102 In the FootJlrp! if fix Prophtl
This attitude comforted and pleased the Prophet, but this was what he
could naturally have expected from the Muhajirun. It was from the Ansar
that he n eeded explicit support, since they were not directly involved in
the co nflict with the Quraysh and had signed an assistance agreement
binding them only in case of war in 1Iedina, not outside the city. Sad ibn
Muadh, speaking on behalf of the Ansar, said with determination: "Do
what you will, and we arc with you. By He who has sent you with the
truth, wefe you to order us to cross the sea and dive into it yourself, we
would dive in \1/ith you. Not one of us would stay behind."" Having thus
obtained the assent of both groups, iVluhammad decided to move for-
ward without allmving the Quraysh's maneuvers to intimidate him.
Throughout his mission the Prophet ~ought his Companions' advice,
encouraging them to express their opinions and paying them careful
attention. Furthermore, the Prophet had evolved a genuine pedagogy
through which he allowed the Muslims to develop their critical faculties,
express their talents, and mature in his presence. He would often ask ques-
tions on v arious subjects and give the answers only after his Companions
had thought by themselves and expressed different co n jectures. Some~
times, more subtly, he would utter a judgment in a paradoxical form,
thereby prompting his listeners to consider the matter more deeply. For
example, he once said: "A strong man is not a man who overcomes his
enemy!" The Companions mulled this over among themselves, then asked
him: "Then who is a strong man?" The Prophet sutprised his audience
and led them to a deeper understanding of the question with his answer:
"A strong man is a man who controls himself when he is angry!"iO He
would sometimes speak figuratively: "Wealth does not lie in the riches you
possess!" After the Companions pondered this, r .... luhammad would elabo-
tate: ''True wealth is the wealth of the soul.,,11 On occasion the Prophet's
statement appeated to conttadict common sense or ethics: " Help your
brother, whether he is just o r unjust!" The Companions could not but
wonder abo ut the nature of the help they wete to give an unjust brother:
how could that be? The Prophet, inverting the perspective, would add:
"Prevent him [t.hc unjust brotl1er] from acting unjustly, such is the way for
you to help him!,,12
Both by asking questions and by formulating parad oxical or seemingly
cont.radictory statements, the Prophet stimulated his Companions' critical