Desire of the Holy Prophet (sa) to Reconcile Rejects the Notion of Compulsion — Seal of the Prophets Vol. 2

Introduction

In this discourse from The Life & Character of the Seal of the Prophets (Volume 2), Hazrat Mirza Bashir Ahmad (ra) details the historical events and scholarly insights surrounding Desire of the Holy Prophet (sa) to Reconcile Rejects the Notion of Compulsion.

Book Series: The Life & Character of the Seal of the Prophets (Volume 2)
Author: Hazrat Mirza Bashir Ahmad (ra)
Section: II – Commencement of Jihad by the Sword and Fundamental Discussion on Jihād
Pages: Book pp. 49–51 (PDF pp. 73–75)
Navigation: Book Table of Contents | « Previous: [Lives of the Companions Reject the Notion of Compulsion] | Next: [Muslims Achieved Exceptional Progress During a Time of Peace] »

Historical Account

reconciliation. The utmost effort of the Holy Prophetsa would be to somehow bring these wars to an end, so that a state of peace and security could be brought about in the land. As such, history proves that upon the occasion of the Treaty of Ḥudaibiyyah, the Quraish stipulated the most severest of terms, to the extent that a majority of the Muslims considered the acceptance of these conditions to be a disgrace upon themselves. However, the Holy Prophetsa was not bothered by any of this, and as the Quraish demanded, he accepted their conditions and came to a truce. Now this is an instance which calls for contemplation, for if the purpose of the Holy Prophetsa in these wars was to convert the disbelievers to Islām by the dint of the sword, the state of affairs would have been different. The Quraish would have pressed for reconciliation and proposed such soft conditions as would be happily accepted by the Muslims. The Holy Prophetsa would have in turn followed a course of rigidity and made excuses to avoid a proposal of reconciliation, continuing to spur on war, so that an opportunity for the forceful conversion of disbelievers to Islām, would remain available. However, at this instance, the matter appears to have been the opposite. This conclusively proves that the heartfelt desire of the Holy Prophetsa was that by some means this war should be stopped and a prospect of peace and security should prevail, throughout the land. Furthermore, the Qur’ānic verse which was revealed on this occasion is also a proof that the objective of the Holy Prophetsa in these wars was not forceful propagation, rather, the establishment of peace. As such, a narration in Bukhārī1 states that the following Qur’ānic verse was revealed at the occasion of the Treaty of Ḥudaibiyyah:

“We have granted you a manifest victory.”

[Al-Fatḥ (48:2)]

In other words, Allāh the Exalted has referred to reconciliation and the establishment of peace as a manifest victory for the Muslims. In truth, the Treaty of Ḥudaibiyyah was such an extraordinarily magnificent victory, that in a way, the Battle of Badr and the Battle of the Ditch equate to nothing. The reason being that although the disbelievers were defeated and put to flight at

the Battle of Badr and the Battle of the Ditch, the Muslims did not attain the objective of their Jihād in these wars, because the disbelievers were still in conflict just as before and war continued. However, at Ḥudaibiyyah, although there was no massacre and carnage and apparently the Muslims were made to give in to this treaty, but the purpose of their Jihād was ultimately attained. In other words, war was ceased, and peace was established in the land. Hence, the Treaty of Ḥudaibiyyah was the true victory, and it is for this reason that Allāh has referred to it as a ‘Manifest Victory’. This is a remarkably outstanding proof that the wars of the Muslims were either defensive or for the establishment of peace, and not for the purpose of spreading Islām by force.

Muslims Achieved Exceptional Progress During a Time of Peace This question may be analysed from another perspective as well and that is to determine whether Islām achieved more progress during a time of peace or in a time of war. If it is proven that in comparison to war time, Islām progressed at an extraordinary speed during a time of peace, this would furnish practical evidence to substantiate that the wars of Islām were not for the purpose of forceful propagation. History identifies that war practically began in the second year of migration, and the Treaty of Ḥudaibiyyah took place in the sixth year of migration. In other words, prior to the Treaty of Ḥudaibiyyah, the Muslims underwent a five-year period of war. The number of Muslims in the span of these five years can be estimated by the number of warriors who participated in these wars on behalf of the Muslim army. War was announced in Ṣafar 2 A.H., and the first battle of the Muslims against the Quraish took place in Ramaḍān 2 A.H., at the occasion of Badr, where the Muslims numbered just over 300. The second battle took place in Shawwāl 3 A.H., at the occasion of Uḥud, where the Muslims were 700 in number. The third battle was in Shawwāl 5 A.H., which is known as the Ghazwah of the Confederates or the Ghazwah of the Ditch. In this war the Muslims were 3,000 in number. However, it should be remembered that since this battle took place in Madīnah, a larger number of Muslims were able to participate. For if this had been a distant journey, perhaps so many Muslims would not have been able to participate, because the weak, old and destitute would have been left behind

[The tenth month of the Islāmic Calendar [Publishers]]

[A military expedition in which the Holy Prophetsa participated himself [Publishers]]

Book Series: The Life & Character of the Seal of the Prophets (Volume 2)
Section: II – Commencement of Jihad by the Sword and Fundamental Discussion on Jihād | Navigation: « Previous: [Lives of the Companions Reject the Notion of Compulsion] | Next: [Muslims Achieved Exceptional Progress During a Time of Peace] »