Muhammad: Seal of the Prophets — Page 340
MUHAMMAD : SEAL OF THE PROPHETS 340 mission. He warned him not to disclose his design to anyone. This person travelling secretly by night arrived in Medina after six days, and finding that the Holy Prophet was at the time in the mosque of Bani Abdul Ashhal, immediately proceeded thither. As soon as the Holy Prophet perceived him among the people in th e mosque, he said that this person was bent upon some mischief. Hearing this, he advanced rapidly towards the Holy Prophet but Usyad bin Hudhair, chief of Aus, seized him in his embrace, and in the struggle discovered the dagger, which he had concealed on his person. When he had been overpowered and made secure the Holy Prophet asked him to tell him truly who he was and what was his purpose. He replied that he would disclose everything if his life was spared. He was assured that if he told the truth, he wou ld be forgiven, whereupon he related the whole story from beginning to end and also mentioned what reward Abu Sufyan had promised him. He continued for some days in Medina and at the end voluntarily embraced Islam. The Holy Prophet, having been alerted of Abu Sufyan’s design, dispatched Amr bin Umayya Dhamri and Salama bin Aslam to Mecca to gather whatever intelligence they could, and, if they found an opportunity to do away with Abu Sufyan, they might put an end to him. When they arrived in Mecca, their identity was discovered and they returned to Medina. On the way back, they encountered two Quraish spies and in the attempt to capture them one of them was killed in the scuffle and the other was brought captive to Me dina. These were dangerous times for the Muslims. Under the instigation of Quraish and the Jews, the whole country was aflame