The Holy Quran with Five Volume Commentary (Vol 1) — Page ccxxxix
GENERAL INTRODUCTION thousands, and fell fighting. The Prophet planned an expedition to punish the Syrians for this wanton cruelty, but in the meantime he had reports that the forces which had been concentrating on the border had dispersed. He, therefore, postponed his plans. The Prophet, however, wrote a letter to the Emperor of Rome (or to the Chief of the Ghassān tribe who ruled Busra in the name of Rome). In this letter, we may presume, the Prophet complained of the preparations which had been visible on the Syrian border and of the foul and entirely unjust murder of the fifteen Muslims whom he had sent to report on the border situation. This letter was carried by al-Harith, a Companion of the Prophet. He stopped en route at Mu'tah where he met Shurahbīl, a Ghassan chief acting as a Roman official. "Are you a messenger of Muḥammad?" asked this chief. On being told "Yes," he arrested him, tied him up and belaboured him to death. It may quite reasonably be assumed that this Ghassān chief was a leader of the army which had engaged and put to death the fifteen Muslims who had tried only to preach. The fact that he said to al-Harith, "Perhaps you are carrying a message from Muḥammad" shows he was afraid lest the Prophet's complaint that tribesmen under the Kaiser had attacked the Muslims should reach the Kaiser. He was afraid lest he should have to account for what had happened. There was safety, he thought, in murdering the Prophet's envoy. The expectation was not realized. The Prophet got to know of the murder. To avenge this and the earlier murders, he raised a force of three thousand and despatched it to Syria under the command of Zaid bin Ḥārithah, freed slave of the Prophet, whom we mentioned in our account of his life in Mecca. The Prophet nominated Ja'far ibn Abi Talib as the successor of Zaid, should Zaid die, and ‘Abdullāh bin Rawāḥah, should Ja'far die. Should ‘Abdullah bin Rawāḥah also die, Muslims were to choose their own commander. A Jew who heard this exclaimed, "O Abul-Qasim, if thou art a true Prophet, these three officers whom thou hast named are sure to die; for God fulfils the words of a Prophet. " Turning to Zaid, he said, "Take it from me, if Muḥammad is true you will not return alive. " Zaid, a true believer that he was, said in reply, "I may return alive or not, but Muḥammad is a true Prophet of God" (Ḥalbiyyah, Vol. 3, p. 75). The following morning the Muslim army set out on its long march. The Prophet and the Companions went some distance with it. A large and important expedition such as this had never before gone without the Prophet commanding in person. As the Prophet walked along to bid the expedition farewell, he counselled and instructed. When they reached the spot where the people of Medina generally bade farewell to friends and relations going to Syria, the Prophet stopped and said: ccxiii