Our Beloved Master - His Early Life — Page 72
•oUR BELoVED MASTER• 72 in singular) would be read and grand intellectual competitions were held. Expert critics would be consulted to decide which poem would be deemed the best of all. The seven best qa sa ’id were hung inside the Ka‘bah and were called the saba‘ mu‘allaq a t (Seven Suspended Odes). The king of H i rah, Nu‘m a n bin Mundhir, would also send his goods to be sold here in ‘Uk a z. He had to take great precautions in sending his merchandise because there was always the danger of it being looted on the way. One particular year, when he wanted to send his goods to ‘Uk a z, he asked while sitting in his court, “Who is willing to take the responsibility of my merchandise?” At that time, there was present in his court, a man named Barr ad bin Qais from the tribe of Ban u Kin a nah. He was a very devious and cunning man! At the King’s query, he stood up and said, “Your Majesty, I will take the responsibility of this merchandise on behalf of Ban u Kin a nah. ” King Nu‘m a n said, “I fear both Ban u Kin a nah and Ban u Qais. Is there anyone present here in my court who would take charge of protecting my goods from both these tribes?” Immediately another chief named ‘Urwah bin ‘Utbah