Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) established a community based on moral principles
Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) was sent to establish a community based on moral principles, and in doing so, he set out to perfect people’s ethics. All of the Prophet’s activities were undertaken for this very objective: the ethical and divine nurturing of human beings. Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) himself a symbol of ethics, was naturally considered to be the ideal example of moral behavior.
The most important factor in the nurturing of the Islamic community was the personal conduct of the Prophet. As much as the Prophet’s power increased, his mercy and forgiveness similarly increased. Through his conduct, the Prophet taught people merits such as freedom, mercy and kindness, philanthropy, forgiveness, good-naturedness, and humility.
The Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), the final Messenger and Apostle of God, may Allah bless him and his family, had the greatest of morals in all aspects of life. When Imam Ali son of Abu Talib, peace be upon them, was asked about this he said: ‘How can I describe the morals of the Prophet when God himself has testified that they are ‘sublime’ when He said:
And most surely you have sublime morals (Quran 67:4)
The people felt comfortable and free in the presence of the Prophet. The Prophet was very humble and against arrogance. Those who met the Prophet for the first time were not able to distinguish him from his companions because his conduct and appearance did not resemble any superiority, pride, or haughtiness.
After the conquest of Mecca, the Prophet stood atop the Ka’bah and announced the death of the barbaric, inhuman, and unethical culture and principles of the pre-Islamic age, and invited people towards morality and Islamic thought. He said:
“Any blood and property that you have possessed and all false pre-Islamic superiority that you deemed to have, have now disappeared. God has removed the pre-Islamic arrogance and the boasting over one’s ancestors. A Muslim is the brother of a Muslim, and all Muslims are brothers of one other. All of you are from dust and the dearest one to God is the one who is most pious. All Muslims are equal. The weak and strong from among them benefit equally from the spoils of war”.
Last eleven years, the Prophet lived in Medina. The majority of the people of Medina -belonging to the tribes of Aws and Khazraj- had accepted Islam prior to the Prophet’s migration to that city. Obviously, this acceptance or conversion of the people of Medina could not have been achieved by force! The Prophet and his followers in Mecca had no means to physically convert the people of Medina. Islam spread in Medina through propagation only.
Two Phases of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)’s Life First Phase: The Meccan era of the first 13 years. He was in a minority, and so force not possible. Second Phase: Medinese era of the last 11 years of his life. 1st to 6th year: defending against the aggression of the Meccan forces and their allies. 7th to 9th year: propagation & outreach to others resulting in the conversion of almost the entire Arabian Peninsula In all such cases, we see that neither sword nor force was used to convert people to Islam. Especially for the Jews and the Christians —whom Islam recognizes as Ahlul Kitab, the People of the Scriptures— Islam guaranteed them freedom of their faith and religious practices under Islamic rule.
The norm among all societies at that time was to either kill the POWs or make them slaves. But Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) instructed the Muslims to treat the POWs humanely; they were brought back safely to Medina and given decent lodging in the houses of the people who had taken them, prisoners.
The Prophet’s patience with those who took time to accept Islam is particularly noteworthy. In the foray of Nakhlah, one of the pagans named Hakam ibn Kaysan, who intended to kill the Prophet, was captured by the Muslims. When he was brought to the Prophet, he invited him to Islam and had a long talk with him. Omar ibn Khattab protested to the Prophet and said, ‘Do you invite him to Islam? He will not accept Islam even if you talk with him forever; let me cut his neck to send him to his place in hell!” The Prophet did not heed these comments and continued to guide him towards Islam. He became a devout Muslim and finally became a martyr in the way of God in the Battle of Bi’r-e Ma’unah. The Prophet said about him: “If I had obeyed you and killed him, he would have left this world without achieving felicity.”
