Our Beloved Master - His Early Life — Page 77
•oUR BELoVED MASTER• 77 Having completed this heinous task, Barr ad took the camels and left for Makkah. The Quraish were at the fair in ‘Uk a z at that time. While on his way, he sent a man bearing a message for the Quraish, “I have killed ‘Urwah. It is quite possible that Ban u Qais would want to avenge his death upon you. Therefore, be on your guard. ” Barr ad had purposefully sent this message to the Quraish since Barr ad ’s tribe, Ban u Kin a nah, and the Quraish were relatives and friends with each other. It was a common tradition in Arabia that the friend of an enemy was also considered an enemy. In a situation where harm could not be caused to the enemy, the Arabs would seek satisfaction by causing harm to a friend of their enemy instead. As soon as Barr ad ’s message reached the Quraish, they quickly collected all their men present at ‘Uk a z and departed for Makkah, but the news of ‘Urwah’s murder had already reached Ban u Qais. In retaliation for ‘Urwah’s death the Ban u Qais went on a murderous rampage, killing as many men of the Quraish as they could find. Meanwhile, the Quraish had sought refuge inside the