Chief of the Prophets — Page 208
Chapter Nine 208 No blame shall lie on you this day; may Allah forgive you! And He is the Most Merciful of those who show mercy. Ikramah bin Abū Jahl had run away from Makkah out of fear of retribution for his crimes. His wife appeared in the court of Muḥammad sa crying and begging forgiveness for her husband. How could Muḥammad’s vast mercy deny the request of a woman? He immediately pardoned him. Abū Sufyān’s wife Hind, who chewed on the liver of Muḥammad’s uncle, Ḥamzah bin ‘Abdul-Muṭṭalib ra , was also pardoned as she had already privately accepted Islam. Waḥshī, who was responsible for the martyrdom of Ḥamzah ra , was pardoned too. However, at the time of pardoning him, Muḥammad sa did say, “Do not appear before me, as you remind me of Ḥamzah ra. ” In this way, every oppressor, despot, and deceitful, dishonest, and prejudiced person was pardoned. We do not find its parallel in the entire history of mankind. Muḥammad’s unmatched mercy had such a deep impact on people, that they started accepting Islam in large numbers. Text of the Oath of Allegiance (Bai‘at) 1 The people who took the Bai‘at at the hand of Muḥammad sa affirmed the following: We will not associate anyone with Allah. We will not steal, fornicate, kill our children, or falsely accuse anyone. We will not disobey you in any good matter, and we will always remain steadfast on truth under any situation and always remain on the path of Allah; we will not fear the reproach of anyone who reproaches. 2 1 Oath of allegiance to a religious leader; initiation at the hands of a prophet or his caliph. Literally means ‘to be sold’. 2 Aṭ-Ṭabarī