Muhammad: Seal of the Prophets — Page 250
MUHAMMAD : SEAL OF THE PROPHETS 250 She sat down with Fatima by the body, and both sobbed aloud. To comfort Safiya, he told her that her brother’s name was already enrolled in Paradise as the Lion of God and of His Apostle. He spoke comfortingly also to the women of Medina, who were wailing over their dead. The grave being now ready, and the bodies laid out in order, he commanded that they should be buried by twos and threes in each grave. In the meantime, the leaders of Quraish had been busy on the field of battle. They sought for the body of the Holy Prophet, and, not finding it, began to doubt his death. Many acts of barbarous mutilation were committed on the slain. Hind gloated over the body of Hamza. Tearing out his liver, she chewed it, fulfilling thus her savage vow, and she strung his nails and pieces of his skin together to bedeck her arms and legs. When Quraish had spent some time thus, and had disposed of their own dead, Abu Sufyan drew near to the foot of the hill, and, raising his voice, called out the names successively of the Holy Prophet, Abu Bakr and Umar. Receiving no reply (for the Holy Prophet enjoined silence) he cried again, ‘Then all are slain, and we are rid of them. ’ U mar could contain himself no longer. ‘Thou liest,’ he exclaimed, ‘they are all alive, thou enemy of God, and will requite thee yet. ’ Abu Sufyan, recognizing Umar’s voice, enquired, ‘Tell me truly, Umar, is Muhammad alive?’ ‘Indeed he is alive and hears you ,’ replied Umar. ‘I believe you in preference to Ibn Qami’a,’ rejoined Abu Sufyan. ‘Then this day shall be a return for Badr. Fortunes alternate, even as the bucket. ’ He then called out glory to their idols, naming them one by one. The Holy Prophet directed Umar to reply, ‘Glory to Allah. He is our Guardian and