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4. Fight in the Way of God
THE MEANING OF JIHADIN YATHRIB, THE Messenger of God is dreaming. He stands in a
wide meadow. Cattle graze freely on the grass. There is something in
his hand: a sword, unsheathed and glistening in the sun. A notch has
been etched into the blade. War is approaching. But there is calm in
the peaceful meadow, among the grazing beasts, in the warm light.
Everything seems a good omen. Looking down at his body, he sees he
is clad in an invulnerable coat of mail. There is nothing to worry
about. Sword in hand, he faces the immeasurable horizon, tall and
confident, waiting for the fight to come to him.
When he wakes, Muhammad understands at once the meaning of
the dream: the Quraysh are coming. What he cannot know, however,
is that they are at that moment charging toward Yathrib with three
thousand heavily armed warriors and two hundred cavalrymen to put
an end to Muhammad and his movement once and for all. As is the