Muhammad and The Jews — Page 64
On an earlier occasion, approximately three months after the Battle of Badr, Sallam b. Mishkam, the chief of the B. al-Nac,iir, had secretly entertained Abu Sufyan b. I:Iarb and two hundred Meccan riders with food and drink and had supplied Abu Sufyan secret information about the Muslims. 1 This abortive Meccan attempt to attack Medina was named, according to Abu al-Faraj, the 'Raid of al-Sawiq' after the name of the wine Sallam b. Mishkam had served on the occasion. 2 Al-Sawiq is made of wheat and barley. Praising Sallam's hospitality on the occasion Abii Sufyan said: I chose one man out of Medina as an ally, I had no cause to regret it, though I did not stay long. Sallam ibn Mishkam gave me good wine, He refreshed me in full measure despite my haste. 3 Referring to the conspiracy hatched by the B. al-Nac,iir, Rodinson remarks, "it was a not altogether unlikely assumption and one which, given a minimum of political intuition, anyone less intelligent than the Prophet might have suspected". 4 Within a period of four months the Muslims had lost more than a hundred men at Ul;md and Bi?r Ma"-iinah. They needed peace at home and looked for reassurance from their Medinan neighbours. The Apostle approached the B. Quray~ah and the B. al-Nac,iir for the renewal of the agreement; the B. Qurayiah renewed it, but the B. al-Nac,iir rejected the request. 5 Though the Muslims were not in a strong position, they decided to force the issue. Mul). ammad b. Maslamah, an An~iiri belonging to a tribe allied to the B. al-Nac,iir, was sent by the Apostle to give them an ultimatum; they were given ten days to leave Medina. 6 The B. al-Nac,iir were ready to comply with the terms of the ultimatum, but "-Abd Allah b. Ubayy, Wadi"-ah, Malik b. Abii Qawqal, Suwayd and Da"-is advised them to resist. 7 Ibn Ubayy would support them and so would the B. Quray~ah and the B. Ghatafan. 8 The i Ibn Hisham, p. 543. 2 Al-Aghiini, Vol. VI, p. 336. 3 Ibn Hishlim, p. 544, Guillaume's translation. 4 Rodinson, pp. 191-92. fi Abu Da'Ud, Vol. III, p, 116-17. 6 Ibn Sa'°d, Vol. II, p. 57. 7 Ibn Hisham, p. 653. 8 Jbn Sa'°d, Vol. II, p. 57. 64