Allah Almighty commissioned the prophet (PBUH) as embodiment of mercy for all the creatures. He represented limitless pardon and forgiveness. Those who had planned his assassination and regarded it as virtue and symbol of pride and honor, after migration when Allah Almighty rewarded him with glorious victories and they were overpowered, captured and brought to him, he pardoned them as if they were completely innocent and had never shown any grudge against him whatsoever. He not only pardoned them but treated them with amazing compassion. The world has witnessed such countless incidents in the life of prophet. For a lesson I am describing here only few instances here:

When Allah Almighty honored the prophet with glorious victory over his ferocious enemies who had not spared any measure in order to oppress him and his followers, all of them, were given general pardon after the fall of Mecca and were provided with refuge and guarantee of security. It showed his stature as the embodiment of mercy showering compassion upon friends and foes equally. What a day of victory it was! No revenge was taken from any one. No vengeance was shown against any body. The boundless mercy, compassion and love engulfed every body. Even mortal enemies like Akramah Bin Abi Jahal and Abdullah Bin Sa’ad Bin Abi Sarah, the proclaimed offenders, with death warrant on their head, to be executed even if found within the violence prohibited zone of Haram, were shown mercy and subsequently pardoned. This is the example of merciful conduct befitting the compassionate personality of the prophet. This is what Islam teaches us. (Abu Dawood 1/365)

After victory over Khaiber the prophet didn’t exile the Jews and allowed them to stay back and retain their possession of land subject to payment of a portion of crop by way of tax for guarantee of security. When Jews saw that the prophet and his companions were fully satisfied with them and were about to return to Medinah they started making deceptive moves and began to send gifts to the prophet. Once a Jewish woman named Zainab Bint Harith, the wife of Salam Bin Mishkam was commissioned to present to the prophet mutton fried with poison. The woman carried out the murderous plot and the poisoned mutton was served to the prophet and a few of his companions who even ate a morsel each which resulted into martyrdom of Hadhrat Bara’a Bin Ma’roor and prophet’s upper uvula of the mouth was so afflicted that its effect lasted till the rest of his life and poison showed its effect upon his whole body on the day of his heavenly journey from this world. When investigation was started, the Jews confessed of their crime but the prophet didn’t take any revengeful action against them and pardoned them in respect of his own self.

Abdullah Bin Umayyah, prophet’s cousin was one of the mortal enemies of the prophet. He was full of malice and grudge against the prophet His hatred can be gauged from his remark addressing the prophet, “If a ladder is installed connecting the earth with the sky and you climb it up to sky and come back form there carrying the documentary proof of your prophet hood and I see angels descending with you with my own eyes and four angels present to me the certificate of your prophet hood I would still not believe in you”. The statement itself reflects how antagonistic his attitude was!

During the campaign of victory of Mecca when such a malicious antagonist and ferocious enemy left Mecca to meet the prophet on his way, before he reached there, and expressed his willingness to embrace Islam, the prophet completely ignored his past behavior and condoned all his mistakes. That is what prophet has taught us and that is the special characteristic of Islam.

Abu Sufyan Bin Harith Bin Abdul Muttalib, the first cousin of the prophet and also his foster brother, was most acclaimed poet of Mecca. He was highly antagonistic critic of the prophet. He used to take great pride in writing conceit fully insulting and contemptuous poetry to ridicule the prophet. It agonized the prophet mentally. But like Abdullah Bin Umayyah he too went out of Mecca, met him on his way and expressed his willingness to convert. Despite remembering, the agony caused by him his excuse was promptly accepted and aptly condoned. (Al-Istee’aab 4/237)

The prophet (PBUH) pardoned even those of his mortal enemies who took liberty to play with his life and caused grave danger to his personal safety. Labeed Bin Abdul Asam made him target of his most pugnacious sorcery making it humanly impossible to avoid the intended affliction. Nevertheless, Allah Almighty with His grace forewarned him through revelation. Labeed Bin Al-Asam Zarqi was an ally of the Jews and a hypocrite. He had been bribed by Jews to cause mortal affliction to prophet through the craft of his sorcery. In an abandoned well occupied by snakes and scorpions, located in a deserted cluster of palm trees he planted a few enchanted and charmed objects. Despite being a prophet the sorcery had spelled upon him so much that his memory sometimes failed about the action he had already performed recently. But with the grace of Almighty he was able to get rid of the affliction and the depraved sorcerer was caught. The faithful Muslims requested the prophet persistently that being a sorcerer if he could harm the prophet he posed greater danger to the lives of ordinary Muslims but the prophet still pardoned him and let him go Scot-free. (Bukhari, 1/450)

Three persons from amongst the polytheists had attacked upon the prophet directly during the holy battle of Uhad. Abdullah Bin Shahab had injured prophet’s forehead and face by hitting with stone. The person who carried out such murderous attack had no right to be pardoned. But when he was subsequently captured no revenge was taken from him and he was pardoned. Thereafter he got converted to Islam and died as such in Mecca (Usud Al-Ghabah 3/173). This is the example of the abundant mercy of the prophet and his overflowing compassion that he never took revenge from his mortal enemies but he pardoned them and treated them without any discrimination and at par with Muslims.

Wahshi Bin Harab was the self purchased slave of Jubair Bin Mut’im Bin Udai Bin Khiyar. On the occasion of holy battle of Uhad, Jubair Bin Mut’im gave him tempting offer by promising him that if he killed Hadrat Hamzah, the beloved uncle of the prophet, he would set him free as a reward. Wahshi himself says in his confessional statement, “I participated in the battle of Uhad on behalf of the polytheists. My sole target was to kill Hamzah. When Hamzah was engaged in fighting with Sabaa Bin Harab I was hiding behind a rock in order to ambush Hamzah as I didn’t have the courage to engage him in straight encounter. I intended to kill Hamzah deceitfully. When Hamzah passed by that rock I went behind his back and hit him with spear with full force under his waist piercing through his body and, then and there, Hamzah fell dead making the prophet so sad that he had never felt so sad in his life in the past neither he would feel ever such agony in future. I had believed that prophet would never pardon me for this crime. Later, on victory of Mecca, I fled to Ta’ef and from there went to Medinah along with some people of Ta’ef with plea to embrace Islam. The prophet instead of taking revenge from me condoned my crime and treated me in the same manner as he treated all other Muslims.”

On his return journey from holy battle of Zatul Riqaq, also named as Najd, the prophet and his companions camped for siesta in a valley abounding in acacia (gum Arabic ) trees. All the people scattered searching shade of the trees and prophet was left alone to rest under a particular tree. He lay down on the ground unarmed leaving his sword hanging from the branch of the tree. Availing the opportunity an Arab Bedouin grabbed the sword of the prophet and stood to pounce upon him. Meanwhile the prophet suddenly woke up. The Bedouin by then had overpowered him completely and challenged him saying, “Who can save you now?” The prophet replied very calmly, “Allah will save me”.

The Bedouin got so frightened that the sword fell off from his hand and the prophet picked it up. Meanwhile other people came along and the challenger was captured.

But the prophet didn’t take any revenge from him; neither he was punished nor threatened in any manner. He pardoned him as if he had done nothing. He was so impressed by his compassionate attitude and kind deal that he immediately submitted to embrace Islam. There have occurred such countless incidents in the life of prophet revealing how merciful and compassionate he was!

Hadhrat Khalid Bin Walid and Hadhrat Omer Bin Al-Aas, both were the mortal enemies of the prophet. They were famous for their hostility to Islam. When Muslims were forced to migrate to Abyssinia, Omer Bin Al-Aas had followed them there with the mission to get them extradited by influencing the Abyssinian King deceitfully. But with the grace of Almighty his sinister plot failed due to bold, truthful and honest encounter by the ambassador of Muslims, Hadhrat Jaafar Tayyar, who was able to win over the royal court by reciting heart-mellowing verses of Quran.

The hostile role of Khalid Bin Walid too is equally notorious. He was directly responsible for martyrdom of seventy of the Prophet’s companions in the holy battle of Uhad and the physical injury caused to the forehead of the prophet and breaking of his teeth. But when the two mortal enemies surrendered themselves to the prophet, instead of avenging upon them the prophet rather encouraged them by observing, “Islam obliterates all the sins committed earlier. Similarly, Migration wipes out the previous sins. And Haj also washes off completely all the pre Haj committed sins.” (Muslim 1/76)

Abu Sufyaan Bin Harab had been acting as the ring leader of prophet’s enemies. In the holy battle of Uhad it was who led the enemy forces as their Chief. He had prepared all kinds of plots to root out Islam and its followers. In the holy battle of Khandaq (Trenches), he had organized the enemy coalition front against the prophet.

He brought four thousand strong fighting forces from Mecca. From the other end of Medinah he invited the coalition of Arab tribes under the leadership of Oainah Bin Hafs Fuzari to launch attack with a force of another four thousand soldiers. From the third side six thousand armed fighters laid the siege. The joint operation was conceived and supervised by Abu Sufyaan himself. In addition, he instigated shrewdly Banu Quraizah who despite their smaller numbers as compared to Muslims were strategically located at the far end of Medinah, to attack the Muslim forces from their back contravening their earlier peace treaty with Medinites. Then Allah Almighty sent thunder storm causing the enemy to get scattered and retreat in defeat. On the occasion of Victory of Mecca the same ring leader of the enemy, one day prior to fall of Mecca, came in disguise to the Muslim camp in the place called Mur-Al-Zahran to spy and assess the Muslim military might. The spy was caught red handed and brought in front of the prophet. Many of the companions of the prophet submitted to him the plea to allow them to execute the prisoner who was no less important a person than the chief of enemy Army himself. But lo! The next day Abu Sufyaan came to prophet and embraced Islam voluntarily. The respect shown to him and the honorable deal he got was indeed amazing and beyond comprehension of an ordinary mortal. A declaration was publicly announced, “Whoever enters the grand mosque of Mecca (Masjid-e-Haram) shall be spared, whoever enters the house of Abu Sufyaan shall be spared and whoever shuts his door too shall be spared.”  The declaration decreeing the house of Abu Sufyann to be treated at par with grand mosque of Mecca in respect of refuge bestowed upon him such an honor that surpassed any other award that a man could aspire to achieve at that time.

Hind Bint Utbah Bin Rabee’ah, the spouse of Abu Sufyaan, was most hostile, malicious and contemptuous in her attitude to prophet. She was the same woman who is notorious to have quenched her thirst for blood by chewing the liver of the greatest martyr Hadhrat Hamzah, the beloved uncle of prophet, in the holy battle of Uhad.

After embracing Islam, what did she say to the prophet? She herself confessed, “Before entering the fold of Islam, none on this earth was more worthy of God’s wrath than you and your family. I hated you and your household most. But when I embraced Islam and started attending your court I witnessed such loftiness of character, compassion and love in you that I had never imagined any human being on this earth could be embellished with. Now my condition is diabolically reversed. Today upon the face of this earth and under the sky there is no one dearer to me than you, your family and your house hold.”

This episode provides the best illustration how our beloved prophet treated his most hostile antagonists with nobility, abundant mercy, compassion and love.

It was only the result of prophet’s noble character, unprecedented and unsurpassed, his tolerance and submissiveness in the face of worst possible humiliation, antagonism and hostility that enabled him to win over his sworn foes.  A person who didn’t like to look at his face even and deprecated his name being heard till the other day had been totally transformed the next day joining the rank of the most faithful and loyal companions ever ready to sacrifice his life and all his possessions at the holy altar. The brave and dauntless Chieftain like that of Omer Bin Al-Khattab carrying a naked sword, marches with full of fury and anger, ready to strike and kill, but when he reaches his destination and sights something totally different from what he had conceived, instead of executing his murderous intentions, throws down his sword and falls upon the feet of his pray, earnestly making plea to be taken out of darkness and be enlightened. Instead of becoming assassin of his own sister and brother in law he returns transformed as the most faithful and loyal soldier of Islam ready to sacrifice his life hundred times for holy prophet.

The prophet spent all his life making sacrifices for the welfare and Benefaction of the whole humanity. He carried burning desire in his heart and made utmost effort to bring every human being to the threshold of the real success. If the people ignore his compassion, solicitude and agony, it does not matter. Only Allah Almighty shall suffice him who alone is worthy of being worshipped and relied upon. Allah has drawn the lofty character and compassionate personality of His beloved prophet in the following verse of holy Qur’an:

“Now hath come unto you

A Messenger from amongst

Yourselves: it grieves him

That ye should suffer,

Ardently anxious is he

Over you: to the Believers

Is he most kind and merciful.

But if they turn away,

Say: “Allah sufficeth me:

There is no god but He

On Him is my trust,-

He the lord of the Throne

Supreme!”

(J-11, S.9, A-128,129)

I pray Thee! O Creator and Preserver! Send thy everlasting blessings upon your most beloved Messenger who is verily the best of all thy creations. O Lord! Accept our prayer! Thou art All-Hearing and All-Knowing! And forgive us! Thou art the most Merciful Forgiver.   (Mufti Shabbir Ahmad Qasmi)