DIVISION OF LABOR

5. Muslim women ~ 86 ~ The Prophet did exactly as she had suggested. He went out, sacrificed his animal and shaved his head. When the people saw what he had done, they immediately began to follow suit. Their anguish was so great that it seemed they would cut one another’s heads as they began to shave them after the sacrifice. The reason that Khadijah and Umm Salmah were able to arrive at a correct judgment in such delicate situations was that they were detached from them and, therefore, in a position to offer objective opinions. If they too had been seriously involved, they might have been too subjective in their thinking. 75. The animals were to be sacrificed after the performance of Hajj. However, the Quraysh did not allow the Muslims to enter Mecca. The terms of the treaty were humiliating. The Muslims were so disconcerted at not being allowed to make the pilgrimage that they were in no state of mind to follow the Prophet’s command. 76. Ibn Kathir, As-Sirah an-Nabawiyah, 1/386.