ra stopped groaning. The Prophet sa , no longer disturbed by his groans, went to sleep. A little later he woke up and wondered why he no longer heard ‘ Abb a s ra groan. He half thought ‘ Abb a s ra had gone into a swoon. But the Companions guarding ‘ Abb a s ra told him they had loosened the cord on ‘ Abb a s ra to let him (the Prophet sa ) sleep undisturbed. "No, no," said the Prophet sa , "there must be no injustice. If ‘ Abb a s ra is related to me, other prisoners are related to others. Loosen the cords on all of them or tie the cord tight on ‘ Abb a s ra also. " The Companions heard this admonition and decided to loosen the cords on all the prisoners, and themselves bear the responsibility for their safe custody. Of the prisoners, those who were literate were promised freedom if they each undertook to make ten Meccan boys literate — this being their ransom for liberty. Those who had nobody to pay ransom for them, obtained their liberty for the asking. Those who could afford to pay