The Life & Character of the Seal of Prophets (sa) - Volume II — Page 32
Seal of the Prophets - Volume II 32 “One night the Holy Prophet sa remained awake until very late. Then he stated, ‘If a suitable man from among our friends were to stand guard, I may be able to sleep a bit. ’ Suddenly we heard the clanking of arms. The Holy Prophet inquired, ‘Who is there?’ ‘O Messenger of Allāh! It is I, Sa‘d bin Abī Waqqāṣ’ was the response, ‘I have come to stand guard. ’ It was after this reassurance that the Holy Prophet sa went to sleep. ” Another narration in this very chapter of Muslim specifies that this incident was from the initial era after the migration. It should be remembered that this anxiety of the Holy Prophet sa was not for his own person, rather, it was for the security of Islām and the Muslims. In these days of fear, the Holy Prophet sa considered it necessary to maintain security in Madīnah at night. As such, for this purpose the Holy Prophet sa himself would often remain awake at night, and would also urge other Muslims to remain alert and vigilant. This apprehension of the Holy Prophet sa was not due to fear or cowardice; rather, it was due to caution and vigilance. As far as the inherent bravery and courage of the Holy Prophet sa was concerned, this was accepted by friend and foe alike. As such, there is a narration that one night there was a clamour in Madīnah. People came out of their homes anxiously, and headed in the direction of the clamour. The people had only proceeded a short distance when they saw the Holy Prophet sa returning from the opposite direction, riding on the bare back of the horse of Abū Ṭalḥah ra , with his sword hanging at his side. When the Holy Prophet sa drew near, he said to his Companions, “I have investigated the matter. Nothing to worry about, nothing to worry about. ” 1 Upon this, the people returned. It seems as if on this night as well, the Holy Prophet sa was awake; and as soon as he heard this clamour, he dashed out immediately on the bare back of the horse of Abū Ṭalḥah ra. Before other people could even reach there, he had already investigated, and returned. Unified Opposition of the Arab Tribes and Delicate State of the Muslims The Quraish of Makkah were not limited merely to those bloody intentions, which have been mentioned above. Rather, they carried out systematic propaganda against the Muslims throughout the Arab tribes. Since they enjoyed a deep influence upon the whole of Arabia on account of their 1 Ṣaḥīḥu Muslim, Kitābul-Faḍā’il, Bābu Fī Shajā‘atin-Nabiyyi sa , Ḥadīth No. 6006