MUHAMMAD SAW THE MESSENGER OF ISLAM (515 pages, 28/41)
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olunteer and none stepped forth.
But let it not be assumed that the Noble Sahaba hesitated because they were loath to give up their lives - never! Each one of the Noble Companions would gladly have been the first to surrender his soul for the sake of Muhammad , all of them fully aware of the merit of a martyr’s death. With the greatest pleasure they would have performed this duel in his blessed presence, until their cloaks fell off their backs. No, the reason for their reservation was this: if any one of them rose to meet the challenge and was martyred without having killed ‘Amr, this would greatly strengthen the morale of the infidel army, while weakening the resolve of such ditherers as were under the influence of the hypocrites, increasing the fear in their hearts. Some of the Sahaba even went out to battle without their armor, and when asked why they answered, “Those who love their Lord Creator fear not death!”
The Prophet’s general, Ali who was still quite young at that time, stepped out in answer to the Prophet’s question and said, “Oh Rasulullah , I will go forth and fight this fellow.” But the Prophet answered, “No, Ali, this fellow is ‘Amr! Sit down!” Again ‘Amr yelled, taunting them even louder this time, “I thought
you were all hungry for Paradise? So there is none of you wishing for its joys now?” The Inheritor of the Prophet , Ali again spoke up, saying, “Oh Holy Prophet ! And even if he is ‘Amr, give me permission to go and fight him!” But the Prophet declined and insisted that he remain seated. Then the infelicitous challenger attacked the Prophet with sordid speech. Now the Lion of Islam, Ali the Victor, the son of Abu Talib could restrain himself no longer. “Oh my Noble Prophet ! I beg your permission! At least let me prove that I am his equal!”
Everyone’s eyes filled with tears and hearts beat in alarm, when the husband of Batul (Fatima) rose with such firm determination. Even the Holy Prophet could no longer restrain him, but he did strip off his own coat of mail and invested Ali with it. With his own hands he girt him with the sword called “Dhul-Fiqar”. Both Heaven and earth stood silent as they watched Muhammad , the interpreter of the Lord of Unity, perform this ceremony on Ali. Then the Holy Prophet prayed over him, kissed him on the forehead and sent him out against ‘Amr.
Ali stepped out onto the battleground on foot, whereas ‘Amr was mounted. In great suspense, the whole of creation stood watching the scene that was about to unfold, the contest between these two armies: between the hero who confirmed the Unity of Allah and him who denied it, between the Friend of God, the human lion, and the enemy of God, the uncouth champion of idolatry and spiritual darkness.
It was ‘Amr’s custom to say to his opponent at the outset of a contest, “I grant you three wishes!” When he saw Ali coming to meet him, true to his habit he said, “You who are coming out against me! Three wishes I grant you, ask of me whatever you wish!” Ali replied, “Alright, my first wish is that you might come to reason and surrender (i.e. accept Islam). Think of your future in the everlasting abode.” “What,” roared ‘Amr, “you still persist in this solicitation!” “What else have I to persist in?” replied Ali. “How can you suggest such a thing to me? Do I look like one who surrenders (i.e. a Muslim)?” “If that is so, then leave the battleground.” “What! To become the mockery of the Arab women!” “Right then, come on and fight!” said Ali.
Upon this, ‘Amr let out long and loud peals of laughter, mocking Ali and saying, “Such bravery and daring, I have never heard the likes of it in all my living memory! But tell me, do you know who I am?” Ali answered, “Only too well. You are ‘Amr, the enemy of God.” “And who are you?” “I am a servant of Allah, Ali the son of Abu Talib.” “Ah, woe is thee, oh Ali! I was a good friend of your father for many long years. I am therefore loath to shed your blood. Is there none among your uncles who is my peer, which they might have sent him out against
me? I find it hard to raise my hand against thee!”
To this Ali replied, “The Holy Prophet , the Beloved of Allah, has set his hopes on me, just as Abu Sufyan and the chiefs of the idolaters have pinned their hopes upon you. For me it will be a pleasure to shed your blood in the name of Allah Almighty!” These words of Ali pierced his misbelieving heart as if a pointed lance. “I will not condescend to fight you from atop my mount,” he said. “As you wish; we have exchanged words enough,” replied Ali, “let us not waste our breath, but fight if we must.” These words from Ali again painfully pricked ‘Amr’s false pride. He instantly dismounted and smote the leg of his own horse with a stroke of his sword, filling all the onlookers with terror. Then he fiercely came towards Ali. As Ali began to parry his strokes, the Muslims looked on with tearful eyes, for ‘Amr’s onslaught had cloven Ali’s shield in two and wounded his blessed head. Witnessing this, the Holy Prophet began to pray, “Oh my Lord! My uncle ‘Ubayda fell a martyr at Badr, my other uncle Hamza fell at Uhud. There is no one left to me of my family but Ali, my father’s brother’s son. If he too is now taken from me... I beseech Thee not to leave me all alone.”
The Sahaba who heard the Prophet’s supplication were moved to tears and shaken by sobbing. But now came Ali’s turn to reciprocate. He drew the sword that Rasulullah had girded him with from its sheath, saying, “Oh my Lord! Make true what Thou hast promised to Thy Prophet ! I pray Thee to invest Thy Prophet’s sword with Thy Power, so that my arm might manifest Thy Divine Might!” With a mighty cry of “Allahu Akbar!” he charged towards ‘Amr, and with a single sweep of his sword Dhul-Fiqar he dispatched him into the pit of eternal damnation.
Regarding this great event, the Holy Prophet is to have said, “There is no more accomplished person between the Earth and the Throne than Ali. He is the leader of him who takes me to be his leader. Ali alone can acquit my debt.”
After this, Munabbih of the sons of Abdul-Dar rode out onto the scene of battle. He was met by Zubayr who smote him a stroke of his sword that clove this stubborn disbeliever in two. Whenever people said to Zubayr, “What a powerful sword you possess!” Zubayr would reply, “It is not a question of the sword, it is a question of the arm that wields it!”
Then ‘Umar’s brother, Dirar ibn al-Khattab, Abu Jahl’s son Ikrima and Khubayr ibn Wahab strode out onto the field one after the other. When ‘Umar came out to meet Dirar, the latter fled the field. Ali and Zubayr went out to meet the other two, who lost their courage and fled also. As Ikrima was fleeing, he lost his
helmet. The poet Hasan bin Thabit pursued him, declaiming derisive verses. Nawfal fell into a trench and cried out when they were pelting him with stones, “Kill me at least in a soldierly way!” Ali then leapt into the ditch and severed from his body the head filled with delusions of disbelief.
This was the most important day of the Battle of the Confederates. Even though the Muslims were content to have slain their most vicious enemies, and the unbelievers were distressed at having lost some of their strongest fighters, yet the Muslims were subjected to the rain of arrows and hail of stones hurled at them. So much so that the Pride of the Worlds had to pass up four times of prayer (later making up for them as Qada), as he could not absent himself from the fighting.
The next day the Confederates, i.e. the pagans and the unbelievers drew an even closer ring around the Muslims. The Bani Qurayza drew close to the place where the Muslim women were staying. They decided to attack from this front. One of the unbelievers managed to make his way up to the gates of the fort. Safiya bint Abdul-Muttalib noticed him and grabbed a tent pole and brought it down upon the unbeliever’s head. He fell senseless to the ground. When the unbelievers who were preparing to attack on this front learned of his death, they desisted from their offensive, deeming the place well defended.
The Muslims sorely felt their lack of numbers in those days. The Bani Qurayza united with the Quraysh and their arrows rained incessantly upon the outnumbered Muslims. However, it was the Will of Allah that the Muslims should prevail over the unbelieving foe. Upon the Command of the Almighty, the elements of nature began to strike back at the besieging army. Suddenly a great whirlwind arose and flattened the enemy’s headquarters, scattering their stores of grain. Allah’s invisible army had come and brought relief and comfort to the Muslims.
This event is mentioned in the Hoy Quran in these verses:
O believers, remember God’s blessing upon you when hosts came against you and We loosed against them a wind, and hosts you saw not; and God sees the things you do.
(The Confederates, 9)
Before long, the enemy army’s beasts began to die and great dissent broke out between the Confederates consisting of the pagans, unbelievers and hypocrites. The conversion of Nu’aym ibn Mas’ud al-Ghatafani to Islam was cause for the greatest discord among them.
In Nu’aym’s heart a spark of faith had long been kindled, and when the campaign against Muhammad began, he took counsel with himself, thinking, “Why should I stubbornly persist in my error? Should I deny myself the boon of following in the steps of Muhammad , who defends the rights of the weak, who demonstrates high moral character in utter disregard of any benefit to his own person, and who tells of the life to come when the oppressor will cry from woe, and the oppressed will shout from joy. But,” thought he to himself, “to this day I have not been received within the noble religion of Islam. What can I do for Islam, to make up for this loss and to gain acceptance?”
Nu’aym belonged to the notables of the tribes of the Ashja’, and he was the leader of a very numerous group of men. He decided that he must come to the aid of the Muslims with the forces he commanded. First he went to the head of the Bani Qurayza, Ka’b ibn Asad. He was sitting together with the chiefs of the tribes when Nu’aym entered. They received him with honor and began to speak of the war situation. After listening to them for a while, Nu’aym spoke up, saying, “I don’t know what you think of me, but I believe you know that I have feelings of closeness and regard for you, is it not so?” “No doubt this is the case,” replied the chief. “Is their anything you wish to say to us, oh Nu’aym?” “Indeed there is,” replied Nu’aym, “I am thinking of the outcome of this affair and I see your position as being dismal.” “How is that, what news have you heard?”
“No, I have no news to bring, it is just to say that this matter displeases me. Both the tribes of the Ghatafan and the Quraysh have come here and besieged the Muslims for days on end, but they are holding out and successfully pursuing their defensive tactics. The animals of the assaulting army are beginning to perish, storms and rain have brought down their tents, their grain stores are giving out and various rumors are coursing throughout the camp. Dissent is breaking out among the rank and file of this discordant mingling. This dissension needs be, will lead the troops to split up, as they grow weary of the siege. Eventually you will be left to your own devices. These are my thoughts. You will in that case fall straight into the hands of the Muslims which is bound to have dire results.” “These thoughts of yours indeed describe what is no remote probability, quite possibly the outcome will be such. However what can we do at this point, oh Nu’aym?” Nu’aym replied, “You must take some persons of Quraysh and Ghatafan as hostages. They will then of necessity remain steadfast until the end.” Ka’b ibn Asad answered to this, “You have spoken very truly, oh Nu’aym, you are right, this is what we ought to do.”
Nu’aym left them at that and proceeded straightway to the gathering of Abu Sufyan. There, too, Nu’aym was well received and greeted with familiarity. Nu’aym broached the subject without delay. “Have you heard already?” he said. Abu Sufyan, surprised, said, “Good news, we hope!” Nu’aym said, “The Bani Qurayza regret having broken their treaty with Muhammad and have concluded a new secret treaty with him. They have found a way of gaining his pardon, and this is their ruse: they have promised to take hostages some of the nobles of Quraysh and Ghatafan and deliver them to the Muslims. That is what they have promised them. Bear this in mind: if there is any such suggestion by the Bani Qurayza, don’t be deceived into delivering hostages to them. It would be a great pity.”
Abu Sufyan was much worried by these words. In order to learn whether the Bani Qurayza were really considering such an action, he sent a man over to their camp to find out. He was to deliver the following message to them, “We have come to this juncture at the instigation of the Bani Qurayza and of your chiefs. You have led us into this pinch, and now you act coolly towards us. You desist from commanding a heightened offensive, and the siege might last long in this manner. Our losses are great; our beasts are suffering badly. Therefore, we ought to strike out tomorrow in a joint effort to end this whole affair as soon as possible. That is what appears to us to be the right course.”
To this the response was, “Tomorrow being the Sabbath, all work is forbidden to us. The day after we will be willing to do battle. But under one condition: that you send seventy of your foremost men to us as hostages, so that we might be certain that you would not desert us.” When the Quraysh and Ghatafan heard this reply, they said, “Nu’aym has indeed spoken truly,” and they answered the Bani Qurayza, “We will neither submit to you any hostages, nor will we ask any support from you. We shall return to our country and leave you in the hands of the Muslims. They will mete out your punishment to you.”
The Bani Qurayza on the other hand thought, “Indeed, what Nu’aym has told us is coming true, but it is too late to do anything about it.” They regretted having broken their contract with Muhammad , and leaving the battleground, they withdrew into their fortified dwellings. This caused a serious rift in the relation between the unbelievers and the Arab tribes. Even if the siege still lasted, it had lost a lot of its weight. Later, when it became known to the Holy Prophet that Nu’aym had been the cause for this rift, he prayed for him. Therefore, oh true Believer! The word has a spirit of its own. At times it can bring life, at other times it can destroy. Do you not see how one command issuing from the Divine
Throne can set thousands of men marching? Therefore, man must look not to the causes of a thing but to the Causer of causes. For the Divine Will is not in need of a cause, it is rather the causes that are in need of the Divine Will.
The siege wore on, and the Muslims were growing weary of it. One day at the ‘Asr prayer, the Mercy to the Worlds, Muhammad entreated the Almighty, “Oh my Lord! Do not try this band of Muslims who assert Your Oneness with overly hard trials! They will never turn away from You, so expose not their faces to the enemy’s arrows for much longer!” No sooner had he completed his supplication than the signs of good cheer appeared on his blessed countenance. For the Highest Envoy of the Divine Dominion, the archangel Jibra’il had come to him to announce glad tidings: by Divine Command the wind, joined by forces of the Divine Regiment, was to turn against the unbelievers, rendering ineffectual all their rage and fury.
Indeed, before long, a wind of such force arose that it seemed to rip the earth apart. Not a thing could be seen, the whole world was plunged into the darkness of night and a great fear and loathing befell all men. In view of this situation, Abu Sufyan lost all hope of victory. Half of his army had deserted, and he said to himself, “There is no use in further persisting in this matter. Anyway, there is dissension between us and the Bani Qurayza. I’m leaving, and everybody else should also go home.” So speaking he turned and departed. In this way the storm clouds on Madinah’s horizons were scattered.
The Holy Prophet rose and told his companions of this loss of morale in the enemy camp, and as soon as dawn broke, he sent Hudhayfa to spy out the enemy camp and bring word of their movements. Hudhayfa bin Yaman went and spied into the enemy encampment, observing their disarray. As he was returning he encountered six horsemen who said to him, “Oh Hudhayfa, go and tell your friend that Allah has turned against his enemies to destroy them!” Hudhayfa said to them, “But who are you? I know you not!” The horsemen replied, “Just move along! Your friend knows who we are, he is informed by Divine Agency, your task is only to deliver this message to him.” When Hudhayfa presented all this to the Holy Prophet , he smiled so broadly that his teeth showed, and announced that these horsemen had been angels in the guise of human beings.
The army of the Meccan Arabs left behind them much of their bulk and dross, and plenty of grain that they had kept in store for fodder. All of this now fell to the Muslims. Even the twenty camel-loads of grain that Abu Sufyan had been sent by Huyayy, the head of the unbelievers, were confiscated by Muhammad’s men.
In this war, there were five martyrs on the Muslim side: two of these were from the clan of ‘Aws, and three were from that of the Khazraj. One of these was Sa’d ibn Mu’adh, one of the most important of the Ansar whom the Holy Prophet loved dearly. Sa’d had been seriously injured during the fighting. When the warring was over, the Prophet had a tent erected in the courtyard of the mosque, especially for nursing his beloved companion. The Prophet himself came and tended to him. The lady Rufayda who was a skilled nurse dressed his wounds under the Holy Prophet’s supervision. However, this much beloved companion was beloved also by Allah, and his wounds would not heal. Thus he drank the cup of death and died a martyr’s death.
What bliss came to that lofty person whose wounds were nursed and tended by the blessed hand of the Holy Prophet himself. May Allah Almighty grant him his intercession, Amin.
Aisha relates: The mother of Sa’d was with us in the fort where we were staying. I was strolling outside of the walls of the fort when I heard footsteps. I looked and I saw it was Sa’d ibn Mu’adh who was running out to the battlefield, his spear in his hand. When she saw her son, his mother said, “Sa’d, my son, you are late, go hurry! Give your life and soul for the sake of this religion! Do not forsake the Prophet , all that you have, offer it up for him!” Thus she saw him off. Sa’d’s armor was too small for him, so that his arms remained uncovered. An arrow shot by Ibn il-‘Arqa hit him on the arm and wounded him deeply. It was this wound that he died from.
The Treachery of the Bani Qurayza
The Holy Prophet returned from the Battle of the Trench to his home in the first week of the month of Dhul-Hijjah. No sooner had he laid off his armor and weapons than the messenger-angel Jibra’il appeared to him and announced to him his Lord’s Salams and the Command: “My Beloved! It is My Divine Wish that the Muslims instantly go after the Bani Qurayza who are bent on general destruction!”
The Bani Qurayza did not appreciate the kindness shown to them by Muhammad
, though they had seen the Bani Nadir evicted from their homes. They knew not the value of being permitted to stay, nor the freedom afforded to them regarding the management of their own affairs, their economic and religious concerns. Their only response to all this kindness had been treachery and deceit.
As mentioned before, after the treachery of the Bani Nadir, the pact with the
Bani Qurayza had been renewed under the same conditions. However, they still nurtured rancor in their hearts and were ever on the lookout to initiate intrigue and mischief. Invariably, they worked against Islam, finally allying themselves with the fiercest enemy of Islam, Huyayy ibn Akhtab, thus breaking their treaty with Muhammad . In this way they betrayed the Muslims at the most critical moment, when they were in greatest need of support. For this reason, it was necessary to punish the Bani Qurayza, for the victory of Islam at the Battle of the Trenches to be complete.
It was now very unlikely that the Muslims would be attacked again by the pagan Quraysh, or for that matter, other Arab tribes. For they had expended their final war effort in the Battle of the Trenches, and their drive and energy was exhausted. In particular, the slaying by Ali of ‘Amr ibn Abdu Wudd, who was commonly known as the “equivalent of a thousand men”, had struck terror into the hearts of the Quraysh warriors, so that there was little likelihood of danger coming from the side of the pagan Quraysh.
However, the grudge against Islam held by the unbelievers and their arrangement with the hypocrites now posed the greatest danger to the Muslims. It was therefore essential that they should be made to feel the consequences of their dishonest dealings and harmful intentions towards Islam. Therefore the Holy Prophet was commanded by Divine Command to return to warring forthwith and to pursue the Bani Qurayza, before he had even stripped his battledress.
Once more the Holy Prophet took up his weapons and called for Bilal. “Oh Bilal!” he said, “call upon all those who uphold the Lord’s Law not to lay down their weapons, and to remove their battledress not just yet. Call them to assemble for the ‘Asr prayer in the quarter of the Bani Qurayza!” The Noble Companions assembled. The Holy Prophet placed the banner into Ali’s hand and sent him on ahead, while he himself went on behind.
As they marched along, the Mercy to the Worlds, the Foremost of the Prophets spoke to his Companions, “Should the Bani Qurayza show us no enmity and greet us with friendliness, then I will pray to the Lord for them to be pardoned.” Again he said to Ali who was marching at the front of the company, “Oh Ali! Proceed only as far as the entrance of their fort. If you see them manifesting any sign of regret for what they have done, come and inform me of it.”
Ali rode on ahead of the army. Coming up to the fort of the Bani Qurayza, he heard such disparaging words spoken against the Holy Prophet that far from denoting contrition or remorse should have made even the tongue that spoke
them weep.
The Holy Prophet came to a well and waited there for news from Ali. But when he heard of the slanderous language they had used against him and of their resolve to resist, he decided to besiege them. The leaders of the Bani Qurayza then grew stubborn. Instead of begging for pardon for their treachery, they set their minds on defense.
The siege lasted for twenty days. Finally, the head of the tribe, Ka’b, gathered together all the dignitaries of the unbelievers one Friday and said to them, “There remains to my mind no more doubt or hesitation that this man Muhammad is the prophet foretold in all our Holy Books, the Prophet of the Last Times . In my opinion we all ought to accept him and his message and become Muslims. That will be our way out of the plight we are in. What do you say?”
The unbelievers however answered, “That is impossible!” “In that case, let us all put our own families, wives and children to death, so that they do not remain a worry on our mind; then let us go out and fight in the open!” They answered, “After having lost our wives and children, what value will remaining alive have for us?” and they rejected Ka’b’s proposal. Then Ka’b said to them, “In that case, this is what we should do: Tomorrow is Saturday, the Sabbath. Muhammad is assured that on that day we will not engage in any hostile actions. Let us therefore suddenly strike forth unexpectedly, and make a sudden sortie!”
This jarred with the religious feelings of the unbelievers, and they rejoined, “Impossible, we would be defaming our Holy Sabbath! That we will never do!” Ka’b then said, “Alright, what then do you say that we should do? We are now under siege for over twenty days, and hunger is no longer far from us. We will not be able to hold out much longer. Moreover, it is our own fault. We had a treaty with Muhammad which guaranteed us the control over our lives, our possessions and our religious practices. He respected the conditions of this contract, while we, in return, allied ourselves with his mortal foes that were bent on his destruction. We became a threat to them, instead of being partners to a binding agreement.”
The unbelievers then replied, “Let us send word to Muhammad that we will accept a judgment by Sa’d ibn Mu’adh of the tribe of ‘Aws. For there is a pact between the ‘Aws and the Bani Qurayza. Therefore, let us ask for Sa’d ibn Mu’adh to preside in judgment over this affair!” This decision was accepted unanimously by the heads of the tribe, and the Holy Prophet did not refuse
their request.
Sa’d ibn Mu’adh had been badly injured in the Battle of the Trench and was being nursed in a special tent erected for him in the courtyard of the Prophet’s mosque in Madinah. He was close to his death when this message was brought to him. This was Sa’d’s judgment: the rebellious, weapon-bearing men among them and the traitors who had opposed Muhammad should be executed, while women, children and the infirm should fall into Muslim hands as captives. Their possessions were to be regarded as spoils of war. That was the judgment passed on the Bani Qurayza.
Oh Traveler on the Road to Truth! There are some who attempt to denigrate Islam by maintaining that this was a very harsh judgment on the part of Sa’d ibn Mu’adh. Considering the murderous intentions of the Bani Qurayza against the Muslims, and their betrayal of the besieged community (of Madinah), which amounted to treason, even though they were obliged to them by terms of contract, surely no other punishment would have been just. For the mercy shown to the wrongdoer is a betrayal of the wronged.
If, God forbid, the unbelievers had won in this conflict, they would doubtlessly have put to death all the Muslims, including the women and children, with no consideration of their defenselessness. In fact, when asked to do so, the Holy Prophet often ruled in accordance with the previously revealed Holy Scripture, if he received no specific revelation. The ruling which Sa’d ibn Mu’adh gave was in accordance with the Torah. The unbelievers consented to this verdict; they found it to be appropriate. When the Prophet heard of the verdict which Sa’d had given, he said, “This is the judgment of Allah!”
Some Western writers have said, “Sa’d bin Mu’adh gave such a strict verdict because he had been injured by the Bani Qurayza and he was motivated by a need for retaliation.” But this is a mistaken judgment, for it was not the Qurayza but the Quraysh who had inflicted on Sa’d the wound from which he died. The man whose arrow had struck him was Ibn il-‘Arqa and he was a man of the Quraysh.
We must take careful note of the following:
The Holy Prophet who is our leader in the spiritual domain, always forgave any hurt that was inflicted upon his own person, and he applied his merciful qualities to those who attacked him. However, in his position as guardian of his people’s life and freedom, when justice needed to be carried out, he would unquestioningly impart to criminals their just deserts.
In the holy text of the Quran, Allah Almighty declares the extent of His Prophet’s mercy and compassion, and the events of Muhammad’s life display this to all of creation. Yes, the Holy Prophet’s mercy was so great that it confounds the mind. There are countless instances; mention of just a few examples may suffice:
A dignitary of the Bani Hanifa, Thumama ibn Athal, was taken prisoner and brought to Madinah into the presence of the Prophet . This man was one of the most rebellious and was transformed into one of the foremost Muslims by the compassion flowing from the gaze of Muhammad . All his coarseness turned into delicacy, and his defiance into favorable inclination. As soon as he returned to his tribe, he ordered that the grain transports which hitherto had passed from Yamama through Mecca should no longer stop by there.
This put the Meccans under great pressure and the pagan Quraysh felt it as well. The Prophet’s enemies at last wearied of the situation and they pleaded with Thumama that they would do anything he asked for, accept any condition he imposed on them, if he would only exert his influence to keep them from starvation.
Thumama answered them, “You are the enemy of Muhammad , the great and noble Prophet of Islam. You were the reason he migrated from his hometown, you went out to war against him, and you sorely mistreated his followers, the Muslims. Therefore, I am unable to accept your request, I will not let one single mouthful pass by your way.”
Hearing this, the Meccans felt helpless and were distressed. One thing they still felt sure of was the Holy Prophet’s mercy and compassion towards all of God’s creation.
The Meccan chiefs conf
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olunteer and none stepped forth.
But let it not be assumed that the Noble Sahaba hesitated because they were loath to give up their lives - never! Each one of the Noble Companions would gladly have been the first to surrender his soul for the sake of Muhammad , all of them fully aware of the merit of a martyr’s death. With the greatest pleasure they would have performed this duel in his blessed presence, until their cloaks fell off their backs. No, the reason for their reservation was this: if any one of them rose to meet the challenge and was martyred without having killed ‘Amr, this would greatly strengthen the morale of the infidel army, while weakening the resolve of such ditherers as were under the influence of the hypocrites, increasing the fear in their hearts. Some of the Sahaba even went out to battle without their armor, and when asked why they answered, “Those who love their Lord Creator fear not death!”
The Prophet’s general, Ali who was still quite young at that time, stepped out in answer to the Prophet’s question and said, “Oh Rasulullah , I will go forth and fight this fellow.” But the Prophet answered, “No, Ali, this fellow is ‘Amr! Sit down!” Again ‘Amr yelled, taunting them even louder this time, “I thought
you were all hungry for Paradise? So there is none of you wishing for its joys now?” The Inheritor of the Prophet , Ali again spoke up, saying, “Oh Holy Prophet ! And even if he is ‘Amr, give me permission to go and fight him!” But the Prophet declined and insisted that he remain seated. Then the infelicitous challenger attacked the Prophet with sordid speech. Now the Lion of Islam, Ali the Victor, the son of Abu Talib could restrain himself no longer. “Oh my Noble Prophet ! I beg your permission! At least let me prove that I am his equal!”
Everyone’s eyes filled with tears and hearts beat in alarm, when the husband of Batul (Fatima) rose with such firm determination. Even the Holy Prophet could no longer restrain him, but he did strip off his own coat of mail and invested Ali with it. With his own hands he girt him with the sword called “Dhul-Fiqar”. Both Heaven and earth stood silent as they watched Muhammad , the interpreter of the Lord of Unity, perform this ceremony on Ali. Then the Holy Prophet prayed over him, kissed him on the forehead and sent him out against ‘Amr.
Ali stepped out onto the battleground on foot, whereas ‘Amr was mounted. In great suspense, the whole of creation stood watching the scene that was about to unfold, the contest between these two armies: between the hero who confirmed the Unity of Allah and him who denied it, between the Friend of God, the human lion, and the enemy of God, the uncouth champion of idolatry and spiritual darkness.
It was ‘Amr’s custom to say to his opponent at the outset of a contest, “I grant you three wishes!” When he saw Ali coming to meet him, true to his habit he said, “You who are coming out against me! Three wishes I grant you, ask of me whatever you wish!” Ali replied, “Alright, my first wish is that you might come to reason and surrender (i.e. accept Islam). Think of your future in the everlasting abode.” “What,” roared ‘Amr, “you still persist in this solicitation!” “What else have I to persist in?” replied Ali. “How can you suggest such a thing to me? Do I look like one who surrenders (i.e. a Muslim)?” “If that is so, then leave the battleground.” “What! To become the mockery of the Arab women!” “Right then, come on and fight!” said Ali.
Upon this, ‘Amr let out long and loud peals of laughter, mocking Ali and saying, “Such bravery and daring, I have never heard the likes of it in all my living memory! But tell me, do you know who I am?” Ali answered, “Only too well. You are ‘Amr, the enemy of God.” “And who are you?” “I am a servant of Allah, Ali the son of Abu Talib.” “Ah, woe is thee, oh Ali! I was a good friend of your father for many long years. I am therefore loath to shed your blood. Is there none among your uncles who is my peer, which they might have sent him out against
me? I find it hard to raise my hand against thee!”
To this Ali replied, “The Holy Prophet , the Beloved of Allah, has set his hopes on me, just as Abu Sufyan and the chiefs of the idolaters have pinned their hopes upon you. For me it will be a pleasure to shed your blood in the name of Allah Almighty!” These words of Ali pierced his misbelieving heart as if a pointed lance. “I will not condescend to fight you from atop my mount,” he said. “As you wish; we have exchanged words enough,” replied Ali, “let us not waste our breath, but fight if we must.” These words from Ali again painfully pricked ‘Amr’s false pride. He instantly dismounted and smote the leg of his own horse with a stroke of his sword, filling all the onlookers with terror. Then he fiercely came towards Ali. As Ali began to parry his strokes, the Muslims looked on with tearful eyes, for ‘Amr’s onslaught had cloven Ali’s shield in two and wounded his blessed head. Witnessing this, the Holy Prophet began to pray, “Oh my Lord! My uncle ‘Ubayda fell a martyr at Badr, my other uncle Hamza fell at Uhud. There is no one left to me of my family but Ali, my father’s brother’s son. If he too is now taken from me... I beseech Thee not to leave me all alone.”
The Sahaba who heard the Prophet’s supplication were moved to tears and shaken by sobbing. But now came Ali’s turn to reciprocate. He drew the sword that Rasulullah had girded him with from its sheath, saying, “Oh my Lord! Make true what Thou hast promised to Thy Prophet ! I pray Thee to invest Thy Prophet’s sword with Thy Power, so that my arm might manifest Thy Divine Might!” With a mighty cry of “Allahu Akbar!” he charged towards ‘Amr, and with a single sweep of his sword Dhul-Fiqar he dispatched him into the pit of eternal damnation.
Regarding this great event, the Holy Prophet is to have said, “There is no more accomplished person between the Earth and the Throne than Ali. He is the leader of him who takes me to be his leader. Ali alone can acquit my debt.”
After this, Munabbih of the sons of Abdul-Dar rode out onto the scene of battle. He was met by Zubayr who smote him a stroke of his sword that clove this stubborn disbeliever in two. Whenever people said to Zubayr, “What a powerful sword you possess!” Zubayr would reply, “It is not a question of the sword, it is a question of the arm that wields it!”
Then ‘Umar’s brother, Dirar ibn al-Khattab, Abu Jahl’s son Ikrima and Khubayr ibn Wahab strode out onto the field one after the other. When ‘Umar came out to meet Dirar, the latter fled the field. Ali and Zubayr went out to meet the other two, who lost their courage and fled also. As Ikrima was fleeing, he lost his
helmet. The poet Hasan bin Thabit pursued him, declaiming derisive verses. Nawfal fell into a trench and cried out when they were pelting him with stones, “Kill me at least in a soldierly way!” Ali then leapt into the ditch and severed from his body the head filled with delusions of disbelief.
This was the most important day of the Battle of the Confederates. Even though the Muslims were content to have slain their most vicious enemies, and the unbelievers were distressed at having lost some of their strongest fighters, yet the Muslims were subjected to the rain of arrows and hail of stones hurled at them. So much so that the Pride of the Worlds had to pass up four times of prayer (later making up for them as Qada), as he could not absent himself from the fighting.
The next day the Confederates, i.e. the pagans and the unbelievers drew an even closer ring around the Muslims. The Bani Qurayza drew close to the place where the Muslim women were staying. They decided to attack from this front. One of the unbelievers managed to make his way up to the gates of the fort. Safiya bint Abdul-Muttalib noticed him and grabbed a tent pole and brought it down upon the unbeliever’s head. He fell senseless to the ground. When the unbelievers who were preparing to attack on this front learned of his death, they desisted from their offensive, deeming the place well defended.
The Muslims sorely felt their lack of numbers in those days. The Bani Qurayza united with the Quraysh and their arrows rained incessantly upon the outnumbered Muslims. However, it was the Will of Allah that the Muslims should prevail over the unbelieving foe. Upon the Command of the Almighty, the elements of nature began to strike back at the besieging army. Suddenly a great whirlwind arose and flattened the enemy’s headquarters, scattering their stores of grain. Allah’s invisible army had come and brought relief and comfort to the Muslims.
This event is mentioned in the Hoy Quran in these verses:
O believers, remember God’s blessing upon you when hosts came against you and We loosed against them a wind, and hosts you saw not; and God sees the things you do.
(The Confederates, 9)
Before long, the enemy army’s beasts began to die and great dissent broke out between the Confederates consisting of the pagans, unbelievers and hypocrites. The conversion of Nu’aym ibn Mas’ud al-Ghatafani to Islam was cause for the greatest discord among them.
In Nu’aym’s heart a spark of faith had long been kindled, and when the campaign against Muhammad began, he took counsel with himself, thinking, “Why should I stubbornly persist in my error? Should I deny myself the boon of following in the steps of Muhammad , who defends the rights of the weak, who demonstrates high moral character in utter disregard of any benefit to his own person, and who tells of the life to come when the oppressor will cry from woe, and the oppressed will shout from joy. But,” thought he to himself, “to this day I have not been received within the noble religion of Islam. What can I do for Islam, to make up for this loss and to gain acceptance?”
Nu’aym belonged to the notables of the tribes of the Ashja’, and he was the leader of a very numerous group of men. He decided that he must come to the aid of the Muslims with the forces he commanded. First he went to the head of the Bani Qurayza, Ka’b ibn Asad. He was sitting together with the chiefs of the tribes when Nu’aym entered. They received him with honor and began to speak of the war situation. After listening to them for a while, Nu’aym spoke up, saying, “I don’t know what you think of me, but I believe you know that I have feelings of closeness and regard for you, is it not so?” “No doubt this is the case,” replied the chief. “Is their anything you wish to say to us, oh Nu’aym?” “Indeed there is,” replied Nu’aym, “I am thinking of the outcome of this affair and I see your position as being dismal.” “How is that, what news have you heard?”
“No, I have no news to bring, it is just to say that this matter displeases me. Both the tribes of the Ghatafan and the Quraysh have come here and besieged the Muslims for days on end, but they are holding out and successfully pursuing their defensive tactics. The animals of the assaulting army are beginning to perish, storms and rain have brought down their tents, their grain stores are giving out and various rumors are coursing throughout the camp. Dissent is breaking out among the rank and file of this discordant mingling. This dissension needs be, will lead the troops to split up, as they grow weary of the siege. Eventually you will be left to your own devices. These are my thoughts. You will in that case fall straight into the hands of the Muslims which is bound to have dire results.” “These thoughts of yours indeed describe what is no remote probability, quite possibly the outcome will be such. However what can we do at this point, oh Nu’aym?” Nu’aym replied, “You must take some persons of Quraysh and Ghatafan as hostages. They will then of necessity remain steadfast until the end.” Ka’b ibn Asad answered to this, “You have spoken very truly, oh Nu’aym, you are right, this is what we ought to do.”
Nu’aym left them at that and proceeded straightway to the gathering of Abu Sufyan. There, too, Nu’aym was well received and greeted with familiarity. Nu’aym broached the subject without delay. “Have you heard already?” he said. Abu Sufyan, surprised, said, “Good news, we hope!” Nu’aym said, “The Bani Qurayza regret having broken their treaty with Muhammad and have concluded a new secret treaty with him. They have found a way of gaining his pardon, and this is their ruse: they have promised to take hostages some of the nobles of Quraysh and Ghatafan and deliver them to the Muslims. That is what they have promised them. Bear this in mind: if there is any such suggestion by the Bani Qurayza, don’t be deceived into delivering hostages to them. It would be a great pity.”
Abu Sufyan was much worried by these words. In order to learn whether the Bani Qurayza were really considering such an action, he sent a man over to their camp to find out. He was to deliver the following message to them, “We have come to this juncture at the instigation of the Bani Qurayza and of your chiefs. You have led us into this pinch, and now you act coolly towards us. You desist from commanding a heightened offensive, and the siege might last long in this manner. Our losses are great; our beasts are suffering badly. Therefore, we ought to strike out tomorrow in a joint effort to end this whole affair as soon as possible. That is what appears to us to be the right course.”
To this the response was, “Tomorrow being the Sabbath, all work is forbidden to us. The day after we will be willing to do battle. But under one condition: that you send seventy of your foremost men to us as hostages, so that we might be certain that you would not desert us.” When the Quraysh and Ghatafan heard this reply, they said, “Nu’aym has indeed spoken truly,” and they answered the Bani Qurayza, “We will neither submit to you any hostages, nor will we ask any support from you. We shall return to our country and leave you in the hands of the Muslims. They will mete out your punishment to you.”
The Bani Qurayza on the other hand thought, “Indeed, what Nu’aym has told us is coming true, but it is too late to do anything about it.” They regretted having broken their contract with Muhammad , and leaving the battleground, they withdrew into their fortified dwellings. This caused a serious rift in the relation between the unbelievers and the Arab tribes. Even if the siege still lasted, it had lost a lot of its weight. Later, when it became known to the Holy Prophet that Nu’aym had been the cause for this rift, he prayed for him. Therefore, oh true Believer! The word has a spirit of its own. At times it can bring life, at other times it can destroy. Do you not see how one command issuing from the Divine
Throne can set thousands of men marching? Therefore, man must look not to the causes of a thing but to the Causer of causes. For the Divine Will is not in need of a cause, it is rather the causes that are in need of the Divine Will.
The siege wore on, and the Muslims were growing weary of it. One day at the ‘Asr prayer, the Mercy to the Worlds, Muhammad entreated the Almighty, “Oh my Lord! Do not try this band of Muslims who assert Your Oneness with overly hard trials! They will never turn away from You, so expose not their faces to the enemy’s arrows for much longer!” No sooner had he completed his supplication than the signs of good cheer appeared on his blessed countenance. For the Highest Envoy of the Divine Dominion, the archangel Jibra’il had come to him to announce glad tidings: by Divine Command the wind, joined by forces of the Divine Regiment, was to turn against the unbelievers, rendering ineffectual all their rage and fury.
Indeed, before long, a wind of such force arose that it seemed to rip the earth apart. Not a thing could be seen, the whole world was plunged into the darkness of night and a great fear and loathing befell all men. In view of this situation, Abu Sufyan lost all hope of victory. Half of his army had deserted, and he said to himself, “There is no use in further persisting in this matter. Anyway, there is dissension between us and the Bani Qurayza. I’m leaving, and everybody else should also go home.” So speaking he turned and departed. In this way the storm clouds on Madinah’s horizons were scattered.
The Holy Prophet rose and told his companions of this loss of morale in the enemy camp, and as soon as dawn broke, he sent Hudhayfa to spy out the enemy camp and bring word of their movements. Hudhayfa bin Yaman went and spied into the enemy encampment, observing their disarray. As he was returning he encountered six horsemen who said to him, “Oh Hudhayfa, go and tell your friend that Allah has turned against his enemies to destroy them!” Hudhayfa said to them, “But who are you? I know you not!” The horsemen replied, “Just move along! Your friend knows who we are, he is informed by Divine Agency, your task is only to deliver this message to him.” When Hudhayfa presented all this to the Holy Prophet , he smiled so broadly that his teeth showed, and announced that these horsemen had been angels in the guise of human beings.
The army of the Meccan Arabs left behind them much of their bulk and dross, and plenty of grain that they had kept in store for fodder. All of this now fell to the Muslims. Even the twenty camel-loads of grain that Abu Sufyan had been sent by Huyayy, the head of the unbelievers, were confiscated by Muhammad’s men.
In this war, there were five martyrs on the Muslim side: two of these were from the clan of ‘Aws, and three were from that of the Khazraj. One of these was Sa’d ibn Mu’adh, one of the most important of the Ansar whom the Holy Prophet loved dearly. Sa’d had been seriously injured during the fighting. When the warring was over, the Prophet had a tent erected in the courtyard of the mosque, especially for nursing his beloved companion. The Prophet himself came and tended to him. The lady Rufayda who was a skilled nurse dressed his wounds under the Holy Prophet’s supervision. However, this much beloved companion was beloved also by Allah, and his wounds would not heal. Thus he drank the cup of death and died a martyr’s death.
What bliss came to that lofty person whose wounds were nursed and tended by the blessed hand of the Holy Prophet himself. May Allah Almighty grant him his intercession, Amin.
Aisha relates: The mother of Sa’d was with us in the fort where we were staying. I was strolling outside of the walls of the fort when I heard footsteps. I looked and I saw it was Sa’d ibn Mu’adh who was running out to the battlefield, his spear in his hand. When she saw her son, his mother said, “Sa’d, my son, you are late, go hurry! Give your life and soul for the sake of this religion! Do not forsake the Prophet , all that you have, offer it up for him!” Thus she saw him off. Sa’d’s armor was too small for him, so that his arms remained uncovered. An arrow shot by Ibn il-‘Arqa hit him on the arm and wounded him deeply. It was this wound that he died from.
The Treachery of the Bani Qurayza
The Holy Prophet returned from the Battle of the Trench to his home in the first week of the month of Dhul-Hijjah. No sooner had he laid off his armor and weapons than the messenger-angel Jibra’il appeared to him and announced to him his Lord’s Salams and the Command: “My Beloved! It is My Divine Wish that the Muslims instantly go after the Bani Qurayza who are bent on general destruction!”
The Bani Qurayza did not appreciate the kindness shown to them by Muhammad
, though they had seen the Bani Nadir evicted from their homes. They knew not the value of being permitted to stay, nor the freedom afforded to them regarding the management of their own affairs, their economic and religious concerns. Their only response to all this kindness had been treachery and deceit.
As mentioned before, after the treachery of the Bani Nadir, the pact with the
Bani Qurayza had been renewed under the same conditions. However, they still nurtured rancor in their hearts and were ever on the lookout to initiate intrigue and mischief. Invariably, they worked against Islam, finally allying themselves with the fiercest enemy of Islam, Huyayy ibn Akhtab, thus breaking their treaty with Muhammad . In this way they betrayed the Muslims at the most critical moment, when they were in greatest need of support. For this reason, it was necessary to punish the Bani Qurayza, for the victory of Islam at the Battle of the Trenches to be complete.
It was now very unlikely that the Muslims would be attacked again by the pagan Quraysh, or for that matter, other Arab tribes. For they had expended their final war effort in the Battle of the Trenches, and their drive and energy was exhausted. In particular, the slaying by Ali of ‘Amr ibn Abdu Wudd, who was commonly known as the “equivalent of a thousand men”, had struck terror into the hearts of the Quraysh warriors, so that there was little likelihood of danger coming from the side of the pagan Quraysh.
However, the grudge against Islam held by the unbelievers and their arrangement with the hypocrites now posed the greatest danger to the Muslims. It was therefore essential that they should be made to feel the consequences of their dishonest dealings and harmful intentions towards Islam. Therefore the Holy Prophet was commanded by Divine Command to return to warring forthwith and to pursue the Bani Qurayza, before he had even stripped his battledress.
Once more the Holy Prophet took up his weapons and called for Bilal. “Oh Bilal!” he said, “call upon all those who uphold the Lord’s Law not to lay down their weapons, and to remove their battledress not just yet. Call them to assemble for the ‘Asr prayer in the quarter of the Bani Qurayza!” The Noble Companions assembled. The Holy Prophet placed the banner into Ali’s hand and sent him on ahead, while he himself went on behind.
As they marched along, the Mercy to the Worlds, the Foremost of the Prophets spoke to his Companions, “Should the Bani Qurayza show us no enmity and greet us with friendliness, then I will pray to the Lord for them to be pardoned.” Again he said to Ali who was marching at the front of the company, “Oh Ali! Proceed only as far as the entrance of their fort. If you see them manifesting any sign of regret for what they have done, come and inform me of it.”
Ali rode on ahead of the army. Coming up to the fort of the Bani Qurayza, he heard such disparaging words spoken against the Holy Prophet that far from denoting contrition or remorse should have made even the tongue that spoke
them weep.
The Holy Prophet came to a well and waited there for news from Ali. But when he heard of the slanderous language they had used against him and of their resolve to resist, he decided to besiege them. The leaders of the Bani Qurayza then grew stubborn. Instead of begging for pardon for their treachery, they set their minds on defense.
The siege lasted for twenty days. Finally, the head of the tribe, Ka’b, gathered together all the dignitaries of the unbelievers one Friday and said to them, “There remains to my mind no more doubt or hesitation that this man Muhammad is the prophet foretold in all our Holy Books, the Prophet of the Last Times . In my opinion we all ought to accept him and his message and become Muslims. That will be our way out of the plight we are in. What do you say?”
The unbelievers however answered, “That is impossible!” “In that case, let us all put our own families, wives and children to death, so that they do not remain a worry on our mind; then let us go out and fight in the open!” They answered, “After having lost our wives and children, what value will remaining alive have for us?” and they rejected Ka’b’s proposal. Then Ka’b said to them, “In that case, this is what we should do: Tomorrow is Saturday, the Sabbath. Muhammad is assured that on that day we will not engage in any hostile actions. Let us therefore suddenly strike forth unexpectedly, and make a sudden sortie!”
This jarred with the religious feelings of the unbelievers, and they rejoined, “Impossible, we would be defaming our Holy Sabbath! That we will never do!” Ka’b then said, “Alright, what then do you say that we should do? We are now under siege for over twenty days, and hunger is no longer far from us. We will not be able to hold out much longer. Moreover, it is our own fault. We had a treaty with Muhammad which guaranteed us the control over our lives, our possessions and our religious practices. He respected the conditions of this contract, while we, in return, allied ourselves with his mortal foes that were bent on his destruction. We became a threat to them, instead of being partners to a binding agreement.”
The unbelievers then replied, “Let us send word to Muhammad that we will accept a judgment by Sa’d ibn Mu’adh of the tribe of ‘Aws. For there is a pact between the ‘Aws and the Bani Qurayza. Therefore, let us ask for Sa’d ibn Mu’adh to preside in judgment over this affair!” This decision was accepted unanimously by the heads of the tribe, and the Holy Prophet did not refuse
their request.
Sa’d ibn Mu’adh had been badly injured in the Battle of the Trench and was being nursed in a special tent erected for him in the courtyard of the Prophet’s mosque in Madinah. He was close to his death when this message was brought to him. This was Sa’d’s judgment: the rebellious, weapon-bearing men among them and the traitors who had opposed Muhammad should be executed, while women, children and the infirm should fall into Muslim hands as captives. Their possessions were to be regarded as spoils of war. That was the judgment passed on the Bani Qurayza.
Oh Traveler on the Road to Truth! There are some who attempt to denigrate Islam by maintaining that this was a very harsh judgment on the part of Sa’d ibn Mu’adh. Considering the murderous intentions of the Bani Qurayza against the Muslims, and their betrayal of the besieged community (of Madinah), which amounted to treason, even though they were obliged to them by terms of contract, surely no other punishment would have been just. For the mercy shown to the wrongdoer is a betrayal of the wronged.
If, God forbid, the unbelievers had won in this conflict, they would doubtlessly have put to death all the Muslims, including the women and children, with no consideration of their defenselessness. In fact, when asked to do so, the Holy Prophet often ruled in accordance with the previously revealed Holy Scripture, if he received no specific revelation. The ruling which Sa’d ibn Mu’adh gave was in accordance with the Torah. The unbelievers consented to this verdict; they found it to be appropriate. When the Prophet heard of the verdict which Sa’d had given, he said, “This is the judgment of Allah!”
Some Western writers have said, “Sa’d bin Mu’adh gave such a strict verdict because he had been injured by the Bani Qurayza and he was motivated by a need for retaliation.” But this is a mistaken judgment, for it was not the Qurayza but the Quraysh who had inflicted on Sa’d the wound from which he died. The man whose arrow had struck him was Ibn il-‘Arqa and he was a man of the Quraysh.
We must take careful note of the following:
The Holy Prophet who is our leader in the spiritual domain, always forgave any hurt that was inflicted upon his own person, and he applied his merciful qualities to those who attacked him. However, in his position as guardian of his people’s life and freedom, when justice needed to be carried out, he would unquestioningly impart to criminals their just deserts.
In the holy text of the Quran, Allah Almighty declares the extent of His Prophet’s mercy and compassion, and the events of Muhammad’s life display this to all of creation. Yes, the Holy Prophet’s mercy was so great that it confounds the mind. There are countless instances; mention of just a few examples may suffice:
A dignitary of the Bani Hanifa, Thumama ibn Athal, was taken prisoner and brought to Madinah into the presence of the Prophet . This man was one of the most rebellious and was transformed into one of the foremost Muslims by the compassion flowing from the gaze of Muhammad . All his coarseness turned into delicacy, and his defiance into favorable inclination. As soon as he returned to his tribe, he ordered that the grain transports which hitherto had passed from Yamama through Mecca should no longer stop by there.
This put the Meccans under great pressure and the pagan Quraysh felt it as well. The Prophet’s enemies at last wearied of the situation and they pleaded with Thumama that they would do anything he asked for, accept any condition he imposed on them, if he would only exert his influence to keep them from starvation.
Thumama answered them, “You are the enemy of Muhammad , the great and noble Prophet of Islam. You were the reason he migrated from his hometown, you went out to war against him, and you sorely mistreated his followers, the Muslims. Therefore, I am unable to accept your request, I will not let one single mouthful pass by your way.”
Hearing this, the Meccans felt helpless and were distressed. One thing they still felt sure of was the Holy Prophet’s mercy and compassion towards all of God’s creation.
The Meccan chiefs conf
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