Understanding Islam — Page 80
WHAT IS JIHAD? 78 expressed their reservations and concern over the humiliating conditions, but Prophet Muhammad sa reasoned with them. Even when the treaty had just been signed, a young man named Ab ū Jandal ra , who had just made good his escape from Makkah, appeared on the scene, bound and exhausted, and pleaded with the Muslims to allow him to remain with them and to not send him back. He had been terribly mistreated by the Makkans just because he had converted to Islam. Prophet Muhammad sa told him that the treaty had now been signed and that he will not go back on his word. He returned him to the Makkans and urged him to remain patient. 31 Such was the determination of Prophet Muhammad sa to establish and maintain peace, yet some critics suggest that Islam was spread by the sword. Similarly, it was the magnanimity of Prophet Muhammad sa and his Jihad for peace that caused Islam to spread at the time of the Fall of Makkah, a bloodless victory. This victory happened when Prophet Muhammad sa entered the city of Makkah with a force of 10,000 followers. This was such a powerful force that no one dared to challenge it