Rushdie Haunted by his unholy Ghosts — Page 104
104 Mohamed Arshad Ahmedi beyond belief. Whilst he may have written a whole book entitled ‘Shame’ , it is evidently one characteristic that he does not possess. Not satisfied with reviling the Holy Prophet(sa) of Islam, Rushdie sets upon the esteemed companions as well, adding insult to injury. Even with those companions who remain honoured and cherished by all the branches of Islam, the Companions whose life examples generate respect and admiration, are not spared. Such a Companion was Salman Farsi - a person whose dedication to Islam and loyalty is acknowledged by the whole of the Muslim world. His knowledge and sincerity was respected by the Holy Prophet(sa) himself. One such incident illustrates this well and this was also perhaps Salman Farsi’s most famous contribution in the annals of Islam. And this interestingly enough is also the incident that Rushdie relates with his customary derision in The Satanic Verses (p. 365). It was a time when the Muslims had been forced to migrate from Mecca to Yathrab - a town approximately 250 miles north of Mecca. (Yathrab later became known as Medina-tun-nabi, or Medina for short). At the time of the migration of the Holy Prophet(sa), there were a number of local people who had already embraced Islam; they were known as the Ansar. The Muslims who migrated to Medina ei- ther with the Holy Prophet(sa) or afterwards, were known as the Emigrants. The Muslims remained there for many years, constantly under the threat of attack from the tribe of Quraish - who were extending their influence over other local tribes. At one time the Quraish had gathered over 10, 000 warriors to invade Medina and wipe out Islam once and for all. The Muslims were far fewer both in number and armoury. When the Holy Prophet(sa) learned of the imminent attack he summoned his Companions for consultation - Salman Farsi was one of them. He suggested that the Muslims could secure themselves by digging a wide trench around the part of Medina which was vulnerable. The Holy Prophet(sa) accepted his suggestion and orders were given to dig the trench - the work was split between the Ansar and the Emigrants, upon which a question arose as to which party Salman