James A. Michener in his book (Islam the misunderstood religion in the readers digest of many 1955) opines as under: Muhammad the inspired man who founded Islam was born about A.D 570 into an Arabian tribe that worshipped idols. Orphaned at birth he was always particularly solicitous of the poor and needy the widow and the orphan, the salves and the downtrodden at twenty he was already a successful businessman and soon became director of camel caravans for wealthy widow. When he reached twenty-five his employer recognizing his merit proposed marriage. Even though she was fifteen
Man careless of what vulgar men toll for, not a bad man, I should say; something better in him than hunger of any sort, or these wild Arab men, fighting and jostling three and twenty years at his hand, in close contact with him always, would not have reverenced him so! They were wild men, bursting every and anon with quarrel, with all kinds of fierce sincerity; with out right worth and manhood no man could have commanded them…. No emperor with his tiaras was obeyed as these man in a cloak his own clouting. During three and twenty years of rough actual trial, I find something of a veritable hero necessary for that myself.
john davenport in his an apology for Muhammad and the quran’ Mentioning about his earliest converts, states: “It is strongly corroborative of Muhammad’s sincerity that the earliest converts to Islam were his bosom friends and the people of his household, who, all intimately acquainted with his private life, could not fail to have detected those discrepancies which more or less invariably exists between the pretensions of the hypocritical deceiver and his actions at home.
PROPHET’S MILITARY POLICY
The basis principle of the Prophet’s military policy was not to kill the enemy but to weaken him until either he cooperated or at least gave up his opposition. One prominent historian, Dr. Hamidullah Siddiqui has sad: in fact the Prophet preferred to weaken the enemy instead of destroying him. Also the Prophet’s policy was not based on destroying or annihilating to Quraish but on making them humble and powerless. On the basis of these principles the Prophet adopted the following measures:
He quickly developed his defensive apparatus in numbers, organization, military preparedness, hard work and moral training and made them mover about in such formation as to frighten the enemy.
He weakened the Meccans by blockading their trade routes.
By treaty alliances he gradually persuaded several tribes to join him and leave the enemy camp.
In military tactics he sometimes took the enemy by surprise without allowing him time or chance to prepare for defense, as in the case of the conquest of Mecca; sometimes he marched through an unexpected route and kept the enemy ignorant of his movements, as in the battle of Banu Mustalaq; sometimes he adopted a strategy of which the enemy had no experience as in the battle of the Ditch.
Some examples of his generosity and large-heartedness towards the enemy are recorded here:
When the oppression against the Prophet was at its peak and any one in his place would have demanded the destruction of all his oppressors, the Prophet, finding that he most active among his oppressors were Abu Jehl and Umar Ibnul Khattab, devoutly prayed to God that a least one of them be brought to the Islamic fold and this prayer became effective in the conversation of Hazrat Umar. It is obvious from this that the Prophet wanted to reform his enemies rather than destroy them.
The treatment which the people of Taif meted out to him when he went there for their welfare was such as to cause them lose all sympathy and invite complete destruction. The Prophet suffered all tortures patiently and hopefully said that if these people did not accept the Divine message of truth, their children certainly would.
In the battle of Uhud, when due to their mistakes the Muslims had met with a debacle and feelings were greatly strained, some of the companions of the Prophet asked him to curse the enemy and pray for their destruction. The Prophet replied that he had not been sent to curse but to convey to the people the message of mercy, and he prayed: “O God, send Guidance to my people for they do not know (what they do)”.
At the time of the battle of Khyber the Prophet gave Hazrat Ali the command to capture the fort of Qumus and directed him thus: “O Ali, even if one man gets right guidance through you it will be the greatest blessing”.
These are only of few examples from the life of one who was all kindness and mercy for the people and whom anger or vindictiveness never corrupted.
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