Big Heartedness
Al-Risala (English), May-June 1996, p. 29
By Maulana Wahiduddin Khan
Maulana Wahiduddin Khan is named as the default author of the periodical; a piece that carries another writer’s byline is credited to that writer.
Big Heartedness
1996 5-6 May June 29-30 Big Heartedness (819) The first Umayyad Caliph, Mu’awiya, was ruling in Damascus. Most of the eastern Byzantine empire had been conquered by Islam. The Caesar had been forced to withdraw to Constantinople, and hold out there. Yet he made incursions into Muslim territory. In one clash the Romans imprisoned some Muslims, one of whom was a man belonging to the Quraysh. When the Caesar learnt of this, he asked for the captives to be brought before him.
The Muslim captives were brought into the Caesar’s court with their hands tied and feet in chains. “This will be the punishment for ones like you,” were the disparaging words the emperor addressed to them. “We will give you a slow death, as a lesson to your compatriots that they should cease infringing on our territory.”
The emperor’s words aroused the Qurayshi’s honour, and he answered back in a severe tone. “As long as you remain an enemy of Islam,” he said, “there will be no peace between us. The price of our blood is a cheap one to pay for death in the path of God. But how precious our blood becomes when it is spilled by a worthless ruler like you.”
A patriarch of the Caesar’s court became incensed on hearing the Qurayshi’s words. He came up and hit the Muslim captive on both sides of the face. The Qurayshi’s hands were tied. At that time he could offer no resistance. What he did was yell in a loud voice: “Mu’awiya, where are you now? Are you not going to take revenge on these dastardly people who have stricken a man of noble birth – one of your own household?” Then he looked towards the patriarch. “I swear by God that there will come a day when you will realize who I am.”
Mu’awiya was greatly aggrieved when news of this incident reached Damascus. He resolved to do something to atone for what had happened. First of all, he arranged an exchange of prisoners with the Byzantine emperor. So great was his determination to secure the release of his men that he agreed to free a greater number of Roman soldiers in exchange for them.
Once the captives had returned home, Mu’awiya surreptitiously hatched a plot. He obtained the services of a man of Syria, a merchant who knew the Roman language. Mu’awiya gave him a great quantity of gold and money, charging him with the task of arresting the patriarch and bringing him to Damascus.
The Syrian travelled as a merchant from Damascus to Constantinople. Before long he had established the identity of the patriarch and made friends with him wooing him with gifts of perfumes, jewels, silk and other such precious items. The Syrian made several trips between the two cities, bringing the patriarch gifts each time. The whole operation was conducted in the utmost secrecy, with no one save Mu’awiya, and the merchant himself, learning of it.
A lengthy period elapsed. Contacts between the two men became so close that the patriarch requested certain specific gifts, which the Syrian promised to bring. On his return to Damascus, he purchased a swift camel and, along with a camel driver, brought it to a place near Constantinople. He himself went on to meet the patriarch. “I have brought all your gifts,” he told the Roman, “let’s go and collect them.” Thus he contrived to take the patriarch to where the camel and his companion were waiting. There both men caught hold of him, tied his hands and feet and, riding him on the camel, set off towards Damascus.
In this way the patriarch was brought before Mu’awiya. The caliph called a large meeting, to which the captive was also summoned. The Qurayshi who had been smitten by the Byzantine courtier was astonished to see his antagonist appear from behind a curtain. “Cousin,” Mu’awiya said to his fellow Qurayshi. “Now is the time for you to be thankful to this Syrian. He has done exactly as I told him to, without the slightest omission. His efforts have enabled you to extract your right from the patriarch, without wronging him.”
“If I had not sworn an oath,” said the Qurayshi, “I would have forgiven him.” Raising his hand, he struck the patriarch once. “That suffices,” he said. “I am pardoning him what remains.”
“You are our guest for three days,” Mu’awiya told the patriarch. When the three days were completed he was allowed to return to Constantinople, along with the Syrian and the presents he had been promised. Afterwards, all the Roman patriarchs gathered before the Caesar. They advised him not to mistreat Muslim prisoners from now on. “I have not seen any people as respectful, generous and good-natured as they are,” said the patriarch who had been their guest. “If Mu’awiya had wanted to imprison me, he could have done so; but that was not his wish.”
(Al-Dawah, Mecca, 14 Jamad al-Ula, 1405 AH)
