They wanted to break into the house and murder him in the...

They wanted to break into the house and murder him in the middle of the night but when they looked through the window and saw his bed occupied they decided that they would leave it for the morning when they could see better. Confident of their numbers and knowing that he could not leave without being seen, they settled down outside the house and waited for sunrise. With the coming of dawn, they rushed into the house with drawn swords and prepared to kill the Prophet (s.a.w.w.).

When Imam Ali (a.s.) heard the noise of their entry he threw off his blanket and they stopped short when they saw that they had the wrong man. "Where is Muhammad?" they asked angrily. "Did you leave him in my charge that you are asking me?" Imam (a.s.) replied. Seeing that they had lost their man and would get no information from Imam Ali (a.s.) they quickly left the house to see if they could find him in the town.

When they discovered that he was no longer in Mecca, they realized that he must have left for Medina and sent out search parties to hunt for him on the way there. They also set a prize of money and 100 camels for anyone who managed to capture the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.w.). Many were tempted by this offer and set off in small parties to look for the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.w.).

One particular group managed to track the footsteps of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.w.) and Abu Bakr and followed the trail to a cave known as the Cave of Thaur. As they approached the cave, the Prophet (s.a.w.w.) and Abu Bakr who were inside, heard them and Abu Bakr became scared that they would be found. The Prophet (s.a.w.w.) reassured him however and told him to place his trust in Allah (S.W.T.).

As the Mushrikeen approached the cave, they saw that a spider had made its web across the entrance and a bird's nest with eggs in it was there too. Knowing that it would have been impossible for anyone to enter the cave without disturbing at least one or both of those things, they abandoned their trail as a false one and headed back to Mecca disappointed. With this amazing miracle, Allah (S.W.T.) saved the Prophet (s.a.w.w.) from being captured by the enemy who would surely have killed him.

The Cave of Thaur was to the south of Mecca while the road to Medina was to the north. Because of this, the people did not come near the cave again and concentrated their search on the northern sides.