An Attempt at Assassination

The thought of still not being able to take the revenge of Badr and not being able to take advantage of the opportunity at Uhud, bothered the Meccan polytheists greatly. They had not yet given up on the thought of killing the Messenger of Allah. One day, Abu Sufyan gathered a group of young men around him and asked, “Isn’t there a valiant one among you who will finish off Muhammad? Just look, he’s walking around

free of worries while we’re suffering in anguish!”
However, not one out of the group had the courage to step forward. Abu Sufyan had no other choice than to return to his house empty-handed. A while later, there was a knocking on Abu Sufyan’s door. When he opened the door, the young Bedouin standing at the door said, “If you give me your word and behave generously towards my requests, I will go and kill him! I know these kinds of jobs very well.”
Abu Sufyan was overjoyed. He had found just the man he was looking for. He gave the young man as many goods and property as he pleased and they made an agreement. Then he gave him strict orders to not tell anyone else of their agreement.
The young Bedouin set off on his journey in the dark of the night, and after a six-day journey he finally reached Medina. He found our Prophet by asking those he came across along the way. He was able to come very close to our Prophet. Meanwhile, our beloved Prophet sensed what his intentions were. He shared his feelings with those around him, but he also assured them that Allah would not permit him to do what he came there to do. The young Bedouin asked, “Which one of you is the son of Abdul Muttalib?”
Allah’s Messenger responded, “I am the son of Abdul Muttalib!”
Upon the answer, the young Bedouin wanted to draw closer to our Prophet, as though he were going to secretly tell him something. Usayd ibn Khudayr sensed his bad intention. Remembering the words he had heard from our Prophet he called out, “Stay away from the Messenger of Allah,” and pulled the young Bedouin from his dress.
Just then, the dagger that the young man was hiding in his waist was exposed. Seeing that his intention was out in the open the young Bedouin was filled with fear. He was asking for mercy from the Messenger of Allah whom he was trying to kill just seconds ago.
Allah’s Messenger turned to the young Bedouin and said, “Tell me the truth! Who are you and why did you come here? If you tell the truth, this will only bring you goodness and aid. Even if you are to lie, in the end, I will find out the things that you hide from me!”
The young Bedouin asked, “Am I safe? Can I trust you?” Our beloved Prophet’s response was, “Yes, you truly are safe.” Following this, the young man told of everything that happened to him, starting from Mecca. That night he stayed under custody in Usayd ibn Khudayr’s home. The next day, the Messenger of Allah called him to his side and said to him, “Now, you are free to go wherever you like. Or, you can choose to do something that will bring you much more goodness.” The young man asked right away, “What is this more auspicious deed?”
The Messenger of Allah replied, “For you to testify that there is no deity but Allah and that I am His Messenger.”
The mercy of our Prophet had touched the young Bedouin deeply. With serenity in his heart, he declared, “I bear witness that there is no deity but Allah and, without a doubt, you are His Messenger.” Then he turned to Allah’s Messenger and said, “I swear to you, O Muhammad! You are a man of utmost compassion! From the very moment that I saw you, my mind flew out of my head, my hands and arms were tied and I had no idea what I was doing! Then, how quickly you realized what my real intention was. No one else knew of my plan, and, even if they had, there was no one to bring the news to you! That was when I realized that you are truly being protected against all evil. You represent the truth, and those following Abu Sufyan are nothing but soldiers of Satan!” The Messenger of Allah smiled after hearing these words. One more person, who had set out to kill him, had found peace in his atmosphere.