The Life & Character of the Seal of Prophets (sa) - Volume II — Page 55
II - Commencement of Jihād by the Sword & Fundamental Discussion on Jihād 55 by the Quraish? Most definitely, if there had been another nation in place of the Muslims, they would have entered the field of battle against the Quraish much earlier. The Muslims however, were ordered to exhibit patience and forgiveness by their Master. As such, it is written that when the persecution of the Quraish intensified, ‘ Abdur-Raḥmān bin ‘Auf ra , and other Companions, presented themselves before the Holy Prophet sa , and sought permission to fight the Quraish, but the Holy Prophet sa responded: اِنِّی ْ اُمِرْت ُ بِالْعَفْو ِ فَلا َ تُقَاتِلُوْا “For now, I have been ordered to pardon. Thus, I cannot give you permission to fight. ” 1 As such, the Companions bore every pain and insult in the way of religion, but did not let go of the handle of patience. When the goblet of the persecution of the Quraish had been satiated and began to overflow; and the God of this universe found the divine message to have been conveyed incontrovertibly, it was only then that God ordered His servant to leave the city. For now, the matter had exceeded the limit of forgiveness, and the time had come when the perpetrators would reach their evil end. Hence, this migration of the Holy Prophet sa was a sign of the acceptance of the ultimatum of the Quraish. It was a subtle indication by God of the announcement of war; both the Muslims and disbelievers understood this. As such, during the consultation at Dārun- Nadwah , 2 when an individual proposed that the Holy Prophet sa should be exiled from Makkah, the chieftains of the Quraish rejected this proposal on the basis that if Muḥammad sa was to leave Makkah, the Muslims would definitely accept their ultimatum and enter the field of battle in opposition to them. Upon the occasion of the second Bai‘at at ‘Aqabah, when the question of the migration of the Holy Prophet sa arose before the Anṣār of Madīnah, they immediately said, “ This entails that we should become prepared for war against the whole of Arabia. ” When the Holy Prophet sa left Makkah, he cast a sorrow- stricken glance upon the boundaries of Makkah and said, “O Makkah! You were more beloved to me than all other cities, but your people have not allowed me to live here. ” Upon this, Ḥaḍrat Abū Bakr ra said, “They have exiled the Messenger of 1 Sunanun-Nasa’ī, Kitābul-Jihād, Bābu Wujūbil-Jihād, Ḥadīth No. 3086 2 A council hall or parliament of the Quraish [Publishers]