Chief of the Prophets — Page 163
Chapter Eight 163 combat. ’Alī bin Abī Ṭālib ra stepped forward to confront him. Muḥammad sa honoured ’Alī ra with his sword and prayed for him. 1 For a moment, the two warriors stood face to face. ‘Amr hamstrung his own horse [an Arab custom implying one will not flee, either being victorious or dying in the process] and stepped towards ’Alī ra with the determination to swiftly cut him down. He swung his sword with such a force that his sword cut through ’Alī’s shield and wounded his forehead. Then ’Alī ra raised the slogan of Allāhu Akbar and retaliated at ‘Amr so fiercely that his sword made a deep cut from the shoulder downwards, killing him instantaneously. But this one-off success had no bearing on the greater battle, and the long siege was taking a toll on the strength of the Muslims. Seeing the situation, Muḥammad sa sought the advice of the chieftains of Anṣār , asking “What should be done under these circumstances? Should we strike a deal with Banū Ghaṭafān on the condition of entitling them to a part of the revenues of Madīnah?” The Companions replied, “O Messenger of Allah, if you have received a revelation in this regard, then we bow our heads in obedience. However, if you said this because of our pain, then our advice is that since we never conceded anything to our enemies when we were disbelievers, why should we give in after becoming Muslims? By God, we will not show them anything other than the blade of our swords. ” 2 This was a time of great pain for the Muslims. Their distress, anxiety, and apprehension had made them extremely exhausted. But some relief soon came in the form of Nu‘aim bin Mas‘ūd, a member of the Ghaṭafān tribe and a Muslim at heart. With great cleverness he set about causing a rift between the Jews and the disbelievers. First, he went to the Banū Quraiẓah and told them with great sympathy that they had rebelled against Muḥammad sa trusting the 1 Ibni Sa‘d. 2 Ibni Hishām and Ibni Sa‘d.