An Islamic Treasury of Virtues
9. Manners In Society
~ 218 ~
are not dead! And may God keep you alive so that
you may have the taste of humiliation. “
(AL-BUKHARI,
SAHIH)
LEARNING THE FACTS BY ASKING THE RIGHT
QUESTIONS
When the Muslims were on their way from
Madinah to the field of Badr, they came across two
men, one a Qurayshite and the other a slave. They
gave chase to them but were only able to capture
the slave, whom they interrogated. But when asked
the strength of the Quraysh army that was
advancing upon Madinah, the slave-even under
pressure-would only say:
“They are many, and their strength is great.” When
the Prophet put the same question to him, his
answer was the same. Efforts were made to make
him be more explicit about numbers, but to no avail.
So the Prophet rephrased the question, “How many
camels do they slaughter in one day?” he asked, and
was told, “Ten camels,” “So the enemy must number
one thousand,” concluded the Prophet, “One camel
being sufficient for one hundred men.”
