Referring to the above attempted assassination Mr. Washington Irving says: "During this period of his career Mahomet in more than one instance narrowly escaped falling by the hand of an assassin. He himself is charged with the use of insidious means to rid himself of an enemy, for it is said that he sent Amru Ibn Omeya on a secret errand to Mecca, to assassinate Abu Sofian, but the plot was discovered, and the assassin only escaped by rapid flight. The charge, however, is not well substantiated, and is contrary to his general character and conduct."[230] Sir W. Muir writes: "There is just a shadow of possibility that the tradition may have been fabricated by the anti-Omeyad party to throw odium on the memory of Abu Sofian, as having been deemed by Mahomet worthy of death. But this is not to be put against the evidence of unanimous and apparently independent traditions."[231] But, in fact, there are no unanimous and apparently independent traditions of the command of Mohammad to assassinate Abu Sofian; there is only one and but one, by Ibn Sad, which is wholly unreliable, and that too from the lips of the would-be assassin himself who before the introduction of Islam was a professional cutthroat, whose narration, therefore, deserves not our belief. Even if it be taken for granted that Mohammad did send some one to assassinate Abu Sofian, who had already sent some one to assassinate Mohammad as related by Ibn Sad, it was justified in self-defence. It was a measure for retaliation, not one of mere revenge, but only a means of protective retribution, which is lawful under the military law.[232] [Footnote 205: Selections from the Kur-an by Edward William Lane, with an Introduction by Stanley Lane Poole. Intro., p. xliv: Truebner & Co., London, 1879.] [Footnote 206: Islam under the Arabs, by R.D. Osborn, p. 60, London, 1876.] [Footnote 207: Wakidi's Campaigns of Mohammad, pp. 172 & 173: Calcutta Baptist Mission Press; edited by A. Von Kremer.] [Footnote 208: Sir W. Muir writes that "Hishami says, that Mahomet, being vexed by Asma's verses, said _publicly_, 'Who will rid me of this woman?'" But there is no such word in Ibn Hisham which may be rendered '_publicly_.'] [Footnote 209: Ibn Hisham, p. 994. Wakidi does not give this sentence. On the contrary, he says, Salim had taken a vow to kill Abu Afak or die himself.] [Footnote 210: Ibn Sad Katib Wakidi, pp. 186, 187.] [Footnote 211: The Life of Mahomet, by Sir W. Muir, Vol. III, pp. 147-148.] [Footnote 212: In the collections of Bokhari in the Book of Campaigns; and in the Book of Jihad by Moslim.] [Footnote 213: Mohammad-bin Sad Katib Wakidi and Mohammad-bin Ishak. The latter in Ibn Hisham, p. 551.] [Footnote 214: Vide _Osaba-fi Tamiz Issahaba_; or, Biographical Dictionary of Persons who knew Mohammad, by Ibn Hajr-al-Askalani. Part I, No. 1021, p. 434.] [Footnote 215: Ibn Abbas was only five years old at that time, and was at Mecca. His evidence is consequently inadmissible.]