The Wounded Polytheist’s Attempt on the Life of Rasul of Allah
Umeyr bin Wahb was a man who fought on the side of the polytheists in the Battle of Badr. He was known for his sharp intellect and on the day of the battle, he had even estimated the number of the Muslim army from a distance. He was a fierce fighter during the battle and had taken multiple blows from swords that had left him on the ground. After the battle, the Muslims had left him among the dead, assuming he was killed. Little did they know that his fate had something different in store for him…
Once the Muslims had departed, Umeyr managed to crawl away from the dead and, with great effort, made his way back to Mecca. His son, however, had been captured by the Muslims and held as a prisoner. When he had healed from his injuries, Umeyr made his way to the Harem in Mecca, where he met with his cousin Safwan bin Umeyye.
Umeyr couldn’t help but talk about the Battle of Badr and how it continued to haunt him, as the events from that day had a profound impact on him.
Safwan interrupted him, saying, “By God, there’s no value in living like this after losing our dear ones. Such a life is accursed!”
Umeyr agreed: “You’re absolutely right. There’s no benefit in living after their loss. But what can I do? I have numerous debts on my head, and I don’t even have five pennies worth of possessions to pay them off. If I were sure that my wife and children wouldn’t be left destitute, starving, and in misery after me, I would have known what to do to Muhammad. But anyway, he should pray and be thankful that I have so many debts!”
Safwan asked, “What would you do?”
Umeyr replied, “I would take my sword, mount my horse, and head straight for Medina to kill him.”
Safwan inquired, “How would you get close to him?”
Umeyr answered, “The reason is already there for me. My son is their captive. I would pretend to go to rescue him.”
Safwan didn’t want to miss this opportunity and asked, “What if I take on all your debts and the livelihood of your family? Would you then do what you just mentioned? You know that I keep my word, and I have the means to fulfill what I promise. What do you say?”
Umeyr paused for a moment, pondered, and then made his decision clear, “If that’s the case, let’s keep what we just discussed between us, and don’t disclose it to anyone.”
“Agreed.”
Umeyr rose from his seat, went home, sharpened and poisoned his sword, mounted his horse, and set off on the road to Medina….