English translation
3906. The nephew of Surāqa bin Ju'sham said that his father informed him that he heard Surāqa bin Ju'sham saying, "The messengers of the heathens of Quraish came to us declaring that they had assigned for the persons who would kill or arrest Allāh's Messenger (ﷺ) and Abū Bakr, a reward equal to their bloodmoney.(1) While I was sitting in one of the gatherings of my tribe Bani Mudlij, a man from them came to us and stood up while we were sitting, and said, "O Surāqa! No doubt, I have just seen some people far away on the seashore, and I think they are Muḥammad (ﷺ) and his Companions." Surāqa added, "I too realised that it must have been they. But I said, 'No, it is not they, but you have seen so-and-so, and so-and-so whom we saw set out.' I stayed in the gathering for a while and then got up and left for my home, and ordered my slave-girl to get my horse which was behind a hillock, and keep it ready for me. Then I took my spear and left by the back door of my house dragging the lower end of the spear on the ground and keeping it low(2). Then I reached my horse, mounted it and made it gallop. When I approached them (i.e., Muḥammad ﷺ and Abū Bakr), my horse stumbled and I fell down from it. Then I stood up, got hold of my quiver and took out the divining arrows and drew lots as to whether I should harm them (i.e., the Prophet ﷺ and Abū Bakr) or not, and the lot which I disliked came out. But I remounted my horse and let it gallop, giving no importance to the divining arrows. When I heard the recitation of the Qur'an by Allāh's Messenger ﷺ who did not look hither and thither while Abū Bakr was doing it often, suddenly the forelegs of my horse sank into the ground up to its knees, and I fell down from it. Then I rebuked it and it got up but could hardly take out its forelegs from the ground, and when it stood up straight again, its forelegs caused dust to rise up in the sky like smoke. Then again I drew lots with the divining arrows, and the lot which I disliked, came out. So I called upon them to feel secure. They stopped and I remounted my horse and went to them. When I saw how I had been hampered from harming them, it came to my mind that the cause of Allāh's Messenger ﷺ (i.e., Islām) will become victorious. So I said to him, "Your people have assigned a reward equal to the blood-money for your head." Then I told them all the plans the people of Makkah had made concerning them. Then I offered them some journey-food and goods but they refused to take anything and did not ask for anything, but the Prophet ﷺ said, "Do not tell others about us." Then I requested him to write for me a statement of security and peace. He ordered 'Āmr bin Fuhaira who wrote it for me on a parchment, and then Allāh's Messenger ﷺ proceeded on his way." Narrated 'Urwa bin Az-Zubair: Allāh's Messenger ﷺ met Az-Zubair in a caravan of Muslim merchants who were returning from Sham. Az-Zubair provided Allāh'sMessenger ﷺ and Abū Bakr with whiteclothes to wear. When the Muslims of Al-Madīna heard the news of the departure ofAllāh's Messenger from Makkah (towardsAl-Madīna), they started going to the Harraevery morning. They would wait for him tillthe heat of the noon forced them to return.One day, after waiting for a long while, theyreturned home, and when they went intotheir houses, a Jew climbed up the roof ofone of the forts of his people to look forsomething, and he saw Allāh's Messenger ﷺand his Companions, dressed in whiteclothes, emerging out of the desert mirage.The Jew could not help shouting at the top ofhis voice, "O you Arabs! Here is your greatman whom you have been waiting for!" So,all the Muslims rushed to their arms andreceived Allāh's Messenger ﷺ on the summitof Harra. The Prophet ﷺ turned with themto the right and alighted at the quarters ofBanī 'Amr bin 'Auf, and this was on Mondayin the month of Rabī-ul-Awwal. Abū Bakrstood up, receiving the people while Allāh'sMessenger ﷺ sat down and kept silent. Someof the Anṣār who came and had not seenAllāh's Messenger ﷺ before, began greetingAbū Bakr, but when the sunshine fell onAllāh's Messenger ﷺ and Abū Bakr cameforward and shaded him with his sheet, onlythen the people came to know Allāh'sMessenger ﷺ. Allāh's Messenger ﷺ stayedwith Banī 'Amr bin 'Auf for ten nights andestablished the mosque (mosque of Qubā)which was founded on piety. Allāh'sMessenger ﷺ offered Ṣalāt (prayer) in itand then mounted his she-camel andproceeded on, accompanied by the peopletill his she-camel knelt down at (the place of)the mosque of Allāh's Messenger ﷺ at Al-Madīna. Some Muslims used to offer Ṣalāt (prayer) there in those days, and that place was a yard for drying dates belonging to Suhail and Sahl, two orphan boys who were under the guardianship of Sa'd bin Zurāra. When his she-camel knelt down, Allāh's Messenger ﷺ said, "This place, if Allāh will, will be our abiding place." Allāh's Messenger ﷺ then called the two boys and told them to suggest the price for that yard so that he might take it as a mosque. The two boys said, "No, but we will give it as a gift, O Allāh's Messenger!"(1) Allāh's Messenger ﷺ then built a mosque there. The Prophet ﷺ himself started carrying unburnt bricks for its building and while doing so, he was saying: "This load is better than the load of Khaibar, for it is more pious before Allāh and purer and better rewardable." He was also saying, "O Allāh! The actual reward is the reward in the Hereafter, so bestow Your Mercy on the Anṣār and the Muhājirun (emigrants)."