We are living in a time of constant war. Some wars are portrayed as ‘legal’ and others as illegal. Whatever the case is, we can learn so much about ‘making peace’ rather than war, from the last Messenger of Allah, Muhammad (May Allah bless him).
Below are some incidents which serve as evidence for his peace-making character.
Rebuilding the Ka’bah
At the age of 35 before Muhammad (May Allah bless him) became a Prophet, Makkans demolished the Ka’bah after it was damaged in order to rebuild it. After they had rebuilt it, they argued over who should put the black stone back in its place as it was a sign of great honour. Banu Abdud-Dar and Bau Adi tribes pledged to fight until death to attain this honour. However a wise man amongst them suggested that the first person to enter through the door of the Masjid the following morning should make the final decision. This was agreed upon by all tribes in order to come to an impartial and fair decision.
It was Allah’s wish that the first to enter the following morning was the Prophet (Peace by upon him) and the Makkans were delighted by this since they all agreed on his trustworthiness.
When he was requested to resolve this matter, he (Peace by upon him) averted further discord and division by placed the Blessed black stone on a large piece of cloth which was lifted by a chief of each tribe until it was level with its position, at which point he placed it in his crevice.
Hilful- Fudhool – Pact of excellence
This incident took place when the Prophet(May Allah bless him) was aged between 35 and 40.
One of the Qurayshi leaders, Al-As Ibn Waail, did not pay the price of goods bought from a man from the tribe of Zabid which was outside Makkah. He consequently complained to the public. Some young men of Makkah decided to solve these injustices and met in the house of Abdullah Ibn Jud’an. They pledged to help the weak and the oppressed. They called it the pact of excellence. They later managed to withdraw the money from Al-As and pay the foreigner.
The Prophet (May Allah bless him) was instrumental in creating this pact and after receiving prophethood he said, “If I was invited to take part in it now, I will still do so”.
Treaty of Hudaybiyah
In 6 AH the Prophet saw a dream that he entered Makkah and was performing Tawaf. Subsequently he along with 1500 companions began their journey of smaller pilgrimage – Umrah. They donned the ihram and travelled as pilgrims so their intention was clear to the resident Makkans. However, as soon as they reached Hudaybiyah on the outskirts of Makkah, the Makkans did not allow them to enter. Much negation took place with the Prophet(May Allah bless him) agreeing to to terms which favoured the Makkans just to achieve peace. These terms included:
- Erasing the words Ar-Rahman Ar-Raheem (The Most Merciful and Compassionate) in the treaties opening;
- Erasing the title ‘Messenger of Allah’ after the Prophet’s name;
- Agreeing to deport new Muslim converts back to Makkah if they migrated to Madinah. However, Madinans were allowed to return to Makkah without the same terms;
- The return of all Muslims to Madinah without doing their pilgrimage with permission only granted for the following year;
The Prophet accepted all the above terms despite many companions being upset at the Makkans for proposing such one-sided terms. However, they knew it would be for the greater good if the Prophet (Peace be upon him) accepted and they relented.
Conclusion
There are numerous incidents from his life that clearly show what a peaceful leader he was. His noble conduct and good mannerism meant that he would not even scorld or question his servant for negligence. As a political leader he tried his very best to avoid war and always presented fair peace deals.
May Allah’s peace and blessings be upon the last Messenger.
– By Mawlana Muhammad Rayhan
