they said, “There is no one inside; here is a dove perched on the branch of a tree at the entrance, and here is a spider that has spun its web across the doorway.” None of this is authentic, for what kept the idolaters from seeing the Prophet (blessings and peace be upon him) and his companion Abū Bakr was not some physical factor—available to them as to anyone else—but rather an immaterial one, a sign from among Allah’s signs. Allah screened the idolaters’ sight so that they could not perceive the Messenger (blessings and peace be upon him) and his companion Abū Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him). Had the concealment depended on tangible things such as a spider’s web, a dove, or a tree, any person might have used them to hide from others. Instead, it was a miraculous sign granted by Allah. In short, what is reported in certain historical works on this matter is unsound; the indisputable truth is that Allah—exalted is He—blinded the eyes of the idolaters so that they could not see the Prophet (blessings and peace be upon him) and his companion (may Allah be pleased with him) inside the cave. Allah is the One who grants success.

82_ The ninth: On the authority of the Mother of the Believers, Umm Salamah—whose name was Hind bint Abī Umayyah Ḥudhayfa al-Makhzūmiyyah (may Allah be pleased with her)—that the Prophet (blessings and peace be upon him), whenever he left his house, used to say: “In the name of Allah; I have placed my trust in Allah. O Allah, I seek refuge in You lest I stray or be led astray, slip or be made to slip, wrong or be wronged, act ignorantly or have ignorance shown toward me.” A sound hadith narrated by