The Life & Character of the Seal of Prophets (sa) - Volume II — Page 321
VIII - Blow of a Misfortune, Law of Inheritance, Prohibition of Alcohol, Treachery of the Disbelievers and Two Tragic Incidents 321 the horrific news that a fierce army of the Quraish was approaching from Makkah. Upon hearing this, the Holy Prophet sa strictly instructed Ubayy bin Ka‘b ra to keep the contents of the letter confidential. 1 Thereafter, upon returning to Madīnah, the Holy Prophet sa dispatched two Companions on the road to Makkah, in order to obtain intelligence with regards to the army of the Quraish. It was perhaps on this occasion that in order to gauge the number and strength of the Muslims, the Holy Prophet sa instructed for a census of the entire Muslim population to be conducted. Thus, the census was conducted and it was ascertained that a total of 1,500 Muslims lived in Madīnah at the time. Under the circumstances of that era, this figure was considered to be a substantial one. In the zeal of their joy, some Companions went so far as to say, “Now that our number has reached 1,500, do we have anything to fear?” However, one Companion from among these very people said, “After this we were confronted with such trying times that on various occasions we were even compelled to offer our Ṣalāt in hiding. ” 2 On another occasion as well, the Holy Prophet sa instructed that a census be conducted, and at that time, the figure obtained was between 600 and 700. 3 Perhaps toward the end of Ramaḍān 3 A. H. , or the beginning of Shawwāl , the army of the Quraish set out from Makkah. Many champions from other tribes of Arabia were also a part of the army. 4 Abū Sufyān was the commander of the army. This was an army of 3,000 men, among whom 700 warriors were clad in armour. There was also ample means of conveyance; 200 horses and 3,000 camels. 5 Equipment of war was also more than adequate. Some women also rode along, of whom Hind, the wife of Abū Sufyān; the wives of Ikramah bin Abū Jahl, Ṣafwān bin Umayyah, Khālid bin Walīd, ‘Amr bin Al-‘Ās; and the 1 Sharḥul-‘Allāmatiz-Zarqānī ‘Alal-Mawāhibil-Ladunniyyah, By Allāmah Shihābuddīn Al-Qusṭalānī, Volume 2, p. 392, Ghazwatu Uḥudin, Dārul-Kutubil-‘Ilmiyyah, Beirut, Lebanon, First Edition (1996) 2 * Ṣaḥīḥul-Bukhārī, Kitābul-Jihād Was-Siyar, Bābu Kitābatil-Imāmin-Nās, Ḥadīth No. 3060 * Fatḥul-Bārī Sharḥu Ṣaḥīḥil-Bukhārī, By Al-Imām Aḥmad bin Ḥajar Al-‘Asqalānī, Volume 6, p. 219, Kitābul-Jihād Was-Siyar, Bābu Kitābatil-Imāmin-Nās, Ḥadīth No. 3060, Qadīmī Kutub Khānah, Ārām Bāgh, Karachi 3 Ṣaḥīḥu Muslim, Kitābul-Īmān, Bābu Jawāzil-Istasrāri Bil-Īmāni Lil-Khā’ifi, Ḥadīth No. 377 4 As-Sīratun-Nabawiyyah, By Abū Muḥammad ‘Abdul-Mālik bin Hishām, p. 521, Ghazwatu Uḥudin, Dārul-Kutubil-‘Ilmiyyah, Beirut, Lebanon, First Edition (2001) 5 Aṭ-Ṭabaqātul-Kubrā, By Muḥammad bin Sa‘d, Volume 2, p. 268, Ghazwatu Rasūlillāhi sa Uḥudan, Dāru Iḥyā’it-Turāthil-‘Arabī, Beirut, Lebanon, First Edition (1996)