That a group of Quraysh, representing the nobles of every tribe, gathered to enter Dar al-Nadwa. Iblis intercepted them in the form of an elderly, dignified man. When they saw him, they said: "Who are you?" He said: "An elderly man from the people of Najd. I heard of what you have gathered for, so I wanted to be present with you. You will not be deprived of my opinion and advice." They said: "Certainly, enter." So he entered with them. He said: "Look into the matter of this man (the Prophet), for by Allah, he is about to spring upon you in your affair with his own command." Someone said: "Imprison him in bonds, then wait for the end (death) until he perishes just as those before him perished among the poets, such as Zuhayr and Nabighah; for he is but like one of them." Then the enemy of Allah, the Shaykh from Najd, said: "No, by Allah, this is not an opinion for you. By Allah, he will surely release his opinion from his prison to his companions, so they will be quick to rise up against you until they take him from your hands, and then they will protect him from you. I do not feel secure that they might drive you out of your lands. So look into a different opinion." Someone said: "Then expel him from among you, and you will find relief from him. For if he leaves, you will not be harmed by what he does or where he falls. Once his harm is absent from you, you will have relief, and his matter will be with others." The Shaykh from Najd said: "By Allah, this is not an opinion for you. Do you not see the sweetness of his speech, the eloquence of his tongue, and how he captures hearts with what they hear of his discourse? By Allah, if you do that, and then he goes forth to the Arabs, they will surely gather to him and will surely march against you until he drives you from your lands and kills your nobles." They said: "By Allah, he has spoken the truth. So look for an opinion other than this." Abu Jahl said: "By Allah, I shall suggest to you an opinion that I do not see you have discerned anything else better than it." They said: "And what is that?" He said: "We take from every tribe a young, noble, and energetic boy, then give each boy a sharp sword. Then they shall strike him—meaning: a strike of one man. If you kill him, his blood will be divided among all the tribes, and I do not think this clan of Banu Hashim will have the strength to war against all of Quraysh. And if they see that, they will accept the blood money, and we will have found relief and severed his harm from us." The Shaykh from Najd said: "By Allah, this is the opinion, the statement! What the young man said, there is no opinion other than it." They dispersed upon that, and they were in agreement upon it. He (Ibn Ishaq) said: Then Gabriel came to the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, and commanded him not to sleep in his bedding where he used to sleep, and informed him of the plot of the people. So the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, did not sleep in his house that night, and Allah permitted him at that time to depart. After his arrival in Medina, He revealed regarding him in [Surah] al-Anfal, mentioning His favor upon him and His trial regarding him: "And [remember] when those who disbelieved plotted against you to restrain you or kill you or evict you [of Makkah]. But they plan, and Allah plans. And Allah is the best of planners."
(1). Al-Durr al-Manthur, Ibn Kathir: 3/585.
أَنَّ نَفَرًا مِنْ قُرَيْشٍ وَمِنْ أَشْرَافِ كُلِّ قَبِيلَةٍ، اجْتَمَعُوا لِيَدْخُلُوا دَارَ النَّدْوَةِ وَاعْتَرَضَهُمْ إِبْلِيسُ فِي صُورَةِ شَيْخٍ جَلِيلٍ، فَلَمَّا رَأَوْهُ قَالُوا: مَنْ أَنْتَ؟ قَالَ: شَيْخٌ مِنْ أَهْلِ نَجْدٍ، سَمِعْتُ بِمَا اجْتَمَعْتُمْ لَهُ فَأَرَدْتُ أَنْ أَحْضَرَكُمْ وَلَنْ يَعْدِمَكُمْ مِنِّي رَأْيٌ وَنُصْحٌ قَالُوا:
أَجَلْ فَادْخُلْ فَدَخَلَ مَعَهُمْ قَالَ: انْظُرُوا فِي شَأْنِ هذا الرجل فو الله لَيُوشِكَنَّ أَنْ يُوَاثِبَكُمْ فِي أَمْرِكُمْ بِأَمْرِهِ فَقَالَ قَائِلٌ: احْبِسُوهُ فِي وَثَاقٍ ثُمَّ تَرَبَّصُوا بِهِ الْمَنُونَ حَتَّى يَهْلِكَ كَمَا هَلَكَ مَنْ كَانَ قَبْلَهُ مِنَ الشُّعَرَاءِ زُهَيْرُ وَنَابِغَةُ، فَإِنَّمَا هُوَ كَأَحَدِهِمْ، فَقَالَ عَدُوُّ اللَّهِ- الشَّيْخُ النَّجْدِيُّ: لَا وَاللَّهِ، مَا هَذَا لَكُمْ بِرَأْي وَاللَّهِ لَيُخْرِجَنَّ رَأْيَهُ مِنْ مَحْبَسِهِ إِلَى أَصْحَابِهِ فَلَيُوشِكَنَّ أَنْ يَثِبُوا عَلَيْهِ حَتَّى يَأْخُذُوهُ مِنْ أَيْدِيكُمْ، ثُمَّ يَمْنَعُوهُ مِنْكُمْ فَمَا آمَنَ عَلَيْكُمْ أَنْ يُخْرِجُوكُمْ مِنْ بِلادِكُمْ، فَانْظُرُوا فِي غَيْرِ هَذَا الرَّأْي، فَقَالَ قَائِلٌ: فَأَخْرِجُوهُ مِنْ بَيْنِ أَظْهُرِكُمْ فَاسْتَرِيحُوا مِنْهُ فَإِنَّهُ إِذَا خَرَجَ لَمْ يَضُرُّكُمْ مَا صَنَعَ وَأَيْنَ وَقَعَ وَإِذَا غَابَ عَنْكُمْ أَذَاهُ اسْتَرَحْتُمْ مِنْهُ وَكَانَ أَمْرُهُ فِي غَيْرِكُمْ فَقَالَ الشَّيْخُ النَّجْدِيُّ: وَاللَّهِ مَا هَذَا لَكُمْ بِرَأْي، أَلَمْ تَرَوْا حَلاوَةَ قَوْلِهِ وَطَلاقَةَ لِسَانِهِ وَأَخْذَهُ لِلْقُلُوبِ بِمَا يَسْتَمِعُ مِنْ حَدِيثِهِ؟ وَاللَّهِ لَئِنْ فَعَلْتُمْ ثُمَّ اسْتَعْرَضَ الْعَرَبَ لِيَجْتَمِعُنَّ عَلَيْهِ ثُمَّ لَيَسِيرَنَّ إِلَيْكُمْ حَتَّى يُخْرِجَكُمْ مِنْ بِلادِكُمْ وَيَقْتُلَ أَشْرَافَكُمْ، قَالُوا: صَدَقَ وَاللَّهِ، فَانْظُرُوا رَأْيًا غَيْرَ هَذَا، فَقَالَ أَبُو جَهْلٍ:
وَاللَّهِ لأَشِيرَنَّ عَلَيْكُمْ بِرَأْي مَا أَرَى أَبْصَرْتُمُوهُ بَعْدُ مَا أَرَى غَيْرَهُ، قَالُوا: وَمَا هَذَا؟ قَالَ:
نَأْخُذُ مِنْ كُلِّ قَبِيلَةٍ غُلامًا سَبِطًا شَابًّا نَهْدًا، ثُمَّ نُعْطِي كُلَّ غُلامٍ مِنْهُمْ سَيْفًا صَارِمًا، ثُمَّ يَضْرِبُونَهُ يَعْنِي: ضَرْبَةَ رَجُلٍ وَاحِدٍ، فَإِذَا قَتَلْتُمُوهُ تَفَرَّقَ دَمُهُ فِي الْقَبَائِلِ كُلِّهَا فَلا أَظُنُّ هَذَا الْحَيُّ مِنْ بَنِي هَاشِمٍ يَقْوُونَ عَلَى حَرْبِ قُرَيْشٍ كُلِّهُمْ، وَأَنَّهُمْ إِذَا رَأَوْا ذَلِكَ قَبِلُوا الْعَقْلَ وَاسْتَرَحْنَا وَقَطَعْنَا عَنَّا أَذَاهُ، فَقَالَ الشَّيْخُ النَّجْدِيُّ: هَذَا وَاللَّهِ هُوَ الرَّأْي الْقَوْلُ، مَا قَالَ الْفَتَى لَا رَأْيَ غَيْرَهُ فَتَفَرَّعُوا عَلَى ذَلِكَ وَهُمْ مُجْمِعُونَ لَهُ، قَالَ: فَأَتَى جِبْرِيلُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَأَمَرَهُ أَنْ لَا يَبِيتَ فِي مَضْجَعِهِ الَّذِي كَانَ يَبِيتُ، وَأَخْبَرَهُ بِمَكْرِ الْقَوْمِ فَلَمْ يَبِتْ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فِي بَيْتِهِ تِلْكَ اللَّيْلَةِ وَأَذِنَ اللَّهُ لَهُ عِنْدَ ذَلِكَ فِي الْخُرُوجِ، وَأَنْزَلَ عَلَيْهِ بَعْدَ قُدُومِهِ الْمَدِينَةَ فِي الأَنْفَالِ يَذْكُرُ نِعْمَتَهُ عَلَيْهِ وَبَلاءَهُ عِنْدَهُ وَإِذْ يَمْكُرُ بِكَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا لِيُثْبِتُوكَ أَوْ يَقْتُلُوكَ أَوْ يُخْرِجُوكَ وَيَمْكُرُونَ وَيَمْكُرُ اللَّهُ والله خير الماكرين «١»
(١) . الدر ابن كثير: ٣/ ٥٨٥.
