|
_001.jpg) The Prophet Muhammad, may God praise him, was described
as a “Mercy for all the Worlds”, as God said in the Quran:
“We have sent you as a mercy for all the worlds.” (Quran 21:107)
The recipients of this quality were not limited to just
the Muslim nation, but it also extended to non-Muslims, some of who spent all
their effort trying to harm the Prophet and his mission. This mercy and
forgiveness is clearly demonstrated in the fact that the Prophet, may the mercy
and blessings of God be upon him, never took revenge on anyone for personal
reasons and always forgave even his staunch enemies. Aisha said that the
Prophet never took revenge on his own behalf on anyone. She also said that he never
returned evil for evil, but he would forgive and pardon. This will, God
willing, become clear after a deep analysis of the following accounts of his
life.
In the earlier portion of his mission, the Prophet
traveled to the city of Taif, a city located in the mountains nearby to Mecca, in order to invite them to accept Islam. The leaders of Taif, however, were rude
and discourteous in their treatment of the Prophet. Not being content with
their insolent attitude towards him, they even stirred up some gangs of the
town to harass him. This riff-raff followed the Prophet shouting at and
abusing him, and throwing stones at him, until he was compelled to take refuge
in an orchard. Thus the Prophet had to endure even more obstacles in Taif than
he had had to face in Mecca. These ruffians, stationed either side of the
path, threw stones at him until his feet were injured and smeared with blood. These
oppressions so grievously dejected the Prophet and plunged him into in such a
state of depression that a prayer, citing his helplessness and pitiable
condition and seeking the aid of God, spontaneously came from his lips:
“O God, to You I complain of my weakness, lack of
resources and humiliation before these people. You are the Most Merciful, the
Lord of the weak and my Master. To whom will You consign me? To one
estranged, bearing ill will, or an enemy given power over me? If You do not assign
me any worth, I care not, for Your favor is abundant upon me. I seek refuge in
the light of Your countenance by which all darkness is dispelled and every
affair of this world and the next is set right, lest Thy anger should descend
upon me or Your displeasure light upon me. I need only Your pleasure and satisfaction
for only You enable me to do good and evade the evil. There is no power and no
might but You.”
The Lord then sent the angel of mountains, seeking the
permission of the Prophet to join together the two hills and crush the city of Taif, between which it was located. Out of his great tolerance and mercy, the Messenger of
God replied,
“No! For, I hope that God will bring forth from
their loins people who will worship God alone, associating nothing with Him.” (Saheeh
Muslim)
His mercy and compassion was so great that on more than
one occasion, God, Himself, reprimanded him for it. One of the greatest opponents
of Islam and a personal enemy, was Abdullah bin Ubayy, the leader of the
hypocrites of Medina. Outwardly proclaiming Islam, he surreptitiously inflicted
great harm to the Muslims and the mission of the Prophet. Knowing his state of
affairs, the Prophet Muhammad still offered the funeral prayer for him and
prayed to God for his forgiveness. The Quran mentions this incident in these
words:
“And never (O Muhammad) pray for one of them who dies, nor
stand by his grave. Lo! They disbelieve in God and His Messenger, and they
died while they were evil doers.” (Quran 9:84)
Abdullah bin Ubayy worked all his life against Muhammad
and Islam and left no stone unturned so as to bring him into disrepute and try
to defeat his mission. He withdrew his three hundered supporters in the battle
of Uhud and thus almost broke the backbone of the Muslims at one stroke. He engaged
in intrigues and acts of hostility against the Prophet of Islam and the Muslims.
It was he who tried to bring shame to the Prophet by inciting his allies to falsely
accuse the Prophet’s wife, Aisha, of adultery in order to discredit him and his
message.
|
