Attachment to a faith is a sign of weakness. But when the attachment is intense, it overwhelms the mind. It was noon. The sun was so strong that one couldn’t bear to look at it. Hazrat Muhammad was sitting steeped in thought. Despair seemed to envelop him from all sides. Khadija, his wife, was sitting beside him with her head lowered, and was mending a tattered shirt. Whatever they possessed had already been sacrificed at the altar of the new faith. The enmity of his rivals was increasing day by day. His followers were being subjected to all kinds of travails. It was difficult for the prophet himself to move out of his house. People sometimes threw stones at him. He often got news of his followers being robbed or injured, which made him extremely sad. He prayed to God for patience and forgiveness.
The Prophet said, ‘These people won’t allow me to stay here any more. I can bear it, but I can’t bear to see my friends undergoing such travails.’
Khadija replied, ‘If we leave this place, then we’ll have no refuge. At least they can come to you now and share their plight. When in misfortune, one needs a shoulder to cry on.’
‘I don’t want to leave alone. I intend to take all my friends with me. We are scattered here. It is difficult to reach out to one another for help. If all of us live in one place like a close-knit family, no one will dare attack us. Our collective strength will turn us into a sand hill over which no one will dare to climb.’
Suddenly, Zainab entered. There was no one with her. She was panting for breath. Khadija hugged her and asked, ‘What is it, Zainab? Are you all right?’
Zainab told her about her inner struggle and expressed the desire to be initiated into the new religion by her father.
The Prophet’s eyes brimmed over as he said, ‘Daughter, nothing would bring me greater happiness. But I know very well that you’ll be in trouble.’
Zainab replied, ‘Most esteemed sir! I’ve decided to give up everything for God. I do not want to risk my salvation for worldly happiness.’
‘Zainab. You’ll face many difficulties in the path of God.’
‘Abba jaan, when one’s heart is suffused with devotion one doesn’t mind difficulties.’
‘Your relationship with your husband’s family will be ruptured.’
‘My relationship with God will compensate for it.’
‘How about Abul Aas?’
Zainab’s eyes became moist. She said feebly, ‘Abba jaan, it is his thought that kept me away from you all these days. If it were not so, I would’ve adopted the new faith long ago. I know I can’t live without him. He would also find it difficult to bear my separation. But I have this firm belief that some day he’ll accept the new religion and then I’ll have the opportunity to be of service to him.’
‘Abul Aas is honest, kind and a good orator. But his pride might keep him away from God. He doesn’t believe in destiny. He doesn’t have faith in the soul, in heaven and hell. He says there’s no need for God. Why should we fear Him? Our conscience and intellect are sufficient to guide us. Such an individual cannot have faith in God. It is easy to challenge non-belief, but when it takes the shape of philosophy no one can change it.’
Zainab said firmly, ‘Esteemed sir, I want that which uplifts my soul. I won’t allow any human being to come between me and God.’
The Prophet blessed her. ‘May God be kind to you. You’ve made me so happy.’
He took Zainab in his arms.3
On the following day Zainab was made to read the kalma, the profession of faith, in the mosque and initiated into the new faith.
When the people of the Quraish tribe came to know of this, they were furious. What a calamity! Islam is beginning to poach people from established families! If it continues unchallenged, it will slowly grow in strength and it’ll be difficult for us to stop it.
A huge gathering took place in the house of Abul Aas. Abu Sufiyan, the foremost enemy of Islam, said to Abul Aas, ‘You must divorce your wife.’
Abul Aas said, ‘Certainly not.’
Abu Sufiyan asked him, ‘Are you thinking of becoming a Mussulman yourself?’
‘Certainly not.’
‘Then she must live in Muhammad’s house.’
‘No. I seek your permission to bring her home.’
‘Surely not.’
‘Can’t my community show me this much understanding? If it can’t, then you can make me an outcast. I’ll happily undergo any other punishment that you may decide to give me. But I can’t leave my wife. I don’t want to rob anyone of their religious freedom, least of all my wife.’
‘Are there no other girls in the Quraish tribe?’
‘There’s no one like Zainab.’
‘We can tell you of girls whose beauty will put even the moon to shame.’
‘I’m not a worshipper of beauty.’
‘We can provide you girls who are adept at housekeeping, who have a sweet tongue, who cook food that tastes good even to the sick, who are so skilled at stitching and darning that they can transform an old rag into a new fabric.’
‘I do not care for any of these. I’m simply a worshipper of love. And I’m sure no one in the world can love me as deeply as Zainab does.’
‘If she loved you so deeply, would she have betrayed you in this way?’
‘I don’t want her to give up her individualism because of me.’
‘This means you want to stay like an antisocial within the community. By God, the community will not allow you to do it. I can say for sure that you’ll regret your decision.’4
When Abu Sufiyan and his team left after administering the threat, Abul Aas picked up his stick and reached Muhammad’s house. It was evening. The Prophet was saying the evening prayers with his disciples. Abul Aas greeted
