The Holy Quran with Five Volume Commentary (Vol 1) — Page clx
GENERAL INTRODUCTION the word of a poet; little is it that you believe; nor is it the utterance of a soothsayer; little is it that you heed. It is a revelation from the Lord of the worlds. And if he had forged any sayings in Our name, We would surely have seized him by the right hand, and then surely would We have severed his life-artery, and not one of you could have held Us off from him. And surely it is an admonition for the God-fearing. And, surely, We know that some of you reject Our Signs. And, surely, it is a source of anguish for the disbelievers. And, surely, it is the true certainty. So glorify the name of thy Lord, the Great (Quran 69:39-53). Meccans were warned that all their fond hopes would be smashed. The Prophet was neither a poet, nor a soothsayer nor a pretender. The Quran was a reading for the pious. True, it had its deniers. But it also had its secret admirers, those who were jealous of its teaching and its truths. The promises and prophecies contained in it would all be fulfilled. The Prophet was asked to ignore all opposition and go on celebrating his Mighty God. The third Hajj arrived. Among the pilgrims from Medina was a large party of Muslims. Owing to Meccan opposition these Muslims from Medina wished to see the Prophet in private. The Prophet's own thoughts were turning more and more to Medina, as a likely place for migration. He mentioned this to his closest relations but they tried to dissuade him from all thoughts of this kind. They pleaded that though Mecca was full of opposition, it offered the support of several influential relations. The prospects at Medina were all uncertain and, should Medina prove as hostile as Mecca, would the Prophet's Meccan relations be able to help? The Prophet, however, was convinced that migration to Medina had been decreed. So he rejected the advice of his relations and decided to migrate to Medina. First Pledge of 'Aqabah After midnight, the Prophet again met the Muslims from Medina in the valley of 'Aqabah. His uncle 'Abbas was with him. The Muslims from Medina numbered seventy-three, out of whom sixty-two belonged to the Khazraj tribe and eleven to the Aus. The party included two women, one being Ummi ‘Ammārah, of the Banū Najjār. They had been taught Islam by Muş'ab, and were full of faith and determination. They all proved to be pillars of Islam. Ummi ‘Ammārah is an example. She instilled in her children undying loyalty to Islam. One of her sons, Ḥabīb, was taken prisoner by Musailimah, the Pretender, in an encounter after the Prophet's death. Musailimah tried to unsettle Ḥabīb's faith. "Do you believe Muḥammad to be a Messenger of God?" he asked. "Yes," was the reply. "Do you believe me to be a Messenger of God?" asked Musailimah. "No," replied Ḥabīb. Upon this cxxxiv