The life of the Holy Prophet of Islam — Page 21
The Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was very strict in his standards of truthfulness, that is why, even before his prophethood, he was popularly known among the people as “The Truthful and Trust Worthy. ” In the same way he was equally anxious that Muslims should adopt the same standards of truth as were observed by him. He regarded truth as the basis of all virtue, goodness and right conduct. He taught that a truthful person is the one who is so confirmed in truth that he is counted truthful by God. On one occasion a prisoner was brought to the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) who had been guilty of the murder of many Muslims. ‘Umar, who was also present, thought that the man deserved the death penalty and he looked repeatedly at the Prophet expecting that the Prophet would at any moment indicate that the man should be put to death. After the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) had dismissed the man, ‘Umar said that he should have been put to death as that was the only appropriate penalty. The Prophet replied, “If that is so, why did you not kill him?” ‘Umar replied, “O Messenger of Allah! If you had but given me an indication even by a flicker of your eye, I would have done so. ” To this the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: A Prophet does not act equivocally. How could I have employed my eye to indicate the imposition of a death penalty upon the man while my tongue was employed in talking kindly to him? (Hisham) JUSTICE The Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was unique in enforcing uniform standards of justice and fair dealing. On one occasion a woman belonging to a highly respectable and well-connected Makhzoom family was found guilty of theft. For the prestige of the family, this caused great worry as, if the normal penalty were to be imposed upon the young woman, a leading family would be humiliated and disgraced. Many were anxious to plead with the Prophet on behalf of the offender but were afraid to do so. Eventually some prominent people including Usama Bin Zaid, a very beloved companion of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) undertook that mission to save her from punishment. When he put this matter before the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), he refused to disregard the crime and expressed displeasure saying: Many a community ruined itself in the past as they only punished the poor and ignored the offences of the exalted. By Allah, if Muhammad’s own daughter Fatima would have committed theft, her hand would have been severed. (Sahih Bukhari) The Jews of Medina were so impressed by his impartiality and sense of justice that they used to bring their cases to him, and he decided them according to Jewish law. The Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was very strict in implementing justice, even if it was against him. Once, while he was distributing the spoils of war, people flocked around him and one man almost fell upon him. He pushed the men with a stick causing a slight scratch. He was so sorry about this that he asked the man that he could have his retribution, but the man said’ “O Messenger of Allah, I forgive you. ” A miserable condition of Abu Jandal and the helplessness of the prophet to help him When the treaty of Hudaibiya was written down and accepted by both of the parties, Abu- Jandal, the son of Suhail the Meccan spokesperson, appeared before the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), bound, wounded and exhausted. He fell at the prophet’s feet and said, “O Prophet of God, I am a Muslim at heart, and because of my faith I have to suffer these troubles at the hands of my father. My father was here with you. So I escaped and managed to come to you. The Prophet had not spoken yet that Suhail intervened and said that the agreement had been signed so Abu-Jandal must go with him. On this occasion the Muslims were not ready