Life-of-Muhammad

78Life of Muhammad saWould you not prefer to be safe at home whileMuhammad sa was in our hands?"Zaid ra replied proudly, "What, Abu Sufyan ra ? What doyou say? By God, I would rather die, than that theProphet sa should tread on a thorn in a street in Medina."Abu Sufyan ra could not help being impressed by suchdevotion. He looked at Zaid ra in amazement and declaredunhesitatingly, but in measured tones, "God is mywitness, I have not known any one love another as muchas the Companions of Muhammad sa love Muhammad sa "(Hisham, Vol. 2).About this time some people of Najd also approachedthe Prophet sa for Muslims to teach them Islam. TheProphet sa did not trust them. But Abu Bara’, chief of the‘Amir tribe, happened to be in Medina at the time. Heoffered to act as surety for the tribe and assured theProphet sa that they would commit no mischief. TheProphet sa selected seventy Muslims who knew theQur’an by heart. When this party reached Bi’r Ma‘unaone of them, Haram bin Malhan ra went to the chief ofthe ‘Amir tribe (a nephew of Bara’) to give him themessage of Islam. Apparently Haram ra was well receivedby the tribesmen. But while he was addressing the chief,a man stole up from behind and attacked Haram ra witha lance. Haram ra died on the spot. As the lance piercedthrough Haram's ra neck, he was heard saying, "God isgreat. The Lord of the Ka‘ba is my witness, I haveattained my goal" (Bukhari). Having murdered Haram rain this foul manner, the tribal leaders provoked the tribeinto an attack upon the rest of this party of Muslimteachers. "But," said the tribesmen, "Our chief, AbuBara’, offered to act as surety; we cannot attack thisparty." Then the tribal chiefs, with the assistance of thetwo tribes who had gone to the Prophet sa to ask forMuslim teachers and some other tribes, attacked theMuslim party. The simple appeal, "We have come topreach and to teach, not to fight," had no effect. Theystarted murdering the party. All but three of the seventywere murdered. One of the survivors was lame and had