Muhammad: Seal of the Prophets — Page 212
MUHAMMAD : SEAL OF THE PROPHETS 212 be shown in immediately. On hearing this, Abu Sufyan was much upset and said, ‘I was preserved to experience such humiliation that ex - slaves should be admitted to meet the Khalifah ahead of me. ’ To this Suhail retorted, ‘Then whose fault is it? The Holy Pr ophet called all of us to God. These people responded to his call immediately, but we held back. Then why should not they have priority over us?’ One of the prisoners was Waleed bin Waleed, who was the son of Waleed bin Mughirah, a chief of Quraish, and brother of Khalid bin Waleed. His ransom was fixed at 4,000 dirhems, which his brothers paid in, and Waleed was released and returned to Mecca. On a rriving in Mecca Waleed declared himself a Muslim; whereupon his brothers were much upset and upbraided him, ‘If you had made up your mind to embrace Islam, why did you pay the ransom?’ Waleed replied, ‘I postponed my declaration of the acceptance of Islam till after my ransom had been paid, lest it should be thought that I had become a Muslim in order to escape payment of my ransom. ’ Thereupon Waleed was taken into custody and began to be severely persecuted. But he remained steadfast, and after some time found an opportunity of escaping from Mecca and arrived in Medina. At Mecca, the news of the defeat was received with consternation. Burning shame and thirst for revenge stifled for a time all outward expression of grief. ‘Weep not for your slain,’ was the counsel of Abu Sufyan, ‘mourn not their loss, neither let the bard bewail their fate. If ye lament with elegies, it will ease your wrath and diminish your enmity towards Muhammad and his followers. Should that reach their ears, and they laugh at us, will