Sublime Character

SUBLIME CHARACTER any Madinan Muslims should go to Makkah, the Makkans would not send them back to Madinah. No sooner had this treaty been made than a Makkan youth named Abu Jandal escaped from Makkah and came to Hudaybiyyah, his body bearing weals and bruises where chains had abraded his skin. “Save me from the enemy!” he cried to the Muslims. This was an extremely sensitive moment. The companions of the Prophet drew their swords. The sight of Abu Jandal aroused their feelings to such a degree that most of them wanted to break the treaty and save his life. The Quraysh meanwhile reminded the Prophet that this was an occasion on which he would be obliged to abide by the pact that had been made between them. Finally, the Prophet decided that he could not go back on the terms that had been agreed upon. Painful as this decision was for the Muslims, Abu Jandal was returned to the Quraysh. Ostensibly the Prophet was putting an innocent victim of oppression back into the clutches of his oppressors. But, in effect, he acted on the highest moral principles. The oppressors, in turn, were confounded and awestruck by such uniquely ethical conduct, and then it became no ordinary matter for them to take Abu Jandal away and imprison him; instead, the event became symbolic of their degradation in contrast to the moral ascendancy of Islam. The result was that the people of Makkah were won over by the high ethical standards of Islam, which many of them started to embrace. Abu Jandal’s presence in Makkah became a living testament to the truth of the prophet’s faith. Even as a prisoner, Abu Jandal began to appear to his captives as a threat to their