Introduction to the Study of The Holy Quran — Page 152
152 Let us return to Medina. Then will the most honoured among its citizens turn out the most despised. 171 By the most honoured citizen, he meant himself and by the most despised he meant the Prophet. As soon as he said this, believing Muslims were able to see through the mischief. It was not an innocent speech they had listened to, they said, but the speech of Satan who had come to lead them astray. A young man stood up and reported to the Prophet through his uncle. The Prophet sent for ‘Abdullah bin Ubayy bin Salul and his friends and asked them what had happened. ‘Abdullah and his friends denied that they had taken any such part as had been attributed to them in this incident. The Prophet said nothing. But the truth began to spread. In the course of time ‘Abdullah bin Ubayy bin Salul’s own son, ‘Abdullah, also heard about it. Young ‘Abdullah at once saw the Prophet, and said, "O Prophet, my father has insulted you. Death is his punishment. If you decide so, I would rather have you command me to kill my father. If you command someone else, and my father dies at his hands, I may be led to avenge my father by killing that man. Maybe I incur the displeasure of God in this way. " "But," said the Prophet, "I have no such intention. I will treat your father with compassion and consideration. " When young ‘Abdullah compared the disloyalty and discourtesy of his father with the compassion and kindness of the Prophet, he made for Medina full of suppressed anger against his father. He stopped his father on the way and said he would not let him go any farther on the road to Medina until he had withdrawn the words he had used against the Prophet. "The lips which said, 'The Prophet is despised and you are honoured,' must now say, 'The Prophet is honoured and you are despised. ' Until you say this I will not let you go. " 'Abdullah bin Ubayy bin Salul was astonished and frightened and said, "I agree, my son, that Muhammad is honoured and that I am despised. " Young ‘Abdullah then let his father go. 172 We have mentioned before two Jewish tribes who had to be banished out of Medina on account of their mischievous machinations and murderous intrigues. Banu Nadir, one of the two, migrated partly to Syria, partly to a town called Khaybar in the north of Medina. Khaybar was a well-fortified Jewish centre in Arabia. The Jews, who had migrated there, began to excite the Arabs against Muslims. The Meccans were already sworn enemies of Islam. No fresh provocation was needed to excite the Meccans against Muslims. Similarly the Ghatafan of Najd, because of their friendly relations with the Meccans, were hostile to Muslims. The Jews settled in Khaybar already counted on the Quraysh of Mecca and the Ghatafan of Najd. Besides these, they planned to turn Banu Sulaim and Banu Asad against Islam. They also persuaded Banu Sa‘d, a tribe in alliance with the Jews, to join the Meccans in an alliance against Islam. After a long intrigue a confederacy of Arab tribes was organized to fight the Muslims. This included the Meccans, the tribes living in