IMAM ABU AL-FIDA' ISMA?L IBN KATH~R 137tree. He told them, 'Let your spokesman speak, but not talk too long. For there are
polytheists watching you and if they have knowledge of you they will expose you.'
"Abn Umana, their spokesman, said, 'Ask, Muhammad, for your Lord what-
ever it is you want. Then after that ask for yourself what it is you want. Then tell
us what reward we will have from God and from you if we do that.'
"He replied, 'For my Lord I ask you to worship Him and to associate no other
god with Him. For myself, and my Companions, I ask you to give me refuge and
to help me and protect me from what it is you protect yourselves.'
"They asked, 'What will we receive if we do that?'
"'You shall have paradise: he replied.
"'Shall you have that?' they asked."
Hanbal also related this from Imam Ahmad, from Yahya b. Zakariyya', from
Mujsid, from d-Sha'bi, from Abn Mas'nd al-Ansizri who, having recounted it,
stated, "Abn Mascud was the youngest man there."
Ahmad stated, from Yahya, from Isma'll b. Abn Khalid, from al-Sha'bi, who
said, "No one, old or young, ever heard such an address."
Al-Bayhaqi stated, "Abo Tahir Muhammad b. Muhammad b. Muhammad b.
Muhmish narrated to us from Muhammad b. Ibrahim b. al-Fad1 al-Fahhan from
Muhammad b. Yahya al-Dhuhli from 'Amr b. Wthman d-Raqqi, as follows:
'Zuhayr related to us, from 'Abd Allah b. Wthmzn b. Khuthaym, from Isma'il b.
Wbayd Allah b. Rifa'a, from his father, who said, "Skins of wine were brought
out, but Whada b. d-S~it went up to them and pierced them open, saying, 'We
have pledged to the Messenger of God (SAAS) that we will listen and obey, in
action and at rest, expend our wealth in good times and bad, enjoin good and for-
bid evil, express our faith in God without fear of reproach, and assist the
Messenger of God (SAAS) if he comes to Yathrib with the same protection we
give ourselves and our children in body and soul. And we shall have paradise."'
"'This was the pledge we made to the Messenger of God (SAAS).'"
This chain of authorities is strong and excellent but the scholars do not cite it.
Ynnus stated, from Ibn Ishaq, "Whada b. al-Wdid b. Whada b. al-SMit related
to me from his father, from his grandfather 'Ubada b. d-Sht, who said, 'The
Messenger of God (SAAS) had us pledge to him that we would fight, that we
would listen and obey in good and bad times dike, regardless of the incentives or
disincentives or pressure upon us, that we would not dispute among ourselves, that
we would speak the truth wherever we were and hear no reproach in our worship
of God."'
Ibn Ishaq stated in his account from Ma'bad b. Ka'b, from his brother 'Abd
All& b. Ka'b b. Malik, who said, "When we pledged ourselves to the Messenger
of God (SAAS) Satan called out from the top of the defile in the most piercing
voice I have ever heard. He said, '0 people of the jabzjib' - the word meaning
'houses' - are you going to support this reprehensible man and the fools with
him who have tried to make war upon you?'