Muhammad: Seal of the Prophets — Page 228
MUHAMMAD : SEAL OF THE PROPHETS 228 open expression to their frustration and jealousy and finally committed a breach of the agreement. The Holy Prophet continued to admonish the Muslims to possess their souls in peace and not to furnish any occasion to the Jews to embark on any rash action. He himself was most anxious and careful that their feelings and sentiments should be duly respected. On one occasion, he rebuked a Muslim, who, being provoked by the observation of a Jew, designed to exalt Moses above all the Prophets, affirmed, somewhat fiercely, that it was the Holy Prophet who was most exalted among the Messengers of God. The Holy Pr ophet mentioned some superiority of Moses to assuage the feelings of the Jews. Despite this attitude of the Holy Prophet, the mischief of the Jews increased progressively and ultimately it was they who brought on the first conflict with the Muslims. It hap pened in this wise. A Muslim woman went shopping to the shop of a Jew, and, while she was sitting occupied with selecting whatever she needed, some Jews who were also present in the shop started teasing her mischievously and the shopkeeper himself, taking advantage of her preoccupation with her shopping, pinned up the lower part of her skirt with her bodice. The woman, being annoyed at the attitude of those in the shop, stood up suddenly, intending to leave the shop, and in consequence of the shopkeeper’s m ischievous pinning up her skirt, the lower part of her body was exposed at which the shopkeeper and his companions burst out laughing. The outraged woman shrieked in great distress and called for help. A Muslim who was near rushed to her aid, and in the sc uffle that ensued, the Jewish shopkeeper was killed, whereupon the Muslim was set