IMAM ABU AL-FID& ISMA?L IBN KATH~R 175"'You can't he that right now,' he told him. 'Come and join us when you hear
I have declared myself openly."'
Aba Y&yZ al-Mawsuli related this, from Jacfar b. Humayd d-Kufi, from
'Abd Allnh h. Iyy2d b. Laqit.Ahii Nucaym at this point related the story of 'Abd AllZh b. Masrfid stating,
"'Ahd Allah b. Jacfar related to us, quoting Yanus b. Hahih, Aba Dmd and
Hammad b. Salama, from 'A~im, from Zirr, from 'Abd Allnh b. Mascad who
said, 'I was a teenage boy working as a shepherd for goats belonging to Wqha b.
Aba Mu'ayy at Mecca when the Messenger of God (SAAS) and Abii Bakr came
by, having fled from the polytheists. They asked me whether I had any milk to
give them to drink. I replied, "I'm held responsible; I'm not here to provide
drink for you." They asked, "Do you have a young sheep that hasn't yet been
with a ram?" "Yes, I do," I replied.
"'So I brought it to them and Abn Bakr tethered it, and the Messenger of God
(SAAS) took hold of her teat and said a prayer. The teat flowed copiously and
Abu Bakr brought a hollowed-out rock and milked into it. He and Ahii Bakr
drank and they served me. Then he told the teat to close, and it did so.
"'Later I went to the Messenger of God (SAAS) and asked him, L'Teach me
some of these fine words," meaning the Qur'm. The Messenger of God (SAAS)
replied, "Consider yourself a well-taught lad!" I took from his mouth 70 sfira~
and no one can dispute me about them."'
His words in this account, "Having fled from the polytheists" is not with
reference to the time of the emigration hut with regard to some circumstances
prior thereto.
Ihn Masciid was one who accepted Islam early and emigrated to Abyssinia and
later returned to Mecca, as previously mentioned. This anecdote of his is firm
and authentic, related in the jahih collections and elsewhere. But God knows
best.
ImZm Ahmad stated that 'Ahd All& h. Mus'ah h. 'Abd Allith, he being
al-Zuhayr, related to hi, that his father had quoted Falid, the freed-man of
'Abadil, as having said, "I left town in the company of Ibrxhim b. 'Ahd
al-wm~n h. Saw, when we reached d-'Arj Ibn Sacd came. Now Sa'd (his
father) had been the man who had guided the Messenger of God (SAAS) on the
road to Raktiba. Ibrnhim asked him, 'What anecdotes did your father relate to
you?' Ihn Sacd replied, 'My father told me that the Messenger of God (SAAS)
came to them in the company of Aha Bakr. Aha Bakr had a daughter with us who
was suckling at that time and the Messenger of God (SAAS) wanted to find a
short route to Medina. Sa'd told him, "This is the waste-land of Rakaba; out
there are two thieves of Aslam who are known as the 'two disgraced men'. If you
like we could get directions from them." The Messenger of God (SAAS) replied,
"Yes, let's do that."