No Interference

~ 105 ~ our own tribe. When we reached al-Aqbah, men and women ascended the mountain and there awaited the arrival of the Prophet. There were seventy-three men and two women. The Prophet arrived with his uncle al-Abbas, who had not yet converted to Islam. Then Ibn Abbas addressed them thus: ‘O men of Khazraj, do you know for what you are entering into baya (allegiance) with this person (i.e., the Prophet). They replied ‘Yes, we know.’ Abbas said, ‘By entering into a covenant with the Prophet, you are making a covenant to wage war against all blacks and whites, (that is, when the antagonists of Islam, of both inside and outside of Arabia attack the Muslims, you will have to defend him at all costs). You will suffer losses both in lives and in goods. If you are going to desert him then you had better now say so and leave him, alone. As by God, if you acted like this, it would amount to humiliation both in this world and the next. But if you think that you will fulfill your covenant in spite of the loss of your elders and leaders and other influential people (as they may be killed in the ensuing