Absolute Justice, Kindness and Kinship — Page 344
Covenants with Non-Muslims, Treaties and Contracts 337 A similar incident is narrated by Hadrat Umm-e- H a n i’ , the daughter of Ab u Ta lib. She narrates that once she came to the Holy Prophet sa after his ultimate conquest of Mecca. Finding the Holy Prophet sa engaged in prayer she waited till he finished, then told him that she had given protection to a son of Habira without consulting other Companions, or taking prior permission from the Holy Prophet sa. However, her real brother Ali, born of the same mother, was bent upon killing him because her offer of protection had no validity. The Holy Prophet sa declared 'O Umm-e- H a n i , whomever have you given protection, I too have given my protection. ' 52 In no way was the Holy Prophet sa required to honour Umm-e-H a n i ’s commitment. No principle of justice could ever impose this on him. Most certainly it was his beneficence that out of regard for a humble member of his family he stood to honour her promise. A Prophecy Regarding the Moral Decadence of Muslim Political Leaders in the Future The Holy Prophet sa once warned Muslims to honour their commitments to their non-Muslim subjects, if they fail to do so Allah would harden the hearts of the non-Muslim subjects and they will cease to pay the levy. 53 The levy is a tax imposed on non-Muslim subjects in exchange for the promise of protection offered to them.