Introduction to the Study of The Holy Quran — Page 208
208 The Prophet was moved and said, "Habbar, if God has planted in your heart the love of Islam, how can I refuse to forgive you? I forgive everything you have done before this. " One cannot describe in detail the enormities these men had committed against Islam and Muslims. Yet how easily the Prophet forgave them! This spirit of forgiveness converted the most stone-hearted adversaries into devotees of the Prophet. Battle of Hunain The Prophet’s entry into Mecca was sudden. Tribes in the vicinity of Mecca, especially those in the south, remained unaware of the event until sometime later. On hearing of it, they began to assemble their forces and to prepare for a fight with the Muslims. There were two Arab tribes, the Hawazin and the Thaqif, unusually proud of their valiant traditions. They took counsel together and after some deliberation elected Malik bin ‘Awf as their leader. They then invited the tribes round about to join them. Among the tribes invited was the Banu Sa‘d. The Prophet’s wet-nurse, Halimah, belonged to this tribe and the Prophet as a child had lived among them. Men of this tribe collected in force and set out towards Mecca taking with them their families and their effects. Asked why they had done so, they replied it was in order that the soldiers might be reminded that, if they turned back and fled, their wives and children would be taken prisoners and their effects looted—so strong was their determination to fight and destroy the Muslims. This force descended in the valley of Awtas most suitable base for a battle, with its natural shelters, abundance of fodder and water, and facilities for cavalry movements. When the Prophet got to know of this, he sent ‘Abdullah bin Abi Hadrad to report on the situation. ‘Abdullah reported that there were military concentrations in the place and there was determination to kill and be killed. The tribe was renowned for its skill in archery, and the base they had selected afforded a very great advantage to them. The Prophet approached Safwan, a prosperous chief of Mecca for the loan of suits of armour and weapons. Safwan replied, "You seem to put pressure on me and think I will be overawed by your growing power and make over to you whatever you ask?" The Prophet replied, "We wish to seize nothing. We only want a loan of these things, and are ready to give a suitable surety. " Safwan was satisfied and agreed to lend the material. Altogether he supplied one hundred suits of armour and a suitable number of weapons. The Prophet borrowed three thousand lances from his cousin, Nawfal bin Harith and about thirty thousand dirhams from ‘Abdullah bin Rabi‘ah. 235 When the Muslim army set out towards the Hawazin, the Meccans expressed a wish to join the Muslim side. They were not Muslims, but they had agreed to live under a Muslim regime. Accordingly, two thousand Meccans joined the Muslims. On the way, they came to the noted Arab shrine, Dhatu Anwat. Here was an old jujube tree, sacred to the Arabs. When Arabs