102 THE LIFE OF THE PROPHET MUHAMMADthe Messenger of God (SAAS), "Has any day been harder on you than that of
the battle of Uhud?"
"'He replied, "The worst I suffered from your people was the day of
al-'aqaba, when I presented myself to Ibn 'Abdu Yail b. 'Abd Kalal, and he
refused my request to him. I wandered off, dazed and depressed, and only came
to myself at Qarn al-Thasib. I raised my head and there above me was a cloud.
Looking up, I saw Gabriel in it, and he called out to me, saying, 'God has heard
what your people said to you, and how they rejected you. He has sent to you the
angel of the mountain for you to order him to do with them whatever you like.'
"'"Then the angel of the mountain called out to me in greeting and said, '0
Muhammad, God has sent me. God has heard what your people said to you. I
am the angel of the mountain; your Lord has sent me to you to order me to do
whatever you wish. If you wish, you can bring down the two mountains the
Akhshabayn upon them.' The Messenger of God (SAAS) replied, 'I hope that
God will bring forth from their loins those who will worship God and associate
no other god or person with Him."""Muhammad b. Ishaq told how the~mn, the spirits, overheard the recitation made
by the Messenger of God (SAAS) upon his return from Ta'if when he spent the
night at Nakhla and said the morning prayer with his Companions. Thejinn who
had been dispatched to him heard his reciting there.
Ibn Ishaq stated, "They were seven in number. Concerning them God
Almighty revealed His words, 'And when We dispatched towards you a group of
jtnn'" (sarat al-Ah& XLVI, v.29).
My own comment is that we spoke about this in detail in the Tafsir (Exegests),
and included some material relating to it above. But God knows best.
Then the Messenger of God (SAAS) entered Mecca on his return from Ta'if
and came under the protection of al-Mut'i b. 'Adi. His people increased their
anger and antagonism towards him and became ever bolder in their opposition.
God is the one from whom to seek help, and reliance must be upon Him.
In his work on the maghazi, the early military engagements, al-Umawi related
that the Messenger of God (SAAS) sent Urayqit to al-Akhnas b. Sharif and
asked him to give him protection in Mecca. But he replied, 'An ally of Quraysh
cannot give protection for one of their own.'
"He then sent to Suhayl h. 'Amr to give him protection, and he responded,
'The Bana 'Amir b. Lu'ayy cannot give protection against those of the Banii
Ka'b b. Lu'ayy.'
"He then sent him to al-Mut'im b. 'Adi for his protection, who agreed, say-
ing, 'Yes; tell him to come.'
"And so the Messenger of God (SAAS) did go to him and spent that night
with him. When morning came, he and his six or seven sons, all wearing swords,