AFFIRMATION OF PROPHETHOOD

Affirmation of Prophethood ~ 272 ~ embroiled in wars for ten long years. In these battles, the Prophet was badly wounded, even losing some of his teeth, and witnessed the martyrdom of many of his best companions, not to speak of all the suffering, misery and hardship which are inflicted on people in wartime conditions. Makkah was finally conquered towards the end of the Prophet’s life, but only after twenty-three years of trials and tribulations. His enemies, who had shown themselves obdurate and unrelenting then stood before him in a state of utter helplessness. That was the moment to crush them completely. But this was not the way of the Prophet Muhammad. What other, lesser men would do in such a situation is common knowledge, but the Prophet did not avenge himself upon them for their past offences. He quite simply asked them, “O people of the Quraysh, how do you think I shall deal with you?” They replied, “You are our noble brother and son of our noble brother.” The Prophet then said, “Go, you are all free.” Stanley Lane-Poole, in his introduction to E.W.Lane’s Selection from the Quran elaborates upon the Prophet’s remarkable self-discipline: