In the Footsteps of the Prophet: Lessons from the Life of Muhammad

AI Home, O tl'r TlNrt^187

covered him with his garment [0 show not only that he had forgiven him
but also that he praised his mastery of poecic language. r ... tuhammad had
a finely developed aesthetic sense and loved eloquence as well as the musi-
cali£)' of speech. Poetic verse expressing beauty, conveying the depth of
feelings and spirituality, and highlighting the grace of the One as well as
the love o f beings was part of his natural universe, of his deepest cultur-
al background. T hat art, that spirituality of speech, was throughout his life
a means to express the depths of the self in the hope of rising naturally
toward G od.

Tabuk

When i\lariyah gave birth to Ibrahim, the Prophet expressed particular joy

at the news of the child's arrival. He o rganized a meal in celebration, and

then the child was put to nurse north of fifedina, as was usually done.

D uring this time, the Prophet paid regular visits to his son. Life in Medina

had become far more peaceful, even though a few expeditio ns still had to

be o rganized in the region, especially in order to see to it that newly con-

verted tribes did not maintain th e idols' sanctuaries and lapse into syn-

cretism, which the Prophet had always opposed-in particular, as we have

seen, since Revelation had orderc~{ 1 him to tell his opponents and th ose who

denied the truth of Islam: "To you be }'Our religion, and to me mine."]]

The news of the Byzantines' victory over [he Persians some months

later had a significant impact on the 1\luslims, for Revelation had foretold

that victory some years before the event. The surah "Ar-Rum" (The

Ro mans) mentio ns a defeat (which took place before the Muslims left

Mecca), then a victory that was to occur in a few years (ft bim sinin):!4

The Byzantines have been defeate!d, in a land close by: but they, after this

defeat of theirs, ",.:ill be victorious in a few years. "'lith God is the com-

mand in the past and in the future!: on that day shall the bdie!ve!fS rejoice in

God's heJp. He gives ,,,ictory [0 who m J Ie will, and He! is Almighty, 1\lost

?-.Icrciful.^15

Not onk was Qumnic Revelation confirmed by the events, but the

news of th e Persians' decline also allgllTed possible agreements with the