Islam and Human Rights — Page 194
Isl am and Hum an R ights 194 to these two mighty empires based on privilege, and that they became most anxious to put an end as soon as possible to a phenomenon which threatened their very existence. Thus the Muslims were successively and continuously forced, first by the Meccans, then by the tribes in different parts of the Arabian Peninsula, and finally by the two mighty Empires of Byzantium and Iran, to submit to the arbitrament of the sword. After the fall of Mecca and the Battle of Hunain a large number of desert tribes, finding that the tide had set strongly in favour of the Muslims, declared their submission and announced that they had accepted the Faith, though most of them had yet acquired little appreciation of the values of Islam and possessed small comprehension of faith and belief. Concerning these, the Quran spoke as follows: “The Arabs of the desert say: We believe. Say to them: You have not believed yet, but say rather: We have sub mitted, for true belief has not yet entered into your hearts. If you obey Allah and His Messenger, He will not detract anything from your good deeds. Surely, Allah is Most Forgiving, Merciful. The believers are only those who truly believe in Allah and His Messenger, and then doubt not, but strive with their possessions and their persons in the cause of