people with what they lack, maintains ties of kinship, bears others’ burdens, offers hospitality to guests, and helps others face hardships in worthy causes?”

Quraysh accepted Ibn al-Daghinnah’s grant of protection and said to him, “Tell Abū Bakr to worship his Lord in his house, praying there and reciting whatever he wishes, without disturbing us or doing so openly. We fear that he may lead our women and children astray.”

Ibn al-Daghinnah conveyed this to Abū Bakr, who continued to worship his Lord in his house, neither praying openly nor reciting outside it. Later, however, he decided to build a mosque in the courtyard of his house. He would pray there and recite the Quran, and the polytheists’ women and children would crowd around him, watching him in amazement. Abū Bakr was a man who wept readily and could not hold back his tears when reciting the Quran. This alarmed the leading men of Quraysh, so they sent for Ibn al-Daghinnah.

When he came to them, they said, “We agreed to grant Abū Bakr safety under your protection on condition that he worship his Lord in his house. But he has gone beyond that: he has built a mosque in his courtyard, where he now prays and recites openly. We fear that he may lead our women and children astray, so tell him to stop. If he wishes to confine himself to worshipping his Lord in his house, he may do so. But if he insists on doing so openly, ask him to release you from your pledge of protection. We are reluctant to violate the protection you have granted, but we will not permit Abū Bakr to worship openly.”

‘Ā’ishah said:

Ibn al-Daghinnah then went to Abū Bakr and said, “You know the terms on which I secured protection for you. Either abide by them or release me from my pledge of protection, for I would not like the Arabs to hear that my protection had been violated in the case of a man to whom I had pledged it.”

Abū Bakr replied, “Then I relinquish your protection and am content with Allah’s protection.” He went on to relate the hadith (1).