The people of Quraysh were now approaching. Walking under the scorching sun had exhausted them. Their guides were leading the way, following the tracks. They started to climb the mountain, all of them breathless. And yes, the tracks ended at the cave’s entrance.

The black guide looked at the end of the tracks and then raised his head to the sky. “I swear by my tools, what you’re looking for hasn’t gone anywhere else! Either they didn’t pass through here, or they ascended to the sky!”

The curly-haired Qurayshi infidel who had wrapped his head in a cloth interjected, “I believe they must be hiding inside this cave!”

Oh no! Hadhrat Siddiq al-Akbar’s heart, right beneath them in the cave, was pounding almost in his throat upon hearing this. He gently extended his head and whispered to our Master, “O Rasul of Allah, if one of them accidentally looks down, they will see us...”

“Quiet, O Abu Bakr! Can two companions, whose third companion is ALLAH, ever feel sad and anxious?”

Suddenly, a sense of relief and tranquility washed over Hadhrat Abu Bakr al-Siddiq’s heart. This was indeed a gift from Allah.

Allah describes this situation in the Quran as follows:

“Indeed, Allah has aided him, even if you haven’t! Remember when the deniers of the knowledge of the reality drove him out of his homeland, he was the second of the two (one of two people)! Remember they were in the cave (Rasulullah saw] and Abu Bakr [ra]) ... Remember he said to his friend, “Do not grieve, certainly Allah is with us” (he was making a reference to the unity of existence) ... Allah endowed tranquility upon him and supported him with armies you did not see... He made the word of those who deny the knowledge of the reality the lowest... It is the word of Allah that is highest! Allah is the Aziz, the Hakim.[1]

The infidel with the cloth wrapped around his head was made a laughingstock by the others. Umayyah mockingly said to him, “May Hubal grant you some sense! Muhammad couldn’t have even come this close. Do you think these doves would have settled here and laid their eggs days ago if someone had entered?!”

The red-faced man among them conceded, “It seems we came the wrong way.” They then began descending slowly and made their way back to the city.

As they disappeared from sight, the Sun, like a red tray, also sank into the sea of sand, disappearing beyond the horizons.

Shortly after, Amir, the freed slave of Hadhrat Abu Bakr as-Siddiq, approached with milk he had obtained from the sheep he had grazed in the vicinity during the day. He put the milk in a container and also added a hot stone from the sun to warm it up before presenting it to them.

He gave them the milk and then left, intending to return the next day. Rasulullah (saw) and Siddiq al-Akbar took out some of their provisions from their bags, mixing a portion of the milk with it, and they ate.

After the sky had darkened completely, Siddiq al-Akbar’s son, Abdullah, arrived and told them about everything he had heard in the city throughout the day. After a while, he set off on his way.

These two companions, these two friends, these two confidants spent the night together in the cave, followed by the next day, the night after that, and even the day after that. Every minute spent together was more precious to Hadhrat Abu Bakr than the entire world and everything in it. On the path that had opened from heart to heart, they were receiving something beyond all the speeds of the universe. The inner dimension spoke... It spoke... It spoke...

Finally, on the evening of the third day, which was Sunday, after the sky had darkened, the guide Abdullah and his two camels arrived at the foot of Mount Sevr. They were followed by Hadhrat Siddiq’s son, Abdullah, and his daughter, Esma. Abdullah brought with him the latest news he had heard in Mecca during the day, while Esma brought the provisions necessary for their long journey.

As Rasulullah and Hadhrat Siddiq listened to Abdullah’s account on one side, Esma was busy wrapping a belt she had prepared three days ago around the package of fresh provisions she had brought. Suddenly, there was a noise, and an instant feeling of excitement gripped them all.

However, there was nothing to fear; it was Amir who had arrived, bearing fresh milk. Seeing him, they all felt relieved, and their task was now complete.

After bidding farewell to Abdullah and Esma, who had placed the sheep Amir brought in front of them, they set off on their journey back to Mecca.

“May Allah guide and protect you,” they said as they departed.