Ali Ibn Abi Talib - Volume 1 of 2

164 'Ali ibn Abi Trilib in Makkah
The courage of 'Ali(4)
was manifested in that battle when it
was mmoured that the Messenger (g) had been killed, and 'Ali
could not fund him. He thought that there would be nothing worth
living for after the Prophet was gone, so he broke the scabbard of his
sword and attacked people until they opened up a pathway before
him. Then suddenly he saw the Messenger of Allah (3$$)395, and he
stood firm with him and defended him heroically, receiving sixteen
blows on that day.396
Immediately after the polytheist army withdrew from the
battlefield, the Messenger of Allah (B) sent 'Al ibn Abi T%b (&)
to find out where the enemy was headed. He said to him: "Go and
follow the people, see what they are doing and what they are up to. If
they have dismounted from their horses and mounted their camels,
then they are headed for Makkah; if they have mounted their horses
and are driving the camels, then they are headed for Madinah. By the
One in Whose hand is my soul, if they are headed for Madinah, I shall
go back and meet them there, and I shall fight them." 'Ali (&) said:
"So I set out after them to see what they were doing, and I found that
they had dismounted from their horses and had mounted their camels
and were headed for ~akkah."~~' So 'Ali (&) went and told the
Messenger of Allah (g) the news about the people.398
From this we learn a number of lessons, which are as follows:
- The courage of the Prophet (g), who was in the midst of the
polytheist lines such that 'Ali could not reach him except after
exhausting efforts. He found the Messenger of Allah (g) in
the midst of the enemy, fighting them until he received a
number of wounds.
- The alertness of the Messenger (g), who was keeping a close
watch on the movements of the enemy, and his ability to weigh
up the situation, analyse enemy behaviour, and make decisions
on that basis.