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

354 THE LIFE OF THE PROPHET MUHAMMAD
You have lied, by God's House; we leave Mecca and our land without you being
confounded?
You have lied, by God's House; we subdue M&ammad, not fight and resist in his
defence?
We give him up before we are piled up dead around him, and leave behind our ch'ildren
and our wives?
A people will rise up with steel against you, like camels rising when they bear
waterskins,
Until we see our enemy stretched out from his wounds, all awry, like a cripple.
We will, by God, if what I see is in earnest, have our swords become mixed with
others like them
In the hands of a young fighter like a flame, a brave man, trustworthy, defending
the mth, heroic.
And so months, days, a year become inviolate for us, and then will come another
season, after the next.
How, curse you, could a people abandon a chief who protects his honour, not some
foul-mouthed coward
And a noble for whom the clouds are made to rain, the provider for orphans and
supporter of widows?
The most needy of the Hsshim tribe resort to him; with him they find mercy and
respect
By my life, Usayd and his first born led us to being hated, and they cut us up for
anyone to eat.
Neither Wthma nor Qunfudh had sympathy for us, but obeyed the order of those
tribes
They obeyed Ubayy and the son of their 'Abd Yaghnth, neither of them caring
what others said of us
We fared the same from Subay' and Nawfal, and all turned away in opposition, not
acting kindly.
If they both should be discovered or God take hold of them, we'll take revenge
measure for measure
And that Abn 'Amr insisted on hating us, to drive us out to join herdsmen of sheep
and camels
Whispering about us at morning and evening; whisper away, 0 Abn 'Amr, and
then deceive!
He swears to us by God, he'll not deceive us; but yes, we perceive him obviously
untrustworthy.
His hate for us has made all the high ground between Akhshab and Majndil too
constrained for him.
Question Aba al-Walid, "How did you benefit us by coming to us, then turning
away, like a deceiver!"
"You used to be a man whose opinion and kindness had influence over us, for you
were once no fool.
"And so, Wtba, do not listen to those who secretly hate us, envious, mendacious,
hate-filled slanderers."