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Warning to Makkah
while the muslims were celebrating the victory god had granted to them, al haysuman ibn `abdullah al khuza'i was making his way toward makkah. he was the first one to reach the city to announce to its people the defeat of the quraysh and the fall of its leaders and nobles. makkah was so shaken by the news that it hardly believed what it heard. ai haysuman, however, was not angry but insisted on the veracity of his news and shared their grief. when the makkans finally realized what had happened, they were so shocked that they fell to the ground. indeed, abu lahab was immediately seized by a fever and died seven days later. the quraysh, consulting together on the course of action to follow, agreed not to mourn their dead lest muhammad and his companions be pleased at their suffering. they also decided not to seek to ransom their captives lest muhammad and his companions increase their demands. a number of days passed while the quraysh bore their tragedy silently. but an occasion soon presented itself. mikraz ibn hafs arrived seeking to ransom suhayl ibn `amr. `umar ibn al khattab hated to see suhayl return home unharmed. he therefore asked muhammad: "0 prophet of god, let me cull out suhayl's front teeth so that he would never be able to exercise his oratory against you." without hesitation, muhammad grave this supremely noble answer
"i shall not mutilate anyone under any circumstance. god would mutilate me though i am his prophet."
ransom and conversion of abu al 'asi ibn al rabi`zaynab, daughter of the prophet, sent out to ransom her husband abu al 'asi ibn al rabi`. included in the wealth she sent for the ransom was a necklace that once belonged to khadijah, the prophet's wife, which the latter had given to her daughter on the day of her wedding to abu al 'asi. when the prophet saw the necklace, he remembered his former wife and was deeply moved. he said to his companions: "if you find fit to send her captive back to her and to return to her what she paid, do so." the prophet had also agreed with the captive, abu al 'asi, that he would divorce his wife zaynab now that islam had separated the two spouses. muhammad sent zayd ibn harithah and another companion to escort zaynab to madinah, soon, however, abu al 'asi left makkah on a trade trip to al sham. when he passed by the vicinity of madinah, a muslim patrol discovered and confiscated his caravan. while in madinah he managed to reach his wife zaynab under the shadow of night and begged her to intervene on his behalf. she did and his goods were returned to him. he ran back to makkah with his goods and there returned to each his due. he asked all his creditors to speak out in case they had any claim against him. when none spoke out and everyone thanked him for his loyalty, he announced to his fellow makkans : "i witness that there is no god but god, and that muhammad is his servant and prophet. by god, i have not refrained from joining islam earlier except out of fear of suspicion that i have run away with your goods. now that everyone has received his due and my reputation is safe, i declare my conversion." he returned to madinah, and the prophet permitted his wife zaynab to return to him. the quraysh continued to ransom their captives with varying amounts running from 1000 to 4000 dirhims per person. as for those prisoners who were too poor to afford a ransom, muhammad granted them their liberty as a gift.
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