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The move of the Muslim
army started from Madinah on January 1, 630 (the 10th of Ramadan,
8 Hijri). Many contingents from Muslim tribes had joined the Prophet
at Madinah, and other contingents fell in on the way. Thus the Muslim
army soon swelled to an all-time high figure of 10,000 warriors.
With this force the Prophet arrived at Marr-uz-Zahran, 10 miles
north?west of Makkah, without the Quraish having any knowledge of
his movement. 1 This was the fastest move
the Muslim army had ever accomplished.
Abbas, uncle of the Prophet, had about now
made up his mind to join the Muslims and accept the true faith.
While the Muslim army was at Juhfa, it met Abbas and his family
on their way to Madinah. The conversion of Abbas was received joyfully
by the Prophet, with whom the relations of Abbas had always been
cordial.
When the Muslims got to Marr-uz-Zahran,
Abbas became deeply concerned about the fate of the Makkans. He
was afraid that if the Muslims took Makkah by force, the operation
would result in the destruction of the Quraish. He therefore set
out on the Prophet's mule, with the Prophet's permission, to warn
the Quraish of the serious consequences of resistance and persuade
them to send envoys of peace to the Muslims. At about this time
Abu Sufyan had come out of Makkah to carry out a personal reconnaissance
and see if any Muslims were in sight. Abbas and Abu Sufyan met while
the former was halfway to Makkah.
"What news do you bring, O Father
of Fadhl?" asked Abu Sufyan.
"The Messenger of Allah",
replied Abbas, "comes with any army of 10,000 men."
"Then what do you advise us to do?"
"If the Muslims capture Makkah against
resistance, they will certainly cut off your head. Come with me
to the Prophet, and I shall ask him to spare your life."
Abu Sufyan mounted the mule behind Abbas
and, so mounted, they rode to the Muslim camp, arriving there after
nightfall. It so happened that on this night Umar was the officer
of the guard and was walking around the camp to see that the sentries
were vigilant. He was the first to see and recognise the two visitors
and exclaimed: "Ah! Abu Sufyan, enemy of Allah! Praise be
to Allah that you have come into our camp without a safe conduct."
Umar then ran to the tent of the Prophet, and Abbas, guessing Umar's
purpose, urged his mule forward. The three of them arrived at the
Prophet's tent simultaneously, and a heated argument arose between
Umar and Abbas. Umar was asking for permission to cut off the head
of Enemy Number One, while Abbas was insisting that he had given
protection to Abu Sufyan, and so he could not be harmed until he
had been heard. The Prophet dismissed all three of them with instructions
to come again in the morning. Abbas took Abu Sufyan to his tent
where he spent a sleepless night, wondering what his fate would
be.
The following morning, as Abbas and Abu
Sufyan were going to the Prophet's tent, the latter saw them coming
and remarked, "One comes who intends to become a Muslim
but is not a Muslim at heart." As they arrived at the
tent, the Prophet asked, "O Abu Sufyan! Do you not know
that there is no Allah but Allah?"
"I have now realised it. If other
gods in whom I believed had existed, they would certainly have helped
me."
"And do you not know that I am
the Messenger of Allah?"
This was a terrible moment for Abu Sufyan.
He was a proud leader of the Quraish, one of the nobles of the tribe,
a descendant of Umayyah. He had always regarded himself as second
to none, and in this he was right. He was virtually the ruler of
Makkah-a man all Makkans held in respect and reverence. Now he stood
like a humble supplicant before the very man whom he had persecuted
and fought for years, and for whose destruction he had strained
every nerve.
1. Marr-uz-Zahran is a small valley which
in its lower portion becomes the Wadi Fatimah and crosses the present
Jeddah-Makkah highway about 20 miles from Makkah.
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