THOUGHTS WORTH CONSIDERING HAJR JAMEEL

now feels that you have taken away his leadership. (Sirah Ibn Hisham, Vol. 3, p. 336) This example shows wise and graceful avoidance. One way to handle Abdullah bin Ubayy’s provocations could have been with strictness. But the companion’s response showed that harshness wasn’t needed. Graceful avoidance was enough to settle the matter. 4. A Hidden Layer of Grace The earlier examples of graceful avoidance are those that appear directly in words. Now consider an example that lies between the lines. When graceful avoidance is used in any situation, there is often an unspoken element involved. Although not verbally expressed, it remains present as a key part of the action. One example of this is the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah. At Hudaybiyyah, the Prophet stayed for two weeks. During this time, the Quraysh committed several acts of excess. For example, they isolated and killed a companion with an arrow. On another occasion, while the Prophet was leading congregational prayer with his companions, some members of the Quraysh arrived and started shooting arrows at them. Despite such provocations, the Prophet entered into a tenyear peace treaty with the Quraysh. The terms of the treaty were deeply unpleasant to Umar ibn al-Khattab. He went to Abu Bakr and said: