field. Mahomet was indeed in sore straits; himself maimed, the bulk of
his army scattered, his foes victorious and his headquarters full of
seething discontent, brought to the surface by his defeat, he felt
himself in peril even at Medina, and passed the night fearfully awaiting
what events might bring fresh disaster. But his determination and
foresight did not desert him, and once the tormenting night was passed he
recovered his old resourcefulness and his wonderful energy.

He commanded Bilal to announce that he would pursue the Kureisch, and put
himself, stricken and suffering, at the head of the expedition. They
reached Safra, and remained there three days, returning then to Medina
with the announcement that the Kureisch had eluded them. This sortie was
nothing more than a manifestation of courage, and by it Mahomet hoped to
restore in a measure his shaken confidence in the city, and also to
apprise the Kureisch that he was not utterly crushed.

But his defeat had damaged his prestige far more than a mere expedition
could remedy, and his followers were aghast at his humiliation. Their
world was upturned. It was as if the Lord Himself, for whom they had
suffered so much, had suddenly demonstrated His frailty and human
weakness. And the malcontents in Medina triumphed, especially the Jews,
who saw with joy some measure of the Prophet's brutality towards them
being meted to him in turn. The situation was grave, and Mahomet's
reputation must be at all costs re-established. He retired for some time
to his own quarters, and received the revelation of part of Sura iii,
wherein he explains the whole matter, urging first that Allah was pleased
to make a selection between the brave and the cowardly, the weak and the
steadfast, and then that the defeat was the punishment for disobeying his
divine commands. The passage is written in Mahomet's most forcible style,
and stands out clearly as a reliable account, for neither the defeat of