Understanding Islam — Page 120
DOES VIOLENCE ESCALATE IN EARLY ISLAM? 118 into trouble; he is ardently desirous of your welfare; and to the believers he is compassionate, merciful. 5 In other words, Prophet Muhammad sa is a prince of peace and it gave him no pleasure to fight these battles which were in self-defence. At another place, God addresses Prophet Muhammad sa and says: So haply thou wilt grieve thyself to death for sorrow after them if they believe not in this discourse. 6 This was the main goal for Prophet Muhammad sa. He only wanted to peacefully share the truth of Islam with all his opponents and convey the message and teachings of the Holy Quran, and leave it to them to see the beauty of these teachings. He had no desire to fight with anyone and even when he had to defend himself against the onslaught of his enemies, it caused him a great deal of grief and anguish due to the casualties. To suggest that his conduct in life displays a trajectory or a growing tendency to violence is a gross misrepresentation of clear-cut facts of history.