Muhammad: Seal of the Prophets — Page 308
MUHAMMAD : SEAL OF THE PROPHETS 308 from Banu Quraidha themselves. Forage was being obtained with the utmost difficulty; provisions were running short, and the camels and horses were dying daily in great numbers. Wearied and damped in spirit, the night set in upon them cold and tempestuous. Fierce winds and heavy rain beat mercilessly on the unprotected camp. The storm rose to a hurricane. Fires were extinguished, tents blown down, cooking vessels and other equipage overthrown. Cold and comfortless, Abu Sufyan suddenly resolved on an immediat e march back. Hastily summoning the chiefs, he made known his decision. Break up the camp, he said, and march; as for myself, I am gone. With these words he leaped on his camel, so great was his impatience, while its forelegs were yet untied, and led the w ay back. Khalid with 200 horses brought up the rear, as a guard against pursuit. Quraish took the road by Uhud for Mecca and Banu Ghatafan retired to their desert haunts. Banu Quraidha thereupon made themselves secure in their strongholds and Huyay bin Akh tab, chief of Banu Nadhir, accompanied them. Thus before dawn the whole field was vacated and by a sudden and surprisingly unexpected turn in the fortunes of war the Muslims, who were apparently on the verge of being vanquished, became victorious. During the night, when the allied camp was being vacated, the Holy Prophet called out, ‘Is there anyone about?’ But it was so cold and the Muslims who were close to the Holy Prophet were so exhausted by hunger and were in such fear that no one responded to his call, though he repeated it three times. At last he called Hudhaifab bin Yaman by name and he came and stood before him shivering with the cold. The Holy Prophet stroked his