Chief of the Prophets

Chief of the Prophets — Page 83

Chapter Six 83 At the time of dawn, the Quraish discovered that Muḥammad sa had quietly slipped out of their hands. They tried their best to find him, but in vain. Some people of Quraish even traced their path to the entrance of the Cave of Thaur, but by the decree of God, a spider spun a web on the tree at the entrance of the cave. One of the persons from Quraish looking for them said to his companion, “Look inside the cave!” The other said, “Have you lost your mind? Who could hide in this dark and dangerous cave?” It is narrated that Abū Bakr ra heard the voice of the person from the Quraish talking outside the cave. He whispered to Muḥammad sa , “O Messenger of Allah, the Quraish are so close to us that we can see their feet, and if they bend down a little, they will be able to find us. ” Muḥammad sa answered with great assurance: (At-Taubah 9:40) Grieve not, for Allah is with us. Muḥammad sa and Abū Bakr ra spent three nights in the Cave of Thaur. During this time, according to the instructions of Abū Bakr ra , ‘Abdullāh bin Abū Bakr kept them informed each night about the movement and the activities of the Quraish while ‘Āmir bin Fuhairah, the servant of Abū Bakr ra delivered goat milk. When on the third day, the Quraish’s hunt lost its momentum, Muḥammad sa and Abū Bakr ra came out of the cave during the night. This was a Monday, and either the 1 st or the 4 th of Rabī‘ul-Awwal, (two traditions differ on the date) and the 14 th Nabawī according to the Islamic calendar. ‘Abdullāh bin Arīqaṭ was hired as the guide for Muḥammad sa and Abū Bakr ra. According to the agreement, he brought two she-camels belonging to Abū Bakr ra. Muḥammad sa rode on one and Abū Bakr ra and his servant rode on the other. At the time of departure,