How Did Prophet Muhammad, Peace Be Upon Him, Stop The War?
By Asad
Azmi, New Age Islam
Translated
from Urdu by Ghulam Ghaus Siddiqi, New Age Islam
War Is
Avoided This Way
Main
Points
1.
The Makkans
unexpectedly got into a furious disagreement while working on reconstructing
the Kaaba, which was about to start a protracted conflict.
2.
They
quarrelled over who should have the honour of lifting the Black Stone and
setting it in its proper place.
3.
The
Prophet Muhammad was accepted as an arbitrator who made a solution to their
conflict through his wisdom.
------
This
was at the time when the Prophet (peace be upon him) was 35. That is, he had
not yet announced his Prophethood. The Makkans unexpectedly got
into a furious disagreement while working on reconstructing the Kaaba,
which was about to start a protracted conflict. This possible confrontation was
avoided thanks to the Prophet's wisdom, and all the tribes once again worked
together to rebuild the Kaaba.
According
to the biographers' versions of the event, the walls of the Kaaba were
collapsing as a result of the flood, so the Quraysh came up with a plan
to reconstruct it and stated that only pure and halaal funds would be
used for its rebuilding. Furthermore, it was decided that no money from an evil
woman, a usurer, or a tyrannical, disbelieving man shall be invested in it.
Different
Quraysh tribes were given different parts of the Kaaba for
construction. The clansmen started constructing what was assigned to them to
build. When the wall was tall enough to be built, the tribes quarrelled over
who should have the honour of lifting the Black Stone and setting it in its
proper place. Each tribe felt that it would be dishonourable to be denied this
blessing. Therefore tension and animosity increased among them. There was a
looming sense of impending war.
It was
typical in this era to fight for years over trivial matters. So some tribes
took oaths promising to battle and die by dipping their hands in a dish of
blood. This vague situation lasted for four or five days. A meeting was then
arranged in the same Masjid-e-Haraam to discuss the issue.
Abu
Umayyah Ibn Mugheera, a senior member of Quraysh, suggested that in
order to settle this dispute, everyone should agree that the first person to
enter this Masjid-e-Haraam tomorrow will be accepted by everyone and
that whatever he decides must be followed by all. This viewpoint was shared by
all of the tribesmen. It is a fortunate coincidence that Muhammad (peace be
upon him) was the first individual to enter the Masjid-e-Haraam.
Everyone exclaimed when they saw him, “There he is, Al-Amin (the
Trustworthy), there is Muhammad, and we agree with him.”
When
the Prophet of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) arrived, they
informed him of the entire incident as well as the decision to appoint him as
an arbitrator in this dispute.
Prophet
Muhammad instructed them to fetch him a sheet after learning the details of the
argument. He then placed the Black Stone on the sheet and instructed each clan
to grab a sheet edge and hoist it collectively. When the Black Stone was lifted
up by the tribal chieftains, the Prophet Muhammad pushed it into place with his
own hands. Everyone was satisfied with the Prophet’s decision, and a great
conflict was averted. (Sirat Ibn Hishaam, Vol. 192-197)
This incident,
like other ones, demonstrates how important the Holy Prophet was to the Makki society.
He was well-liked by everyone and had a trustworthy personality. Due to his high
moral standards, reliability, honesty, fairness, and justice, the Prophet
attained this position and prominence. Because of this, the Quraysh's
rival factions immediately raised the slogan of trustworthiness and
truthfulness of the Prophet, upon first seeing him, and they did so even before
he made any decisions, indicating their approval and agreement with him.
This
makes sense considering that they recognised the reputation of the Prophet
Muhammad (peace be upon him) as a person of high morals, impartiality, and
trustworthiness. The Quraysh declared that everyone would agree to
whatever the Prophet decreed for them. Furthermore, this Quraysh
viewpoint makes it obvious that morality and integrity are always honoured
something that even corrupt civilizations acknowledge.
Similar
to this, the Quraysh made the decision to reconstruct the Kaaba
on the stipulation that they would only invest their legitimate income in it
and never use funds obtained dishonestly or illegally. This shows that the Jahiliyyah
community also had an intrinsic understanding of what is halaal and haraam,
permissible and prohibited. All members of the human race concur that actions
like adultery, usury, cruelty, and aggression are disgusting and unpleasant.
However, in today's modern age, these crimes are regrettably being justified,
and every effort is being made to spread them. It is blatantly against human
nature, and God willing, it will never be embraced by the majority of people.
However,
this episode contains a wealth of insights and guidance that both individuals
and society as a whole can benefit from. The most important lesson from this
episode is that even a single person or small group of people may resolve the
most serious problem on the basis of good intentions and justice. Contrarily,
if tens of thousands of individuals with mentalities like opportunism,
contempt, hypocrisy and self-interest raise their voices in an effort to
prevent or avert a potential war, their voices will be ineffective. The world
has attempted it numerous times and will probably continue to do so for a very
long time.
Urdu Article:
War Is Avoided This Way جنگ ایسے ٹالی جاتی ہے
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-personalities/prophet-peace-war/d/128206
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