Prophet Mohammad “PBUH” Approach to handling Adversaries (The fifth and final part)
When the Prophet of Allah, peace be upon him, was wounded in the Battle of Uhud and his tooth was martyred and his face was injured, he supplicated, “اللَّهُمَّ اغْفِرْ لِقَوْمِي فَإِنَّهُمْ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ” (“O Allah! Forgive my people, for they do not know.”)
In summary, the Prophet’s tolerance and flexibility in dealing with his opponents, his forbearance and forgiveness towards his enemies who fought him for 18 years and inflicted all sorts of oppression upon him, are the best evidence that he was a man of peace and love, and that revenge had no place in his character.
As Mr. Bartley Sint Hillier – a German Orientalist – writes in his book “الشرقیون وعقائدهم “: “The Prophet of Islam called to worship the One Allah, and, in this call, he was very compassionate and kind; He even had pity on his enemies, and in his character two characteristics were more obvious than his other characteristics: one is the execution of justice; Second, mercy and compassion.
So, the question here is whether this tolerance and peaceful attitude of the Prophet, (PBUH), meant violating and transgressing the principles of religion and failing against the actions of the opponents?
In response, it can be said that: “Tolerance towards opponents never means undermining the principles of religion and its essential teachings; Rather, taking it easy is first in the principle of accepting the religion, and secondly in practicing the rules of the religion, as long as its principles are preserved; But if their opposition was about the immutable principles of religion or sedition among Muslims, the Prophet of Islam, (peace be upon him), would have abandoned the method of tolerance and dealt with them severely. Similar to the “burning down of the Zarrar Mosque” which the hypocrites led by Abu Amer made on the pretext of illness and inability to attend the Quba Mosque, and with the tactic of “religion against religion” they decided to harm the nascent Muslim community, which the Prophet, peace be upon him, caused harm to Muslims., strengthening disbelief, creating division among Muslims and a base for fighters, he set it on fire.
Yes! If we want to provide a criterion for the behavior of the Prophet, peace be upon him, we can say: Where the foundation of the religion is targeted and the actions of the opponents are against the unchangeable principles of the Islamic religion, the behavior of the Prophet, peace be upon him, is combined with firmness and inflexibility; Because the nature and philosophy of religion are the principles, and if they disappear, it will not remain a religion, and slippage and inattention have no place in these cases.
History is a good witness of the behaviors associated with the determination of the Prophet, peace be upon him, in preserving the goals and principles of the Islamic movement. Principles such as: anti-tyranny, justice, fighting polytheism and disbelief, and praising Allah, and in other cases, the way of dealing with the Prophet, peace be upon him, is full of compassion, forgiveness, love, peace and tolerance.
Conclusion
The 6th century of Hijri was one of the lowest periods in history. Since several centuries ago, humanity was falling and degrading; As if it was impatiently waiting for someone to hold his hand and prevent him from falling into the pit of ignorance, misguidance and injustice. The Holy Prophet, peace be upon him, had a gentle spirit and a kind heart. Therefore, he made the principle of mercy and kindness the basis of his calling, and the secret of his success in conquering and composing hearts was his extraordinary kindness and gentleness.
Among the arts of the great Prophet, peace be upon him, was presenting solutions for peaceful coexistence with non-Muslims; But the Prophet, peace be upon him, as the bringer of a new religion that was in conflict with the interests of the ruling and autocratic classes, has always had opponents. We can divide the opponents of the new conditions governing the peninsula into three general groups: the hostility of the nobles and polytheists, the hostility of some religious minorities such as Jews, and the hostility of hypocrites.
The Prophet, peace be upon him, has put tolerance and gentleness as the first principle of his dealings with all opponents. Tolerance is one of the moral principles of Islam that the leaders of the religion have emphasized in interacting with others. The Prophet (peace be upon him) and Salaf al-Saleh always behaved with tolerance in dealing with their opponents where tolerance didn’t harm the basis of Islam or the interests of the Islamic society.
References:
1. Nadwi, Sayyid Abu Al-Hassan, Ali, “Why did the world lose due to the decline of Muslims?”, translated by Abdul-Hakim Osmani, published by Ihsan, Tehran: 1393 AH.
2. Bukhari, Nour al-Hassan, “The Misfortunes of His Companions,” translated by Abd al-Rahman Chabahari, published by Siddiqi, Zahedan.
3. Mubarakpuri, Safi al-Rahman, “The Sealed Nectar.”
4. Nadwi, Sayyed Abu Al-Hassan, “Nabi Rahmat,” translated by Mufti Muhammad Qasim Qasimi, published by Farooq Azam, Zahedan.
5. Halabi, Ali bin Burhan al-Din, “The Biography of the Prophet,” Dar Al-Ma’rifa – Beirut, Lebanon.
6. Jose, Muhammad bin Abi Bakr ibn Qayyim, “Zad Al-Maad”, Publisher: Al-Resala Foundation, Beirut, Lebanon.
7. Nomani, Shibli, Nadwi, Sayyid Suleiman, “Forough Javaidan”, translated by Abdul Majeed Moradzhi Khashi, published by Farouk Azam.
8. Al-Khatib, Muhammad Hussam al-Din, “The Messenger of Mercy and Compassion,” translated by Ubaidullah Barahwi, published by Nadwi, Zahedan.
9. Bartley, Saint Helier, “The Orientals and Their Beliefs.”
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