The Holy Quran with Five Volume Commentary (Vol 1) — Page ccxlviii
GENERAL INTRODUCTION with this message of peace for his town, but his wife, Hind, notorious for her hostility towards Muslims, met him. A confirmed disbeliever, she was yet a brave woman. She caught Abu Sufyān by the beard and called on Meccans to come and kill her cowardly husband. Instead of moving his townsmen to sacrifice their lives for the defence and honour of their town, he was inviting them to peace. But Abu Sufyān could see that Hind was behaving foolishly "That time is gone," said he. "You had better go home and sit behind closed doors. I have seen the Muslim army. Not all Arabia could withstand it now. " He then explained the conditions under which the Prophet had promised peace to the Meccans. On hearing these conditions the people of Mecca ran for protection to the places which had been named in the Prophet's proclamation. From this proclamation eleven men and four women had been excepted. The offences which they had committed were very grave. Their guilt was not that they had not believed nor that they had taken part in wars against Islam; it was that they had committed inhumanities which could not be passed over. Actually, however, only four persons were put to death. The Prophet had ordered Khālid bin Walīd not to permit any fighting unless they were fought against and unless the Meccans first started fighting. The part of the town which Khālid entered had not heard the conditions of peace. The Meccans posted in that part challenged Khālid and invited him to fight. An encounter ensued in which twelve or thirteen men were killed (Hisham, Vol. 2, p. 217). Khālid was a man of fiery temper. Somebody, warned by this incident, ran to the Prophet to request him to stop Khālid from fighting. If Khālid did not stop, said this man, all Mecca would be massacred. The Prophet sent for Khālid at once and said, "Did I not stop you from fighting?" "Yes, you did, O Prophet of God, but these people attacked us first and began to shoot arrows at us. For a time I did nothing and told them we did not want to fight. But they did not listen, and did not stop. So I replied to them, and dispersed them. " This was the only untoward incident which took place on this occasion. The conquest of Mecca was thus brought about practically without bloodshed. The Prophet entered Mecca. They asked him where he would stop. "Has 'Aqil left any house for me to live in?" asked the Prophet. 'Aqil was the Prophet's cousin, a son of his uncle. During the years of the Prophet's refuge at Medina, his relations had sold all his property. There was no house left which the Prophet could call his own. Accordingly the Prophet said, "I will stop at Hanīf Banī Kinānah. " This was an open space. The Quraish and сеххіі