Muhammad: Seal of the Prophets — Page 352
MUHAMMAD : SEAL OF THE PROPHETS 352 His Messenger. ’ This pledge is known as the Covenant of the Pleasure of God. It is mentioned in the Holy Quran in the words: ‘Allah was indeed well pleased with the believers when they swore allegiance to thee under the Tree, and He appreciated the surge o f faith in their hearts and sent down tranquillity on them, and rewarded them with a victory near at hand’ (48:19). When Quraish learnt of this pledge, they became apprehensive and not only let Uthman and his companions depart, but determined to come to terms with the Muslims on condition that they should return to Medina on this occasion and perform Umra freely next ye ar. On the other side, as the Holy Prophet had from the beginning been determined that he would not deny any request of Quraish for the honour of the Holy House, the prospects of an agreement began to be hopeful. After some further interchange of messages Quraish deputed Suhail bin Amr, one of their leading chiefs, and other representatives with power to conclude a treaty of peace. When the Holy Prophet saw Suhail, he observed, ‘There comes Suhail; now, if God so w ills, the affair would be resolved. ’ (The root of the word Suhail is sahl, meaning easy. ) When Suhail arrived with his companions, he said, ‘We are ready to come to a settlement. ’ The Holy Prophet, peace be on him, said that he too was ready and summoned A li to act as the scribe of the treaty, the purport of which was understood between the two sides, and the details of which would be put into shape during the writing of it. When Ali arrived, the Holy Prophet started dictating, and told him to write, ‘In th e name of Allah, Ar - Rahman, Ar - Rahim’, to which Suhail immediately demurred, saying, ‘We have no knowledge of