Muhammad: Seal of the Prophets — Page 136
MUHAMMAD : SEAL OF THE PROPHETS 136 design but had now abandoned it. I offered some food to them, but they did not accept it. Only I was admonished not to make any mention of them to anyone else. I requested the Holy Prophet to give me a guarantee in writing. He directed Aamir bin Fuhairah t o inscribe the writing on a piece of leather. When I was about to leave, the Holy Prophet said to me, “Suraqa, how will you feel when you will wear the bracelets of Chosroes?” I was surprised and inquired, “What! the bracelets of Chosroes bin Hormuz, Emper or of Iran?” He said, “Yes”. ’ Suraqa embraced Islam after the fall of Mecca. During the time of Umar when Iran came under the domination of Muslims, the treasure of the Chosroes fell into their hands and was dispatched to Medina as part of the spoils of wa r. Included among them were the gold bracelets of Chosroes, which were encrusted with priceless jewels. Umar sent for Suraqa and told him to take the bracelets and put them on. Shortly after parting from Suraqa, the party encountered Zubair bin Awam, who was returning to Mecca with a small party of Muslims after a trading journey to Syria. Zubair presented a suit of white garments to the Holy Prophet and another to Abu Bakr, and submitted that he would soon return from Mecca and join them in Yathrab. Of other people whom they encountered during the rest of their journey, many who knew Abu Bakr recognized him and inquired from him who was the person who was riding ahead of him. Abu Bakr would reply, ‘He is the one who shows me the way,’ meaning, that he was his spiritual preceptor, but the inquirers understood that he was some person whom Abu Bakr had taken with him as his guide.