Mtdi1l4, life, and War^103
:.~nsc and their abiliry (0 go beyond mere blind obedience o r mechanical,
mind-de stroying imitatio n. This method de\'elopcd th e intellectual car-ac-
ities necessary for consultations to be effective. Indeed, if they were to give
useful advice, the Companions had to be intellectually awake, bold, and
independent, even in th e presence of a Prophet whose personality and sta-
tuS must have impressed th em. By stimulating their intelligence and giv-
ing them opportunities to speak, he exercised a type of leadership that
made it possible for his Companions to learn to assert themselves 10d
take initiative.
Hubab ibn al-:Mundhir was the most outstanding example of this at the
particular time we have been discussing. When he arrived at Badr, the
Prophet set up his camp near the first wells he found. Seeing this, Ibn al-
.Mundhir came to him and asked: "\'Vas this place where we have stopped
revealed to you by G od, so that we rnU5t not move either forward or back-
ward from it, or is it an opinion and a strategy of yours, linked to war
expedients?,,13 T he Prophet confirmed that it was his own personal opin-
ion; Ibn al-Mundhir thcn suggested another plan that consisted o f camp-
ing ncar th e biggest ""tIl, tht: 11I,::tn:::.l Lu l.hc wa)' [rom which the enemy
was to arrive, then blocking the other wells in the area so that th e enemy
could no t get to the water. During the battle, the Muslims' oppo nents
were thus bound to find themselves in difficulty. Muhammad ca refully lis-
tened to the explanation of this strategy and accepted it straightaway: the
camp \vas moved and Hubab's plan was implemented.
This example shows that th e Companions made a distinction between
Revelations the Prophet received, which they obeyed without a second
thought, and thc opinions of i\'luhamnad the man, which could be debat-
ed, improved on, or even rejected o utright. The Messenger's authorit}' in
human affairs was neimer autocratic nor unrestricted; he allowed his
Companions a substantial role in consultation, and his teaching, as we have
seen, deVeloped th e conditions for acquiring those critical and creative fac-
ulties. The Prophet gave his Co mpanions, \-umen and men alike, the means
and confidence to be auto nomous, to dare to address and contradict him
without his ever considering it as lack of respect for his starus. Through this
attitude, he showcd thcm his deep respect for their intelligence and for their
hean: as for dlcm. dlC}, loved their Prophet, {heir leader, for this attention,
this a\'ailabilit}'. and this demand to usc their abilities to the fullest.