The Companions of the Prophet

THE COMPANIONS OF THE PROPHET testified to the truth of your teachings. We have solemnly promised to listen to you and obey whatever you say. So do whatever you deem fit, Prophet of God. We will stand by you. We swear by the one who has sent you with the truth; even if you take us to the shores of the sea and plunge us into its waters, we too will follow you. Not one of us will stay behind. We have no qualms about joining you to do battle with the enemy tomorrow. We are resolute on the battlefield, true to our word in times of conflict. Perhaps God will enable us to prove ourselves in a manner which will be pleasing to you. So take us with you, trusting in the grace of God.” When Sa’d ibn Mu’adh had his say, a final decision was taken to advance to meet the enemy. During the Battle of Badr (A.H. 3), the Prophet kept looking towards the Ansar. Ibn Hisham has explained the background of his concern. “When the Ansar entered into the second oath of allegiance at ‘Aqaba’, he writes,” they were not bound by their oath to accept the responsibility for his safety outside Madinah. ‘While you are in our country,’ they said, ‘we will defend you as we defend our wives and children.’ This was all very well, but the Prophet was afraid that the Ansar would consider themselves obliged to assist him only if the enemy entered Madinah and would not feel themselves under any obligation to fight an enemy outside the precincts of the city.’ True, although the Ansar had entered into a defence pact at ‘Aqabah, according to its terms, they were not strictly