What are our laws achieving today?
The Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) believed in and lived up to everything God taught him, the teachings of Islam. Seeing that all but one chapter of the Quran began with the words ‘In the name of Allah, the Beneficent and the Merciful,’ he tried to be incorporate those attributes of Allah within himself as much as humanly possible, to be himself beneficial and merciful towards everyone who crossed his path in every way he could. Therefore when he was once asked to pray for the destruction of a people who were was being more than usually vindictive against the Muslims, as well as being cruel to him personally, he refused. The reason he gave for his refusal was that he was sent as a blessing and a mercy for mankind, not as a curse.
What a man. Who could fail to admire him?
There are countless examples of the Prophet’s mercy (PBUH), and his forgiveness. There is a short video doing the rounds which details just five such examples.
Thumama Ibn Uthal was one of the most powerful men at the time of the Prophet (PBUH). He was the leader of Al Yamamah, an area east of what is now Saudi Arabia, and one of eight leaders who were sent letters, inviting them to accept Islam. Thumama responded by killing several of the Prophet (PBUH)’s followers. Yet the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) forgave Thumama Ibn Uthal. Thumama converted to Islam following the Prophet’s forgiveness.
Safwan Ibn Umayyah belonged to the Qurraysh tribe of Mecca. Both he and his father opposed the Prophet (pbuh), and tried to assassinate him. After the battle at Badr, Safwan paid someone to assassinate the Prophet but the plot failed and Safwan himself was captured alive. Yet the Prophet (pbuh) gave him amnesty after the conquest of Mecca and in fact gifted him several camels. Safwan too, converted to Islam.
Abu Sufyan Sakhr Ibn Harb was a leader of the Qurraysh of Mecca, as a result he was one of the most powerful persons in Mecca. When they were boys, Abu Sufyan and Muhammad (PBUH) were friends. When Muhammad (pbuh) declared prophet hood Abu Sufyan’s enmity began. He showed it in several ways, writing satirical poems against his childhood friend and his people and leading military campaigns against the Muslims, including the battle at Uhud. He tried to assassinate the Prophet on several occasions. He too was forgiven by the Prophet (PBUH), and afterwards when he became Muslim, granted a pension.
Wahshi Ibn Harb was appointed by Hind bint Utbah to kill one or all three men, the Prophet himself (pbuh), his cousin Ali, and his Uncle Hamza. During the battle of Uhud Wahshi succeed in killing Hamza, the Prophet’s beloved uncle. The Prophet (PBUH), in spite of his grief, forgave Wahshi when he repented, although as with Hind, he asked Washi not to appear in front of him, presumably because the thought of the desecration Hamza’s body had suffered after he was assassinated was painful to him.
Hind bint Utbah ordered Hamza killed in retaliation for the death of her uncle. Afterwards, when Hamza was martyred by Wahshi during the battle, Hind climbed on to a rock and shrieked out her triumph. She and some of the other women mutilated the dead bodies and hung the ears and noses around their necks. Hind also cut out Hamza’s liver and tried to eat it. When she could not, she spat out what she had bitten into. And yet the Prophet forgave her at the time of the conquest of Mecca, although the sight of her was so painful to him that as with Washi he requested her never to come before him.
Today, we like to think that we carry the torch on the Prophet’s behalf (PBUH), and believe we are spreading the light of Islam in the world.
…really?
On the 9th of June, just a few days ago, an Anti-Terrorism Court sentenced a man belonging to the Shia sect living in Okara to death for posting something blasphemous against Islam on Facebook. The man, apparently posted something derogatory against certain prominent Sunni persons, the Prophet (PBUH), and his wives.
We like to practice Islam today by paying flowery compliments to its prominent figures while paying no heed whatsoever to their teachings. In a glaring example, if the Prophet (PBUH) forgave people who tried to assassinate him, fought against him, wrote against him, against his people, his family and his teachings, it is interesting that we can sentence a man to death for doing something as silly as posting derogatory comments on social media. Surely, that would be classified as being more pious than the Pope, or as the Persian saying goes, the bowl being hotter than the soup?
The people the Prophet (PBUH) forgave were invariably so impressed by his magnanimity and dignity that they accepted Islam, going on to become important figures within the religion they once rejected.
What are our laws achieving today? Is anyone impressed by their dignity and their magnanimity?
