At the time of the Conquest of Mecca, manifestations of the Holy Prophet’s (ﷺ) mercy for the worlds can be seen everywhere. In fact, the ultimate cause of the Conquest of Mecca was an event that deeply grieved his compassionate and humanity-loving heart. Historians write: In 6 AH, the Quraysh signed a treaty with the Prophet (ﷺ) at Hudaybiyyah. One of its clauses stated that there would be no war for ten years. Under this condition, any tribe that wished to ally with the Prophet (ﷺ) could do so, and whoever wished to ally with the Quraysh could do so. Accordingly, the tribe of Banu Khuza'ah allied with the Prophet (ﷺ), and the tribe of Banu Bakr allied with the Quraysh. Not even two years had passed since the treaty when Banu Bakr attacked Banu Khuza'ah, and the Quraysh aided them with weapons. Ikrimah bin Abi Jahl, Suhayl bin Amr (who had signed the treaty), and Safwan bin Umayyah (prominent leaders of Quraysh) disguised themselves in veils and, along with their associates, attacked Banu Khuza'ah. These helpless people pleaded for mercy and fled to seek refuge inside the Holy Kaaba, but they were mercilessly put to the sword everywhere. When these oppressed people cried out, "For the sake of your God! For the sake of your God!" requesting mercy, the tyrants replied, "There is no God today!" The remaining forty survivors of the oppressed tribe managed to escape with their lives, reached the Prophet (ﷺ), and narrated the story of their devastation and helplessness. Hearing these events, the Prophet's (ﷺ) heart filled with sorrow. For the sake of fulfilling the treaty, redressing the grievances of the oppressed party, and protecting allied tribes in the future, the Prophet (ﷺ) set out toward Mecca with an army of ten thousand. Universal Mercy (Rahmat-e-Aammah) On the way, Abu Sufyan bin al-Harith bin Abdul Muttalib and Abdullah bin Abi Umayyah met the Prophet (ﷺ). These were the people who had severely persecuted the Prophet (ﷺ) and made immense efforts to eradicate Islam. The Prophet (ﷺ) saw them and turned his face away. Umm al-Mu'minin Hazrat Umm Salama (RA) pleaded: "O Messenger of Allah (ﷺ)! Abu Sufyan is the son of your paternal uncle, and Abdullah is the son of your paternal aunt (Aatika). Such close relatives should not remain deprived of your grace." Following this, Hazrat Ali (RA) advised both of them to go to the Prophet (ﷺ) and use the exact words used by the brothers of Prophet Joseph (Yusuf - AS) when begging for forgiveness, hoping that they would surely succeed due to the Prophet's (ﷺ) forgiving nature. They presented themselves before the Prophet (ﷺ) and recited the verse: "By Allah! Allah has surely preferred you over us, and we were indeed sinners." (Yusuf: 91). The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) replied: "No blame upon you today; may Allah forgive you, and He is the Most Merciful of those who show mercy." On that day, the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) widened the circle of forgiveness, peace, and security so much that only a person who did not desire forgiveness and safety himself could perish. The Prophet (ﷺ) announced: "Whoever enters the house of Abu Sufyan is safe, whoever closes the door of his house is safe, and whoever enters the Masjid al-Haram is safe." The Prophet (ﷺ) instructed the army to raise hands only against those who obstructed their path or resisted them, and ordered complete caution regarding the properties of the Meccans, strictly forbidding any looting or interference. On the day of the Conquest, a man spoke to the Prophet (ﷺ) and began to tremble with awe. The Prophet (ﷺ) said: "Do not fear, be at ease. I am no king. I am merely the son of a Quraysh woman who used to eat dried pieces of meat." Today is the Day of Mercy When Hazrat Sa'd bin Ubadah (RA), the commander of the Ansar detachment, passed by Abu Sufyan, he said: "Today is the day of fierce battle and slaughter (Al-Malhamah), today the sanctity of the Kaaba will be violated, today Allah has humiliated the Quraysh." When the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) passed by Abu Sufyan with his detachment, Abu Sufyan complained about this and said: "O Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), did you hear what Sa'd just said?" The Prophet (ﷺ) asked: "What did he say?" Abu Sufyan repeated the words. The Prophet (ﷺ) disliked Sa'd's statement and said: "No, today is the day of mercy (Al-Marhamah). Today Allah will grant honor to the Quraysh and elevate the greatness of the Kaaba." The Prophet (ﷺ) called for Hazrat Sa'd (RA), took the Islamic flag from him, and handed it over to his son, Qays. The Prophet (ﷺ) thought that giving the flag to his son would signify that the flag was technically not taken away from his family. By changing just one letter (Al-Malhamah to Al-Marhamah) and passing the flag from one hand to another (from father to son), the Prophet (ﷺ) comforted Abu Sufyan (whose heart needed to be won over) in a wise and miraculous manner without causing the slightest heartbreak to Sa'd bin Ubadah (RA), whose faith and jihad services were as bright as the sun. Granting this position to the son instead of the father appeased Abu Sufyan's wounded heart, while on the other hand, it kept Sa'd bin Ubadah (RA), who had rendered great services to Islam, from being aggrieved. Today is the Day of Kindness and Loyalty The Prophet (ﷺ) entered and performed Tawaf of the Kaaba. After completing the Tawaf, he called Uthman bin Talhah, the key-bearer of the Kaaba. The key was taken from him, the door was opened, and the Prophet (ﷺ) entered the Kaaba. Years ago, before migrating to Medina, when the Prophet (ﷺ) had requested this key, Uthman had replied harshly and spoken insultingly. The Prophet (ﷺ), practicing patience and forbearance, had said: "Uthman! You will see this key in my hand one day, and I will give it to whomever I wish." In response, Uthman had said: "If that happens, it will be a day of great humiliation and destruction for the Quraysh." The Prophet (ﷺ) countered: "No, on that day the Quraysh will be prosperous and honored." These words had left a deep impression on Uthman bin Talhah's heart. When the Prophet (ﷺ) came out of the Kaaba holding the key in his blessed hand, Hazrat Ali (RA) stood up and said: "May Allah send blessings and peace upon you. Grant us the custody of the Kaaba (Hijabah) along with the duty of providing water to pilgrims (Siqayah)." The Prophet (ﷺ) replied: "Today is the day of kindness and fulfillment of loyalty (Al-Birr wal-Wafa)." Then he called Uthman, returned the key to him, and said: "Whoever snatches this key from you will be a tyrant." Go, You are All Free After the sermon, the Prophet (ﷺ) looked at the crowd. The tyrants and oppressors of Quraysh stood before him. Among them were those leaders who were at the forefront of trying to eradicate Islam; those whose tongues showered abuses upon the Prophet (ﷺ); those whose swords had dared to attack his holy person; those who laid thorns in his path; those who made his heels bleed during his preachings; those whose waves of attacks struck the walls of Medina; and those who used to torture Muslims on burning sand, placing fiery stones on their chests. The Prophet of Mercy (ﷺ) looked at them and asked in an awe-inspiring tone: "Do you know what treatment I am going to mete out to you?" Though these people were tyrants and wicked, they understood his noble character. They cried out: "You are a noble brother and the son of a noble brother!" The decree was issued: "No blame upon you today. Go, you are all free (An-Tumut-Tulaqa)." The Quraysh had seized the houses of all the Muhajireen (emigrants). This was the time to reclaim those rights, but the Prophet (ﷺ) instructed the Muhajireen to relinquish their claims on their properties. Among the ten supreme leaders of the Arabs, Safwan bin Umayyah fled toward Jeddah. Umayr bin Wahb came to the Prophet (ﷺ) and said that a leader of the Arabs was exiling himself from Mecca. The Prophet (ﷺ) gave his turban as a token of amnesty. Umayr reached Jeddah and brought Safwan back, who later accepted Islam before the Battle of Hunayn. Abdullah bin al-Ziba'ra, the Arab poet who used to lampoon the Prophet (ﷺ) and criticize the Quran, fled to Najran but later returned and accepted Islam. Umm Hakim, the daughter of Harith bin Hisham and wife of Ikrimah bin Abi Jahl, accepted Islam on the day of the Conquest, but her husband Ikrimah fled to Yemen. Umm Hakim went to Yemen, invited him to Islam, and he returned to Mecca as a Muslim. When the Prophet (ﷺ) saw him, he stood up out of extreme joy and rushed toward him so quickly that his cloak fell off, and then he accepted his allegiance. Wahshi, who had treacherously martyred Amir Hamza (the Lion of Allah and His Messenger) and desecrated his body, was also granted pardon. The world knows how prisoners of war are treated. Those who read world history know what those who beat the drums of civilization did to ordinary citizens. The death tolls in such events reach into millions, if not crores. But the greatest battle of Islam, the Conquest of Mecca—after which people entered the religion of Allah in crowds—stands as a testament to the absolute mercy of Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ). In the entire conquest, barring one or two isolated incidents, not a single drop of blood was shed, nor did anyone's nose bleed. The world has never seen, and will never see until the Day of Judgment, a greater picture of compassion and general amnesty. _____________________________________ Book: Uswa-e-Rahmat Author: Maulana Bilal Abdul Hai Hasani Nadwi Page Numbers: 28 to 39 Excerpted by: Maulana Anas Memon Palanpuri (Iqbal Garhi)