would likewise be left in safety. When the Jews became aware of his lordship's departure, Kanâz said: 'O people, do you know why Muhammad has left the assembly?' They replied: 'We know it not, and swear by God that thou likewise art not aware of the cause.' He retorted: 'By the truth of the Torah,291 I know God; and the Most High has apprised Muhammad of your intention. Do not deceive yourselves. Muhammad is an apostle of God, and the seal of prophets-u. w. b. You thought the seal of prophets would be of the sons of Hârun, but the Lord and Giver of all good gifts bestoweth His favours upon whom He liketh, and has opened this portal of felicity to whomsoever was worthy thereof. Whatever we have read in the Torah about the qualities of that prophet coincides with those of Muhammad, without any increase or diminution. I fancy you will be ordered to emigrate, and will be unwilling to do so. Therefore your children will be dispersed, your habitations deserted, and your houses destroyed. It will then be expedient for you to make a profession of the religion of Muhammad to save your children and progeny from destruction.' They replied: "We cannot abandon the Toratah and the religion of Mûsa.' He continued: My second proposition is that you obey the order to emigrate from this country as soon as you receive it, because then your lives and property will be spared.' The Jews replied: 'We shall wait, because it is easier for us to leave our country than to give up the religion of Músa-u. w. b.'

When his lordship the apostle had left his companions among the Bani An-natzyr and departed to Madinah, the companions were waiting a considerable time for him. After they were tired of waiting they arose, started, and when they arrived at Madinah they were allowed the honour of attending upon his lordship. On that occasion they said: 0 apostle of God, we did not know the reason of thy departing and not returning.' And he replied: The Jews meditated treachery, and God the Most High

291 The Pentateuch.

informed me thereof.' After that he despatched Muhammad B. Moslamah with the following message to the Bani An-natzyr: As you have machinated evil against me, I order you to leave the country, giving you a respite of ten days for doing so, and whoever remains after the expiration of that time will have his head cut off by my orders.' The Jews thereon began to make preparations to emigrate, when all of a sudden an envoy from A'bdullah B. Abu Salûl arrived among them with this advice: 'Leave not your country, but strengthen your position in your forts and be of good cheer, for I shall with two thousand valiant. and experienced warriors come to your aid. Nor will the Bani Qorittah Jews and their allies of the Bani Ghattfán refuse to assist you.' On account of these words Hay Bin Akhttâb sent the next day a man to wait upon his lordship the refuge of termination-u. w. b.-with the following reply: We shall not abandon our habitations: act thou as thou likest!' At the receipt of this news his lordshipu. w. b.-shouted the Takbyr, to which his companions responded. By order of the best of men u. W. b.the professors of Islâm then made preparations for the campaign. The lord of apostleship-u. w. b.-appointed Ebn Omm Maknûb to be his lieutenant in Madinah; and, having bestowed the victorious standard upon the conquering lion of God [i.e., on A'li], they marched out of Madinah and held their next orisons in the plain of the Bani Annatzyr. When the Jews beheld the army of Islâm they took refuge in their forts, from the ramparts whereof they shot arrows and threw stones till the night set in. After the monotheists had held their dormitory orisons, and his lordship had, with ten of his companions, adjourned to his own quarters, all the companions, whose chief was A'liu. w. b.-and, according to another tradition, Abu Bakr, were, till the morning, occupied in besieging the Jews and in shouting the Takbyr.

It is said that the tent of his lordship had been pitched in the plain of Hattmah, and that a Jewish archer, called Ghurûr, had struck it, for which occasion it was removed

to another spot. When the night had set in it was found that his lordship, A'li Murtadza-u. w. b.—was absent from the camp. This circumstance having been reported to his lordship, he said: 'I fancy he has gone out on some business.' After awhile, however, the Lord A'li Murtadza -u. w. b.-again made his appearance, throwing the skull of Ghurûr at the feet of his lordship, and saying: 'O apostle of God, this is the head of that accursed fellow who has hit thy tent with an arrow.' His lordship enquired about the circumstances, whereon A'li Murtadzau. w. b.--continued: As I knew him to be a valiant man, I thought I might sally out during the night and capture him when he was off his guard. I accordingly placed myself in ambush, and suddenly beheld him coming out with a drawn sword and nine men. I attacked and beheaded him; and his friends are so near that if thou wilt send some men with me I hope I shall vanquish them.' His lordship thereon despatched Abu Dujjânah and Sahal B. Hanyf, with eight other brave men in the company of A'li the lion of attack, as also ten of the principal Anssâr, in pursuit of the comrades of Ghurûr, whom they overtook at the gate of the fort, killed, and suspended the unhallowed skulls of the Jews from the house-doors of the Bhani Khutbah.

During the days of the siege, the lord of apostleship— u. w. b. ordered A'bdullah B. Sollám and Abu Layly Mozany to discomfit the machinations of the Jews, and to uproot the tree of their hopes which they had planted in their impure minds. Therefore Abu Layly felled the most fruitful date-trees called A'jwah, and said: This will much sadden and distress the Jews.' Ebn Sollam, however, felled the worst of the trees, saying: 'I know that soon all the property of the Jews will belong to the professors of Islâm, and I have therefore left the best trees for them.' With reference to this matter the blessed verse, 'What palm-trees ye cut down or left standing on their roots,' etc., 292 was revealed.

292 Qurân, ch. lix. 5.

As A'bdullah Abu Monáfiq had not kept his promise to aid the Bani An-natzyr, and as they had no assistance from any other quarter, they repented of what they had done, and sent a person to his lordship with the request to be left unmolested and to be allowed to emigrate. His lordship replied: 'I comply with your request only so far as to allow you to load upon your beasts whatever they can carry except arms, and to depart from my country.' In this manner some of the Jews went to Syria and others to Yemen, abandoning their fields and immovable property to his holy and prophetic lordship-u. w. b.-in so plenary a manner that he did not separate one-fifth therefrom [in the usual way]. The arms of the Bani Natzyr amounted to fifty cuirasses, as many helmets, and three hundred sabres, which he distributed to whoever wanted any. As for the crops of those unfortunate people, the apostle kept as much of the provisions for his family as would suffice for one year, and abandoned the remainder to the professors of Islâm.

This year A'bdullah B. Othmân, who was of the tribe of the apostle of Allah-u. w. b.-died, and Zaynab, the daughter of Khozaymah, as well as spouse of his lordship, also departed to the gardens of paradise, together with Abu Solmah B. A'bdullah Asad, who was the husband of Omm Solmah, and with Fattimah, the daughter of Asad, who was the mother of A'li the Commander of the Faithful

u. w. b. In this year also his lordship the apostle--u. w. b.-contracted a matrimonial alliance with Omm Solmah.

THE GHAZWAH OF THE BEDR OF PROMISE, WHICH IS ALSO CALLED THE SMALL BEDR.

It was noticed above that Abu Sofyan had on his return from Ohod said to the Musalmâns that the battle the next year would take place at Bedr. Some have related that his lordship said to Fârûq: Tell him yes, if Allah pleaseth." When the time of the promise was approaching, Abu

Sofyan began to make preparations for the campaign, and instigated the Qoraish to march out; but his heart was not in concert with his tongue. His urgency, namely, was founded on the apprehension that the people might say he was the cause of the non-fulfilment of the promise. This appears plainly from the following circumstances: Na'ym, the son of Masu'd Ashja'y, had gone to Mekkah on pilgrimage, but before he started Abu Sofyan met him, and said: 'I have made a promise on the day of Ohod to Muhammad, but as this year dearth and scarcity of food have befallen us, I am unwilling to march against him with the army. If, therefore, thou couldst on thy arrival at Madinah frighten Muhammad and his companions so as to induce them to break the promise, I would engage to give thee twenty camels of the age of three years, and Sahal B. A'mru will be security for my fulfilling this promise. Accordingly, when Na'ym arrived in Madinah he informed the professors of Islâm that the troops of aberration were approaching in great strength and formidable numbers ready for battle and contest. He also said: It will be better for you to withdraw your feet within the skirts of security, and not to leave Madinah on any account.' The Musalmans believed the words of Na'ym, and were so unwilling to march out that his lordship imagined no one would take a share in that Ghazwah. Abu Bakr, however, and O'mar waited upon his lordship, persuaded him to march out, and spoke so enticingly that he was highly pleased, and said: 'I swear by that God in the power of whose grasp my life is, that we shall sally forth, even if not a single individual accompanies us!'

After these words, the apprehensions vanished from the minds of all intelligent men, and they agreed to march. Accordingly his holy and prophetic lordship-u. w. b.handed his victorious standard to A'li Murtadza-u. w. b. -and started from Madinah in the company of one thousand five hundred valiant men for the purpose of extirpating Abu Sofyan and the army of Satan. The professors of Islam possessed [only] ten horses, but plenty of