The Holy Quran with Five Volume Commentary (Vol 1) — Page ccxlvi
GENERAL INTRODUCTION enemies to peace. His passion for revenge could not have lasted. It must have dissolved as he advanced inviting Meccans to peace under a standard held aloft by his brother. While the Muslims marched towards Mecca, the Prophet had ordered 'Abbās to take Abū Sufyān and his friends to a spot from where they could easily view the Muslim army, its behaviour and bearing. 'Abbās did so and from a vantage point Abū Sufyān and his friends watched the Arab tribes go past on whose power the Meccans had banked all these years for their plots against Islam. They marched that day not as soldiers of disbelief but as soldiers of belief. They raised now the slogans of Islam, not the slogans of their pagan days. They marched in formation, not to put an end to the Prophet's life, but to lay down their lives to save his; not to shed his blood, but their own for his sake. Their ambition that day was not to resist the Prophet's Message and save the superficial solidarity of their own people. It was to carry to all parts of the world the very Message they had so far resisted. It was to establish the unity and solidarity of man. Column after column marched past until the Ashja' tribe came in Abū Sufyān's view. Their devotion to Islam and their self-sacrificing zeal could be seen in their faces, and heard in their songs and slogans. "Who can they be?" asked Abu Sufyān. "They are the Ashja tribe. " Abū Sufyān looked astonished and said, "In all Arabia, no one bore greater enmity to Muḥammad. " "We owe it to the grace of God. He changed the hearts of the enemy of Islam as soon as He deemed fit," said 'Abbās. Last of all came the Prophet, surrounded by the columns of Anṣār and Muhajirīn. They must have been about two thousand strong, dressed in suits of armour. The valiant ‘Umar directed their marching. The sight proved the most impressive of all. The devotion of these Muslims, their determination and their zeal seemed overflowing. When Abū Sufyan's eyes fell on them, he was completely overpowered. "Who can they be?" he asked. "They are the Anṣār and the Muhājirīn surrounding the Prophet," replied 'Abbās. "No power on earth could resist this army," said Abū Sufyān, and then, addressing 'Abbās more specifically, "Abbās, your nephew has become the most powerful king in the world. " "You are still far from the truth, Abū Sufyān. He is no king; he is a Prophet, a Messenger of God," replied 'Abbās. "Yes, yes, let it be as you say, a Prophet, not a king," added Abū Sufyān. CCXX