The Holy Quran with Five Volume Commentary (Vol 1) — Page cxcii
GENERAL INTRODUCTION drawing water from a well. The Meccan happened to be an ex-slave. He struck the Medinite, who raised an alarm, crying out for fellow-Medinites- known as the Anṣār or Helpers. The Meccan also raised an alarm and cried out for fellow-Meccans-known as the Muhajirīn or Refugees. Excitement prevailed. Nobody inquired what had happened. Young men on both sides drew their swords. 'Abdullāh bin Ubayy ibn Salūl thought it a Godsend. He decided to add fuel to the fire. "You have gone too far in your indulgence to the Refugees. Your good treatment of them has turned their heads, and now they are trying to dominate you in every way. " The speech might have had the effect which 'Abdullāh desired. The quarrel might have assumed serious proportions. But it did not. 'Abdullāh was wrong in assessing the effect of his mischievous speech. Believing, however, that the Anṣār were being persuaded, he went so far as to say: Let us return to Medina. Then will the most honoured among its citizens turn out the most despised (Bukhāri). By the most honoured citizen, he meant himself and by the most despised he meant the Prophet. As soon as he said this, believing Muslims were able to see through the mischief. It was not an innocent speech they had listened to, they said, but the speech of Satan who had come to lead them astray. A young man stood up and reported to the Prophet through his uncle. The Prophet sent for 'Abdullah bin Ubayy ibn Salūl and his friends and asked them what had happened. 'Abdullāh and his friends denied that they had taken any such part as had been attributed to them in this incident. The Prophet said nothing. But the truth began to spread. In the course of time ‘Abdullāh bin Ubayy ibn Salūl's own son, ‘Abdullāh, also heard about it. Young ‘Abdullāh at once saw the Prophet, and said, "O Prophet, my father has insulted you. Death is his punishment. If you decide so, I would rather have you command me to kill my father. If you command someone else, and my father dies at his hands, I may be led to avenge my father by killing that man. Maybe I incur the displeasure of God in this way. " "But," said the Prophet, "I have no such intention. I will treat your father with compassion and consideration. " When young ‘Abdullāh compared the disloyalty and discourtesy of his father with the compassion and kindness of the Prophet, he made for Medina full of suppressed anger against his father. He stopped his father on the way and said he would not let him go any farther on the road to Medina until he had withdrawn the words he had used against the Prophet. "The lips which said, 'The Prophet is despised and you are honoured,' must now say, 'The Prophet is honoured and you are despised. ' Until you say this I will not let you go. " 'Abdullah bin Ubayy ibn Salūl was astonished and frightened and said, "I agree, my son, that Muḥammad is clxvi