The House of Al-Arqam was selected for many reasons, some of which are:
1. Al-Arqam bin Al-Arqam, may Allah be pleased with him, was not known for being a Muslim, which made it difficult for anyone to think that Muhammad sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ) and his Companions were meeting in his house.
2. Al-Arqam bin Al-Arqam, may Allah be pleased with him, belonged to the tribe of Banu Makhzoom, which was an adversary of Banu Haashim. Hence, even if Al-Arqam had been known to be a Muslim, no one would have thought that such meetings were taking place in the heart of the enemies’ camp.
3. Al-Arqam bin Abu Al-Arqam, may Allah be pleased with him, was a sixteen-year-old young man upon his acceptance of Islam. Hence, if the Quraysh had tried to search for the gathering place of the Muslims, it would have never occurred to them to search in the houses of the young men among the Companions of the Prophet sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ); rather, they would have headed for the houses of the senior and older Companions of the Prophet sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ) or even the house of the Prophet sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ) himself. The first idea that would have occurred to them would be that the gathering place would most likely be in one of the houses of the Banu Haashim, the house of Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, or any other senior Companion of the Prophet sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ). Hence, selecting this house was a very wise decision in terms of security, as we have never heard of any instance or narration which states that the Quraysh ever discovered this place.
