NO, TO CURSING — Prophet: A Mercy To Mankind

NO, TO CURSING Prophet: A Mercy To Mankind I N the earlier Makkan period of the Prophet’s life, Tufail bin Amr from the Dous tribe accepted Islam and then returned to his people. There he presented the message of Islam to his tribe and tried to make them understand but they rejected his guidance. Tufail bin Amr then returned to the Prophet and said, 'O Prophet of God, the tribe of Dous are engrossed in fun and frolic; so you pray for their damnation.’ Instead, the Prophet prayed, ‘O God, guide the tribe of Dous, and then he advised Tufail to return to his people and to be kind to them and wish them well. Tufail had requested the Prophet to pray for their damnation, instead the Prophet had prayed for their well-being. Throughout his Makkan life, the Prophet never cursed or prayed for the damnation of anyone. There are many such instances in the Prophet’s life where he prayed for the guidance and well-being of those who rejected his message and oppressed and harmed him and his followers. Whenever he was asked by his companions to curse those that oppressed them, he advised the companions to remain steadfast and patient like those with the Prophets before him who were subjected to even greater oppression and harm. Instead of cursing his oppressors, the Prophet always prayed for their guidance and wished them well. The matter of punishment to any wrongdoer belongs to God alone and is no concern of anyone else. After the Prophet’s migration to Madinah, there was an incident at the well of Mouna where seventy of the Prophet’s companions were killed by some people belonging to three tribes near Madinah. This was a truly heinous murder committed without any provocation or reason. When the Prophet came to know about the matter, he was very saddened and prayed for the damnation of the murderers for one month until the Angel Gabriel appeared to the Prophet and told him that 'God has not sent you as the invoker of curses and damnation but as a mercy to mankind.' Then these verses of the Quran were revealed to the Prophet: You have no say in this affair to decide whether He will relent