The Excellent Exemplar - Muhammad — Page 39
THE EXCELLENT EXEMPLAR — MUHAMMAD 39 and completely to be depended upon, God required that every effort be put forth in support of the cause. Therein lies the secret of the strength of Islam as a faith. The fullest confidence in, and reliance upon, God’s grace and help and the putting forth of the utmost effort that man is capable of - both these in combination, as taught by God himself, help achieve the goal (53:39 - 40). All success in every beneficent endeavor comes from God, but it follows upon sincere and steadfast effort combined with perfec t trust and humble supplication to God. It was necessary to know what plans and preparations were afoot in Mecca. The Prophet, therefore, sent out small parties from time to time to reconnoiter along the routes to and from Mecca and the surrounding area. He learned that the Meccans were seeking to incite other tribes against the Muslims and to strengthen their own position with alliances. The Prophet made efforts to establish friendly relations with outside tribes whenever the opportunity offered itself, the purpose being to organize resistance to aggression and to secure fre edom of conscience and belief for everyone. This was the beginning of the Pax Islamica. A reconnoitering party was sometimes involved in an incident or minor skirmish, but this was unavoidable in view of the hostile designs and activities of the Qureish. It was felt on both sides, however, that matters could not continue as they were and that a clash was inevitable inasmuch as the Qureis h were determined to stamp out the faith preached by the Prophet before its adherents gained enough support and strength to resist successfully any force that might be mustered against them. One of the devices of the Meccans was to use their trade