354 THE LIFE OF THE PROPHET MUHAMMAD
He brought a furqzn, clear evidence, from God, its
verses clear to all of intelligence,
Some believed in that and were convinced, becoming -
praise be to God - fully united,
While others denied and were confused and God on His
throne compounded their agitation.
At the battle of Badr He delivered them over to His
Messenger, giving him a raging force, their actions superb,
Their hands bearing and wielding fine swords that they
had furbished, smoothed and polished.
Many young, brave warriors they have felled, as well as
others mature and courageous,
Wakeful the eyes of their women mourning them, their
tears flowing fast and slow.
In bereavement they weep for Wtba the misguided and
for his son, lamenting for Shayba and Ahii Jahl.
And for him whose leg was severed,77 and for Ibn
Jud%n, garbed in mourning clothes, dry-mouthed, grieving,
A group of the men dropped into the pit at Badr, men
who had been unselfish both in battle and in times of famine.
Falsehood had called to them and they had answered, for
falsehood has paths easily travelled.
And so they sacrificed before the house of hell, far
removed now from mischief-making and enmity, in its deepest
depths."
Ibn Ishaq also gives their response to these verses, but we have deliberately
omitted them here.Ka'b b. Mdik stated,
"I was amazed at what God did, and God has power to do
what He wills, there being none able to overcome God.
He had decreed that at Badr we would confront a group
who had acted in ed, the path of evil leads men to doom.
They had so gathered and assembled their allies that
their force was huge,
And they came at us, none else, all of Ka'b and <~mir
united,
While with us was the Messenger of God, with Aws about
hi, they providing him a strong, victorious fortress,
With the Bana al-Najjar under his banner, advancing in
their flexible armour, while the dust flew.
When we clashed with them all our warriors were heroic,
stoic and protective of their comrades.- The reference is presumably to al-Aswad b. 'Abd al-Asad, whose leg was cut off at the cistern.