The Life of Muhammad

by M. Husayn Haykal

  Destruction of al Ta’if’s Orchards

  What was left for them to do? Muhammad pondered this question for a long while. Suddenly, the thought occurred to him that he had achieved victory over Banu al Nadir and forced their evacuation simply by destroying their orchards. The vineyards of Ta’if were far more important than the orchards of Banu al Nadir and were known throughout Arabia for their produce. It was due to them that the city of al Ta’if acquired the reputation of being a little paradise in the desert. Without further ado, Muhammad gave the order, and the Muslims began systematically to cut down and burn the orchards. Upon discovering this destruction and realizing that Muhammad really meant to spare none of their vineyards, the Ta’if tribesmen sent to him pleading that they would rather give away their vineyards to Muhammad, or to those citizens of al Ta’if-and there were large numbers of them who were bound to Muhammad in blood relationships. Muhammad stopped his men temporarily and called out to the besieged city that he would set free any man who surrendered to him. Twenty people responded to his appeal. From them he learned that enough ammunition and provisions were available that the city could withstand the siege for a very long time. Considering that his own men were anxious to return home and enjoy the fruits of their victory over Hawazin-indeed, that their patience would be at an end if the siege were prolonged-Muhammad ordered the Muslims to withdraw. With the arrival of the new moon (the month of Dhu al Qi’dah) the siege had become one month old, and the holy season during which no war was permitted had begun. Muhammad returned to Makkah with his army, visiting the holy places and performing the lesser pilgrimage or ‘umrah. He announced that he would resume the war against al Ta’if at the expiration of the holy months.

  Hawazin Captives liberated and Returned to Their Tribe

  In their withdrawal to Makkah, the Muslims turned in the direction of al Ji’ranah where they had left their booty and captives. There, they stopped long enough to divide their spoils. The Prophet separated one fifth for himself and distributed the rest among his companions. Before they finished, a delegation from the Hawazin tribe who had already accepted Islam appealed to Muhammad to return to them the women, children, and property that the Muslim army had seized. They complained that they were anxious to see their families and that they had suffered enough from this war. Muhammad met this delegation in person and listened attentively as one of them said: “O Prophet of God; the captives in the wards of your army are themselves your relatives. Among them are your aunts on your father or mother’s side and your nurse-mothers who held you in their arms as a baby. Had our women played similar roles to al Harith ibn Abu Shimr, or to al Nu’man ibn al Mundhir, and had any of these kings inflicted upon us what you have inflicted, he would have granted every request of ours if we but asked for his mercy and compassion and reminded him of his obligation. You, on the other hand, are the most merciful and compassionate and the least needful of being reminded of your obligations.” The Hawazin delegation did not err in reminding Muhammad of his blood relationship to them. Among the captives, an older looking woman whom the soldiers had treated roughly shouted in their faces: “Woe to you! Learn that I am the sister of your leader by virtue of having had the same wet nurse as he.” The soldiers did not believe her and brought her to Muhammad to verify her story. The Prophet immediately recognized her. She was al Shayma’, daughter of al Harith ibn ‘Abd al ‘Uzza. Muhammad went out to meet her and spread out his mantle for her to sit on. After reassuring her of his devotion and respect, Muhammad asked the old lady whether she chose to stay in his camp or to return to her people. When she chose to return, Muhammad gave her some gifts and returned her to her people unharmed. It was natural for Muhammad, considering his relationship to the Hawazin Muslims who came pleading for mercy, that he granted their request. Such loyalty, remembrance, and considerateness to anyone who had shown him any respect or consideration, were second nature with Muhammad. Gratitude was with him a matter of course, and compassion for the wounded-at-heart was innate. After hearing their plea, Muhammad asked: “Which are more precious to you, your women and children or your property? They answered, “O Prophet of God, if you are giving us a choice between our relatives and our property, we take the former.” Muhammad said: “All that I have set aside for me and for Banu ‘Abd al Muttalib is yours. After the noon prayer, rise in the midst of the worshippers and plead: ‘We appeal to all the Muslims in the name of the Prophet of God, and to the Prophet of God in the name of all the Muslims for the return of our women and children.’ I shall then publicly declare that I relinquish my share as well as my tribe’s share.” The delegation followed the advice of the Prophet and pleaded as he taught them. No sooner than they did, the Prophet declared his plan as he had promised them. Thereupon, the Muhajirun rose and said: “Anything that is ours belongs automatically to the Prophet of God and is hereby relinquished.” Al Ansar and all the Muslims did likewise except al Aqra‘ ibn Habis, speaking for Tamim; ‘Uyaynah ibn Hisn, speaking for himself; and al ‘Abbas ibn Mirdas, speaking for Banu Sulaym. The last named was immediately contradicted by his people. The Prophet said

  “Anyone among you who has declined to give up his right in this instance has my word that if he does, I will make it up to him six-fold on the next campaign.” Thus, all the captives of Hawazin were returned and the tribe converted to Islam en masse.

  The People’s Fear of Losing Their Booty

  Muhammad inquired from the Hawazin delegation concerning Malik ibn ‘Awf al Nadri and learned that he was still in al Ta’if. The Prophet asked the delegation to inform Malik that should he surrender and convert to Islam, Muhammad would return to him his family and property as well as make a gift to him of 100 camels. Upon hearing of this promise and invitation of the Prophet, Malik did not hesitate to steal out of al Ta’if on his mare under cover of night. Upon arrival at the Prophet’s camp, he proclaimed his conversion to Islam, picked up his family, his property, and the prize of 100 camels and then went home. Indeed, the people even feared that should Muhammad continue such giveaways to the defectors from the other camp, soon there would be little left of the booty. They therefore insisted that each Muslim should receive his share, and they whispered one to another to this effect. As this whispering reached the ears of Muhammad, he pulled out a hair of the camel nearest him, lifted it up for his people to see and said: “O Men! By God, no part of your booty shall come to me that exceeds my legitimate share by as much as this hair, and this very share of mine I hereby return to you.” The Prophet then asked everyone to return what he had taken that Muhammad might redistribute it to each according to his due. The Prophet proclaimed that anyone un-justly taking anything however little, would be guilty of eternal shame and hellfire.

  Muhammad made this proclamation while enraged against those of his followers who had picked up his mantle thinking that it was part of the spoils of war. However, they returned it to him after he called out to them: “Return my mantle to me, O Men. By God, even if your cattle were as numerous as the trees of Tihamah, I would still divide it all among you in absolute fairness and justice, without avarice, fear, or deception. That which I have given away belongs to the fifth which is my due.” It was out of the fifth which was due him that Muhammad distributed some spoils to those who were previously Islam’s strongest and most hostile enemies. He gave, for instance, 100 camels each to Abu Sufyan, to his son Mu’awiyah, to al Harith ibn al Harith ibn Kaladah, to al Harith ibn Hisham, to Suhayl ibn ‘Amr, and to Huwaytib ibn ‘Abd al ‘Uzza as well as to each of the nobles and chieftains of the tribes which he had won over after the conquest of Makkah. He gave 50 camels each to the lesser notables of the same tribes. Those who were so rewarded counted a few score, but the effect of this giving was far reaching. The Prophet of God was praised as the exemplar of hospitality and mercy by the very people who until recently indeed, until the day beforehand been fighting him with all their power. Now, they joined in an eloquent chorus of praise and gratitude. There was no request which Muhammad did not m
anage to fulfill for them. When ‘Abbas ibn Mirdas complained that Muhammad had given more favorable treatment to ‘Uyaynah, to al Aqra‘, and others than to him, the Prophet sent his companions to give him more until he was perfectly satisfied.

  Al Ansar and the Reconciliatory Gratuities

  The reconciliation of the enemies of yesterday which the Prophet had just effected caused al Ansar to murmur that the Prophet had done what he did because the people involved were his own tribesmen and people. Sa’d ibn ‘Ubadah reported this murmur to the Prophet but sided with them and justified their complaint. The Prophet commanded him to bring his people together. When they were assembled, the Prophet said “O Ansar ! It has been reported to me that you were personally angry, that you do not approve of my distribution of the booty. Do tell me, when I came to you, did I not find you languishing in misguidance and error and did not God guide you to the truth through me? Did I not find you in a state of need and did not God make you affluent? Did I not find you enemies of one another and did not God reconcile your hearts?” Confused, al Ansar answered: “Indeed! God and his Prophet have been very generous and very loving;” and they fell into silence. Muhammad continued: “Will you not then say more than this, O Ansar? By God, had you replied, ‘Rather, it was you Muhammad, who were under our obligation. Did you not come to us belied by your fellow men and did we not believe in you? Did you not come to us vanquished and defeated and did we not come to your rescue? Did you not come to us banished and repulsed and did we not give you shelter? Did you not come to us in want and need and did we not give you of our bounty?’ Had you replied to me in this vein you would have said nothing but the truth and I would have had to agree. O Ansar, are you angry because I have given away some goods to those whom I sought to win to Islam? Because I deemed their faith confirmable by material goods whereas I deemed yours to be based on solid conviction, to be candid beyond all dissuasion? Are you not satisfied, O Ansar, that all the people return from this conquest loaded with goods and camels whereas you return with the Prophet of God? By Him who dominates Muhammad’s soul, except for the fact of my birth, there is no people to whom I love to belong beside al Ansar. If all mankind went one way, and al Ansar went another, I would certainly choose the way of al Ansar. O God, bless al Ansar, their children, and their grandchildren. Show Your mercy to them and keep them under Your protection.” The Prophet said these words out of great affection for all the men of al Ansar who had pledged their loyalty and allegiance to him, who had helped him, who had reinforced his ranks and found their strength in him. Indeed, he was so moved by his feelings for them that he cried. The Ansar cried with him and declared their contentment.

  Thus the Prophet showed that he was above the temptation of wealth. Although the booty of the Hunayn War surpassed anything he had ever seen, he showed that he had no wish for it. Rather he made of it a means for reconciling the hearts of those who had been associationists. He hoped that they might find in the new faith some happiness in this world besides the happiness of the hereafter. If in distributing this wealth Muhammad encountered such difficulties that the Muslims almost accused him of injustice, and if by giving liberally to those whose hearts he sought to soften he had infuriated al Ansar, he also proved his justice, farsightedness and such deep wisdom in administering the affairs of his people that he was able to cause the thousands to return home happy, contented and prepared to lay down their lives in the cause of God. The Prophet left al Ji’ranah to visit the holy places in Makkah. After performing the ‘umrah, or lesser pilgrimage, he appointed ‘Attab ibn Usayd governor of Makkah, and Mu’adh ibn Jabal to teach the religion and the Qur’an. Together with al Ansar and al Muhajirun, Muhammad returned to Madinah to await the birth of his son Ibrahim and to enjoy a moment of peace and security before undertaking the next expedition to Tabuk on the frontiers of al Sham.

  Chapter 26

  Ibrahim and the Wives of the Prophet

  Effect of the Conquest of Makkah upon the Peninsula

  Muhammad returned to Madinah after his conquest of Makkah, his victory at Hunayn, and his siege of al Ta‘if. He had convinced all that no power could match his power within the Arabian Peninsula and that no tongue might henceforth vituperate him or spread any false information regarding himself or his cause. Both al Ansar and al Muhajirun returned heartened with joy that God had crowned His prophet’s endeavor with such success; that He enabled Muhammad to conquer the city of the holy Mosque, that He guided its people to Islam; and that He inspired all Arab tribes to pledge their allegiance, loyalty and obedience to him. They all returned to Madinah in order to settle down in peace. Muhammad had taken care to appoint ‘Attab ibn Usayd as governor of Umm al Qura, or Makkah, and Mu’adh ibn Jabal as teacher of the people in matters of religion and in the Qur’an. This victory, the like of which the whole history of Arabia and all its traditions have never known, left a profound impression upon the Arabs. Whether lords and masters of land and cities, men to whom it had never occurred that a day might come when they would be subject to Muhammad or accept his faith as their religion, or poets who labored as mouthpieces of those masters in exchange for their patronage and protection, or, finally, simple tribesmen for whom personal freedom was till death the most priceless possession, the Arabs were all strongly affected by the conquest of Makkah, Hunayn and the siege of al Ta’if. To one and all, it now seemed that the poetry of the poets, the mastery of the chieftains, and the personal freedom of the tribesmen were all to no avail before the tremendous power of Muhammad and his followers.

  Conversion of Ka’b ibn Zuhayr

  Muhammad’s success among the Arabs of the Peninsula influenced them so profoundly that Bujayr ibn Zuhayr wrote a letter to his brother, Ka’b, after the Prophet’s withdrawal from al Ta’if, informing him that Muhammad had killed a number of men in Makkah who had slandered his reputation by spreading false rumors concerning him. Bujayr, after informing his brother that a number of these men had run away in all directions, advised him to hurry to Madinah to give himself up and repent. He assured him that the Prophet would not kill anyone who came to him repentent and warned him that unless he was prepared to do so, he should escape to the most distant place on earth to remain alive. Bujayr had indeed told the truth. Muhammad commanded the execution of only four persons, one of whom was a poet who had vituperated the Prophet severely, and two of whom had hurt his daughter, Zaynab, when with her husband’s permission, she sought to emigrate to Makkah to join her father. Ka’b recognized the veracity and timeliness of his brother’s advice; and, anxious not to spend the rest of his life as an outlaw, he hurried to Madinah, spent the night at a friend’s house, and came to the Prophet in the morning at the mosque to declare his conversion and pledge his allegiance. In the Prophet’s presence, Ka’b recited his famous poem which opened with the verse: “Great distance now separates me from Su’ad. My heart is orphaned and bereaved. It awaits the sacrifice which will ransom my beloved.” The Prophet forgave him and he became a good Muslim.

  Conversion of Zayd al Khayl and Others

  Another consequence of the same influence was that the tribes began to come to the Prophet to pledge their allegiance. Such was the case of a delegation headed by Zayd al Khayl who came to Madinah to pledge allegiance of the tribe of Tay’. Muhammad gave the delegation a fair welcome, conversed with their leader, and was so well pleased with him that he said: “No Arab has ever been praised before me but that when I finally met him I discovered that his eulogy surpassed his reality, except Zayd al Khayl concerning whom I had heard less than I have found.” The Prophet then changed the name of his guest from Zayd al Khayl (meaning literally, “increase of horses”) to Zayd al Khayr (“increase of goodness”), and the whole tribe of Tay’ entered into Islam under Zayd’s leadership.

  ‘Adiyy ibn Hatim al Ta’iy was a Christian who felt the strongest hatred for Muhammad. As he witnessed the rise of the Prophet and the Muslims and the spread of their dominion over the Peninsula, he loaded his goods, family, and children
on his camel and joined his fellow Christians in al Sham. Indeed, ‘Adiyy escaped at the very time that ‘Ali ibn Abu Talib destroyed, at the Prophet’s command, the idol of Tay’ and seized a number of captives, including the daughter of Hatim and sister of ‘Adiyy and a large amount of booty. ‘Adiyy’s sister was brought to Madinah and was held in the captives’ quarters by the Mosque’s gate. As the Prophet passed through the gate one day, she said to him from behind the bars: “O Prophet of God! My father has perished and my supporter has deserted. Be merciful to me, that God may be merciful to you.” When the Prophet learned that her supporter was ‘Adiyy ibn Hatim al Ta’iy, the escapee, he refused to talk to her. She tried once more, and this time she succeeded. In conversation, the Prophet mentioned to her her father’s old prestige and noble reputation in pre-Islamic days. He praised him for the good name his hospitality had given to all Arabs. The Prophet then granted her her freedom, gave her respectable clothes and pocket money to satisfy her other needs, and sent her to her people with the first al Sham-bound caravan. Upon joining her brother, she mentioned to him the noble treatment Muhammad had accorded her. ‘Adiyy was so impressed by the Prophet’s chivalry that he returned with her to Madinah and joined the ranks of Islam immediately.

  Likewise, following the conquest of Makkah, the victory of al Sham, and the siege of al Ta’if, the great and the poor, the tribes and the individuals, all came to Muhammad to acknowledge his mission and to convert to Islam. In the meantime, Muhammad remained in Madinah and, feeling reassured that God has given him victory, he enjoyed a measure of peaceful existence.