The Prophet Muhammad a Mercy To the World

With the Prisoners of Battle of Badr

When the prisoners of the battle of Badr133 were brought forth, the Messenger of God divided them amongst his companions and said: 'Treat the prisoners well.'

Abu Aziz ibn Omeir ibn Hashim the brother of Mas'ab ibn Omeir was amongst the prisoners. He had been carrying one of the banners of the Quraysh. After he was freed he said: 'I was a captive in the hands of some of the Ansar134 when they brought me from Badr. When they prepared their food they used to favour me with the bread and they would eat dates. Bread was scarce whereas dates were the staple. This is because of what the Messenger of God had said about our treatment. If one of the Ansar came across even a crust of bread he would pass it to me but I would feel shame and return it to him. Then he would return it to me and would not touch it. Also they had very few camels and they would seat me upon a camel and they themselves would walk beside it.

When the night descended upon them and some of the companions were given the task of securing the bonds of the prisoners, the bonds of al-Abbas135 were made tight. The Prophet heard him complaining and because of this he could not sleep. When the Ansar heard about this they set al-'Abbas free for they had understood that the Prophet would be satisfied with this and they asked him to let them waive his ransom.

133 This is the first main battle that took place between the Muslims and the polytheists of Mecca.

134 The Ansar, literally meaning 'the supporters', are those people of Medina who supported the Prophet in his cause and received him and the Muhajirun (those who migrated) from Mecca. 135 He is the uncle of the prophet.

The Messenger of God took seventy prisoners on the day of Badr and ransomed them according to their wealth. Generally the people of Mecca were literate and the people of Medina were not. Whoever did not have any ransom money, sent him ten youths from Medina so that he could teach them [to read and write instead].

The Messenger of God set free al-Muttalib ibn Hantab and Saifi ibn Abi Rafa'ah and Abu 'Izzah al-Jamahi. He took their oaths that they would not aid anyone against him. Abu 'Izzah was a needy person who had daughters. He said: 'O Messenger of God, you know that I do not possess any wealth and that I am in need and I have children so set me free.' This the Messenger of God did after taking his oath not to aid anyone against him.

Ransom of His Son-in-Law

The Messenger of God also freed Abu al-!As ibn al-Rabi'ah, the husband of his (step) daughter Zainab after she had sent ransom for him. The ransom that she sent included a necklace which had been given to her by her mother Khadijah on the night of her wedding. When the Messenger of God saw the necklace he remembered his faithful wife Khadijah and was moved to tears. Then he turned to the Muslims and said: 'If you see fit to let Zainab's husband go free and send back the ransom that she has sent then do so.'

By this he did not impose his opinion upon them despite the Qur'an having said: e The Prophet has more authority over the believers than they do over their own selves f 136 In 136 The Holy Qur'an: The Confederates (33): 6.

doing so he expressed the freedom available within Islam and set out its wise policies. The Muslims said: 'Yes O Messenger of God, may we and our wealth be your sacrifice.' So they returned what Zainab had sent and set free Abu al-!As without ransom and the Messenger of God thanked them for this.

The Messenger of God had obliged Abu al-!As and he promised the Prophet to give Zainab freedom of movement; so when Abu al-!As went to Mecca the Messenger of God sent Zaid ibn Harithah and another man of the Ansar and said to them: 'Wait at the bottom of Ya'jaj until Zainab passes by then accompany her here to me.' So they set out towards Mecca and this was one month after the battle of Badr.

When Abu al-!As reached Mecca he ordered her to join her father so she prepared herself and left for Medina. On the way she was attacked by Habbar ibn al-Aswad who attacked her with his spear while she was in the howdah. She was with child and as a result she miscarried [and later died of the injuries she had sustained]. The Messenger of God ordered that he be killed but they were not able to seize him. On the day of the liberation of Mecca, Habbar fled to the hills then returned in disguise. When he stood before the Messenger of God he entered Islam and the Messenger of God accepted his Islam and forgave him.

Prohibition of Torture and Mutilation

Mukraz ibn Hafs arrived to pay the ransom of Suheil ibn Amr who had been taken prisoner by Malik ibn al-Dakhsham. He was ransomed for four thousand Dirhams.

Ibn Ishaq137 mentions one of the companions as saying: 'O Messenger of God, let me tear out the incisors of Suheil ibn Amr so that his tongue will loll out and he will not be able to make speeches against you anywhere ever again.' The Prophet said: 'I will not have him mutilated, for God would then mutilate me even though I am a Prophet.'

In another account it is said that the Messenger of God said: 'He just might act in a way for which we would not blame him.'

Returns Evil with Good

Two sons of Abu Sufyan138 took part in the battle of Badr; Handhalah and Amr. Handhalah was killed and Amr was taken prisoner by the Messenger of God.

Abu Sufyan was offered the opportunity to pay ransom for his son Amr. He said: Am I to pay out of my money as well as out of my blood? They have killed Handhalah and now I am to pay ransom for Amr. Let him remain with you. You can hold him for as long as you want.' Meanwhile, Sa'ad ibn al-Nu'man the brother of the Bani Amr ibn Awf left Medina to make a supererogatory pilgrimage (umrah) to the holy Ka'bah in Mecca. Abu Sufyan attacked him and held him prisoner in lieu of his son Amr. This despite the fact that the Quraysh had made a promise not to stand in the way of anyone who came to Mecca as a pilgrim.

137 Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn Ishaq (d. 151 A.H/ 768 A.D.) a classical biographer of the Prophet Muhammad. 138 As one of the leaders of Quraysh, Abu Sufyan spearheaded the wars and campaigns against the Prophet, peace be upon him and his family.

The tribe of Amr ibn Awf went to the Messenger of God and informed him of their news and asked him to hand over Amr ibn Abi Sufyan so that they could secure the release of their brother. The Messenger of God agreed and he was sent to Abu Sufyan who in turn set free Sa'ad.

Gives His Foes the Choice of Peace

When the Messenger of God first entered Medina he made a peace treaty with the Bani Nadeer tribe as he did with the rest of the Jewish tribes on condition that they do not fight him nor fight with him and he accepted these terms from them. When the Messenger of God fought at Badr and defeated the Polytheists they said: 'By God, he certainly is the Prophet whom we find described in the Torah.'

When he fought at Ohud and the Muslims were defeated they were seized with doubts and they broke their treaty. They went to the Quraysh and formed an alliance and a pact with them that they stand united against Muhammad. Then Gabriel descended and informed the Prophet of this. In order to expose the antagonistic intentions that the Bani Nadeer held against the Muslims, he went out to them on a Saturday during the month of Rabi'-I and prayed in the mosque of Qubaa along with Imam Ali and few of his companions. Then he approached them and spoke to them of a loan to pay some reparations (there was a loan agreement in force between them) and they agreed to make the loan.

Then some of them spoke in secret to others saying: 'Never again will you find him in such a situation.' He was beside a wall of one of their houses. They said: 'Who will climb onto this house and throw this rock on him and kill him and relieve us of him?'

Amr ibn Jahhash volunteered saying: 'I will do it.' Salam ibn Mushkam said: 'Do not do it, God will surely inform him of what you intend. It is a breach of the treaty that is between us and him.' Then Gabriel came and informed the Messenger of God of the news and thus he returned to Medina. Then his companions caught up with him and said: 'You left O Messenger of God, and we did not realise it.'

He said: 'The Jews sought to betray me and God informed me of this so I left.' Then he sent a messenger to the Jews ordering them to leave their homes. Their houses were towards al-Far! district and in a nearby village called Zahrah, and he gave them ten days to leave.

The news reached Ibn Obayy139 and he sent a messenger to the Jews telling them not to leave their homes and promising them the assistance of his people and reinforcements from the Jewish clan of Bani Qureidhah and their allies the clan of Bani Ghatfan. This they sought. So the Messenger of God went out to them and prayed the afternoon prayer in the courtyard of the Bani Nadeer tribe. Imam Ali carried the banner and Ibn Omm Maktum was left in charge of Medina.

When they saw the Messenger of God they took refuge in their fortresses with arrows and stones. Then the clan of Qureidah left them, and Ibn Obayy betrayed them. Then the Messenger of God laid siege to them for twenty-one nights. 139 He was the chief hypocrite in Medina and often hurt the Prophet.

God put terror into their hearts and they eventually decided to leave Medina without fighting. The Messenger of God said to them: 'Leave the city and you will save your blood and whatever your camels can carry except for weapons.' So they left with their women and their children playing the pipes and banging tambourines having laden six hundred camels with their property. People even tore out the doors of their houses and put them onto camels. Then they destroyed their houses with their own hands and left. Some of them went to Khaybar and others went to Syria and some went to al-Hirah.

His Magnanimity

During one excursion, the Messenger of God rested under a tree by the side of a river. Then the river flooded and came between him and his companions. He was seen by one of the Polytheists who said to his companions: 'I will kill Muhammad.' So he approached and threatened the Messenger of God with his sword and said: 'Who will save you from me?' The Messenger of God said: 'My Lord and yours.'

Then Gabriel blew him from his horse and he fell. The Messenger of God stood up, took the sword and sat on the man's chest and said: 'Who will save you from me?'

The man said: 'Your goodness and generosity.' So the Messenger of God left him. The man stood up and went to his people and said: 'I have just come from the best of people.' Many people entered Islam because of him. In another account it is said that when he sat on his chest he said to him: 'Will you testify that there is no deity but God

and that I am His messenger?' the man said: 'I promise that I will not fight you nor will I be with any people who fight you.' So he let him be on his way. Then the man came to his people and said: 'I have just come from the best of people...'

His Care for his Companions

The Messenger of God used to travel in the rear guard so that he could help the weaker of his companions and carry those whose mounts had faltered and were no longer able to bear a burden. On the way back from the Patched banner excursion he met with Jabir ibn Abdullah al-Ansari who had lagged behind the rest and he said to him: 'What is wrong O Jabir?'

Jabir, pointing to his camel said: 'This has made me slow.' The Messenger of God approached the camel and ran his hand over it and it became strong and began making advances to the Messenger of God's she camel. Then he said to Jabir: 'O Jabir, will you sell me this camel of yours.' He said: 'Rather I will gift it to you.'

He said: 'No but sell it to me.' So the Messenger of God offered an ounce of gold when he said: 'Are you satisfied O Jabir.' Jabir said: 'I am satisfied O Messenger of God, the camel is yours.' The Messenger of God said: 'It is mine and you may ride it until we reach Medina.' Then he said to Jabir: 'Are you married O Jabir?' He said: 'Yes O Messenger of God.'

He said: 'Was she a divorcee or a virgin.' He said: 'A divorcee.' Then Jabir sighed deeply and said: 'O Messenger of God, on the day of (the battle of) Ohud my father was (fatally) wounded and I was left in charge of seven of my sisters so I married a woman who could take care of them.'

The Messenger of God was concerned and it showed in his face and he said praising what Jabir had done: 'You have done well O Jabir.'

Then the Messenger of God asked about his father's debts and Jabir informed him. Then the Messenger of God said to him: 'When you enter Medina and want to clip your date palms and take the dates then let me know.'

Jabir relates: 'So I entered Medina and told my wife of what had been said to me by the Messenger of God and she said with joy: 'You must obey.' In the morning Jabir took the camel to the door of the mosque then sat nearby. The Messenger of God came to the mosque and saw the camel and said: 'What is this?' 'O Messenger of God, this is Jabir's camel.' said some of his companions. He said: 'And where is Jabir himself?' So Jabir was called upon and the Prophet said to him: 'Take the camel for it is yours.' Then he summoned Bilal and said to him: 'Give Jabir an ounce of gold.'

Jabir relates: So I went with him and he gave me an ounce.

He Goes Hungry The Messenger of God used to bind stones upon his stomach because of hunger.

Imam Ali relates: 'We were with the Prophet digging the moat before the battle of the Khandaq when Lady Fatimah came with a crust of bread. She gave it to the Prophet who said: 'O Fatimah, what is this?'

Lady Fatimah said: 'I baked a loaf of bread for Hasan and Husayn and I have brought you this crust. The Prophet said:

'This is the first food to enter your father's stomach for three days.'

Foe Turns into Friend

The Messenger of God sent some horsemen to Najd led by Muhammad ibn Musallamah. They captured a man of the Banu Hanifah named Thamamah ibn Othal who had previously killed some Muslims. They brought him to Medina and tied him to a pillar in the mosque. (In another account it is said that they left him in a room adjoining the mosque.)

The Messenger of God went to see him and said to him:

'What is your situation O Thamamah?' He said: 'It is good O Muhammad. If you kill me you will kill a person of noble blood. If you let me go you will find me grateful. Or, if you want money then ask whatever you want.'

The Messenger of God said [to his companions afterwards]: 'Set Thamamah free.'

So Thamamah went to an oasis near the mosque and washed himself then he entered the mosque and said: 'I testify that there is no deity but God and that Muhammad is His Messenger. O Muhammad, I swear to God, no face on earth was more detestable to me than yours but now it has become the most beloved of faces to me. No way was more detestable to me than your way and now your way has become the most

beloved of ways to me. No land was more detestable to me than your land but now your land has become the most beloved of lands to me. Your horses took me when I was going to Mecca for pilgrimage so what do you think?' The Messenger of God gave him glad tidings and ordered him to go to the pilgrimage. When he arrived in Mecca someone said to him: 'Have you become rejuvenated?'

He said: 'No but I have entered Islam with Muhammad the Messenger of God and from now on not a grain of wheat will come to you from al-Yamamah unless the Prophet gives permission.'

Al-Yamamah was an agricultural area depended upon by Mecca. Thamamah left for his lands and prevented cargo from reaching Mecca until the Quraysh suffered. They wrote to the Messenger of God calling upon their bonds of kinship with him so that he would write to Thamamah to let them carry food to Mecca. This the Messenger of God did.

Tolerates the Enemy of the State

While the Messenger of God was returning from his campaign against Bani Mustaliq tribe, a dispute had occurred between Jahjah ibn Mas'ud al-Ghifari of the Muhajirun and Sannan ibn Wabr al-Jahani of the Ansar. Abdullah ibn Obayy, who was [a hypocrite] from the Ansar said: 'When we return to Medina the mighty will surely drive out the weak.' By the 'mighty' he meant himself and by the weak he meant 'the Prophet Muhammad'. By declaring this slogan Abdullah ibn Obayy tried to use the dispute to bring about a commotion in the Muslim community and break its unity.

As a result of the said slogan, the Ghifari called upon the Muhajirun and the Jahani called upon the Ansar (to fight one

another with the help of their respective factions - this would have meant the first inter-Muslim clash). The Messenger of God said: 'Is it to be the call of the Jahiliyyah (the Times of Ignorance) while I am still among you?' Zaid ibn Arqam told the Messenger of God of what Abdullah ibn Obayy had said and the chapter of the Qur'an named 'The Hypocrites' was revealed in this regard.

Abdullah, the son of Abdullah ibn Obayy disassociated himself from his father and came to the Messenger of God and said: 'O Messenger of God, you are the mightiest and he is the meanest. I swear that if you wish we will drive him out O Messenger of God.' He waited for his father near to Medina and said: 'Do not enter the city until the Messenger of God grants you permission to enter.'

The father complained of his son to the Messenger of God who sent word for him to let him enter. He said: 'Now the permission has come so you may enter.' He also said: 'I have heard O Messenger of God that you wish to kill my father and I fear that if you order someone other than me to do so that I will not be able to let the killer of my father walk in the land without killing him and by this entering the hellfire because of killing a believer for an infidel. The Ansar know that I am the most dutiful of them to his father. But, O Messenger of God if you intend to kill him then order me to do so and I will bring you his head.'

The Messenger of God said words of kindness to him and told him to accompany his father in a fine manner as long as he was amongst the Muslims.

His Adherence to the Peace Treaty of Hodaybiyah

[Amongst several others, one of the conditions of the treaty of Hodaybiyah was that if anyone left Quraysh and migrated from Mecca to Medina to join the Prophet Muhammad and his Muslim followers without the permission of his guardian, then he would have to be returned to the Quraysh. However, if one of the followers of the Prophet wanted to go back to the Quraysh in Mecca he should be allowed to do so. The Prophet had in principle accepted this condition, as well as other conditions of the treaty and was ready to sign the peace deal.]

However some of the companions objected to this and said:

'Glory be to God, how can we send a man back to the Polytheists when he has come to us as a Muslim.' At this stage, suddenly, Abu Jandal ibn Suheil ibn Amr entered the gathering shackled. He had escaped from his father's prison in lower Mecca and put himself in the hands of the Muslims. He had committed no crime other than choosing Islam over Polytheism.

His father Suheil said: 'O Muhammad, this is the first person I demand that you return to me.' The Prophet said: 'We have not finished the document yet.' He said: 'Then I will never make peace with you ever.' The Prophet said: 'Let him remain under our protection.' He said: 'I will not.' The Prophet said: 'No, let it be so.' He said: 'I will not.' In order to save the deal, Mukraz, a member of the Quraysh delegation that had come to negotiate and sign the pact, said:

'Yes, we give him over to your protection.' But Suheil refused this completely and made the whole peace treaty depend upon his son being delivered to him.

When Abu Jandal saw that he was to be returned to his father he said: 'O Muslims, am I to be returned to the Polytheists after I have come to you as a Muslim. Do you not see how I have been treated?' He had been tortured severely because of his belief in God. Some of the Muslims said: 'We will not return him.'

The Apostle of God stood up and took him by the hand and said: 'O God, you know that Abu Jandal is sincere, so relieve him and grant him a way out.' Then he approached the people and said: 'He is safe, and he will return to his father and mother. I wish to fulfil the conditions of the Quraysh.' Then he turned to Abu Jandal and said: 'O Abu Jandal, have patience and think of the afterlife. God will surely grant you and the rest of the Muslims with you relief and a way out. We have made a peace treaty with the Quraysh and given them our word and they have given us theirs. We will not act treacherously with them.'

Among the Blessings of the Treaty of Hodaybiyah

When the Apostle of God returned to Medina, Abu Basir ibn Oseid ibn Harithah al-Thaqafi, who was a new convert, escaped from the Polytheists of the Quraysh. They sent two men in pursuit of him who came to the Apostle of God and reminded him of the treaty. So he gave Abu Basir up to the two men.

They left and reached as far as Dhu al-Hulayfah where they stopped to eat some dates they had with them. Abu Basir said to one of the men: 'I see that your sword is a good one.' The man said: 'It is indeed, by God. I have tried it out more than once.'

Abu Basir said: 'Let me look at it.'

Then he overpowered him and struck him until he died and the other man fled to Medina and entered the mosque. When the Apostle of God saw him he said: 'This man is terrified.' The man said: 'Abu Basir has killed my companion and I am nearly killed.'

Then Abu Basir came and said: 'O Prophet of God, God has fulfilled your covenant. You returned me to them and God delivered me from them.' The Prophet said: 'he starts a war whenever there is anyone with him.'

When Abu Basir heard this he knew that the Apostle of God would return him to them again. So he left with five men who had come with him as Muslims, and ended up between al-Ays and Dhil-Murrah regions in the lands of Juheinah on the road that the caravans of the Quraysh took.

Abu Jandal ibn Soheil and seventy riders who had entered Islam also escaped from Quraysh and they joined up with Abu Basir as did every Muslim that left the Quraysh until their numbers reached three hundred fighters all of them Muslims. Every time they heard of a caravan of the Quraysh leaving for Syria they intercepted it and took their property.

The Quraysh sent Abu Sufyan to the Apostle of God begging him to send word to Abu Basir al-Thaqafi and Abu Jandal and their men for them to come to him. Relinquishing one of the most important articles of the treaty of Hodaybiyah, which was designed to prevent and discourage Muslim converts to join the Prophet Muhammad, on behalf of the Quraysh Abu Sufyan said to the Apostle of God: 'Whoever leaves us for you then hold onto him without blame upon you.'

Then those who had advised the Apostle of God not to return Abu Jandal to his father realised that obedience to the Apostle of God was better for them under all circumstances. They realised that this was the greatest victory so far for Islam. Previously there were clashes and a sense of animosity between the Muslims and the infidels, but now that there was a truce and the war was over and the people were secure, whenever they met they would discuss their ideas and beliefs and whenever anyone spoke of Islam and others reasoned and understood Islam they would embrace it as a way of life. During the next two years more people entered Islam than had already become Muslims in the previous years.