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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.”
*Excerpted, with slight modifications, from:
http://www.soundvision.com
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