Approaching the West — Page 129
A pproaching the West—129 Even when he and his followers were forced to leave their hometown Mecca and they settled in Medina—a town more than 200 miles away from Mecca, the enemy did not allow them to live in peace, and initiated armed attacks and made them suffer the horrors of war. The brutal enemy mutilated the dead bodies of his dear ones. They cut their noses and ears, and in one instance even took out the liver and chewed it raw. He himself received severe injuries on his face in one of such battles. Not only that, he suffered many personal domestic tragedies in his life. He lost some of his children while they were young, and some died in his lifetime as grownups. He had four sons, but all of them passed away in their infancy. Despite all the enormous human suffering throughout his life, Holy Prophet Mu ḥ ammad (may peace and blessings of God be on him) always had a warm smile on face. Throughout his life he remained cheerful and a tremendous source of peace of mind and comfort for all who got in touch with him. He succeeded in establishing a firm faith in the existence of God in the hearts of thousands upon thousands, and he successfully replaced injustice with equity, cruelty and oppression with forgiveness and mercy. By studying his personal sufferings juxtaposed on his most successful life, and through his practical demonstration of compassion, peace, comfort, service to others, love for all and hatred for none, we find the most shining example in the person of the Most Noble Prophet Mu ḥ ammad (may peace and blessings of God be on him) of reconciling the existence of a Compassionate and Loving God and human suffering. It was not merely an intellectual reconciliation; it was a factual