Muhammad: Seal of the Prophets — Page 204
MUHAMMAD : SEAL OF THE PROPHETS 204 We are a strong host for the wreaking of vengeance? The hosts shall soon be routed, and they will turn their backs in flight. Aye, the Hour is their appointed time, and the Hour will be most grievous and most bitter. He looked at the scene before him and saw that the battle was raging fiercely. He took up a handful of sand and gravel and, throwing it in the direction of the enemy, called out, ‘May their faces be ruined,’ and directed the Muslims to make a concerted att ack. They closed their ranks and shouting ‘God is Greatest’ advanced in concert. Simultaneously a fierce gust of wind arose and sand and gravel began to fill the eyes, mouths and noses of the opposing host, so that they could not see clearly and were unabl e to manoeuvre. Also, they were facing the sun and this too obstructed their vision. The Muslims had the sun at their backs and took full advantage of the confusion into which the enemy ranks had been thrown. Very soon, Quraish were routed and rendered hel pless. About seventy of them were killed and about the same number were taken prisoners. When those killed were identified, the terrible fulfilment of the divine design to cut off the roots of the disbelievers (8:8) became manifest. Almost all the principa l personalities of Quraish were lying dead in the dust and a few who had escaped with their lives had been taken prisoners. At first, it was not known what happened to Abu Jahl, and Abdullah bin Masood was directed to go and see whether he was among the sl ain. Abdullah found him almost at his last breath and inquired from him, ‘Are you Abu Jahl?’ He replied, ‘Have you today slain anyone of greater status than me?’ Then he muttered, ‘I wish I had not been killed by peasants’ (meaning Ansar, who