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Suhayl
Ibn Amr
At the Battle of Badr, when Suhayl fell
into the hands of the Muslims as a prisoner, Umar ibn
al-Khattab came up to the Prophet and said:
"Messenger of God! Let me pull out the two middle
incisors of Suhayl ibn Amr so that he would not stand up
and be able to speak out against you after this day."
"Certainly not, Umar,"
cautioned the Prophet. "I would not mutilate anyone
lest God mutilate me even though I am a Prophet." And
calling Umar closer to him, the blessed Prophet said:
"Umar, perhaps Suhayl will do
something in the future which will please you."
Suhayl ibn Amr was a prominent person
among the Quraysh. He was clever and articulate and his
opinion carried weight among his people. He was known as
the khatib or spokesman and orator of the Quraysh. He was
to play a major role in concluding the famous truce of
Hudaybiyyah.
Towards the end of the sixth year after
the Hijrah, the Prophet and about fifteen hundred of his
Sahabah left Madinah for Makkah to perform Umrah. To make
it known that they were coming in peace, the Muslims were
not armed for battle and carried only their travellers
swords. They also took with them animals for sacrifice to
let it be known that they were really coming on
pilgrimage.
The Quraysh learnt of their approach and
immediately prepared to do battle with them. They vowed to
themselves that they would never allow the Muslims to
enter Makkah. Khalid ibn al-Walid was despatched at the
head of a Quraysh cavalry force to cut off the approaching
Muslims. Khalids army stood waiting for them at a place
called Kara al-Ghamim.
The Prophet learnt in advance of
Khalid's position. Although committed to the struggle
against them, he was keen not to have any encounter then
with the Quraysh forces. He asked: "Is there any man
who could take us (to Makkah) on a different route to
avoid the Quraysh?"
A man from the Aslam tribe said he could
and took the Muslims through the difficult terrain of
Warah and then on fairly easy marches, finally approaching
Makkah from the south. Khalid realized what the Muslims
had done and returned frustrated to Makkah.
The Prophet camped near Hudaybiyyah and
indicated that if the Quraysh would give any hint of a
truce out of veneration for the sacred time and place, he
would respond. The Quraysh sent Badil ibn Warqa with a
group of men from the Khuzaah tribe to find out why the
Muslims had come. Badil met the Prophet and when he
returned to the Quraysh and informed them of the peaceful
intentions of the Prophet and his companions, they did not
believe him because they said he was from the Khuzaah who
were allies of Muhammad. "Does Muhammad intend,"
they asked, "to come upon us with his soldiers (in
the guise of) performing Umrah? The Arabs would hear that
he moved against us and entered Makkah by force white a
state of war existed between us. By God this will never
happen with our approval."
The Quraysh then sent Halis ibn Alqamah,
the chieftain of the Ahabish who were allies of the
Quraysh. When the Prophet, peace be on him, saw Halis he
said, "This man is from a people who think greatly of
animal sacrifice. Drive the sacrificial animals in full
view of him so that he can see them. This was done and
Halis was greeted by the Muslims chanting the talbiyyah:
"Labbayk Allahumma Labbayk." On his return,
Halis exclaimed: "Subhana Allah - Glory be to God.
These people should not be prevented from entering Makkah.
Can lepers and donkeys perform the Hajj while the son of
alMuttaIib (Muhammad) be prevented from (visiting) the
House of God? By the Lord of the Kabah, may the Quraysh be
destroyed. These people have come to perform Umrah."
When the Quraysh heard these words, they
scoffed at him: "Sit down! You are only a nomad Arab.
You have no knowledge of plots and intrigues."
Urwah ibn Masud, the Thaqafi chieftain
from Tail, was then sent out to assess the situation. He
said to the Prophet: "O Muhammad! You have gathered
all these people and have come back to your birthplace.
The Quraysh have come out and pledged to God that you
would not enter Makkah against them by force. By God, all
these people might well desert you." At that Abu Bakr
went up to Urwah and said with disdain: "We desert
him (Muhammad)? Woe to you."
As Urwah was speaking, he touched the
Prophet's
beard and Mughirah ibn Shubah rapped his
hand saying, "Take away your hand," and Urwah
retorted: "Woe to you! How crude and coarse you
are." The Prophet smiled. "Who is this man, O
Muhammad?" asked Urwah. "This is your cousin,
Al-Mughirah ibn Shubah." "What perfidy!"
Urwah hissed at Al-Mughirah and continued to insult him.
Urwah then surveyed the companions of
the Prophet. He saw that whenever he gave them an order,
they hastened to carry it out. When he made ablutions they
vied with one another to help him. When they spoke in his
presence, they lowered their voices, and they did not look
him in the eye out of respect for him.
Back with the Quraysh, Urwah showed that
he was obviously impressed: "By God, O people of the
Quraysh, I have been to Chosroes in his kingdom and I have
seen Caesar the Byzantine emperor in the plenitude of his
power, but never have I seen a king among his people like
Muhammad among his companions. I have seen a people who
would not abandon him for anything. Reconsider your
position. He is presenting you with right guidance. Accept
what he has presented to you. I advise you sincerely... I
fear that you will never gain victory over him."
"Don't speak like that," said
the Quraysh. "We will have him go back this year and
he can return in the future." Meanwhile, the Prophet
summoned Uthman ibn Affan and sent him to the Quraysh
leaders to inform them of his purpose in coming to Makkah
and to ask their permission for the MusIims to visit their
relatives. Uthman was also to cheer up the Mustadafin
among the Muslims who still lived in Makkah and inform
them that liberation would not be long in coming...
Uthman delivered the Prophet's message
to the Quraysh and they repeated their determination not
to allow the Prophet to enter Makkah. They suggested that
Uthman could make tawaf around the Kabah but he replied
that he would not make tawaf while the Messenger of God
was prevented from doing so. They then took Uthman into
custody and a rumor spread that he was killed. When the
Prophet heard this, his attitude changed.
"We shall not depart," he
said, "until we fight." He summoned the Muslims
to take bayah, an oath of allegiance, to fight. The herald
cried out: "O people, al-bayah, al-bayah." They
flocked to the Prophet as he sat under a tree and swore
allegiance to him that they would fight. Soon after
however, the Prophet ascertained that the rumor was false.
It was at this point that the Quraysh
sent Suhayl ibn Amr to the Messenger of God with the brief
to negotiate and persuade the Prophet to return to Madinah
without entering Makkah. Suhayl was chosen no doubt
because of his persuasiveness, his toughness and his
alertness major qualities of a good negotiator. When the
Prophet saw Suhayl approaching, he immediately guessed the
change in the position of the Quraysh. "The people
want reconciliation. That's why they have sent this
man."
The talks between the Prophet and Suhayl
continued for long until finally agreement was reached in
principle. Umar and others were very upset with the terms
of the agreement which they considered to be harmful to
the cause of Islam and a defeat for the Muslims. The
Prophet assured them that this was not the case and that
he would never go against the command of God and that God
would not neglect him. He then called Ali ibn Abi Talib to
write down the terms of the treaty: "Write:
Bismillahi-r Rahmani-r Rahim." "I don't know
this (phrase)", interjected Suhayl. "Write
instead 'Bismika Allahumma - In Your name, O Allah."
The Prophet conceded and instructed Ali
to write 'Bismika Allahumma.' He then said: "Write:
'This is what has been agreed between Muhammad the
Messenger of God and Suhayl ibn Amr..." Suhayl
objected: "If I had testified that you were indeed
the Messenger of God, I would not be fighting you. Write
instead you name and the name of your father." So the
Prophet again conceded this and instructed Ali to write:
'This is what has been agreed upon by Muhammad the son of
Abdullah and Suhayl ibn Amr. They have agreed to suspend
war for ten years in which people would enjoy security and
would refrain from (harming) one another. Also, that
whoever from among the Quraysh should come to Muhammad
without the permission of his wali (legal guardian),
Muhammad would send him back to them and that if any who
is with Muhammad should come to the Quraysh, they would
not send him back to him.
Suhayl had managed to save the Makkans
face. He had attempted to and got as much as possible for
the Quraysh in the negotiations. Of course he was assisted
in this by the noble tolerance of the Prophet.
Two years of the Hudaybiyyah treaty
elapsed during which the Muslims enjoyed a respite from
the Quraysh and were freed to concentrate on other
matters. In the eighth year after the Hijrah however the
Quraysh broke the terms of the treaty by supporting the
Banu Bakr in a bloody aggression against the Khuzaah who
had chosen to be allies of the Prophet.
The Prophet took the opportunity to
march on Makkah but his object was not revenge. Ten
thousand Muslims converged on Makkah reaching there in the
month of Ramadan. The Quraysh realized that there was no
hope of resisting let alone of defeating the Muslim
forces. They were completely at the mercy of the Prophet.
What was to be their fate, they who had harried and
persecuted the Muslims, tortured and boycotted them,
driven them out of their hearths and homes, stirred up
others against them, made war on them?
The city surrendered to the Prophet. He
received the leaders of the Quraysh in a spirit of
tolerance and magnanimity. In a voice full of compassion
and tenderness he asked: "O people of the Quraysh!
What do you think I will do with you?" Thereupon, the
adversary of Islam of yesterday, Suhayl ibn Amr, replied:
"We think (you will treat us) well, noble brother,
son of a noble brother. ". "A radiant smile
flashed across the lips of the beloved of God as he said:
"Idhhabu... wa antum at-tulaqaa. Go, for you are
free."
At this moment of unsurpassed
compassion, nobility and greatness, all the emotions of
Suhayl ibn Amr were shaken and he announced his Islam or
submission to Allah, the Lord of all the worlds. His
acceptance of Islam at that particular time was not the
Islam of a defeated man passively giving himself up to his
fate. It was instead, as his later life was to
demonstrate, the Islam of a man whom the greatness of
Muhammad and the greatness of the religion he proclaimed
had captivated.
Those who became Muslims on the day
Makkah was liberated were given the name
"At-Tulaqaa" or the free ones. They realized how
fortunate they were and many dedicated themselves in
sincere worship and sacrifice to the service of the
religion which they had resisted for years. Among the most
prominent of these was Suhayl ibn Amr.
Islam moulded him anew. Ali his earlier
talents were now burnished to a fine excellence. To these
he added new talents and placed them all in the service of
truth, goodness and faith. The qualities and practices for
which he became known can be described in a few words:
kindness, generosity, frequent Salat, fasting, recitation
of the Quran, weeping for the fear of God. This was the
greatness of Suhayl. In spite of his late acceptance of
Islam, he was transformed into a selfless worshipper and a
fighting fidai in the path of God.
When the Prophet, may God bless him and
grant him peace, passed away, the news quickly reached
Makkah, where Suhayl was still resident. The Muslims were
plunged into a state of confusion and dismay just as in
Madinah. In Madinah, Abu Bakr, may God be pleased with
him, quelled the confusion with his decisive words:
"Whoever worships Muhammad, Muhammad is dead. And
whoever worships Allah, Allah is indeed Living and will
never die."
In Makkah Suhayl performed the same role
in dispelling the vain ideas some Muslims may have had and
directing them to the eternal truths of Islam. He called
the Muslims together and in his brilliant and salutary
style, he affirmed to them that Muhammad was indeed the
Messenger of Allah and that he did not die until he had
discharged his trust and propagated the message and that
it was the duty of all believers after his death to apply
themselves assiduously to following his example and way of
life.
On this day more than others, the
prophetic words of the Messenger shone forth. Did not the
Prophet say to Umar when the latter sought permission to
pull out Suhayls teeth at Badr: "Leave them, for one
day perhaps they would bring you joy"?
When the news of Suhayl's stand in
Makkah reached the Muslims of Madinah and they heard of
his persuasive speech strengthening the faith in the
hearts of the believers, Umar ibn al-Khattab remembered
the words of the Prophet. The day had come when Islam
benefitted from the two middle incisors of Suhayl which
Umar had wanted to pull out.
When Suhayl became a Muslim he made a
vow to himself which could be summarized in these words:
to exert himself and spend in the cause of Islam at least
in the same measure as he had done for the mushrikin. With
the mushrikin, he had spent long hours before their idols.
Now he stood for long periods with the believers in the
presence of the one and only God, praying and fasting.
Before he had stood by the mushrikin and
participated in many acts of aggression and war against
Islam. Now he took his place in the ranks of the Muslim
army, fighting courageously, pitting himself against the
fire of Persia and the injustice and oppression of the
Byzantine empire.
In this spirit he left for Syria with
the Muslim armies and participated in the Battle of Yarmuk
against the Byzantines, a battle that was singularly
ferocious in its intensity.
Suhayl was someone who loved his
birthplace dearly. In spite of that, he refused to return
to Makkah after the victory of the MusIims in Syria. He
said: "I heard the Messenger of God, peace be on him,
say: 'The going forth of anyone of you in the path of God
for an hour is better for him than his life's works in his
household.' "He vowed: "I shall be a murabit in
the path of God till I die and I shall not return to
Makkah."
For the rest of his life, Suhayl
remained true to his pledge. He died in Palestine in the
small village of 'Amawas near Jerusalem
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