The Holy Quran with Five Volume Commentary (Vol 1) — Page cclxxxix
GENERAL INTRODUCTION should be treated alike, saying that there was no reason for showing favour to his own relative. He insisted that either they must loosen the bonds of all the prisoners or must tighten the bonds of 'Abbās like those of the others. As the Companions of the Prophet did not wish him to be subjected to uneasiness on account of his uncle they undertook to guard the prisoners carefully and loosened the bonds of all of them (Zurqānī, Vol. 3, p. 279). Even during the exigencies of war he was most particular in observing all accepted rules and conventions. On one occasion he despatched a party of his Companions on a scouting expedition. They encountered some men of the enemy on the last day of the sacred month, Rajab. Thinking that it would be dangerous to let them escape and carry to Mecca the tidings of the scouting party being so near, they attacked them and in the course of the skirmish one of them was killed. After the scouting party had returned to Medina the Meccans began to protest that the Muslim scouts had killed one of their men in the sacred month. The Meccans had often been guilty of violating the sanctity of the sacred months vis-a-vis the Muslims whenever it suited them, and it would have been a suitable reply to their protest to say that as the Meccans had themselves set at naught the convention relating to the Sacred Months, so they were not entitled to insist upon their observance by Muslims. But the Prophet did not make this reply. He severely reprimanded the members of the party, refused to accept the booty and according to some reports even paid the blood-money for the person killed, till the revelation of 2:218 cleared the whole position (Tabari and Ḥalbiyyah). People are generally careful not to hurt the feelings of their friends and relations but the Holy Prophet was very particular in this respect even regarding people who were opposed to him. On one occasion a Jew came to him and complained that Abu Bakr had hurt his feelings by saying that God had exalted Muḥammad above Moses. The Prophet summoned Abu Bakr and asked him what had transpired. Abū Bakr explained that the Jew had started by saying that he swore by Moses whom God, he said, had exalted above the whole of mankind, and that he (Abu Bakr) had thereupon retorted by swearing by Muḥammad, whom God had exalted above Moses. The Prophet said: "You should not have said this as the feelings of other people should be respected. Nobody should exalt me above Moses" (Bukhārī, Kitābut-Tauḥīd). This did not mean that the Holy Prophet did not in fact occupy a higher position than Moses but that an affirmation like this addressed to a Jew was likely to hurt his feelings and should have been avoided. Regard for the Poor The Holy Prophet was ever concerned to ameliorate the condition of the poorer sections of the community and to raise their status in society. On one cclxiii