Chief of the Prophets

Chief of the Prophets — Page 107

Chapter Six 107 When Muḥammad sa picked up a handful of sand and pebbles and threw it towards the enemies, such a strong gust of air blew towards the disbelievers covering their eyes, mouths, and noses with sand and pebbles. 1 Muḥammad sa said that it was the army of the angels of God that had descended to their help. The sudden attack of the Muslims and the abrupt storm dislodged the Quraish and confusion created havoc among them and within moments the battlefield was abandoned. The Muslims captured 70 prisoners, and when the dead bodies of the enemy were counted, it appeared to be the same number mostly consisting of the chieftains of the Quraish. However, they could not find the body of Abū Jahl. Muḥammad sa asked ‘Abdullāh bin Mas‘ūd ra to investigate. After a short search, he found him breathing his last. ‘Abdullāh asked him if he was Abū Jahl. He said: Have you killed anyone greater than I? 2 Then he said: If only I had not been killed at the hands of a farmer. 3 He asked, “Who got the upper hand? ‘Abdullāh replied, “Allah and His Messenger. ” When ‘Abdullāh bin Mas‘ūd ra was about to cut off his head, Abū Jahl said, “I am the chieftain of the nation; cut my head so that my neck is longer than other people and it looks like the head of a chieftain. ” ‘Abdullāh bin Mas‘ūd ra cut off his head and notified Muḥammad sa. 1 Aṭ-Ṭabarī. 2 Bukhārī, Kitābul-Maghāzī (Book of Expeditions Led by Muḥammad sa ). 3 Bukhārī, the Quraish looked down upon the profession of farming and the people of Madīnah were mostly farmers.