The life of the Prophet Muhammad - Ibn Kathir - volume 2 of 4

IMAM ABU AL-FIDA' ISMA~L IBN KATHiR 323
and his supporters heard of it they would revile them. They also agreed not to
seek reassurance by making enquiry about the captives to discourage the
Messenger of God (SAAS) from making heavy demands for their ransom."'
I observe that God's forcing them to forego mourning for their dead was part
of the totality of His punishment of those of them that remained alive at that
time. For weeping for the dead contributes to the recovery of the grieving heart.
Ibn Ishaq stated, "Al-Aswad h. al-Muttalib was afllicted with the loss of three
of his sons, Zam'a, 'Aqil and al-Harith, and he wished to mourn properly for
them. He heard a woman in the night bewailing her loss and, because he was
himself blind, he asked his son, 'Go and see if mourning has become permissible.
Are Quraysh now bewailing their dead? Perhaps I will now be able to lament the
loss of Aba Hakima' h e was referring to his son Zam'a -'for I am in great pain.'
"When the boy returned, he reported that it was merely a woman lamenting
the loss of a camel that had gone astray. It was then that al-Aswad spoke the
verses,
'Is she weeping because a donkey of hers has gone
astray and so insomnia keeps her from sleeping?
Do not weep over a young camel, but over Badr that
mined all hopes,
Over Badr and the elite of the Bana Husays and Makhziim
and the tribe of Abii al-Wdid.
And weep, if you weep at all, for Abii 'Aqil and for
Hzrith, the lion of lions.
Weep for them all, and do not bold hack, for there is
none the like of Aba Hakima.
After them it is other men who rule, and had it not
been for Badr, they would not have come to lead."'
The payment of ransom money by Quraysh to the Messenger of God (SAAS)
for their men who were captive.
Ihn Ishaq stated, 'LAhn Wada'a b. Dubayra al-Sahmi was among the prisoners.
The Messenger of God (SAAS) commented, 'He has a son in Mecca who is a
wealthy, shrewd merchant; no doubt he will come and seek to ransom his father.'
When Quraysh advised that there would be no hurry in ransoming the prisoners
so that Muhammad and his Companions would not seek larger sums, al-Mu~alib
b. Aba Wadab, the man to whom the Messenger of God (SAAS) had referred,
agreed and also advised against haste. But he left secretly at night and went to
Medina, where he ransomed and removed his father, having paid 4,000 dirhams."
I comment that this was the first prisoner ransomed. Then Quraysh sent'to
ransom their prisoners and Mikraz b. Hafs b. al-Akhyaf went to ransom Suhayl
b. 'Amr, who had been taken captive by Mali h. al-Dukhshum, brother of the
Bana Szlim b. 'Awf. Malik spoke the following verses on this,