The life of the Holy Prophet of Islam — Page 15
6. Widows and the orphans were totally neglected in the Arab society, so the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) tried his best to elevate their status, to help solve the problem of providing care and protection to widows and their children in peace as well as in war when due to death of large number of male members, women were left without any support. He made his followers realize that they should take care of them with respect, dignity and honor. And one of the best possible ways to establish the relation with them was through marriages. So Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) set up his own example for his followers by marrying with widows. 7. In the time of the prophet of Islam the prisoners of war were taken as slaves. The Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) set up an example by freeing them on ransom and on several occasions without charging any thing. They were also encouraged to settle down by working, educating people or through legal marriages. The Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) not only set the slaves free, but also married two of the captive women, to set up a personal example for the believers. 8. Some of the marriages of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) were to unite his followers with different clans and tribes in mutual love and affection, and that was the object in marrying Juwairiyah (may Allah be pleased with her), daughter of Harith, the Chief of Bani al-Mustaliq. Similar was the reason of marring Safiyah (may Allah be pleased with her) who belonged to a Jewish tribe. And by marrying Maria the Copt, (may Allah be pleased with her) the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) established close relations with an Egyptian ruler. MERCY FOR MANKIND Holy Prophet of Islam was a great benefactor of mankind, and throughout his life he helped the poor and the needy to his utmost ability, and showed mercy to them. He was the most kind and compassionate person ever appeared in the history. Almighty God says in the Holy Quran: And We sent thee not but as a mercy for all mankind. (Holy Quran, 21:108) The Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) becomes an active member of the league, “Hilful-Fu W ul. ” When he was about 25 years old he became the member of an association, which was formed to help the victims of aggressive and unjust treatment. It was a league for the relief of the distressed. This association was known by the name of Hilful-Fu W ul, which was named after the common name, “Fa W l” of all the participants, and “Hilf” means treaty. So Hilful-Fu W ul means a pact, which was made between men having part of their name “Fa W l”. The members of this association took a responsibility under oath in the following terms: “They will help those who were oppressed and will restore them their rights, as long as the last drop of water remained in the sea. And if they do not do so, they will compensate the victims out of their own belongings. ” Dispute among the Quraish and a wonderful solution by the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) The Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was always anxious to solve the problems in the society and to establish peace and harmony among the people through his God gifted wisdom and intelligence. Once it so happened, when he was in his thirties, that the tribes of Quraish found it necessary to rebuild the Kaaba in order to prevent it from collapse. When they got to the point in the construction to fix the Black Stone, the tribes began to argue with one another for the honor of placing the stone in its place. This continued for a number of days until the situation became extremely unstable. Blood pacts were consummated between the various tribes to fight to the death. The war was on the verge of breaking out between them over