Life of Muhammad — Page 35
sa 35 Meccans were warned that all their fond hopes would be smashed. The Prophet sa was neither a poet, nor a soothsayer nor a pretender. The Qur’an was a reading for the pious. True, it had its deniers. But it also had its secret admirers, those who were jealous of its teaching and its truths. The promises and prophecies contained in it would all be fulfilled. The Prophet sa was asked to ignore all opposition and go on celebrating his Mighty God. The third Hajj arrived. Among the pilgrims from Medina was a large party of Muslims. Owing to Meccan opposition these Muslims from Medina wished to see the Prophet sa in private. The Prophet's sa own thoughts were turning more and more to Medina, as a likely place for migration. He mentioned this to his closest relations but they tried to dissuade him from all thoughts of this kind. They pleaded that though Mecca was full of opposition, it offered the support of several influential relations. The prospects at Medina were all uncertain and, should Medina prove as hostile as Mecca, would the Prophet's sa Meccan relations be able to help? The Prophet sa , however, was convinced that migration to Medina had been decreed. So he rejected the advice of his relations and decided to migrate to Medina. FIRST PLEDGE OF ‘ AQABA After midnight, the Prophet sa again met the Muslims from Medina in the valley of ‘ Aqaba. His uncle ‘ Abb a s ra was with him. The Muslims from Medina numbered seventy-three, out of whom sixty-two belonged to the Khazraj tribe and eleven to the Aus. The party included two women, one being Ummi ‘ Amm a ra ra , of the Ban u Najj a r. They had been taught Islam by Mu s ‘ ab ra , and were full of faith and determination. They all proved to be pillars of Islam. Ummi ‘ Amm a ra ra is an example. She instilled in her children undying loyalty to Islam. One of her sons, H ab i b ra , was taken prisoner by Musailima, the