his bed so that they would think that the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—was still in the house and would not pursue him. When morning came and they found Ali, the failure of their plan became plain. They did not harm Ali; rather, they asked him about the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—and he told them that he knew nothing of his whereabouts. Ali was in no danger from anyone there (1). The danger was only to the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—and his companion. Had they had any designs against Ali, they would have taken action against him when they found him. Since they did not, this showed that they (2) had no designs against him. What self-sacrifice, then, was there in this?

The one who undoubtedly did sacrifice himself for him, intending to shield him with his own person and bear harm in his stead, was Abu Bakr. Whenever he thought of the pursuers, he would walk behind him; whenever he thought of those lying in wait, he would walk in front of him. He would also go out to ascertain the situation for him. Whenever there [was] (3) anything to fear, he wished that it should befall him rather than the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace.

More than one of the Companions sacrificed himself for him in battle: some were killed defending him, while others had a hand paralyzed, such as Talha ibn Abd Allah. This is obligatory upon all believers. Even supposing that there had been self-sacrifice in this instance, it would have been one of the merits that Ali shared with other Companions. Yet how could that be, when Ali had not been in danger?

Ibn Ishaq said in al-Sīra—even though he was one of Ali’s supporters (4) and was favorably disposed toward him—when recounting the Prophet’s departure from his home and his having Ali take his place in his bed on the night the disbelievers plotted against him, he said (5): “Gabriel came to the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—