Life of Muhammad — Page 172
sa 172 animals so as almost to make them touch their tails. But when they spurred the animals towards the battlefield, they would not go. Instead, they moved back all the more. "Our hearts beat in fear — fear for the safety of the Prophet sa ," says this Companion, "but there was nothing we could do. " This was how the Companions were placed. The Prophet sa himself stood with a handful of men, exposed on three sides to volleys of arrows. There was only one narrow pass behind them through which only a few men could pass at a time. At that moment Ab u Bakr ra dismounted and holding the reins of the Prophet's sa mule said, "Prophet sa of God, let us withdraw for a while and let the Muslim army collect itself. " "Release the reins of my mule, Ab u Bakr ra ," said the Prophet sa. Saying, this, he spurred the animal forward into the gorge on both sides of which were enemy ambuscades from where the archers were shooting. As the Prophet sa spurred his mount, he said, "I am a Prophet sa. I am no pretender. I am a son of ‘ Abdul Mu tt alib" ( Bukh a r i ). These words spoken at a time of extreme danger to his person are full of significance. They stressed the fact that the Prophet sa was really a Prophet sa , a true Messenger of God. By stressing this, he meant that he was not afraid of death or of the failure of his cause. But if, in spite of being overwhelmed by archers he remained safe, Muslims should not attribute any divine qualities to him. For he was but a human being, a son of ‘ Abdul Mu tt alib. How careful was the Prophet sa ever to impress upon his followers the difference between faith and superstition. After uttering these memorable words, the Prophet sa called for ‘ Abb a s ra. ‘ Abb a s ra had a powerful voice. The Prophet sa said to him, " ‘ Abb a s ra , raise your voice and remind the Muslims of the oath they took under the tree at H udaibiya, and of what they were taught at the time of the revelation of the S u rah Baqara. Tell them, the Prophet sa of God calls them. " ‘ Abb a s ra raised his powerful voice. The message of the Prophet sa fell like