Muhammad: Seal of the Prophets — Page 154
MUHAMMAD : SEAL OF THE PROPHETS 154 evening, the Holy Prophet said: “If one of our friends could keep watch for a time, I could have some sleep. ” As he said this, we heard the sound of weapons, on which he inquired: “Who is that?” The reply came: “Messenger of Allah, I am S’ad bin Waqqas. I have come to keep watch. ” Thereafter, the Holy Prophet slept for a while. ’ The Holy Prophet was always on the alert. One night some noise was heard and people emerged from their homes, anxious to discover the cause of it. Some of them began to move in the direction from which the noise had been heard. They had not proceeded far w hen they saw the Holy Prophet coming from the opposite direction riding on the bare back of Abu Talha’s horse, with his sword at his side. When he arrived near the assembled Muslims, he reassured them that he was returning after having investigated the cau se of the noise and that he had not found anything to be anxious about. He must have been awake at the time when the noise was heard and had proceeded immediately in the direction of the noise. Quraish were not content only with the letters that they had addressed to Abdullah bin Ubayy and the Jews of Medina. They carried on propaganda against the Muslims throughout the country, as far as they could reach, and as they enjoyed a degree of prestige on account of their guardianship of the Ka’aba, their hostile propaganda was turning all tribes against the Muslims. Their caravans carried their propaganda far and wide. All this intensified the anxiety of the Muslims in Medina. Hadith relates that all Arabia united in opposition to them and the Muslims went about armed during the day, and did not put their arms off