The Life & Character of the Seal of Prophets (sa) - Volume II — Page 158
Seal of the Prophets - Volume II 158 received, declared themselves adherents of Islām. . . Their kindly treatment was thus prolonged, and left a favourable impression on the minds even of those who did not at once go over to Islām. ” 1 There is also a narration that when the prisoners were presented before the Holy Prophet sa he said, “If today, Muṭ‘im bin ‘Adiyy 2 had been alive, and he had interceded on behalf of these people, I would have released them without ransom. ” 3 Muṭ‘im was a staunch idolater and he died in this very state, but possessed a noble disposition. As such, Muṭ‘im was the one who tore apart the cruel document of the Quraish, due to which the Muslims had been besieged in the valley of Abū Ṭālib. When the Holy Prophet sa returned from Ṭā’if as well, it was Muṭ‘im who escorted the Holy Prophet sa into Makkah under his own protection. It was in remembrance of this benevolence that the Holy Prophet sa uttered these words. In actuality, it was a distinct quality of the Holy Prophet sa that if a person did even the smallest good deed to him, he would never forget his benevolence. The Holy Prophet sa would always desire that he continue receiving an opportunity to practically express gratitude for that person’s goodwill. Furthermore, the Holy Prophet sa was not like such worldly people who after returning an individual for his generosity with a good deed once, would begin saying that now his debt had been repaid. Rather, whenever an individual would do a good deed to the Holy Prophet sa , he would make him an everlasting benefactor for himself. The Holy Prophet sa would never consider his debt repaid and this is actually what high morals demand. The reason being that when a person becomes indebted to a benevolent act, to think that by a reciprocating action, the debt has been repaid, may be considered a business transaction, but not the fulfillment of a moral responsibility in the least. Among those who were taken captive, there were various chieftains of the Quraish. Therefore, Al-Mundhir bin Al-Ḥārith and Suhail bin ‘Amr were considered to be the elites of Makkah. Some prisoners were very close relatives of the Holy Prophet sa. For example, ‘Abbās was the paternal uncle of the Holy Prophet sa. ‘Aqīl was the paternal cousin of the Holy Prophet sa and the real brother of Ḥaḍrat ‘Alī ra. There was Abul-‘Āṣ bin Rabī‘ who was the 1 The Life of Mahomet, By Sir William Muir, Chapter XII (Prisoners Kindly Treated at Medîna), Prisoners treated kindly, p. 242, Published by Smith, Elder, & Co. London (1878) [Publishers] 2 Muṭ‘im was a chieftain of Makkah who died in a state of disbelief. 3 Ṣaḥīḥul-Bukhārī, Kitābul-Maghāzī, Chapter 12/12, Ḥadīth No. 4024