The biographers of the lord of the righteous narrate that A’mru B. A’bdud was distinguished among the Arab tribes by his great impetuosity, perfect bravery, and skill in handling all the arms of war, so that if Rustam Dastân [the celebrated Persian hero] had attacked him he would have been defeated, and had Shohrâb [another hero] stepped into the list of contention with him he would have succumbed. The celebrity of A’mru for valour was such that the Arab warriors considered him a match for one thousand combatants. The writer of these lines has heard Sayyid A’li Najfi—Allah have mercy on him—utter the following words: ‘I have read in a book that when A’mru B. A’bdud had in the Ghazwah of the Confederates crossed the ditch and shouted for a champion, none of the companions had come forward, whereon his lordship asked: “Why do you hesitate?” Thereon O’mar B. Alkhattâb opened his mouth with excuses on the part of the professors of Islâm, and addressed his lordship the best of men as follows: “On a certain occasion we were with a number of the Qoraish, among whom was also A’mru B. A’bdud, travelling to Syria for the purpose of trading, and had a great quantity of goods, when all of a sudden about a thousand brigands barred the road against us, so that the owners of the caravan were in dread not only of losing their merchandise, but also their lives. When A’mru B. A’bdud had taken cognizance of this state of affairs, he unsheathed his sword, and, snatching up a piece of carpet for a shield, attacked the robbers like a furious lion, and put them all to flight, whereon the caravan continued its journey in safety.”’
It is related that A’mru, having received a serious wound on the day of Bedr, had fled, and could not be present at the battle of Ohod. In the Ghazwah of the Confederates, however, he was desirous of making good his omission, and so recovering his old prestige, so that his name might again become celebrated among the Arabs, and his fame spread near and far. Accordingly one day, when the idolaters had got ready for a battle, and had reached the brink of the ditch, A’mru B. A’bdud, with a number of valiant Arabs —such as Dhurâr B. Alkhattâb, and Akramah B. Abu Jahl, and Naofel B. A’bdullah, and Hobeyrah B. Wohob, all of whom acknowledged A’mru’s superiority—had discovered a narrow spot in the ditch, over which they leapt with their horses. In the Raudztu-l-âhbâb it is recorded that Khâled B. Wolyd and Abu Sofyân B. Harb were with the Qoraish infidels, and Kanânah with the Bani Ghattafân, drawn up in battle array on the bank of the ditch, and remained stationary. A’mru asked Abu Sofyân: ‘Are you not also coming over like ourselves?’ The latter replied: ‘If it should become necessary to cross over, we shall also do it.’ As soon as A’mru had leapt over the fosse he stepped into the lists of bravery and exuberance and shouted for a champion; but as the professors of Islâm knew his bravery, fear paralyzed them, as if it had chased out all the blood from their bodies, and they remained standing motionless, with their heads hanging down ‘as if they had birds on them,’ which words allude to the circumstance that in Arabia many camels are affected with scabs, which the crows remove with their beaks, so that when they are engaged in this operation the camel remains quiet for fear of scaring away the crows and thus retaining the scabs.
In short, when A’mru B. A’bdud challenged the professors of Islâm to send him a champion, and no one came forward, his holy and prophetic lordship—u. w. b.—exclaimed: ‘Is there a friend who will oppose the wickedness of this enemy of God?’ Then A’li the Commander of the Faithful—u. w. b.—replied: ‘O apostle of God, I shall fight him!’ His lordship answered nothing; but according to another tradition he said: ‘This is A’mru B. A’bdud!’ The latter shouted for a second time, whereon A’li Murtadza over again asked for permission to attack him, but did not obtain it. A’mru now exclaimed for the third time: ‘Is there no man among you who will step into the lists?’ A’li then again asked to be allowed to fight him, and this time the prophet said: ‘I permit it, O A’li!’ When the former approached the latter, he handed to him the sword of God, surnamed Dhu-l-fiqâr, and put his own cuirass on him to protect his joy-bringing person from the javelins of misfortune. For the purpose of averting the evil eye,* he gave him his own turban, and it is recorded in the Mostaqadza that, when he wrapped it round his head, he said: ‘O God, protect him from him!’—i.e., protect A’li from A’mru. According to another tradition he raised his blessed hands, saying: ‘O great God, Thou hast taken from me O’baydah on the day of Bedr, and Hamzah Thou hast separated from me on the day of Ohod! O God, this is A’li, my brother and my cousin!’ He also said: ‘Do not destroy us one by one. Thou art the best of inheritors!’ When his lordship the apostle had come to these words, A’li, the Amir of the true Believers—u. w. b. —advanced on foot, met A’mru on horseback on the battle-field, and said to him: ‘A’mru, I have heard that thou hast said, “No one shall invite me to do three things without my undertaking to do one or all three of them.”’ A’mru replied: ‘Yes, such is the case.’ A’li continued: ‘I invite thee to testify that there is no God but Allah, and to worship Him who is the Creator of men.’ A’mru replied: ‘Good cousin, let us put off this matter for another time.’ A’li the Commander of the Faithful—u. w. b.— continued: ‘I have another request. If thou comply therewith, it will be good for thee.’ A’mru asked: ‘What is it?’ A’li the Commander of the Faithful said: ‘Abstain from fighting against the professors of Islâm, return to thy country, and promise to aid Muhammad if he prevails over his enemies, but to let events take their course without interfering or enmity on thy part if the contrary takes place.’ A’mru replied: ‘The Qoraish women will say that, though I was able to keep my vow, I failed to do so, and returned home.’ A’mru had, after his flight from the battle-field of Bedr, made a vow that he would not anoint himself with oil until he had slain his prophetic lordship. After hearing the refusal of A’mru, A’li the Amir of the true Believers said: ‘There is yet another request.’ A’mru asked: ‘What is it?’ The Commander of the Faithful said: ‘That thou alight from thy horse to fight with me.’ At these words A’mru laughed, and exclaimed: ‘I never thought an Arab warrior would ask that from me. Return! Thou art yet young, and the time has not come for thee to enter the lists of contention with men.’ According to another tradition, he said: ‘Return, and let one of those two Qoraish Sheikhs—namely, Abu Bakr or O’mar—come.’ He is also said to have uttered the following words: ‘There are older men among thy uncles. Return thou in peace.’ The tradition of [other] biographers is that A’mru said: ‘I dislike to shed thy blood, especially as friendship had subsisted between thy father and me.’ The Commander of the Faithful rejoined: ‘If thou dislikest to shed my blood, I like to shed thine!’ At these words A’mru became incensed, alighted from his horse, stood up in front of it, and, with a drawn sword in his hand, kept gazing steadily at A’li the Commander of the Faithful, who covered his head with his shield, which, however, that dauntless warrior cleft in twain with one blow of his sword which might have split a rocky mountain. When the scimitar of that wicked infidel broke the shield, it grazed the blessed head of the Emâm of the pious a little. Hereon that lion of attack eased with one stroke of the Dhu-l-fiqâr the body of that wretch from the burden of his head.
Let it not remain hidden that the account just given of the duel with A’mru B. A’bdud has been transcribed from biographical works. We also read in some chronicles that before the Lord A’li and A’mru had begun to fight, they made arrangements that neither of them should be succoured by anyone. They fought from forenoon till sunset without being able to vanquish each other. After the contest had thus been protracted, A’li Murtadza said to A’mru: ‘Have we not agreed that no one should come to my or to thy aid?’ A’mru asked: ‘Then what has happened?’ A’li replied: ‘See, thy brother is coming behind thee!’ Accordingly, A’mru looked to his rear, and thus his lordship the Commander of the Faithful snatched an opportunity to strike that accursed man in such a way with his sabre as to separate his thigh from his body. Hereon A’mru exclaimed: ‘Boy, thou hast deceived me!’ But the lord and receptacle of victory exclaimed: ‘War is a deception!’ Then A’mru threw his severed thigh towards the Amir of the Faithful, whereon that prince of saints amputated his head, and turned to other antagonists.
It is related that after slaying A’mru, A’li Murtadza— u. w. b.—shouted the Takbyr, his lordship the apostle recognised the voice, and knew what had taken place. It is related that after the death of A’mru, Dhurârah B. Alkhattâb and Hobeyrah B. Abu Wohob approached A’li, who was ready to encounter them, but as soon as the eye of Dhurârah caught sight of the lion of attack, he preferred flight to permanency, and being asked afterwards for the reason of his having fled so hastily, he replied: ‘Because I had seen the figure of death with my own eyes.’ Hobeyrah, nevertheless, stood for some time opposite to the A’mir, but at last also fled, and whilst Naofel B. A’bdullah Kakhzumi retreated he was thrown from his saddle into the ditch, where the Musalmâns stoned him, and he cried: ‘It would be better to kill me [at once].’ Accordingly his lordship the Amir [i.e., A’li] took pity on him, entered the ditch, and cut him in twain with one stroke of his blade. It is said that when A’li the Amir of the Faithful—u. w. b—cut off the head of A’mru, he failed to take notice of his cuirass, which was very elegant. When A’mru’s sister arrived on the spot, and saw that his arms as well as his accoutrements had remained untouched, she exclaimed: ‘He can have been slain only by a noble-hearted peer!’
In short, A’li the Commander of the Faithful burnt the granaries of life of the enemies with the fire of his wrath, and returned with a countenance joyous like the lamp of the firmament to the lord of apostleship—u. w. b.—and threw the head of A’mru B. A’bdud down at the blessed feet of his lordship, chanting with his wonderfully eloquent tongue some distichs, the last of which are the following:
The worshippers of stone, their folly I have seen;
The worshippers of the Lord of Muhammad and their rectitude;
Will not God consider their religion,
And their intention, O ye confederates?
It is related in biographical works that the apostle of God —u. w. b.—said with reference to the lion of God: ‘The prowess of A’li on the day of the ditch was more excellent than the acts of my people [will be] till the day of the resurrection.’ It is on record that when A’li the Commander of the Faithful waited upon his lordship the apostle, Abu Bakr and O’mar rose and kissed his head, whereon A’bdullah E. Masu’d exclaimed: ‘God has caused A’li to fight for the Believers, and God is most high and wise.’
When Dhurâr B. Alkhattâb and Akramah B. Abu Jahl fled from the battle, joined their army, and informed it of the murder of A’mru B. A’bdud and Naofel B. A’bdullah, Abu Sofyân fled with the Qoraish and the tribe Ghattafân, nor did they halt in any place till they arrived in A’qyq, whence they sent a man to buy the corpses of A’mru and of Naofel. His lordship said: ‘We have no need of their wicked bodies. Let them be taken away.’ The same or the next day the idolaters started together from A’qyq to Madinah. On the other hand, the Bani Qoryttah Jews, who had broken their covenant, grew bold, and fought in every direction. Only contests with arrows took place, however, between the antagonists, who were skirmishing from dawn till sunset along the banks of the ditch. Abu Sofyân had stationed a detachment opposite to the tent of the apostle, so that the professors of Islâm had no chance to move from their position. It is said that the battle raged so hotly on that day as to hinder the Musalmâns from holding their noon and afternoon prayers. But when the carnage had terminated, Bellâl was ordered to call the people to prayers in the usual manner, whereon the professors of Islâm congregated and made good their omission. According to a tradition of the Amir of the Faithful, the apostle of God said on that occasion: ‘Allah has filled their houses and tombs with fire because they have kept us away from the middle and from the post-meridian prayers till sunset.’ Meanwhile Na’ym B. Masu’d Ghattafâni waited, in consequence of the boundless mercy of God, upon the apostle, made his profession of the Faith and of obedience, so that afterwards, by a single stratagem of his, the chain of union between the idolaters and the Bani Qoryttah Jews was snapped, and the lamp of prosperity, which was apparently burning, became extinguished by the tempest of Divine wrath. The detailed circumstances of this affair are as follows: Na’ym B. Masu’d Ashja’y, who had spread the carpet of love between himself and the Qoraish, and also the Bani Qoryttah Jews, felt a yearning for Islâm in his heart, so that he waited between evening and bedtime upon the prince of the righteous — u. w. b. When the apostle asked him for the reason of his visit, he replied: ‘I come to trouble thee, because I believe in the truth of thy apostolate, and will do anything for thee. I bear witness to the truth of what thou sayest, O apostle of Allah. The people are not aware of my faith in Islâm, and believe what I say. I swear that I shall do whatever thou commandest.’ His lordship asked: ‘Art thou able to throw discord among the infidels and to destroy their league?’ He replied: ‘I can; but thou must allow me to speak whatever I like.’ His lordship permitted him to do so, and dismissed him with the words: ‘War is a deception.’ Then he went to the Bani Qoryttah Jews, and said: ‘You know the sincerity of my affection and the perfect love I bear towards you.’ They assented, and Na’ym continued: ‘The Qoraish and the Ghattafân have come to attack Muhammad, and you aid and abet their intentions, although you have no connection with them, because their country is distant. If they vanquish Muhammad they will have accomplished their object. But consider that your own habitations are near, and that your families, goods, chattels, are here, and that if perchance the Arab tribes get tired of war and depart without having defeated Muhammad, they will abandon you to his vengeance and that of his companions, who will utterly extirpate you for having broken your covenant with the Musalmâns.’ The Jews replied: ‘Thou hast shown affection and kindness, but what can we do in this matter?’ Na’ym continued: ‘It will be proper for you first of all to take hostages from among the principal Qoraish and the nobles of the Ghattafân, and then to wage war against Muhammad. The reason for this step is, that in case they should be frustrated in their aim, and intend to return to their country, and Muhammad were to attack you, they would be compelled to afford you their aid for the sake of protecting their chiefs, and would thus keep off the impending catastrophe from you.’ The Jews replied: ‘What thou hast said is perfectly just and right. We shall act up to thy advice.’ After Na’ym had thus relieved his mind about the Bani Qoryttah Jews, he met the Qoraish princes and played off another stratagem, by first assuring them of his affection and devotedness, and then saying: ‘You know the enmity and hatred I have vowed against Muhammad and his companions, but I possess information about the Bani Qoryttah, which I shall impart to you on condition that you keep it secret, and reveal it not to any of them.’ The Qoraish agreed, and he continued: ‘Let it be known to you that the Jews have repented of their having broken their treaty with Muhammad, and have sent him a message that if he could pardon them they would surrender into his power a number of Qoraish and Ghattafân chiefs under the pretence of keeping them as hostages, but really for the purpose of their decapitation, and that after this they would join his army and unite therewith to attack the rest. Muhammad, on his part, agreed that the breach might be made good by this means.’ According to another tradition, Na’ym said to the idolaters: ‘I was in the assembly of the Bani Qoryttah when their courier returned from Muhammad and brought the news that he was inclined for peace.’ According to another, he said to the idol-worshippers: ‘You know that Muhammad never lies, and I heard him utter the following words: “Peace is to be established between me and the Bani Qoryttah, on condition that we give leave to the Bani An-natzyr to return to their habitations, and that they themselves, on their part, surrender to us the hostages they will receive from the Qoraish.”’ At all events, Na’ym did his best to persuade them not to give any hostages if requested by the Bani Qoryttah to do so. After that this intelligent and cunning man left the Qoraish, visited the Ghattafân, and said to them what he had said to all the other idolaters. The day on which Na’ym imparted to them that heart-burning information happened to be a Friday, and it made such an impression on the mind of Abu Sofyân that he sent a person to the Bani Qoryttah with the message: ‘Our stay in this country has been long, and our quadrupeds are lost. We must, therefore, make preparations this evening for a battle, and to-morrow attack the enemy together; because we may possibly advance our interests in this way.’ The Jews replied: ‘To-morrow is the Sabbath, and on that day we do no work. You also know that some of our ancestors have been grievously punished for transacting business on that day. We are, nevertheless, at all times ready to aid you against the enemy, if you will surrender some nobles of your people into our power, because we apprehend that, if the siege be protracted to some length, you will be disinclined to stay, and will return, thus leaving us at the mercy of Muhammad and his companions. If, however, the chiefs of your nation are with us when you intend to depart, and Muhammad purposes to take vengeance on us, you will be compelled to aid us [for the sake of your chiefs].’ When the infidels had heard this answer of the Jews they unanimously exclaimed: ‘What Na’ym B. Masu’d has said is nothing but the truth.’ Accordingly, they sent another message to the Bani Qoryttah of the following purport: ‘We shall give you none of our people. If you come forward and fight, it will be well; but if not, we shall return to our country and leave you to make up your difference with Muhammad as best you may.’ The Jews then said: ‘By Allah! Na’ym has spoken the truth. We have nothing at all to do with Muhammad, and shall not fight him.’ After discord had thus been thrown among the opponents by Divine will, and by the stratagem of Na’ym B. Masu’d Ghattafâni, they returned dismayed and confused to their own places and habitations from the vicinity of Madinah.
Jâber B. A’bdullah the Anssâri says: ‘His worship the apostle—u. w. b.—prayed three consecutive days to the Lord of unity for the flight of the confederates. This request was responded to on a Wednesday between the two prayers of the latter part of the day, and the Boundless Giver sent a hurricane which shook and confused their army so that even the tent-pegs of the infidels were uprooted, and their pots turned over. Every raw intention they had entertained remained unmatured, so that they returned disappointed and hopeless to their country.’ Some say that Allah the Most High and Glorious had sent an angel to pull out the pegs from the tents of the professors of darkness and to extinguish their fires, so that they had no other remedy but flight, and the blessed verse, ‘O true believers, remember the favour of Allah towards you when armies of infidels came against you, and we sent against them a wind, and hosts [of angels] which ye saw not, and Allah beheld that which ye did,’* confirms the event which produced such effects.
Concerning the angels there is a tradition of Muhammad Ebn Esahâq to the following purport: In the mosque of Kufah a young man said to Khodayfah Alyemeny: ‘O Abu A’bdullah, blessed are ye who have seen the prophet of Allah! Had we been able to meet his lordship, we would have become as the dust on the road to get him to place his foot on us.’ Khodayfah, however, became angry at these words, and said: ‘Thou liest! For ere this better men than you have been in the service of the prophet of Allah, and have not acted in that way.’ Then he began to narrate the events of the night of the Confederates, and said: ‘I swear by God, during that night we suffered so much misery and hunger that God the Most High and Glorious is alone aware of it. During that night his holy and prophetic lordship rose from sleep, performed several prayer-flexions, and said: “Is there anyone who will bring information about the people, that Allah the Most High may make him my companion in paradise?”’ Khodayfah continues: ‘But on account of our intense hunger and fear of [exposing ourselves to] the cold, not one of us responded to the call of his lordship. Accordingly, he again prayed, and then repeated his question, which had not been responded to. Then he called three or four men by name, and some noble and excellent companions report that they answered as follows: “We take refuge with God and His prophet from this misery, to rouse us up from our place and to send us to another.” When, however, he called out my name, I replied: “I await thy commands, O apostle of God!” Then he asked: “Canst thou this night watch over us, to be with us in the morn of the resurrection?” I said: “Yes, O apostle of God, I hear and obey.”’ In some traditions it is related that Khodayfah said: ‘When the apostle of God first challenged his companions no one rose, though I was also among those addressed. But when he at last called me, and I complied, he said: “Khodayfah, what hindered thee from rising, although thou hast heard my words?” I replied: “Hunger and cold, O apostle of God.” At these words his lordship smiled, and said: “Come nearer.” I obeyed, and his lordship rubbed his blessed hand on my breast and between my shoulders, uttering with his wonderfully eloquent tongue the words: “O Lord God, protect him from those who are before and behind him, and from those on his right or left side.”’ According to another tradition, he added: ‘And from those who are above and below him.’ ‘And, by God! the fear of hunger and cold abandoned me. After that his lordship said: “Go among the people, and bring me information about them, in what state they are, and thou must do nothing until thou hast seen me.”’ Khodayfah continues: ‘Accordingly I took my arms and crossed the ditch, but felt so warm that I fancied I had entered a bath. When I arrived near the idolaters I concealed myself in the rear of a tree, and perceived that they had, with a thousand stratagems, kindled a fire for Abu Sofyân, as the wind and storm were raging in their camp beyond all conception. Abu Sofyân turned sometimes one, and sometimes the other, side to the fire to warm it, and I had a mind to shoot an arrow at him; but the injunction of the apostle restrained me. I also beheld A’lqamah B. A’llâmah, who shouted: “O family of A’ass, the wind and frost are killing me.” After that the army of God came, projecting large stones, which, however, the idolaters warded off with their shields. Then the fires of the idolaters were extinguished by the tornado of calamity, and their hearts withered by the blasts of misery. Abu Sofyân, moved by what was taking place, exclaimed: “O Qoraish people, our sojourn in this region was long, and our cattle have perished, the Bani Qoryttah have shown us enmity, our weapons have become useless, and this wind distresses us much; accordingly, I take my departure.” Then he went to his camel, and, being in great haste, he mounted it without untying its legs. On that occasion A’kramah B. Abu Jahl exclaimed: “O Abu Sofyân, thou art the chief of the people! Where art thou going and leaving them in this calamity?” Abu Sofyân then alighted from shame and confusion, loosed the knees of his camel, took the bridle in his hand, walked through the camp, and shouted: “Make haste to march!” Accordingly all the Qoraish, the Ghattafân, the Kanânah, and the Qorârah departed in grief and disappointment, so that not one of the infidels, who had come with designs upon the property and lives of the Musalmâns, remained in that region.’
Khodayfah says: ‘When the enemies were engaged in loading [their baggage on the cattle] I departed, and on my way I perceived twenty cavaliers with white turbans, and two of them said to me: “Tell thy master that God the Most High has warded off from him the wickedness of his enemies.” When I arrived in camp, in my old place, I again felt cold as before. I found his lordship at prayers, and he beckoned to me with his hand to come nearer. I obeyed. His lordship had a very broad and big piece of cloth, a corner whereof he put upon me, whereon I became so warm that I fell asleep. When he had finished his prayers he said: “Arise, O sleeper!” Then I awoke and narrated to him all I had seen.’
It is related that after the flight of the opponents his holy and prophetic lordship turned to his companions and said: ‘After this they will not come to fight you, but you will wage war against them.’ Accordingly, the Qoraish obtained no other opportunity to attack the Musalmâns, so that at last the apostle of God marched with the army of Islâm to Mekkah, conquered that blessed region, and vanquished his antagonists, as will be narrated in these pages if it pleaseth Allah the Most High.