TriaiJ, Balla/ioll, alld Hoptr^79
flourishing city appear and welcome him. The angel announced to him
that he must prepare to emigrate to Yathrib and mat his companion was
to be Abu Bakr. Muhammad went to impart the news to Abu Bakr, who
wept with joy; however, they still had to o tganize the final details of their
dcparrure. They had heard that the Quraysh had devised a plan to get rid
of th e Prophet. Muhammad asked Ali to take his place in his bed the fol-
lowing night, and not to leave Mecca until he ordered him to.
The Prophet'S would~be murderers hid in front of his home and wait~
ed for him to go out, as he usually did, to attend prayer before sunrise.
When thcy heard somc noise inside me house, which they took to be
Muhammad arising and preparing to leave, they were almost ready to
launch theif attack when they realized that they had been deceived and
that the man inside the house was his cousin Ali. T heir plan had failed. In
the meantime, the Prophet had gone to Abu Bakr's and had already final-
ized th e last details o f his departure for Yathrib.