Understanding Islam — Page 30
IS ISLAM A VIOLENT RELIGION? 30 and some other companions came to him and said, “O Messenger of Allah! We were respected when we were idolaters and when we believed, we were humiliated”. This was a suggestion to allow them to fight their persecutors, but Prophet Muhammad sa responded by saying, “I have been commanded to pardon, so do not fight”. 28 This demonstrates how much he detested warfare and how much importance he gave to the promotion of peace. One excellent example that clearly illustrates this is the personal conduct and precept of Prophet Muhammad sa when he migrated to Mad ī nah along with his followers, and the manner in which the migrant Muslims absorbed themselves into the local society. It was a perfect model of how to immigrate and integrate into a new society. Before the migrant Muslims arrived, there were two main ethnic groups in Mad ī nah, namely, the Jews and the Arabs. Upon the arrival of the Muslims, there emerged three groups – the Muslims, the Jews and the non- Muslim Arabs. Prophet Muhammad sa immediately proclaimed that it was essential that they all lived together in peace and harmony; and, therefore, he proposed a covenant of peace between them.