The Companions of the Prophet

refrains from reacting adversely. Khalid’s words show how deeply involved he was in doing the will of God. So much so that he took ‘Umar’s decision entirely in his stride. Doing More Than One is Legally Bound To In the month of Sha’ban A.H. 6, the Prophet received news that a force of 1000 men had gathered under the leaders of the Quraysh and was advancing on Madinah. Six hundred were armoured, and an elite cavalry unit consisted of one hundred men. Tension was running high in Madinah as the Prophet called a meeting of the Muhajirs and the Ansar to ask them what should be done. As usually happened on such occasions, senior members of the Muhajirs rose to offer their opinion. “Prophet of God,” they said, go ahead and do whatever your Lord commands. We will stand by you. We will not tell you to go and fight along with your Lord while we stay sitting here, as the Jews did before us.193 Rather we say unto you: go and fight with your Lord; we will fight alongside you. We will not desert you as long as at least one of us has life in his body.” Yet despite such assurances from the Muhajirs, the Prophet kept telling people what he should do. Finally, Sa’d ibn Mu’adh, one of the Ansar, arose. “Perhaps we figure in your thoughts,” he told the Prophet. The Prophet said that they did. Then Sa’d ibn Mu’adh, on behalf of his fellow Ansars, reassured the Prophet with these words: “We have believed in you and acknowledged you as God’s prophet. We have