Chief of the Prophets — Page 155
Chapter Seven 155 except for the ones just mentioned. After this, he brought forward his camel and made it kneel close to me. Then he placed his foot upon its knees (so that it would not stand up suddenly). I mounted upon the camel, and Ṣafwān began to walk ahead, leading it by its halter, until we finally reached the place where the Muslim army had setup camp. This is the account, due to which some gossipmongers used foul comments against me and ruined themselves. The key proponent who was responsible for spreading this slander was ‘Abdullāh bin Ubayy bin Salūl, chief of the hypocrites. After this, we reached Madīnah, and it so happened that as soon as we arrived, I fell ill, and this illness lasted for one month. During this time, the forged statements of the slanderers were widely circulated and rumours were spread. However, until then, I had absolutely no notion of this calumny. One thing I did notice, however, was that during my period of illness, Muḥammad sa did not extend to me the usual affection and kindness that I was accustomed to, and this troubled me greatly. When Muḥammad sa would visit me, he would only say, “How are you feeling now?” Then he would return. This grieved me deeply. I remained unaware in this state, and my illness rendered me very weak and frail. During these days, I learnt by chance, from a lady of the scandal which was being propagated about me. When I heard these painful allegations, I forgot about my previous illness, and I felt as if another critical illness has overtaken me. After this, when Muḥammad sa came to visit me as usual and asked, “How are you feeling now?” I submitted, “O Messenger of Allah! If you permit me, may I go to the home of my parents for a few days?” Muḥammad sa granted permission and I went to my parent’s house. At dawn, I was still crying. My state was the same as usual, my tears would not stop, nor could I sleep. I remained as such for two whole nights and one day. I felt as if my liver would burst into pieces.