The Holy Quran with Five Volume Commentary (Vol 1) — Page ccxliii
GENERAL INTRODUCTION Solomon had foretold long before had now swelled to ten thousand. As this army marched towards Mecca, the silence all around seemed more and more ominous to the Meccans. They persuaded Abū Sufyān to move out again and find out what the Muslim design was. He was less than one day's journey out of Mecca when he saw at night the entire wilderness lit up with campfires. The Prophet had ordered a fire in front of every camp. The effect of these roaring fires in the silence and darkness of the night was awful. "What could this be?" Abu Sufyān asked his companions, "Has an army dropped from the heavens? I know of no Arab army so large. " They named some tribes and at every name Abu Sufyān said, "No Arab tribe or people could have an army as large. " Abu Sufyān and his friends were still speculating when a voice from the dark shouted, "Abū Ḥanzalah"! (Hanzalah was a son of Abū Sufyan) 116 "Abbās, are you here?" said Abū Sufyān. "Yes, the Prophet's army is near. Act quickly or humility and defeat await you," replied 'Abbās. 'Abbās and Abu Sufyān were old friends. ‘Abbās insisted that Abū Sufyan should accompany him on the same mule and go to the Prophet. He gripped Abu Sufyān's hand, pulled him up and made him mount. Spurring the mule, they soon reached the Prophet's camp. 'Abbās was afraid lest ‘Umar, who was guarding the Prophet's tent, should fall upon Abū Sufyān and kill him. But the Prophet had taken precautions, announcing that if anybody should meet Abu Sufyān he should make no attempt to kill him. The meeting impressed Abu Sufyān deeply. He was struck by the rise which had taken place in the fortunes of Islam. Here was the Prophet whom Meccans had banished from Mecca with but one friend in his company. Hardly seven years had passed since then, and now he was knocking at the gates of Mecca with ten thousand devotees. The tables had been completely turned. The fugitive Prophet who, seven years before, had escaped from Mecca for fear of life, had now returned to Mecca, and Mecca was unable to resist him. Fall of Mecca Abu Sufyān must have been thinking furiously. Had not an incredibly great change taken place in seven years? And now as leader of the Meccans, what was he going to do? Was he going to resist, or was he going to submit? Troubled by such thoughts, he appeared stupefied to outside observers. The Prophet saw this agitated Meccan leader. He told ‘Abbās to take him away and entertain him for the night, promising to see him in the morning. Abū Sufyān spent the night with ‘Abbās. In the morning they called on the Prophet. It was time for the early morning prayers. The bustle and activity which Abu Sufyān saw at this early hour was quite unusual in his experience. He had not known-no Meccan had known such early risers as Muslims ccxvii