Muhammad's Slave Concubines

Tabari IX p. 141

They were Mariyah bt. Shamun, the Copt, and Rayhana bt. Zayd al-Quraziyyah, who, it is said, was of the Banu al-Nadir. Muhammad may be the only prophet in recorded history to officially have sex slaves.

Muhammad's scribes

Tabari IX p. 147

It is reported that Uthman b. Affan used to write for him at times, while Ali b. Abi Talib, Khalid b. Said, Aban b. Said and al-Ala b. al-Hadrami also used to write for him. It is said that the first person to write for him was Ubayy b. Kab, and that when he was absent, Zayd b. Thabit wrote for him. Abdallah b. Sad b. Abi Sarh used to write for him. He apostatized from Islam and later returned to Islam on the day of the conquest of Mecca. Muawiyah b. Abi Sufyan and Hanzalah al-Usayyidi also wrote for him. Of the scribes mentioned here, most were for correspondance, letters and the like. Converting the recitals (Quran) of Muhammad into a book was not a high priority during Muhammads' lifetime. The only person known with certainty to have written Quranic revelation is Abdallah b. Sad. The story of his apostacy is interesting. Muhammad would dictate the Quran to him in order that it should become a book. In one particular instance (verse 23:12), Abdallah (whose name, presumably given before Islam, means 'Slave to Allah') suggested a correction to the text. When Muhammad accepted it without particular hesitation, Abdallah started doubting that the Quran was the indisputable, eternal words from Allah, and eventually left Islam returned to his tribe in Mecca. He was on the list of people to be killed when Muhammad conquered Mecca, but survived and became a loyal Muslim after an intense encounter with Muhammad.

Muhammad's horses

Tabari IX p. 148

The first horse owned by Muhammad was the one he bought in Medina from a man of the Banu Fazarah for ten awaq [a weight unit]. Its name as given by the Bedouin was al-Daris ['Stubborn'], but Muhammad named it al-Sakb [Swift Horse] The first expedition he undertook on it was Uhud. At that time, the Muslims did not have any other horse except the one belonging to Abu Burdah b. Niyar, which was called Mulawih ['Slender']. Initially, horses were used for transportation more than for war. The defeat at Uhud, however, taught Muhammad a lesson about the efficiency of cavalry, and he would later use the income from the slave trade to aquire many more horses. The allotment of three times as much booty to riders than to foot soldiers was also a strong motivation for individual Muslims to aquire and keep horses. Muhammad himself had more horses than scribes. al-Murtajiz was the horse Muhammad purchased from a Bedouin of the Banu Murrah, according to Khuzaymah b. Thabit. Muhammad had three horses: Lizaz, al-Zarib> and al-Luhayf; they were presented to him by al-Muqawqis, Rabiah b. Abi al-Bara and Farwah b. Amr al-Judhami. Muhammad rewarded Rabiah b. Abi al-Bara [for al-Luhayf] with camels [that were taken in payment of zakat] from the herds of the Banu Kalib. The reference to the zakat tax is weird. The tax was supposed to be in support of the poor, not for the benefit of Muhammad personally or his family. Muhammad could hardly be considered poor, but with a household of a dozen women, many children, domestic animals, as well as warriors to pay and gifts to give, his cost of living must have been extraordinarily high by the standards of the day. Tamim al-Dari presented a horse called al-Ward [bright coloured] to Muhammad, and he gave it to Umar, who rode it in the cause of Allah and [later] found out that it was sold [in the market]. Having horses for use 'in the cause of Allah' was one of the main reasons the Muslims became such effective warriors. Their cavalry eventually became without equal among the Arabs. Some allege that Muhammad had a horse called al-Yasub in addition to the horses I have mentioned.

The names of Muhammad's Mules

Tabari IX p. 150

Duldul, Muhammads mule, was the first mule to be seen in Islam. It was presented to him by al-Muqawqis with a donkey called Ufayr. The mule survived until the time of Muawiyah. Farwah b. Amr gave Muhammad a mule called Fiddah and he gave it o Abu Bakr [along with] his donkey Yafur. The donkey died after his return from the Farewell Pilgrimage. It's funny that we have more precise accounts of the animals owned by Muhammad than of the sermons given by him.

The Names of Muhammad's Camels

Tabari IX p. 150

Al-Qaswa was from the camels of the Banu al-Harish, and was bought with another camel by Abu Bakr for eight hundred dirhams (drachmas). Muhammad bought it from Abu Bakr for four hundred, and it remained with him until he died. It was the camel on which he emigrated [from Mecca to Medina]. When he came to Medina, it was seven years old. Muhammad is held in such high reverence that even the story of how he aquired his camel is preserved.

The Names of Muhammad's Milch Camels

Tabari IX p. 151

Muhammad had milch camels which were raided by the Bedouins in a thicket. They were twenty and Muhammad's family lived on their milk. Every evening, two big waterskins filled with milk were brought to him. Among those camels were some which yielded abundant milk. [They were] al-Hannah, al-Samra, al-Aris, al-Sadiyyah, al-Baghum, al-al Yasirah and al-Rayya.

Muhammad's Milch Sheep

Tabari IX p. 153

Muhammad's milch sheep were seven: Ajwah, Zamzam, Suqya, Barakah, Warisah, Atlal and Atraf. Good to know.

Muhammad's Swords

Tabari IX p. 153

Muhammad took three swords from the armor of the Banu Qaynuqa, which were called Qalai, Battar ['very sharp'] and al-Hatf ['death']. 'Took' is certainly a significantly more polite word than 'stole'. After that he had al-Mikhdaham ['sharp'] and Rasub ['that is wont to sink'], which he took from [the property of] al-Fils [a shrine]. Certainly nothing is sacred to Muhammad except Allah and the Kaaba. It is said that when Muhammad came to Medina, he had two swords with him. One was called al-Adb ['sharp'], with which he participated at Badr. The sword called Dhu al-Faqar was obtained from the booty at Badr. It had belonged to Munabbih b. al-Hajjaj. As above, no doubt remains as to how he aquired his swords. According to Quran 8:69, this is not evil. It is lawful and good.

Muhammad's Bows and Lances

Tabari IX p. 154

Muhammad took three lances and three bows from the weapons of the Banu Qaynuqa. The names of the bows were al-Rawha, a shawhat bow called al-Bayda ['white'], and a yellow bow called al-Safra of nab wood. The same comments as above apply to how Muhammad aquired these weapons. Giving most of the pieces in his armory an individual name shows how much he appreciated weapons.

Muhammad's Coats of Mail

Tabari IX p. 154

Muhammad took two coats of mail from the weapons of the Banu Qaynuqa: One was called al-Sadiyyah and the other Fiddah ['silver']. All this 'taking' is getting a bit monotonous. It is related in Tabari VIII:39: Then the Messenger of Allah sent Sad bin Zayd with some of the Qurayza captives to Najd, and in exchange for them he purchased horses and arms. how Muhammad financed his war by slave trade. But Muhammad appeared to prefer 'taking' his weapons over trading prisoners of war for them. Al-Harith: "On the day of Uhud, I saw Muhammad wearing two coats of mail, Dhat al-Fudul and Fiddah; I saw him on the day of Khaybar wearing two coats of mail, Dhat al-Fudul and al-Sadiyyah." Donning double suits of armor shows that Muhammad had no intention to follow his preachings on the virtues of martyrdom. He had many worldly goods and wives, and repeatedly stated that his importance to the Muslims kept him from seeking martyrdom.

Muhammad's Shields

Tabari IX p. 155

Muhammad had a shield with a sculptured image of a ram's head which he disliked, and one morning when he woke up, Allah caused that image to disappear. Of course, some friendly Muslim might have given Allah a hand in making it disappear.

Muhammad's Names

Tabari IX p. 155

Muhammad named himself to us [in various ways] from which we remember him saying: "I am Muhammad the [one who is praised], Ahmad [the most praiseworthy], al-Muqaffi [the follower], al-Hashir [the gatherer], Nabi al-tawbah wa'l-rahman [the Prophet of repentance and mercy]. There is no doubt that Muhammad liked praise. He had no reservations about praising himself, a remarkable contrast to Jesus and the Jewish prophets. As for repentence and mercy, it seems that the records exemplifying these qualities have been lost. We have the word of Muhammad that he posessed these qualities, though. Muhammad told: "I have several names. I am Muhammad, Ahmad, al-Aqib [the last in succession], and al-Mahi [the obliberator]." Al-Zuhri states: "Al-Aqib is the one after whom there is no one [i.e., no prophet], and al-Mahi is the one through whom Allah will efface infidelity. After Muhammad, no more prophets, no Messiah, no saviours, no more hopes. This is the end.

Muhammad's Characteristics

Tabari IX p. 157

Ali b. Abi Talib said: "Muhammad was neither tall nor short. [He had] a large head and beard, the palms of his hands and his feet were calloused, [he had] large joints, his face [had] a reddish tinge, the hair of his breast was long, and when he walked, he bent forward as if he were descending a slope. This is most of what we know about the looks of Muhammad. Except the forward-bend walking, it doesn't look all that unusual. More variant and contradictory descriptions follow, adding to the uncertainty about his looks. No contemporary depictions exist. This might be due to the lack of Arab sculpting traditions, or due to the ban on depicting Muhammad, lest he should be worshipped instead of Allah.

The Seal of Prophethood

Tabari IX p. 158

Muhammad said to me: "O Abu Zayd, come close to me and wipe my back," and he uncovered his back. I touched his back, and then put my finger on the seal and touched it." Ilba asked: "What is the seal?" Abu Zayd replied: "A collection of hair on his shoulders." Abu Nadrah said: "I asked Abu Said al-Khudri about the seal which the Prophet had, and he said that it was like a protruding lump of flesh." Seriously, this is what the scripture says. This is presented as evidence that Muhammad was indeed a prophet.

The truth. Nothing but the truth

Property of of Muhammad