I am a Dove

I am white and gentle and kind I fly and flap my wings and land in the courtyard around the kaada to pick up seeds. I am not afraid of anyone no one is afraid of me. 

One beautiful morning I was flying above a cave on the road between Makkah and Al Madeenah. I was looking for a place to lay my eggs. A place where I could sit on them until they hatched and two little doves would come out. I could see lots of snakes and serpents around the cave. It seemed as if they were waiting for something, but I could not get any nearer because if they caught me they would swallow me. 

I met a thin little spider and asked him:
“What are all these snakes doing here? ”
He said: “They have received orders from the big snake in Makkah to stop two men on the road.”

“Who are the two men?” I asked.
“I don’t know,” he answered. “But you are a dove. You can fly far and wide and find out.”

I flew high up the air and traveled for a long distance I saw the two men. It was the Prophet, may praise and peace be upon him, and Abu Bakr. They were looking for a place where they could reswt and hide from the Kuffar who must been chasing them. 

They thought of the cave and I flew ahead leading the way. When I reached it I tried to clean it while waiting for them to arrive. I was afraid that the people of Makkah would do them some harm but eventually they arrived safely and entered the cave.

Abu Bakr filled the cracks where the serpents lay until only one remained. I wanted to fill it with my body, and the spider said he would close it up with his web but Abu Bakr blocked it with his foot and sat down on top of it.

I flew here and there, anxoious and afraid.

“Why don’t you calm down?” said the spider. “Why don’t you look for somewhere to lay eggs?”
“I’m afraid of the people of Makkah,” I said. “I want to watch the road in case they come near the cave.”

I flew back and forth towards Makkah covering a great distance. 

The last time I returned I was afraid, shaking and trembling. I hurried to the spider and said:

“Guess what? The evil ones are coming. If they see Muhammad and his friend they won’t let them get away. What shall we do?”

The spider was silent for a moment as he thought, then he answered:

“I will weave a web over the entrance of the cave to close it off.” I almost laughed that he should imagine his web could close the entrance to the cave. But I wasted no time in hurrying along with him, and I moved my nest to the mouth of the cave and there I sat on my eggs as the spider rushed to weave his web.

When the Kuffar reached the mouth of the cave they stopped and asked one another:

“Did Muhammad and his friend enter the cave?”
“Perhaps.”
“They must have entered the cave. . .”
“I don’t think so,” replied another. “The place is full of snaked and serpents.”

The discussion went round and round: “Let’s go inside.” “Let’s not bother.” “Let’s go inside.” “Let’s not bother.”

Then a voice spoke that saved us from our terrible predicament. 

“How can we go inside this cave?” it said. “No one has been inside for a long time.”

“How do you know?” they asked the man who had spoken.
“Look!” he answered. “A spider has woven its web over the entrance.

If anyone had gone inside the web would been broken. And there is a dove sitting in its nest hatching its eggs. It anyone have passed this way the dove would have flown away, and the eggs would have broken. No one has gone into this cave for a long time.”

“You’re right,” they said. “They can’t be here.”

They began to walk away from the cave, farther and further away, and the spider and I felf great relief as their footsteps grew fainter. As soon as they were out of sight I flew into the air and flapped my wings in joy and the spider danced in glee in the middle of his web. The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him salvation, awoke and placed his tender hand on the snake bite on Abu Bakr’s foot and it was cured. We were both delighted, the spider and me.

After the Prophet and Abu Bakr has rested a while they continued on their way and I flew above them for quiet a distance, flapping my wings and saying to them in my heart: “Farewell.”

If you help him not, it does not matter, for Allah did indeed help him when the disbelievers drove him out, the second of the two; when they were in the cave, he said to his companion: “Be not sad, surely Allah is with us.” Then Allah sent down his tranquility upon him, and strengthened him with forces which you saw not, and made the word of those who disbelieved the lowermost, while the word of Allah that became the uppermost; and Allah is All-Mighty, All-Wise. (40) 

Almighty Allah has spoken the truth.
Surat Al-Taubah (The Repentance) 9