their Lord.

In the beginning of the next year the prophet had a revelation,
commanding him to prohibit wine and games of chance. Some say the
prohibition was owing to a quarrel occasioned by these things among his
followers.[57]

In the fifth year of the Hegira, Mahomet, informed by his spies of a
design against Medina, surrounded it with a ditch, which was no sooner
finished than the Meccans, with several tribes of Arabs, sat down before
it, to the number of ten thousand men. The appearance of so great a
force threw the Mussulmans into a consternation. Some were ready to
revolt; and one of them exclaimed aloud, "Yesterday the prophet promised
us the wealth of Khusrau (Cosroes) and Caesar, and now he is forced to
hide himself behind a nasty ditch." In the mean time Mahomet, skilfully
concealing his real concern, and setting as good a face upon the matter
as he could, marched out with three thousand Mussulmans, and formed his
army at a little distance behind the intrenchment. The two armies
continued facing each other for twenty days, without any action, except
a discharge of arrows on both sides. At length some champions of the
Koreishites, Amru son of Abdud, Acrema son of Abu Jehel, and Nawfal son
of Abdallah, coming to the ditch leaped over it; and, wheeling about
between the ditch and the Moslem army, challenged them to fight. Ali
readily accepted the challenge, and came forward against his uncle Amru,
who said to him, "Nephew, what a pleasure am I now going to have in
killing you." Ali replied, "No; it is I that am to have a much greater
pleasure in killing you." Amru immediately alighted, and, having
hamstrung his horse, advanced toward Ali, who had also dismounted and
was ready to receive him. They immediately engaged, and, in turning
about to flank each other, raised such a dust that they could not be
distinguished, only the strokes of their swords might be heard. At last,
the dust being laid, Ali was seen with his knee upon the breast of his
adversary, cutting his throat. Upon this, the other two champions went
back as fast as they came. Nawfal, however, in leaping the ditch, got a
fall, and being overwhelmed with a shower of stones, cried out, "I had
rather die by the sword than thus." Ali hearing him, leaped into the
ditch and despatched him. He then pursued after Acrema, and having
wounded him with a spear, drove him and his companions back to the army.
Here they related what had happened; which put the res