I bowed over the torn silk that had been my house and said, "The silk touched the hand of Allah's Messenger before I did." Then I cried. I continued to cry until my house dissolved in my tears and the cave went back to how it had been.

Let me tell my story from the very beginning. I ask the reader to forgive me for I am not myself.

I was a mountain spider and mountain spiders are extremely unlucky. We feed mainly on flies and insects. I was born in a deserted cave in mount Thawr. It is a mountain in Makkah, a small city that I have never seen in my life. Sometimes we hear the doves glorifying Allah from which we understand that they live under the protection of the Sacred House of Allah in Makkah. I tried to imagine how Makkah or the Sacred House of Allah would look but I could not, for I was imprisoned in the cave of Thawr. It is a desolate cave during the day and scary during the night. The cave is in the direction of Yemen. Nobody visits us. Even the beasts flee from the desolation of the mountains and prefer more habitable places.

In brief, I am the mistress of this mountain and its queen.

One day I was dangling by a silken string, which I had made from the cave's ceiling. It was a very hot day so I was swinging myself to and fro. Then I heard an unearthly voice ask, "Who of Allah's creatures inhabits this cave?"

Spiritual boundaries were broken and I realized that I was hearing the voice of an angel. I stopped swinging, bowed my whole body and prostrated in greeting.

I answered the angelic voice saying, "The spider of this cave Meme the daughter of Muma the granddaughter of Mamu is honored to speak with you."

The angelic voice said, "Come out to the door of the cave."

I moved the silken string to the door of the cave and came out.

The voice said, "After a while, two of Allah's men will come to this cave ...Muhammad (peace be upon him) and his companion in this life and the Hereafter, Abu Bakr."

I asked, "And who is Muhammad (peace be upon him)?"

The voice replied, "He is the last of the Prophets of Allah on the earth, the mercy of Allah that He sent to the worlds. You will be the servant of him and his companion for three days in the cave."

I was filled with wonder and delight and my surprise increased with every passing minute. I said, "What brings him here to this desolate cave?"

The voice again replied, "He has fled his home for the sake of Allah's religion and the atheist tribes want his blood. How much time do you need in order to build your house over the door of the cave?"

As I was measuring angles, I said, "Four hours of constant work separated by two periods of rest."

The angelic voice ordered, "Work without resting ...Allah has charged you with the responsibility to safeguard His Prophet ...Divine Protection has put the seal on the fate of the final Message and the future of an entire civilization in your trust."

I deepened my prostration and whispered, "I hear and obey!"