322 THE LIFE OF THE PROPHET MUHAMMADb. al-Mughira in his place. This was the practice; any man who could not go to
battle sent another in his place.
""'When he received news of those of Quraysh who were struck down at
Badr, God humiliated and disgraced Abii Lahab, while we experienced a sense
of power and pride. I was a weak man and I used to make arrows, sharpening
them in the pavilion near zamzarn, the sacred well. I was seated there active in
this, with Umm al-Fadl sitting there with me, happy at the news we had received,
when in came Aba Lahab, dragging his feet in annoyance. He sat down at one
side of the pavilion, his back facing mine. As he sat there people announced,
'Here's Abii Sufyan, al-Mughira b. al-Harith b. 'Abd al-Mut~lib, who has
arrived.' Abii Lahab called out, 'Come on in to me; you must have some news.'
""'Abii Sufyzn came and sat down, people standing all around. Abo Lahab
then spoke, 'Cousin, tell me what happened to everyone.'
"""Well,' he reported, 'I swear that no sooner had we joined battle with
them, than we turned our back to them and they killed and captured us just as
they liked. But, I swear, I don't blame them; we faced men dressed in white
mounted on piebald horses between heaven and earth. I swear, they spared
nothing, and nothing could withstand them.""
"Ahii RS went on, 'I then raised the tent rope with my hand and com-
mented, 'LBy God, those were the angels!"
"'At that Aba Lahab raised his fist and hit me a very hard blow in the face. I
charged at hi, but he fought back and knocked me to the ground. He then knelt
down on me, beating me. I was a weak man. Then Umm al-Fadl took hold of one
of the tent supports and began hitting him with it, making a nasty wound in hi
head and shouting, "So you think he's powerless now that his master is away!'
"'He got up and left, humiliated. And by God, be only lived seven more days
before God aflicted him with the pustules that killed him."'
Yiinus, quoting Ibn Ishzq, added, "His two sons left him unburied for three
days after his death and he began to decompose. Quraysh greatly feared those
pustules, just as they did the plague. Eventually one of the Quraysh said to his
sons, 'Aren't you ashamed that your father is decomposing in his house, without
you burying him?' They replied, 'We're scared of those terrible pustules.' The
man insisted, 'If you do it, I'll help you.' And they did not wash him and merely
threw water over him from a distance, not going close to him at all. They then
carried him to the heights of Mecca, placed him against a wall and covered him
over with stones."
Yiinus said, quoting Ibn Ishaq, "Yahyz b. 'Ahbad b. 'Abd Allah b. al-Zubayr
related to me, from his father, from 'A'isha, mother of the believers, who said she
always veiled herself with her gown until she had passed beyond the place where
Abii Lahab was buried."
Ibn lshzq stated, "Y*y% b. 'Abbad related to me as follows, 'Quraysh mourned
their dead. Then they told one another not to do this because when Muhammad