The Life of the Prophet Muhammad by Ibn Kathir - Volume 3 of 4

218 THE LIFE OF THE PROPHET MUHAMMAD
knowledge. Having returned to my mount, I felt for it around my neck hut
did not find it there. People were beginning to leave, but I returned to where I
had been to search for the necklace and eventually I found it. The men who had
now finished saddling my camel came back for me and raised up the howdah,
thinking I was inside as usual, and fastened it on the camel; they had no doubts
about my being inside. Then they took the camel by the head and led it away.
"'When I returned to the campsite, there was absolutely no one there;
everyone had left. So I wrapped myself in my cloak and lay down; I was sure
that they would return for me when they missed me.
"'I swear, I was lying there when Safwm b. al-Mu'agal al-Sulami came by.
He had for some reason of his own been lagging behind the other warriors and
had not spent the night with the others. When he saw my form he approached
and stood above me; he had seen me before the veil was required for us. When
he saw me, he exclaimed, "To God we belong, and to Him we return! Isn't it
the za'inai6 of the Messenger of God (SAAS)?" I was all wrapped up in my cloak.
He then asked, "What made you stay behind, yarhamuki Allah! 'May God have
mercy on you!"' I did not speak to him. He then brought up the camel and
said, "You ride." He kept away from me.
'"So I mounted and he led the camel away by the head, moving quickly
to catch up with the rest. I swear by God, we neither caught them up nor did
they miss me before morning. By the time the force had halted and made secure,
the man appeared leading me. And so those who spread the calumny began
talking and the men were greatly purturbed. However, I swear I knew nothing
of this.
"'We then went on into Medina. There I soon fell seriously sick and heard
nothing of what was going on. All the talk soon reached the Messenger of God
(SAAS) and my parents, but they told me absolutely nothmg of this. All I noticed
was that the Messenger of God (SAAS) was not as kid as usual towards
me; whenever I had been sick he had been very kid and comforting to me, but
not on this occasion. I pretended not to notice. When he came in to see me, my
mother being present nursing me, he would just say, formally, "Kayfafikum?"
("How are you?"). He would add nothing more.
"'Eventually this coldness of his bothered me and so I asked him, "Messenger
of God, if you will allow it, I'd like to go and stay with my mother to have her
care for me." "No problem," he replied. And so I moved in with my mother. I
still had no knowledge what was going on until I recovered from my illness
some three weeks later.
"'We were an Arab people and did not have in our homes those toilets that
foreigners use; we find them disgusting. We would go out and use the open areas
of Medina. Each night the women would go outside to relieve themselves. I went
out to do so one night accompanied by Umm Mist&, daughter of Ahn Ruhm
56. A term denoting a woman borne in a homdnh.