(Former Senior chaplain, St. Mary’s Church, Quetta PAKISTAN)
Forty years ago, at a very young age, I became a Christian under the influence of a Mission school. I spent most of my life under the Church of England as an Anglican Priest. Islam came to me as does the spring comes to the brown earth after a dark winter. And I came to the religion of my forefathers that is ISLAM.
For my return to the fold, the cause is an inspiration through a vision wherein I have had the personal blessing of the Holy Prophet (saw) I praise Allah, for his Holy Prophet and am overjoyed to find the Prophet (saw) who restored to man his dignity and the freedom of action.
A change of heart comes from the Almighty God. In the fact, without His guidance all our learning, all our searching and all our yearning to find the truth may lead us astray.
We need conviction and no argument, how skillful, or eloquent, impassioned, leaned, penetrating; will ever make a man feel satisfied unless he has the proof within his own soul. The only way to have it is to receive it as a gift from God.
The point I specially want to emphasize is that each one of us has a guiding vision; if we follow it faithfully, it will bring us satisfaction. At one time or the other, whether it be during early years or in the prime of life or in old age, everyone is blessed with some kind of dream, a vision or an inspiration, and ideal, a sense of a finder pointing at him, a voice calling upward to higher life: “ This is the way, walk right in it.”. We may not be able to explain it but God fulfils himself in many ways: He sends to each one of us a vision which he can understand.
Can’t you remember such an experience when in some moment of depression and disillusionment your whole soul cried out in despite against the futility, the emptiness, and the dreary monotony of your existence? “Has God created me” you have said to yourself, “for nothing better than this to get up in the morning and go to work to serve the Bully Ragging employer who gets the best out of his men, or to slave at a desk or in a shop, to face the endless fret and worry of how to make both ends meet? Surely, life has something more satisfying, some independence of character, some capacity for high achievement, but it is all being crushed out of me by the tyranny of unkind circumstances”
And then, amidst the dark hour of your depression, there appears suddenly and gleaming star of hope. You caught a vision of what your life was meant to be and might be. Through some verses of the Holy Quran, through some preceptor, God spoke to your soul. He opened your eyes to see the inner meaning and purpose of your work. He showed you that the routine, the drudgery, the hardship, which seemed to be slowly squeezing life out of you, were in reality His instruments for the formation of you character, His training for the unselfish service of you fellowmen. What a wonderful difference it makes to a man’s whole outlook when he grabs the great truth that life is a vocation, a cell to make his little corner of the world a better, brighter, sweeter happier place. What a power there is in simple goodness, to draw men heavenward: words may be misunderstood, and actions misinterpreted, but the light that radiates from a soul trying to live up the highest that he knows, touches and blesses all who come near him. That is the debt we owe to the Holy Prophet (saw).
I venture to say there is not a single convert who does not owe his gratitude to Prophet Muhammad (saw) for his love for him/her, his help, guidance, inspiration, and as the example of a noble person whom God in His great love sent to us to follow.
Again, we may have all experienced, not once but many times, the same word, same example, the same deep inward inspiration, arousing us out of our lethargy and indifference, awakening within us the spirit of divine discontent, bidding us to gird up our loins to journey forth on the road that leads to God. Praise be to Allah, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision.
Homeward we are often led along the strangest of ways; unexpected turnings take us back to bygone days. Suddenly we go astray, no matter how straight the path appears, and we find we have struck the road of forgotten years.
I eventually took up the study of the Holy Prophet’s life. I realized it was a great sin not to acknowledge that Holy man of God who established the Kingdom of God among His people who were treacherous warriors, idol worshippers and the doers of all kinds of disgraceful things. He not only changed their modes of thought, their very habits and morals, but also brought them under one banner, one law, one religion, one culture, one civilization and one form of government. A nation which had not produced a single great man worth the name of centuries gave birth, under the influence and guidance, to thousands of noble souls who went forth to far off corners of the globe to preach and to teach the principles of Islam; morality and the best code of life.
He fulfilled his mission not through any worldly lure, oppression or tyranny, but by his captivating manners, his endearing moral personality and his convincing words. With his noble and gentle behavior he befriended even the worst of his enemies. He won the hearts of the people through love.
Can anyone imagine a higher example of self sacrifice fellow-feeling and a tender heart than that of the Holy Prophet (saw) who ruined his own happiness for the sake of others, while those very people for whose betterment ht strove and suffered to the utmost, stoned him, abused him, banished him and gave him no peace in exile too, and in spite of all this, he refused to abstain from striving for their well being?
Can any sincere person undergo so much for a false cause? Can any dishonest, speculator and visionary exhibit such firmness and determination for his ideal as to stick to this guns to the very last and remain unruffled and unperturbed in the face of dangers and tortures of every conceivable description when a whole country rises up in arms against him?
This faith, this perseverance and this resolution with which the Holy Prophet (saw) led his movement to ultimate success, is therefore an eloquent proof of the supreme truth of his cause. Had there been the slightest touch of doubt and uncertainty in his heart, he could never have been able to brave uncertainty in his heart. He could never have been able to brave the storm which continued in all its fury for twenty-one long years.
Which more proof of perfect honesty of purpose, uprightness of character and sublimity of soul can there be? Who else can be more truthful of a person than he who received such unique gifts in sublime manner and out rightly declared the sources of all his enlightenment and inspiration? All these factors lead to irresistible conclusion that such a man was a true Messenger of God, why should I have any doubt then? Such was our Holy Prophet Muhammad (saw). He was a prodigy of extraordinary merits, a paragon of virtue and goodness, a symbol of truth and veracity, a great Apostle of God, His Messenger to the entire world. His life and thoughts, his truth and straight forwardness, this piety and goodness, his character and morals, his ideology and achievements all stand as an unimpeachable proof of His Prophet hood. Any human being who studies ‘without bias’ the Holy Prophet’s life and teaching, will testify that verily he was the true Prophet of God, and the Qur’an the Book which he brought for mankind, is the true Book of God. No ‘unbiased’ and ‘serious’ seeker after truth can escape this conclusion!
I know this is getting long, but in the end I would like to say to my Muslim brothers and sisters and to the non-Muslims that please read up the life (seerah) of the Prophet Muhammad (saw). May Allah (swt) shower his blessings on all of us, Ameen!
7 Comments
Respectfully I submit to you that your analogy of “Islam came to me as does the spring comes to the brown earth after a dark winter” is condascending and a little insulting (if you are referring to Chritianity as winter). I am a Christian and respect all others’ inalienable right to follow their own path to spirituality. I am not out to convert anyone or disprove your doctrine. You believe what you just and I will do the same. I applaud you for discovering your path so clearly and hope we can come to a place in our future where all misconceptions can be quelled and religious conflict will not be a part of life. Cheers!
hmmm… it is interesting to to know what brought you back to Islam
you mentioned about how reading the Quran and following Muhammad’s teaching brought you closer to Allah.
will be interesting to know whether there was a comfort in reading the Bible? and if not why
well….not sure whether this post was compiled or you really still read this so that you can still respond
cheers,
kuancheen
http://mywalkwithchrist.blogdrive.com
I find this story’s origins quite questionable and rather dubious, I might say. The Prophet Muhammad was probably, compared to the barbarism of the culture of people who lived around, examplary, however, he was not a perfect man.
The writer’s analogy of how the Prophet “made friends with even his worstest of enemies” is simply not true. From numerous reliable hadiths from Muslim and Bukhari he had called for the slaughter of enemies who merely used words to discredit his name. Instead of resorting to exclaimations of anger to his impressionable followers, while I was studying Islam, I was deeply disappointed he did not use the might of his words to repel people’s defamations of his character and his divine purposes, but asked his followers to assasinate his enemies, including a Jewess poet who defamed and ‘insulted’ him.
To the Muslims who would rather angrily deny what I have written and say I am lying. Why not use a more shining example of what the Prophet would have done during the days he was not so hard-handed on his enemies, and explain to me why did he do this, considering there is no justification to murder someone who uses words, did not physically attack him (in which if he had killed them in self defence it would be perfectly justifiable) and a woman at that.
I am deeply disturbed and confused, and would like a learned Muslims to clear my doubts. I believe in fighting evil/injustice/doubts with civilised words and explanations, not shallow accusations of blasphemy. We’re in the year 2007, and its just not acceptable to do all that barbaric violent stuff.
I suppose this Christian wasn’t even really a Christian to begin with. But then again, perhaps he was a good Christian fellow who discovered his truth in Islam. All the best to him.
Assalamu `aleykum ua rahmatullah ua barakatuh,
alhamdulillah, that you received this great gift from Allah, being a Muslim.
May Allah guide you and let your iman grow and may He let you die as a rigtheous Muslim!
Ameen!
DEAR DY ,
U WROTE :
The writer’s analogy of how the Prophet “made friends with even his worstest of enemies” is simply not true. From numerous reliable hadiths from Muslim and Bukhari he had called for the slaughter of enemies who merely used words to discredit his name. Instead of resorting to exclaimations of anger to his impressionable followers, while I was studying Islam, I was deeply disappointed he did not use the might of his words to repel people’s defamations of his character and his divine purposes, but asked his followers to assasinate his enemies, including a Jewess poet who defamed and ‘insulted’ him.
rEPLY :-
Dear freind my sincere advice to you is to plz check whether the hadith u r claiming is true or not or feel free to contact me on ” guidance4allofyou@yahoo.com” and we will discuss any hadith u want . Because Holy Prophet Muhammad peace has never take any personal grudges with anybody at all .
The Prophet’s generosity even towards his enemies stands unique in the annals of the world. Abdullah ibn Ubayy, the head of the hypocrites, was a sworn enemy of Islam, and his days and nights were spent in plotting mischief against the Muslims. Yet at his death, the Prophet prayed to the Lord to forgive him and even granted his own shirt to enshroud his body. The Makkans, who had all along subjected him and his friends to the most barbarous tortures, were not only awarded a general amnesty but were let off even without a reproof. Twenty long years of persecutions and warfare were absolutely forgiven and forgotten. “The magnanimity with which Muhammad treated a people who had so long hated and rejected him is worthy of all admiration,” says Muir. The fact is that no other example is met with in history of such magnanimous forgiveness of inveterate enemies, who had shed innocent blood, who had shown no pity for helpless men, women and children, who had exerted themselves to their utmost to kill the Prophet and to annihilate the Muslims.
The prisoners of war were almost always set free even without demanding a ransom. It was only in the case of the prisoners of Badr that ransom was demanded; after that, hundreds of prisoners and in one case, in the battle with Hawazin, as many as six thousand, were released without taking a penny as ransom. At the battle of Uhud, when he was wounded and fell, down, a comrade asked him to curse his persecutors. His reply was: I have not been sent to curse but as an inviter to good and mercy. O Lord ! guide my people, for they know not.” Once a Bedouin pulled him and threw his wrap round his neck. When asked why he should not be repaid in the same coin, he pleaded that he (the Prophet) never returned evil for evil.
In the administration of justice, the Prophet was scrupulously even-handed. Muslims and non-Muslims, friend and foe, were all alike in his eyes. Even before the Call, his impartiality his honesty and integrity were of household fame, and people would bring their disputes to him to settle. At Madina, tie Jews and the idolaters both accepted him as the arbitrator in all their disputes. Notwithstanding the deep-rooted malice of Jews against Islam, when a case between a Jew and a Muslim came up before him, he decreed in favour of the Jew, regardless of the fact that the Muslim, nay, even perhaps the whole of his tribe, might thereby be alienated. In his dealings with his worst enemies he was always true to the Quranic injunction which says:
“Let not hatred of a people incite you not to act equitably; act equitably, that is nearer to piety.” [5:8]
On his deathbed, immediately before he breathed his last, he had it Publicly announced:
“If I owe anything to anybody, it may be claimed; if I have offended anybody, he may have his revenge.”
In his dealings with others he never placed himself on a higher pedestal. Once while he held the position of a king at Madina, a Jew whom he owed some money came up to him and began to-abuse him. Umar was enraged, but the Prophet rebuked him, saying:
“It would have been meet for thee to have advised both of us - me, the debtor to repay the debt with gratitude, and him, the creditor, to demand it in a more becoming manner.”
And he paid the Jew more than his due. On another occasion when he was out in the wood with his friends, the time for preparation of food came. Everybody was allotted a piece of work, he himself going out to pick up fuel. Spiritual and temporal overlord though he was, he would yet do his share of work like an ordinary man. In his treatment of his servants, he observed the same principle of equality. A report from Anas says that during the ten years that he was in the Prophet’s service at Madina, where he ultimately became the master of the whole of Arabia, he was not once scolded by him. He never kept anybody in slavery. As soon as he got a slave, he set him free.
In charity the Prophet was simply unapproached. He never gave a flat refusal to a beggar. He would feed the hungry, himself going without food. He never kept any money in his possession. While on his deathbed, he sent for whatever there was in his house and distributed it among the poor. Even for the dumb creatures of God his heart overflowed with mercy. He spoke of one who drew water from a well to quench the thirst of a dog as having earned paradise with this act of kindness. He spoke of a deceased woman that she was undergoing punishment because she would tie up her cat and keep it hungry. Form his earliest days he had a deep sympathy for widows and orphans, the poor and the helpless. He would ever stand by the oppressed. He vindicated the rights of women over men, of slaves over their masters, of the ruled over the rulers, and of the subjects over the king. Negro slaves were accorded the same position of honour as the Quraish leaders. He was the champion of the oppressed and the ill-treated ones. He was very fond of children, and while walking along he would pat and stroke those whom he met on the way. Without fail would he visit the sick to enquire after their health and console them. He would also accompany a funeral.
Humble and meek in the highest degree, he had yet the courage of the bravest of men. Never for a moment did he harbour fear of his enemies. Even when plots to take his life were being hatched in Makka, he moved about fearlessly day and night. He told all his companions to emigrate from Makka, himself remaining almost alone among infuriated enemies. With his pursuers at the mouth of the cave in which he had hidden himself, he could yet console his companion, saying, “Allah is with us.” On the field of Uhud when the whole of his army fell into a trap, he shouted aloud, regardless of all danger to his own person, to rally the confused soldiers. In the battle of Hunain when the Muslim rank and file took to flight, he advanced alone towards the enemy, calling aloud, “I am the Prophet.” When one night a raid was suspected, he was the first to reconnoitre the outskirts of Madina, riding his horse without saddling it. On a certain journey, while resting under a tree all alone, an enemy came upon him, and unsheathing his sword shouted out: ” Who can save thee now from my hands?” Calmly the Prophet replied, “Allah.” And the next moment the same sword was in the Prophet’s hand who put to his enemy the same question, on which he assumed a tone of abject humility, and the Prophet let him go.
The Prophet’s integrity and sincerity were of universal fame throughout Arabia. His worst enemies had often to confess that he had never told a lie. When he once pledged his word, he kept it under the most trying conditions and even at a heavy lost. He faithfully observed the truce made at Hudaibiya, though he had to refuse shelter to Muslims escaping from the persecution of the Makkans. His biographers are all at one in their admiration of his unflinching fortitude and unswerving steadfastness. Despair and despondency were unknown to him. Hemmed in as he was on all sides by a gloomy prospect and severe opposition, his faith in the ultimate triumph of the truth was never for one moment shaken.
Did Muhammad (PBUH) Ever Torture His Enemies?*
Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) was not only a Prophet sent with a special message to be delivered to the whole mankind. He was, still is, and will continue illuminating the minds of people, unlocking their hearts to the truth through the pearls of wisdom with which he guided the baffled humanity to the right path along the course of centuries.
Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) was a matchless leader, a veteran statesman in the full sense of the word, a father to the fatherless, a source of solace to the hopeless, a beaming light to the oppressed, an illumination to those who lost their way inside the dark tunnel of ignorance.
With matchless mercy, he treated his enemies. With astounding justice he instructed his companions (may Allah be pleased with them all) to treat all and sundry with due respect and fairness irrespective of geographical boundaries and religious inclinations. It was the character of Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) to meet the persecution and torture of his enemies with pardon and tolerance. He was the most merciful person. Allah called him as “a mercy to the worlds” (Al-Anbiya’: 107). He was merciful to his family, followers, friends, even enemies. He was merciful to young and old, to humans and to animals. Those who persecuted him in Makkah and killed his relatives and his followers, when they were defeated in the battles and brought as captives, were forgiven by him. He did not ever take revenge or retaliated. He was the most forgiving person.
Here, we would cite the following:
“Bleeding from head to toe, battered and exhausted, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was faced with a choice. Should he or should he not seek to destroy the people who had just humiliated him by having their children chase him out of town while throwing stones at him? And what was his crime? All he wanted to do was to share his message and seek to benefit his people.
Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) was in At-Ta’if, a lush town of green palm trees, fruit and vegetables, about 50 miles southeast of his arid hometown Makkah. He was hoping that perhaps the people of this town would be receptive to his message, which had been rejected by most of the Makkans for more than a decade.
However, the people of At-Ta’if proved just as cruel and intolerant as his own people. Not only did they scorn his message of Allah’s Oneness, but they turned their youth against him as well. In the face of this misery, the Angel Gabriel was sent and presented him with an option: the whole town could be destroyed, by Allah’s Will, for their arrogance and hatefulness.
He (peace and blessings be upon him) could have done it. He could have asked that those children who pelted him with stones be finished off along with their intolerant parents, but he didn’t!
No, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) told the Angel not to destroy the people of At-Ta’if. Instead of cursing the children of this town, he prayed for their salvation. That is just one example of how this man, whom Allah describes as a “mercy to mankind” (Al-Anbiya’:107) dealt with those who opposed him. It is just one of the many examples in the life of a person who faced constant death threats, actual attempts on his life, and abuse and humiliation at the hands of those threatened by his simple yet profound message: there is no god but Allah and Muhammad is His Messenger. The people of At-Ta’if were not the only ones who tasted this mercy. It was his habit to pray for his enemies all the time. Two of his most bitter enemies, Abu Jahl and `Umar were also the objects of his prayers.
The Prophet made similar supplications for his people on a regular basis: “O Allah! Guide my people, for they know not,” he would pray, as he and his followers were beaten, humiliated, scorned and ridiculed.
On another occasion, some Companions came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and said: “O Messenger of Allah! The tribe of Daws have committed disbelief and disobeyed (your commands). Supplicate Allah against them!” Contrary to the people’s expectations, the Prophet said: “O Allah! Guide Daws and let them come to us.” (Reported by Al-Bukhari).
These are just a few glimpses at how the Prophet dealt with those who opposed him. His opponents were not just people who fought his message on an intellectual level, they were individuals bent on destroying him, his family, his followers and Islam itself.
Contrast this nobility with some ignorant believers today who are found cursing others and praying for the destruction of the world. We do not know the aims of individuals. We do not even know ourselves. So let’s keep making Du`a’ that we stay on the right path and that Allah will guide others to it as well.
When Allah tells us in the Qur’an about the kind of behavior which leads to receiving a good reward and the character which takes people to the Hellfire, He is saying this so that people may adopt the correct behavior and avoid Hellfire by abandoning what He forbade for our own good. Those verses are not meant to be a criterion for us to determine where others will end up. That knowledge is only with Allah, the Lord of the universe.
Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) was a mercy to all human beings. Any person may turn to Islam regardless of his original religious background. We, as his followers, must live and spread this message today at a time when hatefulness and ugliness towards each other has become the norm.”
Prophet’s Love and Tolerance for Mankind
The Prophet Muhammad is introduced in the Qur’an in these words:
[And We have not sent you forth but as a mercy to mankind.] (Al-Anbiyaa’: 107)
This shows that his distinctive quality was that he was a blessing incarnate in word and deed.
According to a tradition recorded in the Sahih of Imam Muslim, when the Prophet’s opponents greatly increased their persecution, his Companions asked him to curse them. At this the Prophet replied, “I have not been sent to lay a curse upon men but to be a blessing to them.” His opponents continued to treat him and his Companions unjustly and cruelly, but he always prayed for them.
Once he was so badly stoned by his enemies that the blood began to spurt from all over his body. This happened when he went to Ta’if, where the Hijaz aristocracy used to while away their summer days. When he attempted to call them to Islam, instead of listening to his words of wisdom, they set the street urchins upon him, who kept chasing him till nightfall. Even at that point, when he was utterly exhausted and bleeding from head to foot, all he said was, “O my Lord, guide my people along the true path, as they are ignorant of the truth.”
His heart was filled with intense love for all human kind irrespective of caste, creed, or color. Once he advised his Companions to regard all people as their brothers and sisters. He added, “You are all Adam’s offspring and Adam was born of clay.”
All this tells us what kind of awareness he wanted to bring about in man. His mission was to bring people abreast of the reality that all men and women, although inhabiting different regions of the world, and seemingly different from one another as regards their color, language, dress, culture, etc., were each other’s blood brothers. Hence a proper relationship will be established between all human beings only if they regard one another as sisters and brothers. Only then will proper feelings of love and respect prevail throughout the world.
According to a hadith, the Prophet once said, “A true believer is one with whom others feel secure. One who returns love for hatred.” The Prophet made it clear that one who would only return love for love was on a lower ethical plane. We should never think that we should treat people well only if they treat us well. We should, rather, be accustomed to being good to those who are not good to us and to not wronging those who harm us.
The Prophet once borrowed some money from a Jew. After a few days the Jew came to demand payment of his debt. The Prophet told him that at that moment he had nothing to pay him with. The Jew said that he wouldn’t let him go until he had paid him back. And so the Jew stayed there, from morning till night, holding the Prophet captive. At that time the Prophet was the established ruler of Madinah and could have easily taken action against him. His Companions naturally wanted to rebuke the man and chase him away. But the Prophet forbade this, saying, “The Lord has forbidden us to wrong anyone.” The Jew continued to hold the Prophet captive until the following morning. But with the first light of dawn, the Jew was moved by the Prophet’s tolerance, and he thereupon embraced Islam. In spite of being a rich man, he had detained the Prophet the day before on account of a few pence. But now the Prophet’s noble conduct had had such an impact on him that he was willing to give all his wealth to the Prophet, saying, “Spend it as you please.”
According to another hadith, the Prophet once said, “By God, he is not a believer, by God, he is not a believer, by God, he is not a believer, with whom his neighbors are not secure.” This hadith shows how much he loved and cared for all human beings. One of the lessons he taught was that we should live among others like flowers, and not like thorns, without giving trouble to anybody.
In another hadith the Prophet said, “If a believer is not able to benefit others, he must at least do them no harm.” This shows that to the Prophet the man who becomes useful to others leads his life on a higher plane. But if he fails to do so, he should at least create no trouble for his fellow men. For a man to be a really good servant of God, he must live in this world as a no-problem person. There is no third option.
The Prophet’s own example was testified to by Anas ibn Malik, who served the Prophet for ten years. He said that the Prophet never ever rebuked him. “When I did something, he never questioned my manner of doing it; and when I did not do something, he never questioned my failure to do it. He was the most good-natured of all men.” Such conduct gained him the respect even of his enemies, and his followers stood by him through all kinds of hardship and misfortune. He applied the principles on which his own life was based in equal measure to those who followed his path and to those who had harmed or discountenanced him.
In the present world, everyone’s thinking, tastes, aptitude, likes, and dislikes can never exactly coincide. For many reasons, differences do arise in this world. But then, what is the permanent solution to the problem? The solution lies in tolerance. The Prophet’s entire life served as a perfect example of this principle. According to his wife `A’ishah, “He was a personification of the Qur’an.”
That is to say, the Prophet molded his own life in accordance with the ideal pattern of life that he presented to others in the form of the Qur’an. He never beat a servant, or a woman, or anyone else. He did, of course, fight for what was right. Yet, when he had to choose between two alternatives, he would take the easier course, provided it involved no sin. No one was more careful to avoid sin than he. He never sought revenge on his own behalf for any wrong done to him personally. Only if God’s commandments had been broken would he mete out retribution for the sake of God. It was such conduct which gained the Prophet universal respect.
In the early Makkan period when the antagonists far exceeded the Prophet’s Companions in number, it often happened that when the Prophet would stand to pray, his detractors would come near him and whistle and clap in order to disturb him, but the Prophet did not even once show his anger at such acts. He always opted for the policy of tolerance and avoidance of confrontation.
When the opposition became very strong, the Prophet left Makkah for Madinah. But his antagonists did not leave him in peace. They began to attack Madinah. In this way a state of war prevailed between the Muslims and non-Muslims.
Since the Prophet avoided war at all costs, he strove to bring about a peace agreement between him and the Makkans. After great efforts on his part, the non-Muslims agreed to the finalizing of a 10-year peace treaty, which was drafted and signed at Al-Hudaybiyyah.
While the Hudaybiyyah treaty was being drafted, the Makkans indulged in a number of extremely provocative acts. For instance, the agreement mentioned the Prophet’s name as “Muhammad the Messenger of Allah.” They insisted that the phrase “the Messenger of Allah” be taken out and replaced by “son of Abdullah.” The Prophet accepted their unreasonable condition and deleted the appellation with his own hands. Similarly, they made the condition that if they could lay their hands on any Muslim they would make him a hostage, but if the Muslims succeeded in detaining any non-Muslim, they would have to set him free. The Prophet even relented on this point. For the restoration of peace in the region, the Prophet accepted a number of such unjustifiable clauses that were added by the enemy. In this way he set the example of peace and tolerance being linked with one another. If we desire peace, we must tolerate many unpleasant things from others. There is no other way to establish peace in society.
Once the Prophet was seated at some place in Madinah, along with his Companions. During this time a funeral procession passed by. On seeing this, the Prophet stood up. One of his Companion remarked that the funeral was that of a Jew. The Prophet replied, “Was he not a human being?”
This incident illustrates how an atmosphere of mutual love and compassion can be brought about in the world only when we consciously rise above all insidious demarcation of caste, color, and creed. Just as the Prophet did, we, too, must look at all men as human beings who deserve to be respected at all events.