Life of Muhammad — Page 36
sa 36 Pretender, in an encounter after the Prophet's sa death. Musailima tried to unsettle H ab i b's ra faith. "Do you believe Muhammad sa to be a Messenger of God?" he asked. "Yes," was the reply. "Do you believe me to be a Messenger of God?" asked Musailima. "No," replied H ab i b ra. Upon this Musailima ordered one of his limbs to be cut off. This done, he asked H ab i b ra again, "Do you believe Muhammad sa to be a Messenger of God?" "Yes," replied H ab i b ra. "Do you believe me to be a Messenger of God?" "No. " Musailima ordered another limb to be cut off H ab i b's ra body. Limb after limb was cut off in this way and H ab i b's ra body was reduced to many pieces. He died a cruel death, but left behind an unforgettable example of personal heroism and sacrifice for the sake of religious conviction ( H albiyya , Vol. 2, p. 17). Ummi ‘ Amm a ra ra accompanied the Prophet sa in several wars. This party of Medina Muslims, in short, attained to great distinction for their loyalty and faith. They came to Mecca not for wealth, but for faith; and they had it in abundance. Moved by family ties and feeling legitimately responsible for the safety of the Prophet sa , ‘ Abb a s ra thus addressed the party: O Khazraj, this my relation is respected here by his people. They are not all Muslims, yet they protect him. But he has chosen now to leave us and go to you. O Khazraj, do you know what will happen? All Arabia will be against you. If you realize the risks entailed by your invitation, then take him away; if you do not, then give up your intention and let him stay here. The leader of this party Al-Bar a ’ ra replied assuredly: We have heard you. Our resolution is firm. Our lives are at the disposal of the Prophet sa of God. We are decided, and only await his decision ( H albiyya , Vol. 2, p. 18). The Prophet sa gave a further exposition of Islam and its teaching. Explaining this, he told the party that he would go to Medina if they would hold Islam as dear as