The Announcement of One Hundred Camels
When a Companion, Hazrat Hamzah ibn Jundub رضي الله عنه, learned that the Noble Prophet ﷺ had migrated, he said:
«“Now there is no reason for me to remain in Makkah.”»
Then he ordered his family to accompany him. The household set out for Madinah. They had only reached the place of Tan‘im when Hazrat Hamzah رضي الله عنه passed away.
On this occasion, Allah Almighty revealed the following verse in Surah al-Nisa:
«“And whoever leaves his home with the intention of migrating toward Allah and His Messenger, and then death overtakes him, his reward has surely become established with Allah. And Allah is Most Forgiving, Most Merciful.”
(Verse 100)»
Once, the Noble Prophet ﷺ said to Hazrat Hassan ibn Thabit رضي الله عنه:
«“Hassan, have you also composed any poetry about Abu Bakr?”»
He replied:
«“Yes.”»
The Prophet ﷺ said:
«“Recite it. I want to hear it.”»
Hazrat Hassan ibn Thabit رضي الله عنه was a great poet. He was also given the title the Poet of the Messenger of Allah. At the request of the Noble Prophet ﷺ, he recited two couplets. Their translation is:
«“Abu Bakr Siddiq was the second of the two, when the two were in the lofty cave, and when they reached the mountain, the enemy circled around them.
He was passionately devoted to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, as the whole world knows, and in this love for the Messenger ﷺ he had no equal or rival.”»
Upon hearing these verses, the Noble Prophet ﷺ began to smile, until his blessed teeth became visible. He then said:
«“You have spoken the truth, Hassan. He is just as you have described him. He is the most beloved person to the one in the cave—that is, to me—and no other person can equal him.”»
Hazrat Abu al-Darda رضي الله عنه relates that one day the Noble Prophet ﷺ saw me walking ahead of Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddiq رضي الله عنه. He said:
«“O Abu al-Darda! What is this? You are walking ahead of the man who is superior to you in this world and the Hereafter. By the One in Whose Hand is my life, after the Prophets and Messengers, neither has the sun ever risen nor set upon a man more excellent than Abu Bakr.”»
It is narrated from Hazrat ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Amr ibn al-‘As رضي الله عنهما that he heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say:
«“Jibril came to me and said: ‘Allah Almighty commands you to consult Abu Bakr.’”»
Hazrat Anas رضي الله عنه narrates that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
«“The love of Abu Bakr is obligatory upon my Ummah.”»
These few Ahadith have been mentioned concerning the virtues of Hazrat Abu Bakr رضي الله عنه because he was the companion of the Noble Prophet ﷺ during the journey of migration, and this was a tremendous honor.
After leaving the cave, the Noble Prophet ﷺ and Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddiq رضي الله عنه mounted their camels and began their journey with the guide. Hazrat ‘Amir ibn Fuhayrah رضي الله عنه was also riding the same camel with Hazrat Abu Bakr رضي الله عنه.
Thus, this small caravan set out. The guide was taking them along the coastal route.
Whenever someone met them on the way and asked Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddiq رضي الله عنه:
«“Who is this person with you?”»
he would reply:
«“He is my guide.”»
That is, “He is the one who shows me the way.”
His intended meaning was that the Prophet ﷺ was the one showing him the way of religion. However, the people asking the question understood his ambiguous answer to mean that the person accompanying him was simply a guide.
The reason Hazrat Abu Bakr رضي الله عنه answered in this manner was that the Noble Prophet ﷺ had instructed him:
«“Keep turning people away from me; that is, if anyone asks about me, give them this kind of ambiguous answer.”»
This was because it was not appropriate for a Prophet to lie in any circumstance, regardless of the situation. Therefore, whenever anyone asked Hazrat Abu Bakr رضي الله عنه about the Prophet ﷺ, he would give the same answer.
As for Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddiq رضي الله عنه himself, he frequently traveled along these routes for trade, and many people knew him. Therefore, no one asked him who he was.
Meanwhile, the Quraysh had announced a reward of one hundred she-camels for anyone who captured the Prophet ﷺ. Hazrat Suraqah ibn Malik رضي الله عنه also heard this announcement. At that time, he had not yet accepted Islam.
Hazrat Suraqah رضي الله عنه himself relates his story in these words:
«“As soon as I heard this announcement, a man from a coastal settlement came to me and said:
‘O Suraqah! I saw some people traveling near the coast, and I think they are Muhammad ﷺ and his companions.’»
“I also became certain that they could only be the Noble Prophet ﷺ and his companions.
“So I got up, went home, and ordered my slave girl to bring out my mare and secretly take it to the valley. I told her to remain there and wait for me.
“After that, I took my spear and went out from the back of my house until I reached the valley. The purpose of keeping everything secret was that I wanted to accomplish the task alone and obtain the reward of one hundred she-camels.
“I had also put on my armor. Then I mounted my mare and set off in that direction. I made my mare run very fast.
“Eventually, I came within some distance of the Noble Prophet ﷺ. But at that very moment, my mare stumbled and fell forward onto the ground. I also fell down. Then the mare got up and began neighing.
“I got up. In my quiver were arrows used for divination by the Arabs. Some of these arrows had ‘Do it’ written on them, while others had ‘Do not do it’ written on them.
“I took one of the arrows and drew a lot. In other words, I wanted to know whether I should carry out this task or not.
“The result was negative—the arrow indicated that I should not do it.
“But this was against my desire. I wanted to obtain the reward of one hundred she-camels. So, despite the ‘Do not do it’ arrow, I mounted my mare and continued forward.
“I came very close to the Noble Prophet ﷺ. At that time, he was reciting the Holy Qur’an and was not looking back. However, Hazrat Abu Bakr رضي الله عنه was repeatedly looking back.
“Just then, both front legs of my mare sank into the ground up to the knees, even though the ground there was hard and rocky.
“I got off the mare and scolded it. It stood up, but its legs were still sunk into the ground and would not come out.
“I drew the arrows again. Once again, the ‘Do not do it’ arrow came out.
“Finally, I called out:
«‘Look toward me! I will not harm you, nor will anything unpleasant come to you from me. I am Suraqah ibn Malik, your well-wisher. I do not intend to harm you. I do not know whether the people from my settlement have also set out toward you.’»
“By saying this, I meant that if any other people were coming in that direction, I would stop them.
“At this, the Noble Prophet ﷺ said to Hazrat Abu Bakr رضي الله عنه:
«‘Ask him what he wants.’»
“I then told them about myself and explained my intention. I said:
«‘Just pray that my mare’s legs come out of the ground. I promise that I will not pursue you anymore.’”»