I am a Horse

I set off that morning from Makkah with my master, Suraqa Bin Malik, on my back. We wanted to catch Muhammad and his friend who were on their way to Al Madeenah. 

Many people were looking for him like us, hoping to take the reward that the leaders of Quraysh had offered to whoever would bring back Muhammad dead or alive. Satan had screamed at me to go after Muhammad. If we caught him my master would win a hundred camels, and I would win a new saddle. I did not want Satan’s prize but my master beat me had and I galloped faster as he gripped the reins. He had a lance and a bow and arrows with him. He was hoping to use these weapons against the Prophet and his friend and to fight Muhammad until he killed him.

Suraqa was one of the finest horsemen in Arabia and I was his favourite horse. The people of Makkah hung great hopes on us and waiting for us to return and claim the prize.

We almost succeeded. We caught up with Muhammad and Abu Bakr and the guide who was leading them. Abu Bakr was afraid, but he remembered the words of the Prophet in the cave:

“Do not despair. Allah is with us.”

Then suddenly I found myself stumbling without any reason, even though I was wide awake and moving with great caution. I saw myself throw my rider onto the ground even though he had never fallen off the back of a horse in his life.

He mounted me again and rode furiously towards the Prophet and his friend screaming that if they did not stop he would kill them. As he came nearer Muhammad and his friend stopped and when we were almost upon them Muhammad raised his eyes to the sky and said in a deep voice: “O Lord …”
Suddenly I felt my two front legs sinking into an old well that the sand had covered and I hadn’t seen. The legs of my master were sinking too, for we had been so happy to catch the fleeing men that we had not paid attention to where we were going. We tried to get our feet out of the hole but we couldn’t. I began to neigh and my master called out, saying:

“Rescue us Muhammad and we will go back where we came from.”

Muhammad, Abu Bakr and the guide were ready to leave my master and me with our legs buried in the sand but the guide turned back and came towards us. We were afraid he was going to take our lives since our legs were stuck and we could not resist but there was a surprise waiting for us. The man went to release Suraqa’s right leg and managed to pull it out of the sand.

Then he pulled out my leg. Then he went round to the side and slowly but surely did the same thing. We were saved.

I felt a strong desire to return to Makkah and save myself. Suraqa on the other hand was still greedy for the prize, and he rode on making for the Prophet’s she-camel. But scarcely had he moved a few steps than he felt a sharp pain. He realised he had been wounded and was bleeding. He stopped and fell exhausted onto the sand. Once again our cries rang out, asking the Prophet to pardon us. Fortunately Muhammad was too kind to let us perish in such awful way especially as Suraqa was swearing oaths by all things sacred that he would return to Makkah and would not follow the three men.

The Prophet rescued us from our predicament, and Suraqa said: “Allah has protected you from me, Muhammad. I was longing for a hundred camels, but I ask of you just one thing.”
“What is it?” Abu Bakr asked him.
“That he write me a letter so that if I come to him one day he will know who I am and give me whatever I may need.”
“Write it for him, Abu Bakr,” said the Prophet.

Abu Bakr wrote the agreement for Suraqa on a piece of bone and threw it to him. Suraqa put it in his pocket, jumped on my back and off we set for Makkah. I could not believe I was still alive.

My master told everyone that he had been unable to find Muhammad and his friend. I told the horses and the donkeys and the camels the same thing just so that they wouldn’t try to follow Muhammad and hid friend on their way to Al Madeenah.

O Messenger, proclaim what is sent down to you from your Lord. If you do not then you will not have conveyed His message. Allah will protect you from Mankind. } 67{ 

Almighty Allah has spoken the truth.
Surat Al-Mai’dah (The Table) 5