Muhammad: Seal of the Prophets — Page 323
MUHAMMAD : SEAL OF THE PROPHETS 323 wounded. Despite all her care, Sa’d’s injury did not improve and the wound repeatedly burst open. It was in this condition that he was summoned to act as arbiter in the matter of Banu Quraidhah. In the discharge of this function, Sa’d had to endure conside rable fatigue and hardship and his health deteriorated still further. In that condition he supplicated earnestly one night, ‘Lord, Thou well knowest my eagerness to strive in the cause of Thy faith against the people who rejected Thy Prophet and expelled h im from his home. Lord, I conceive that the armed struggle between Quraish and ourselves has come to an end. But if it is within Thy knowledge that there is to be still some further fighting with Quraish, I beg Thee to grant me enough time so that I might participate in such fighting. But if our fighting them has come to an end, I have no desire to live longer and do Thou permit me to die a martyr. ’ It is reported that the same night Sa’d’s wound burst open and there was so much bleeding from it that some o f the blood flowed out of the tent. Those who noticed it rushed into the tent and found that Sa’d was in extremity. He breathed his last shortly after. The Holy Prophet was much grieved over Sa’d’s death which was an irreplaceable loss for the Muslims. Sa’d had occupied the same position among Ansar which was occupied by Abu Bakr among Emigrants. His sincerity, his devotion, his sacrifices in the cause of Islam, and his love of the Holy Prophet were almost matchless. Every action and every movement of his demonstrated that the love of Islam and of the Holy Prophet was the nurture of his soul. As he was chief of his tribe, his example had been a great sourc e of strength for Ansar. The Holy Prophet bore his great loss