Muhammad: Seal of the Prophets — Page 289
MUHAMMAD : SEAL OF THE PROPHETS 289 the spot, so that when my absence was discovered, someone might be sent back to fetch me. So I sat down and was soon overcome by sleep. It so happened that Safwan bin Mu’attal, whose duty was to follow in the wake of the Muslim force so as to bring up the rear and pick up anything that might have been forgotten and left behind, arrived towards the morning at the spot where I was lying asleep. As he had seen me before the veil had been imposed, he recognized me, and in great surprise ejaculated, “To Allah we belong, and to Him shall we return. ” His voice woke me up, and perceiving him, I immediately covered my face with my veil. He said nothing to me, but brought up his camel and made it sit down next to me and put one of his feet on each folded knee of the c amel and I climbed on to its back. Safwan led the camel by its halter and we started in the direction of Medina till we arrived at the place where the Muslim force had made camp. ‘Thereafter we arrived in Medina with the Holy Prophet, and it so happened that immediately after my return to Medina I fell ill and my illness lasted a month. During this period the calumny against me was noised about widely, but I had no notion of it. I did, however, notice that during the period of my illness the Holy Prophet did not extend to me the kindness and affection, which I had been accustomed to receive from him, and this troubled me greatly. When he visited me, he greeted me in the usual manner and merely inquired, “How are you feeling now?” and then turned away. I was grieved at this, and my prolonged illness wore me out and rendered me very weak. One day I gathered from Um Mistah, who was distantly related to us, by chance, something about wha t was being said concerning me. I also learnt that her