The Holy Quran with Five Volume Commentary (Vol 1) — Page cclvi
GENERAL INTRODUCTION said, "Prophet of God, let us withdraw for a while and let the Muslim army collect itself. " "Release the reins of my mule, Abu Bakr," said the Prophet. Saying, this, he spurred the animal forward into the gorge on both sides of which were enemy ambuscades from where the archers were shooting. As the Prophet spurred his mount, he said, "I am a Prophet. I am no pretender. I am a son of 'Abdul-Muttalib" (Bukhārī). These words spoken at a time of extreme danger to his person are full of significance. They stressed the fact that the Prophet was really a Prophet, a true Messenger of God. By stressing this, he meant that he was not afraid of death or of the failure of his cause. But if, in spite of being overwhelmed by archers he remained safe, Muslims should not attribute any divine qualities to him. For he was but a human being, a son of 'Abdul- Muttalib. How careful was the Prophet ever to impress upon his followers the difference between faith and superstition. After uttering these memorable words, the Prophet called for ‘Abbās. ‘Abbās had a powerful voice. The Prophet said to him, "Abbās, raise your voice and remind the Muslims of the oath they took under the tree at Hudaibiyyah, and of what they were taught at the time of the revelation of the Surah Al-Baqarah. Tell them, the Prophet of God calls them. " 'Abbās raised his powerful voice. The message of the Prophet fell like thunder, not on deaf ears but on ears agog. It had an electric effect. The very Companions who had found themselves powerless to urge their mounts towards the battlefield, began to feel they were no longer in this world but in the next, facing God on the Judgement Day. The voice of 'Abbas did not sound like his own voice but the voice of the angel beckoning them to render an account of their deeds. There was nothing then to stop them from turning to the battlefield again. Many of them dismounted and with only sword and shield rushed to the battlefield, leaving their animals to go where they liked. Others dismounted, cut off the heads of their animals and rushed back on foot to the Prophet. It is said that the Anṣār on that day ran towards the Prophet with the speed with which a mother-camel or a mother-cow runs to her young on hearing its cries. Before long the Prophet was surrounded by a large number of Companions, mostly Anṣār. The enemy again suffered a defeat. The presence of Abū Sufyān on the side of the Prophet on this day was a mighty divine Sign, a Sign of the power of God on the one hand and of the purifying example of the Prophet on the other. Only a few days before, Abū Sufyan was a bloodthirsty enemy of the Prophet, commander of a bloodthirsty army determined to destroy the Muslims. But here, on this day the same Abū Sufyān stood by the side of the Prophet, a friend, follower and Companion. When the enemy camels stampeded, Abū Sufyān, a wise and seasoned general, saw that his own horse was likely to run wild. Quickly he CCXXX