The Life of the Prophet Muhammad by Ibn Kathir - Volume 2 of 4

160 THE LIFE OF THE PROPHET MUHAMMAD
"The Messenger of God (SAAS) heard hi and knew that God had used the
doves to save him and Abn Bakr. He then invoked a blessing upon them, and God
brought them down to the holy shrine where, as you know, they proliferated."
This is a strange hadith to come from this source. The ha& Abn Nu'aym
related it from an account from Muslim b. Ibrzhim and others, from 'Awn b.
'Amr, he known as Wwayn, with chains of authority similar to these. That
account states that all the doves of Mecca are descended from these two.
Also in this hadith is the information that the tracker who guided the warriors
was Suraqa b. Malik al-Mudlaji.
Al-Waqidi related from Mnsa h. Muhammad b. Ibrahim, from his father, that
the one who tracked for them was Kurz b. 'Alqama.
My own comment is that it is likely that they hoth followed the mil. But God
knows best.
God Almighty said, "Even if you do not aid him, God did so when those who
disbelieved expelled him, he being the second of two, in the cave. (Therein) he
said to his companion, LDo not be sad; God is with us.' And so God sent down
tranquillity upon him and aided him with troops you do not see, putting down
very low the words of those who disbelieved; the words of God are the highest,
for God is powerful, wise" (surat al-Tamba or al-Bara'a; IX, v.40).
Reprimanding those who refrained from engaging in battle on the side of the
Messenger of God (SAAS) the Almighty stated, "Even if you do not aid him."
God will assist him, be his helper and ally. As He did help him, "when those who
disbelieved expelled him" from his people in Mecca, in flight and accompanied
by no one but his friend and Companion Abn Bakr.
Therefore He said, "being the second of two, when they were in the cave"
where they stayed for three days until the search for them died down.
This was because when the polytheists lost track of the two men, as recounted
above, they went off in all directions searching for them. They offered 100
camels to anyone who might turn in hoth or even one of them. They followed
their tracks until they became confused. The tracker working for Quraysh was
Suraqa b. Mdik h. Ju'shum, as mentioned above. They climbed the mountain
where the two men were and went past the mouth of the cave. Their feet would
move straight across the mouth of the cave without seeing the two men, God
protecting them this way.
As Imam Ahmad stated, quoting 'Affan, quoting Hammian, quoting Thabit,
from Anas h. Malik, that Aha Bakr told him, "I said to the Prophet (SAAS),
while we were inside the cave, 'If any one of them were to glance down at his feet
he would see us below them!'
"He replied, 'Abn Bakr, how would you regard the safety of two people who
had God as their third companion?"'
Al-Bukhai and Muslim gave this hadith in hoth their sahih collections, from
Hammib.