The Life & Character of the Seal of Prophets (sa) - Volume II — Page 60
Seal of the Prophets - Volume II 60 threatening possibilities. Thirdly, were the Jews, with whom although there was a treaty, but to these Jews the value of this treaty was nothing. Hence, in this manner, there were such elements present even in Madīnah itself, which were no less than a store of hidden ammunition against the Muslims. A tiny spark by the Arabian tribes was enough to set this ammunition on fire, and destroy the Muslims of Madīnah with a single blast. At this vulnerable time, which was such that a more critical time had never dawned upon the Muslims before, divine revelation was sent to the Holy Prophet sa , that now he should also take up the sword in opposition to these disbelievers, who had entered the field of battle against him, sword in hand, purely by way of injustice and tyranny. In this manner, Jihād by the sword was announced. At this time the number of such Muslims who were able to fight was not more than a few hundred. Even from among these few hundred souls, most of them suffered from a state of extreme weakness and poverty. For some, the matter reached the point of starvation every other day. Among them, there were very few who could even make the very basic equipment of war available to themselves. On the other hand, the state of the opposing party was such that in terms of religion, the entire country was, without exception, an enemy. Practically, in addition to the Quraish as well, who were thousands in number, and were far more powerful than the Muslims in terms of wealth, property and military supplies, many other Arabian tribes had become allies of the Quraish. It was due to these threats that the Muslims could not sleep at night. At such a vulnerable time the command of God was revealed that: “O Muslims! Now you shall also take up the sword against these disbelievers. ” There remains no doubt whatsoever with regards to the fundamental purpose of this Jihād , because in such circumstances only such an individual can enter the field of battle who had decided upon one of two things. The first being that now, my death is inevitable, why not therefore give my life in the field of battle like men. Secondly, now, if there is any possibility to avert death, then it is to take up the sword and enter the field of battle, and then ‘Come what may. ’ The early battles of the Muslims were due to this latter objective, but despite this divine command and coerced decision to fight, the state of many weak-hearted Muslims was that their hearts would sink at the thought of war. As such, the Holy Qur’ān states: