Muhammad: Seal of the Prophets — Page 90
MUHAMMAD : SEAL OF THE PROPHETS 90 Quraish, Hisham bin Amr, Zaheer bin Abu Umayya, Mut’am bin Adi, Abul Bakhtari and Zamaa bin Aswad; felt that this cruel and unnatural agreement should be terminated. They went to other Quraish chiefs and one of them said to them: ‘Chiefs of Quraish, do you consider it right that you should pass your days in comfort and your brethren should suffer misery and distress? Your pact is tyrannical and should now be terminated. ’ His companions supported him, but Abu Jahl protested, ‘This pact will continue and no o ne can touch it. ’ Someone retorted, ‘Oh no, it cannot continue. Even when it was written, we were not agreeable to it. ’ While this exchange was going on, Mut’am bin Adi seized the document and tore it up. Thereafter he and his companions proceeded to Shi’b Abu Talib with drawn swords and delivered the besieged. It was during this period of confinement that a group of disbelievers of Mecca, on one of those occasions when the besieged were at liberty to move about, gathered round the Holy Prophet, peace be on him, and insisted on being shown some sign. It was night and the moon was full. The Holy Prophet pointed with his finger at the moon, and it appeared to those who were present that the moon had been split, so that half of it was visible on one side of the mountain and the other half on the other side of it. Thi s event is described in the Holy Quran thus (54:2 - 4): The Hour [of the ruin of Arab power] has drawn nigh and the moon is rent asunder. When they see a Sign they turn away and say, ‘A powerful feat of magic!’ They have rejected the truth and have followed their own fancies; but every divine decree will certai nly be fulfilled.