The Life & Character of the Seal of Prophets (sa) - Volume II — Page 142
Seal of the Prophets - Volume II 142 due to fear, he would say, “Alright, I shall tell you. ” When they would release him, he would reiterate his initial response that, “I am unaware of Abū Sufyān, but Abū Jahl, etc. , are present nearby. ” When the Holy Prophet sa heard this during his Ṣalāt , he quickly finished his Ṣalāt and forbade the Companions from beating him and said, “When he tells the truth, you beat him and when he lies, you release him. ” Then, the Holy Prophet sa gently inquired himself, “At this time, where is the army positioned?” He responded, “On the opposite side of the hillock before you. ” The Holy Prophet sa inquired, “How many men are there in the army?” He responded, “A multitude, but I am unaware of the exact figure. ” The Holy Prophet sa said, “Alright, then tell me how many camels are slaughtered daily for consumption?” “Ten,” he responded. The Holy Prophet sa turned to the Companions and said, “It seems as if they are a force of 1,000 men. ” 1 This estimate actually turned out to be correct. 2 Then, the Holy Prophet sa inquired of the slave, “Which people from among the chieftains of the Quraish are present?” He responded, “There is ‘Utbah, Shaibah, Abū Jahl, Abul-Bakhtarī, ‘Uqbah bin Abī Mu‘īṭ, Ḥakīm bin Hizām, Naḍr bin Ḥārith, Umayyah bin Khalf, Suhail bin ‘Amr, Naufal bin Khuwailid, Ta‘īmah bin ‘Adiyy, Zam‘ah bin As‘ad, etc. , etc. ” The Holy Prophet sa addressed the Companions saying: ھٰذِہ ٖ مَكَّة ُ قَد ْ اَلْقَت ْ اِلَیْكُم ْ اَفْلَاذ َ كَبِدِھَا “Here you are! Makkah has thrown before you its greatest heroes. ” 3 These were immensely intelligent and wise words, which the Holy Prophet sa uttered spontaneously. The reason being, that instead of the weaker Muslims becoming disheartened upon hearing the names of so many renowned chieftains of the Quraish, these words, led their faculty of 1 Tārīkhur-Rusuli Wal-Mulūk (Tārīkhuṭ-Ṭabarī), By Abū Ja‘far Muḥammad bin Jarīr Aṭ-Ṭabarī, Volume 3, p. 27, Thumma Dakhalatis-Sanatuth-Thāniyatu Minal-Hijrah / Dhikru Waq‘ati Badril-Kubrā, Dārul-Fikr, Beirut, Lebanon, Second Edition (2002) 2 * Sunan Abī Dāwūd * Ṣaḥīḥu Muslim, Kitābul-Jihād Was-Siyar, Bābul-Imdādi Bil-Malā’ikah. . . . . , Ḥadīth No. 4588 [Publishers] 3 * As-Sīratun-Nabawiyyah, By Abū Muḥammad ‘Abdul-Mālik bin Hishām, p. 422, Dhikru Ru’yā ‘Ātikata binti ‘Abdil-Muṭṭalib / Ẓafrul-Muslimīna Bi-Rajulaini Min Quraish. . . . . , Dārul-Kutubil- ‘Ilmiyyah, Beirut, Lebanon, First Edition (2001) * Tārīkhur-Rusuli Wal-Mulūk (Tārīkhuṭ-Ṭabarī), By Abū Ja‘far Muḥammad bin Jarīr Aṭ-Ṭabarī, Volume 3, p. 27, Thumma Dakhalatis-Sanatuth-Thāniyatu Minal-Hijrah / Dhikru Waq‘ati Badril- Kubrā, Dārul-Fikr, Beirut, Lebanon, Second Edition (2002)