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FURTHER
REMARKS ON CONVEYING THE MESSAGE
An
important point to take note of, regarding communication
of the Message by the Prophet, upon him be peace and
blessings, is that he set an excellent example of ardour
in the duty of guiding people. Like him, also his
Companions, following his way, tried their hardest to
convey the Message. For example, as stated above, Mus‘ab
ibn ‘Umayr represented the Message in Madina so
competently and communicated it so sincerely that even the
most stubborn of the people of Madina like Sa‘d ibn
Mu‘adh became Muslims. At first, Sa‘d reacted to
Mus‘ab harshly, but when Mus‘ab said to him mildly,
‘First sit and listen. If you are not pleased with what
I will tell you, do not hesitate to cut off my head with
the sword in your hand.’ Sa‘d’s anger subsided, and
he parted from Mus‘ab a Muslim.
God’s
Messenger continued to dispatch his Companions to
neighbouring cities. He sent Talha to Duwmat al-Jandal,
and Bara’ ibn A’dhib to the Yemen. If a Companion was
not successful in this duty - although this was rare - he
sent another in his place. When Khalid and Bara’ could
not capture the hearts of the people of the Yemen, God’s
Messenger sent ‘Ali and, as a result, almost all of them
became Muslims in a very short time.1
Another
important point to note regarding the communication of the
Message by the Prophet, upon him be peace and blessings,
is his use of the period following the treaty of
Hudaybiya. The conditions of this treaty had seemed to
some of the Companions, at first sight, dishonourable (to
the Muslims). However, in the peaceful atmosphere that
followed the treaty, coming as it did after the years of
disruptions and fighting, many of the enemies of Islam
found the opportunity to re-consider the Message of Islam.
Consequently, many leading figures, among them Khalid and
‘Amr ibn al-‘As, accepted Islam.2
God’s
Messenger welcomed Khalid with the compliment, I was
wondering how a sensible man like Khalid could remain an
unbeliever; I had a strong conviction that you would one
day accept Islam3
He
comforted ‘Amr ibn al-‘As, who asked him to pray for
God’s forgiveness of him, and said: Do you not know
that a man is cleansed of all his previous sins when he
accepts Islam.4
Letters
to neighboring rulers
After
the treaty of Hudaybiya, God’s Messenger, upon him be
peace, sent letters to the rulers of all of the
neighbouring countries. He wrote in the letter to the
Negus, the king of Abyssinia:
From
Muhammad, God’s Messenger, to the Negus Asham, the
King of Abyssinia;
Peace
be upon you! On this occasion, I praise God, the
Sovereign, the Holy One free from all defects, the
Giver of security, the Watcher over His creatures,
and I bear witness that Jesus is a spirit from God,
and a word from Him, whom He bestowed upon Mary, who
was chaste, pure and virgin. I call you to God, One
with no partner.5
The
Prince of the Two Worlds urged the conversion of the Negus
by beginning the letter with the greeting of peace for
him. Second, since the Negus was a Christian, God’s
Messenger expressed his belief in the Prophethood of
Jesus, and affirmed the virginity and purity of Mary, thus
emphasizing the point of agreement between them.
The
Negus received the letter, and, kissing it, put it to his
head as a sign of respect. After reading the letter, the
Negus accepted Islam without hesitation and dictated to
his secretary the following answer:
To
Muhammad, God’s Messenger, from the Negus,
I
bear witness that you are the Messenger of God. If
you command me to come to you, I will do it, but I
am not in a position to make my subjects Muslim. O
God’s Messenger, I testify that what you say is
all true.6
The
Negus was so sincere in his belief that he said one day to
his confidants: ‘I would rather be a servant of Muhammad
than a king.’
When
he died, God’s Messenger performed the funeral prayer
for him in absentia.7
The
following letter was sent to Heraclius, the emperor of
Byzantium:
From
Muhammad, the servant of God and His Messenger, to
Heraclius, the greatest of the Byzantines,
Peace
be upon him who follows the guidance. After that, I
invite you to Islam; be a Muslim and secure
salvation, that God may give you a double reward. If
you turn away, you will be burned with, besides your
own, the sins of all those who turn away (among your
people).
Say:
‘O people of the Book. Come to a word common
between us and you that we worship none but God,
that we associate nothing in worship with Him, and
that none of us shall take others for lords beside
God. If they turn away, say: ‘Bear witness that we
are Muslims.’(Al ‘Imran, 3.64)8
The
Emperor was moved by the letter. He summoned Abu Sufyan,
who was then in Syria leading a Makkan trade caravan. The
following dialogue took place between them:
-
What is the family status of this person?
-
A noble one.
-
Did any of his ancestors claim Prophethood?
-
No!
-
Was there a king among his ancestors?
-
No, there wasn’t.
-
Do th elite or the weak mostly follow him?'
-
The weak do.
-
Has any apostatized after conversion to his
religion?
-
So far, nobody has.
-
Do his followers increase or decrease?
-
They are increasing day by day.
-
Have you ever heard him tell a lie?
-
No, never.
-
Has he ever broken his promise?
-
So far he hasn’t but I don’t know whether he
will in the future.
Although
Abu Sufyan was then a most ruthless enemy of God’s
Messenger, he told the truth about him except in his last
words which might cause doubts as to the future
trustworthiness of the Prophet. The Emperor showed an
inclination to acknowledge the faith but in the face of
the reaction from the priests beside him, he only
concluded: ‘In the very near future, all these lands I
am resting upon now will be his.’9
However,
according to Imam Bukhari’s narration, the bishop of the
area accepted Islam.10
God’s
Messenger sent letters to some other kings, among whom was
Muqawqis, the ruler of Egypt, who responded with some
presents.11
Nevertheless, the
Chosroes of Persia tore up the letter, an incident
predicting the end of the Persian Sassanid Empire, which
took place during the caliphate of ‘Umar, may God be
pleased with him.12
When,
in the Qur’an, God ordered Muhammad, upon him be peace
and blessings, to communicate the Message, He addresses
him, ‘O Messenger’, to show that his is the highest
rank among the Prophets. While all the other Prophets are
addressed by name, this form of address to the Prophet
Muhammad, upon him be peace and blessings, demonstrates
that he is the foremost in fulfilling Divine
Messengership, in other words, in conveying the Message.
The civilization based upon the principles he conveyed
over a remarkably short period of time has attracted and
astounded many - so much so that, as recorded in Mizanci
Murad Tarihi (History by Mizanci Murad), Auguste Comte,
the atheist French philosopher, after visiting the remains
of the Islamic civilization of Andalusia, made a brief
study of Islam. When he learned that the Prophet Muhammad
was unlettered, he said: ‘Muhammad was not a god, but he
was not just a human being either.’
However,
quoting al-Busiri, we say: The conclusion which we draw
after all the information we have gathered about him is
that he is a human being, but the best among God’s
creation.
1.
Ibn Kathir, al-Bidaya, 5.120-1.
2. ibid., 4.272.
3. ibid., 4.273.
4. ibid., 4.271.
5. ibid., 3.104.
6. ibid., 3.105.
7. Bukhari, Jana’iz, 4.65; Muslim,
Jana’iz, 62-7.
8. Bukhari, Bad’u l-Wahy, 6.
9. Bukhari, Bad’u l-Wahy, 6.
10. ibid.
11. Ibn Kathir, al-Bidaya, 5.324.
12. Bukhari, ‘Ilm, 7.1; I. Hanbal, 1.243.
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