Manners in Society

Learning the facts by asking the right questions When the Muslims were on their way from Madinah to the field of Badr, they came across two men, one a Qurayshite and the other a slave. They gave chase to them but were only able to capture the slave, whom they interrogated. But when asked the strength of the Quraysh army that was advancing upon Madinah, the slave-even under pressure-would only say: “They are many, and their strength is great.” When the Prophet put the same question to him, his answer was the same. Efforts were made to make him be more explicit about numbers, but to no avail. So the Prophet rephrased the question, “How many camels do they slaughter in one day?” he asked, and was told, “Ten camels,” “So the enemy must number one thousand,” concluded the Prophet, “One camel being sufficient for one hundred men.”