The Life of the Prophet Muhammad by Ibn Kathir - Volume 1 of 4

IMAM ABU AL-FIDA' I S ~ C IBN ~ KATH~R L
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persuaded me to try again, so I said, 'Surrender! May your mother he bereft of
you!' He responded with the verses:
'In the name of God and the All-Merciful, we were victorious there, and by the
Most Beneficent it was we conquered.
But the determination of a haughty man will do no good when once we go forth to
battle.'
"He then leapt at me, while I was there under him in suhmission. 'Well,' he
said, 'should I kill you or let you go?' 'Let me go,' I replied. He stood hack from
me and I hurried some small distance away. But then I said to myself, '0 'Amr,
can this old sheikh really defeat you? By God, better you he dead than alive.' So
I went back to hi and said again, 'Surrender! May your mother be bereft of
you!' Again he leapt at me, saying, 'In the name of God, the most Merciful and
Beneficent,' and again I suddenly found myself there in submission beneath
him. Again he asked, 'Should I kill you or let you go?' Again I replied, 'Let me
go.' 'Impossible! Now girl, bring me the sharp dagger.' She brought it to him
and he lopped off my forelock! When the Arabs defeated a man and lopped off
his forelock they would he placing him into servitude. So I stayed with him for a
time as his servant. He then said to me, '0 'Amr, I want you to ride out into the
desert with me. I have fear of you yet am fully confident in the words, "In the
name of God, the most Merciful, the most Beneficent."'
"So off we went till we came to a valley that was overgrown, awesome and
spirit-ridden. He cried out at the top of his voice, 'In the name of God, the most
Merciful and Beneficent!' Immediately every bird there left its cover and flew
off. He repeated the same cry and every single lion there fled its den. Again he
made the cry and all of a sudden there before us was an Abyssinian who had
come out at us from the valley, standing there like a tall palm tree. The sheikh
said to me, '0 'Amr, when you see us both go off alone together, then say, "May
my master overcome him through the words 'In the name of God, the most
Merciful, the most Beneficent."" But when I saw them alone together I said,
'May my master overcome him through al-Lat and al-'Uzza.' So the sheikh did
nothing. He then came hack to me and said, 'You realize you disobeyed me?'
'Yes,' I replied, 'hut I won't do it again.' He then said, 'When you see us alone
together, then say, "May my master overcome him through the words 'In the
name of God, the most Merciful, the most Beneficent."" 'All right,' I agreed.
So when I saw them go off alone together I did say, 'May my master overcome
him through (the words) "In the name of God, the most Merciful, the most
Beneficent."' The sheikh then threw himself upon the Abyssinian, sliced at him
with his sword, slit his stomach open and drew out from his insides something
in the form of a black candle. He then said, '0 'Amr, this is his deceit and his
rancour.' He then asked me, 'Do you know who this girl is?' 'No,' I answered.