The Life & Character of the Seal of Prophets (sa) - Volume II — Page 338
Seal of the Prophets - Volume II 338 enemy. Ḥaḍrat ‘Alī ra and Zubair ra attacked the enemy countless times and persistently drove back their ranks. In the course of this rain of arrows, Abū Ṭalḥah Anṣārī ra broke three bows, and stood firm like a rock and covered the body of the Holy Prophet sa with his own shield. 1 The Holy Prophet sa would hand arrows to Sa‘d ra himself and Sa‘d ra would continue to shower the enemy with arrow upon arrow. At one instance, the Holy Prophet sa addressed Sa‘d ra saying, “May my mother and father be sacrificed upon you - go on shooting arrows!” 2 Even to the very end of his life, Sa‘d ra would recall these words of the Holy Prophet sa with great pride. For a very long time, Abū Dujānah ra shielded the body of the Holy Prophet sa with his own, and would take every arrow and stone to his own body. This was to such an extent that his body became heavily pierced with arrows, but he did not even sigh, lest his body flinched and the Holy Prophet sa became even slightly exposed to a single arrow. 3 In order to protect the Holy Prophet sa , Ṭalḥah ra took countless blows to his own body, and it was in this very attempt that his hand was paralyzed and rendered useless forever. 4 But how long could these few devotees withstand this grand flood, which was ravaging forward moment by moment from all fronts with its horrific waves. The Muslims would sway from side to side with every wave of every attack waged by the enemy, but as soon as its force would somewhat subside, these helpless Muslims would continue fighting and close in around their beloved Master. At times, the force of the attack would be so perilous that the Holy Prophet sa would practically be left standing alone. There was one occasion when only twelve men were left standing around the Holy Prophet sa , and there was even a time when only two people were left standing by the Holy Prophet sa. 5 Among these devotees the names of Ḥaḍrat Abū Bakr ra , ‘Alī ra , Ṭalḥah ra , Zubair ra , Sa‘d bin Waqqāṣ ra , Abū Dujānah Anṣārī ra , Sa‘d bin Mu‘ādh ra and Ṭalḥah Anṣārī ra have been especially recorded. On one occasion, when an extraordinary wave of an attack by the Quraish arose, the Holy Prophet sa said, “At this time, who offers to sacrifice his life in the cause of Allāh?” This voice happened to reach the ears of an Anṣārī, who along with six other Companions from among the Anṣār 1 Ṣaḥīḥul-Bukhārī, Kitābul-Maghāzī, Bābu Idh Hammat Ṭā’ifatāni Minkum. . . . . , Ḥadīth No. 4064 2 Ṣaḥīḥul-Bukhārī, Kitābul-Maghāzī, Bābu Idh Hammat Ṭā’ifatāni Minkum. . . . . , Ḥadīth No. 4055 3 * As-Sīratun-Nabawiyyah, By Abū Muḥammad ‘Abdul-Mālik bin Hishām, pp. 534-535, Sha’nu ‘Āṣimibni Thābit, Dārul-Kutubil-‘Ilmiyyah, Beirut, Lebanon, First Edition (2001) * Sharḥul-‘Allāmatiz-Zarqānī ‘Alal-Mawāhibil-Ladunniyyah, By Allāmah Shihābuddīn Al-Qusṭalānī, Volume 2, p. 431, Ghazwatu Uḥud, Dārul-Kutubil-‘Ilmiyyah, Beirut, Lebanon, First Edition (1996) 4 Ṣaḥīḥul-Bukhārī, Kitābul-Maghāzī, Bābu Idh Hammat Ṭā’ifatāni Minkum. . . . . , Ḥadīth No. 4063 5 Ṣaḥīḥul-Bukhārī, Kitābul-Maghāzī, Bābu Idh Hammat Ṭā’ifatāni Minkum. . . . . , Ḥadīth No. 4060, 4061