"Symbol of statesmanship" The city state of Madinah, the very first ideological state, was carved out by Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) without overwhelming any nation or conquering any territory. It was exclusively the result of his untiring and ceaseless efforts, political sagacity and extraordinary vision as an unrivalled statesman. The Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) was born and nurtured in Makkah. After the demise of his parents, he was brought up by his grandfather, Abdul Muttalib, who was a member of the oligarchy which ruled Makkah. It was then that the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) as a young boy, reportedly, accompanied his grandfather even in the meetings where discussions on vital issues were held. He even before his prophethood was held in high esteem by the Makkans because of his nobility. His exemplary modesty, unalloyed piety and peerless honesty, the hallmarks of his suave personality, had earned him the honorific epithet of al-Ameen (the Trustworthy). In his pre-prophethood days Kabah was re-built in which the tribal chiefs of the Quraish participated. When the walls had been raised, there arose the question who will put the sacred Black Stone (Hajr-e-Asvad). Every tribal chief contested for this honour. Eventually the situation turned into a severe crisis and there was every apprehension that it may lead to bloodshed that one morning the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) happened to be there and tackled the situation wisely. He with the assistance of all the chieftains carried the Black Stone to the spot where it was to be placed, then he himself fixed it at its proper place. Thus the last stone was laid by him, on one hand, and on the other, the impending situation of bloodshed was averted. At the advent of Islam the prominent cities in Hijaz were Makkah, Taif and Yathrib. The Holy Prophet being a Makkan naturally started preaching from this native place but pace of proselytism was not encouraging. Not only that but those who embraced Islam were subjected to extreme hardships; they were severely persecuted, inhumanly treated and ignominiously tortured by the pagans of Makkah. In the wake of Makkan oligarchy’s violent atrocities, the situation became more serious and unbearable. The Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) considered it expedient to send his disciples, extremely afflicted, somewhere to seek asylum. It was his perspicacity that he found Abyssinia, across the Red Sea, to be the best place for the purpose. It seems that he was well-aware that Negus (Najashi) was a just and kind ruler and would not repatriate them. He, therefore, advised the suffering Muslims to migrate there to enable them to lead a peaceful life, free from mental strain and physical torture. For the maintenance of peace within and security against the onslaught of the enemies, bent upon to eradicate Islam, the Holy Prophet took certain initiatives. First of all he welded together the Makkan Muslims, now known as ‘emigrants’ (Muhajrin) and the Madinese Muslims called ‘Helpers’ (Ansar) in the bond of brotherhood (Moakhat). This phenomenal relationship brought them so close that the Ansars willingly shared with their brethren-in-faith not only houses but their livelihood. Thus emerged an Islamic society and the Muslim nation whose first citizen was the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him). The tranquillity in Madinah for the future developments was a prerequisite which was not possible without ratifying treaty with the non-Muslims of the city and the neighbouring Jews. It was amicably proclaimed and known as the ‘Covenant of Madinah’ – the earliest Magna Carta and the first written constitution of any nation. It was basically aimed at maintaining harmony among the heterogeneous groups and develop an atmosphere of peace and security. This charter is a detailed document embracing provisions concerning various aspects of social and political life. Hereunder is a resume of certain salient clauses: ‘The inhabitants of Madinah shall constitute a nation; every citizen shall have equal rights without any discrimination; they would be at liberty to profess their religion; whosoever shall be rebellious or spread enmity would be punished; the Jews shall remain friendly with the Muslims; in case of assault on Madinah the Jews shall join the Muslims in defending the city; none of the signatories shall give asylum to the pagans of Makkah; all the disputes shall be referred to the Prophet.’ “This document… reveals the Man in his real greatness – a master-mind, not only of his own age,… but of all ages.” (The Spirit of Islam). On the safe arrival of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) at Madinah, a series of battles ensued; the battle of Badr in A.H. 2, the battle of Uhad in the following year and the battle of Khandaq (also known as the battle of Ahzab) in A.H. 5 which was due to the treachery of the Jews who assuring their help instigated the Makkan pagans for attack on Madinah. The coalition forces comprising ten thousand fighters from the pagans of Makkah, the Bedouin and Jews, outnumbering the total population of the city of Madinah, reached there to attack the nascent state founded by the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him). But the strategy of digging trench adopted for the safety of Madinah, foiled their vindictive plan; no direct fight could take place and the formidable combined forces after the lapse of about a month withdrew. As for the Jews the tribe of banu Qainuqua, the first to breach the covenant was expelled from Madinah. Likewise the tribe of banu Nazir was also exiled on the same ground. It took abode in Khaybar. The tribe of banu Qurayzah was expelled after the battle of Khandaq because of their campaign siding the enemies. The conquest of Khaybar took place in A.H. 7. The Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) with 1400 or 1500 Muslims left Madinah for Makkah to perform Umrah. Reaching in the vicinity of Makkah when he came to know of the hostile intentions of the pagans of Makkah, he encamped at a place called Hudaybiah and deputed Hazrat Uthman as his envoy to apprise them of the purpose of his peaceful visit, but they did not agree. The Holy Prophet did not make it a matter of prestige rather after the exchange of envoys agreed to conclude a treaty. While preparing the document a dispute arose at the very outset at the stage of preamble. To resolve the dispute he agreed with the viewpoint of the pagans of Makkah. As a result of which ‘Muhammad ibn-Abdullah’ was written instead of ‘Muhammad Rasul Allah.’ At this the Companions were perturbed much. The main clauses of the agreement were: ‘That the Muslims will return this time and may come next year; they shall not come armed; any Muslim living in Makkah cannot accompany them; if any pagan reaches Madinah, he shall be sent back but if any Muslim comes to Makkah he will not be sent back.’ The terms and the conditions of the treaty did not seem to be in favour of the Muslims but it was the political sagacity of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) that the treaty was concluded and was termed as “a manifest victory.” (al-Quran, 48:I)After the truce of Hudaybiah the looming threats of the Makkan pagans had to a great extent been subsided. Further Islam was being accepted willingly by a large number of polytheists within the peninsula of Arabia. He, therefore, to disseminate the message of Islam beyond the precincts of Arabia, sent letters to the neighbouring rulers inviting them to embrace Islam which also vividly manifests his policy of initiating diplomatic relations with other countries. Such letters through his envoys were sent to Heraclius (Caesar), the Byzantine Emperor; to Khusrau Parwiz (Kisra, the Arabic form of Khusrau), the King of Persia; to Muqawqis (Cyrus) of Egypt; to Negus, the King of Abyssinia; to the Governor of Yamama; to Harith al-Ghassani in Syria; to the Governor of Bahrain and others. The hallmark of his statesmanship was the conquest of Makkah. He at the head of 10,000 soldiers left Madinah on the 10th of Ramazan A.H. 8 for Makkah. It was envisaged that a fierce battle would be waged because it was the city where not only Muslims on embracing Islam were severely tormented but even the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) was not spared; and there was every probability that to wreak vengeance upon the inveterate enemy, the pagans of Makkah, killing and depredation would be ensued but surprisingly the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) graciously declared general amnesty. He announced that those who will take shelter in the house of Abu-Sufyan or in the sacred Mosque or confine themselves within their homes would be safe. Thereafter, in his memorable address he said: ‘There is no god but Allah and He has no associate; He made good His Promise; He helped His slave and defeated all the confederates alone; behold; all privileges, reprisals and claims of blood are under my feet; only the custody of Kabah and supply of water are exempted. O people of Quraish! Allah has now abolished the pride of the days of ignorance and conceit of ancestry. All human beings are descendant of Adam and Adam was created from dust.’ After the conquest of Makkah, the authority of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) was fully established which led pagans to submit and accept Islam willingly. So deputations began to visit Madinah in large numbers. The delegates, under the orders of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him), were received with full protocol and entertained by the principal companions. Even woman companions hosted some of them. On return they were also given presents. The credit of it all goes to superb magnanimity, matchless integrity and unsurpassable sagacity of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him), who epitomised all the qualities of statesmanship par excellence.
Posted on: Sat, 20 Jul 2013 15:35:28 +0000
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