294 THE LIFE OF THE PROPHET MUHAMMADMecca and hurt me and kicked me. I asked him, "So God has put you to shame
then, you enemy of God!" He replied, "And how has He shamed me?" he asked.
"Aren't I the most noble man you have killed? Tell me which side won the day?"
"It went to God and to His Messenger," I told him."'
Ibn Ishnq went on, "Men of the Bana Makhzam claim that Ibn Masctid used
to say, CAba Jahl said to me, 'You've climbed very high, for having been just a
herdsman!' I then severed his head and took it to the Messenger of God (SAAS)
and told him, 'This, 0 Messenger of God, is the head of God's enemy.' 'Is it
really, by God other than Whom there is none?' (This was the oath the Messenger
of God used to speak.) I responded, 'Yes, by God other than whom there is none.'
I then threw Aba Jahl's head down in front of him and he praised God."
This is an account given by Ibn Ishnq, God be pleased with him.
It is established in both sahib collections, through Yiisuf b. Yacqiib b.
al-Mnjishtin, from Snlih b. Ibrzhim b. 'Abd al-Raban b. 'Awf, from his father
who quoted 'Abd al-Rahmm b. 'Awf, as saying, "At Badr I was standing in the
battle lime and when I looked to my right and my left I found myself to be
between two Helpers, both of whom were young men. I had hoped to be posi-
tioned between two men who would be weaker than these. One of them asked
me, winking, 'Uncle, would you know Abn Jahl?' 'Yes,' I replied, 'what need
have you of him?' He replied, 'I've heard that he curses the Messenger of God
(SAAS). I swear by Him who holds my soul in His hand, if I were to see him, I'd
not leave him before the death of whichever of us had his time come first.'
"I was amazed to hear this. Then the young man on my other side winked at
me and asked me the same. I looked right over at Abti Jahl, moving around his
men and commented, 'Can't you see? That's the man over there you're asking
about.' Thereupon the two men charged at him with their swords drawn and
struck him until they had killed him. They then went off to the Messenger of God
(SAAS) and informed him and he asked which of them had killed hi. Each one
said he had. The Messenger of God (SAAS) then asked, 'Have you both wiped
your swords clean?' They replied, 'No.' He then examined the swords and con-
cluded that they had indeed both killed hi. He decided that Aba Jahl's spoils
should go to Mu5dh b. 'Amr b. al-Jamoh, the other man being Mu5dh b. cAfr%'."
AI-Bukhnri stated, "Ya'qiib b. Ibrzhim related to us, quoting Ibrxhim b. Sa'd,
from his father, from his grandfather, who quoted 'Abd al-Rabm as having
said, 'I was there in the line at Badr and happened to look to my left and right
and found those next to me to be young men. I wasn't feeling very comfortable
at their position, when one of them asked me, keeping his question secret from
his companion, "Uncle, point out Abii Jahl to me." "What will you do to him?"
I asked. He replied, "I swore to God that if I saw him I would kill him or die in
front of him." The other man asked me in confidence the same question.
Nothing pleased me more than to be in that position between them both. I
pointed Abti Jahl out to them and they flew at him like falcons and struck him
down. These men were two sons of 'Afrn'.'"