Life of Muhammad — Page 143
sa 143 master" said the Prophet sa. The shepherd did as he was told, and the herd reached the Jewish fort. The guards at the fort received them ( Hish a m , Vol 2, p. 191). The incident shows how seriously the Prophet sa regarded the question of individual rights and how important in his view it was for a trustee to discharge his trust. In war the property and belongings of the losers are rightfully appropriated by the victors. Ours is an age of civilization and culture, but can we show anything equal to this? Has it ever happened that a retreating enemy left behind stores which the victors sent back to their owners? In the present case the goats belonged to one of the combatants of the enemy side. The return of the goats meant making over to the enemy food which would last them for several months. With it the enemy could resist the siege for a long time. Yet the Prophet sa had the goats returned, and this in order to impress upon a new convert the importance of discharging a trust. The third incident relates to a Jewish woman who tried to poison the Prophet sa. She asked the Companions what part of an animal the Prophet sa relished for a dish. She was told that he preferred the shoulder of lamb or goat. The woman slaughtered a goat and made cutlets on hot stones. Then she mixed with them a deadly poison, especially in pieces cut from the shoulder, believing the Prophet sa would prefer them. The Prophet sa was returning to his tent, having said the evening prayers in congregation. He saw this woman waiting for him near his tent and asked, "Is there anything I can do for you, woman?" "Yes, Abu ’ l Q a sim sa , you can accept a present from me. " The Prophet sa asked a Companion to take whatever the woman had brought. When the Prophet sa sat down to his meal this present of roasted meat was also laid before him. The Prophet sa took a morsel. A Companion Bishr ibn al-Bar a ’ ibn al-Ma ‘ r u r ra also took a morsel. The other Companions present at the meal stretched their hands to eat the meat. But the Prophet sa stopped them saying, he thought the meat was poisoned. Upon