Flowers for the Women Wearing Veils - Volume II — Page 219
219 of stones at him a nd therefore, drove the Holy Prophet sa out of the city. So , he returned to M ecca. But as he had left M ecca because of his dispute with them, according to the customs of Arabia, he was no longer a citizen of M ecca. So now it was up to the M eccans to let him enter the city. To enter the city , it was necessary for one of the nobles of the city to give him sanctuary. He sent Ha z rat Zaid bin Haritha ra to Mut’am bin Addi a noble man of M ecca with the message that Holy Prophet sa was standing at the city gate and sought his refuge. If he agreed to give him refuge , he woul d enter the city, otherwise he would go back. Mut’am despite being a great enemy had a noble nature. He said , “What could be even more mi sfortunate for M ecca than for a man like Muhammad sa to leave it. This can never happen. May I and my seven sons perish , but Muhammad sa w ill stay in M ecca. ” Then he summoned his sons and said to them, “My sons , Muhammad sa has asked for my refuge and right now he is at the doo rs. I am going there right now. Draw your swords and walk with me and announce in the city that Mut’am has granted Muhammad sa his protection. If anyone has the courage , come and fight us. I f Muhammad sa suffers even a minor injury while any one of you survives , I w ill refuse to see your faces for the rest of my life. ” Thus, he went to the city gate. He was a city noble and h el d authority over the people of the city. He had his seven sons with drawn swords walking beside him, so no one dare d oppose him. Mut’am took the Holy Prophet sa to his home under his protection. When the Holy Prophet sa had entered his house , Muta’am bin Addi inquired if he was permitted to return to his own house. The Holy Prophet sa thanked him. He was now allowed to go back to his home, but a day would com e when God Almighty would lay the children of these very enemies of Islam at the Holy Prophet ’s sa feet. How cruel an enemy was Wal ee d , but his son , Khalid ra accepted Islam and also conquered Palestine and Syria and defeated the Roman army. Further, consider how great an enemy was Aassi, yet his son ‘ A mr ra accepted Islam , fought many battles for Islam and conquered Egypt. Then Abu Jahl who harbored enormous malice against the Holy Prophet sa , but his son Ikr i mah ra entered Islam and sacrificed his life safeguarding Islam and the c ompanions of the Holy Prophet sa. Thus, there is a grand prophecy in the verses: