Stories from Early Islam — Page 76
76 the doors locked and would realise that the residents had fled. At last the Holy Prophet saw and a few of his companions were left at Makkah. They were also ready to leave, and were waiting for God’s command. The Makkans saw all this. They did not want the Mus lims to prosper in Yathrib. So all the chiefs of Makkah gathered for consultation. They decided to kill the Prophet saw without fur- ther delay. In order to spread the responsibility among them, they decided to appoint one man from each tribe to do the job. They fixed a particular night for this purpose. At this point the Prophet saw received God’s command to leave Makkah, and it so happened that the night fixed for his departure was the one that his opponents had chosen for their evil design. Abu Bakr, having learned from the Prophet saw of the decision to leave Makkah, begged for permission to accom- pany him. The Prophet saw gave his assent. The following evening the Prophet saw left his home as soon as it was dark. While those who intended to kill him were