Issues of Ijtihad

Badr, the Prophet went out along with his companions to encounter the enemy. He took this step only when he had received God’s clear promise that He would send His angels to the aid of His Messenger. (Quran, 8:9) The way of the Prophet of Islam was not to retaliate immediately against any act of oppression. He felt that, despite injustice and oppression on the part of the enemy, the way of patience and avoidance of clashes should be adopted. Practical steps were to be taken only when it was certain that they would yield the desired result. Avoiding Confrontation During the thirteen years’ period in Makkah, the majority continued to oppose the Prophet, while only a small number of people supported him. When the Makkans found that mere opposition was not enough to extirpate his mission from Makkah, they resolved to remove him from their path by killing him. They unanimously decided that all the leaders of Makkah should attack him together and thus put an end to the movement of monotheism forever. This was a very precarious situation. One apparent option was for the Prophet to confront them with the support of his Companions. However, he judged the matter by its likely outcome. Since in those circumstances armed confrontation was not going to yield the desired result, the Prophet followed the principle of avoidance and migrated to Madinah from Makkah.