Muhammad a Prophet For all Humanity
9. The Prophetic Method
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As for the army of angels, they did not come and
wield their swords alongside the Muslims. They
provided psychological rather than military
support. What they did, as on several other
occasions, was “give courage to the believers, and
cast terror into the hearts of the infidels.”
16
They
made the enemy appear as a “smaIl band,” while
the Muslims were made to appear as a “great army”
in the eyes of their enemies.
17
During the reign of the second Caliph, ‘Umar (A.D.
634-644), the Muslim army landed at Qadsiyyah, on
the threshold of Iran under the leadership of Sa’d ibn
Abi Waqqas. They had to stay there longer than
expected, and it was not long before their provisions
ran out. Sa’d then sent a few men to look for some
cattle, which they could eat. They met an Iranian,
whom they asked whether there were any goats or
cows around. Although—the Iranian was a shepherd
himself, he denied all knowledge of there being any
animals in the vicinity. He had hidden his own flock
in a dense jungle nearby on hearing of the presence
of the Muslim army. But then an ox called out: “The
shepherd is lying. We are here, in this under-
growth.” On hearing the cry the Muslims entered
