VICTORY AND AFTER
Victors usually tend to be susceptible to two kinds of feelings—pride and vengeance. However, after his conquest of Makkah in A.H. 8, the Prophet of Islam displayed neither of these traits. His victory was that of a Prophet of God. According to Ibn Ishaq, when the Prophet entered Makkah, his head was bowed so low that people saw his beard touching the camel’s saddle. Such was the humility of the Prophet, even in his hour of triumph. Standing at the door of the Kaaba, the Prophet delivered an address, in the course of which he said,
There is none worthy of being served save the One God. He has fulfilled His promise and offered succour to His slave. He alone has brought the hosts of enemies low.
He did not, in other words, claim any credit for the victory: he attributed it entirely to God. Later on, in the same speech, he had this to say to the Quraysh:
What do you think I will do with you now?” “We think you will treat us well.” they replied, “for you are our noble brother and the son of our noble brother.” Then the Prophet said: “I say to you as Joseph said to his brothers: Let no reproach be upon you this day. Go, you are free.”
At the very outset, the Prophet put vengeance aside, thus eliminating all possibility of adverse reaction on the part of his new subjects. A nation defeated on the field of battle usually resorts to clandestine resistance. By granting a general amnesty, the Prophet nipped resistance in the bud. Forces, which might have sought to destroy the fortress of Islam, were thus engaged in building it.
When the Prophet entered Makkah after the city’s conquest, he gave his commanders orders not to battle with anyone unless they were attacked. He forgave all those who had committed outrages against him. Only a few, who were to be killed “even if they took refuge beneath the curtain of the Kaaba,” were sentenced to death. Ibn Hisham, and other biographers of the Prophet, have mentioned them individually. Here are their names and the nature of their cases:
1. ‘Abdullah ibn Sa’d, who had become Muslim and been appointed as a scribe of revelation by the Prophet. He later reneged and joined the infidels. After the Conquest of Makkah, when he heard that the Prophet had ordered his execution, he took refuge with his foster milk brother ‘Uthman. The latter sheltered him, then took him to the Prophet with a request again to accept his conversion to Islam. The Prophet remained silent. Then ‘Uthman asked again after the Prophet got ‘Abdullah ibn Sa’d’s oath of allegiance. The latter subsequently became governor of Egypt during the caliphate of ‘Umar and ‘Uthman, playing a significant part in the conquest of Africa.
2. ‘Abdullah ibn Khatal, who had previously accepted Islam and been sent by the Prophet to collect alms tax. A servant and one of the Ansar went along with him. Coming to a halt in their journey, ‘Abdullah ibn Khatal told the slave to prepare a chicken for a meal, but the slave went to sleep instead and could not prepare the food in time. ‘Abdullah ibn Khatal became angry and killed the servant. Fearing that if he returned to Madinah, the Prophet would exact retribution for the servant’s death, he reneged and joined the infidels. A poet, he used to recite verses abusing the Prophet. On the day Makkah was conquered, he wrapped himself up in the curtain of the Ka’bah. When the Prophet was told, he ordered ‘Abdullah ibn Khatal to be executed in that place. Abu Burzah and Sa’id ibn Harith executed him between the Black Stone and the Place of Abraham.
3. Fartana, was ‘Abdullah ibn Khatal’s slave-girl. She also used to recite poems abusing the Prophet. Her dances were a regular feature of the Quraysh’s wine-drinking orgies. She was also executed along with her master.
4. Quraybah, also ‘Abdullah ibn Khatal’s servant, pursued the same profession as Fartana. Orders were given for her execution, but her request was granted when she came to the Prophet and sought asylum. She then became Muslim.
5. Huwayrith ibn Nafidh ibn Wahab, another poet who held Islam in great contempt, made his name from heaping opprobrium upon the Prophet. While ‘Abbas ibn ‘Abdul Muttalib and the Prophet’s daughters Fatimah and Umm Kulthum were on their way from Makkah to Madinah, Huwayrith ibn Nandh followed them and stabbed their camel with a spear. The camel reared up, and the Prophet’s daughters fell to the ground. Orders were given for his execution, carried out by ‘Ali.
6. Miqyas ibn Subabah, Hisham ibn Subabah’s brother. In the Dhu Qarad campaign, an Ansari killed Hisham by mistake. After this, Miqyas came to Madinah and accepted Islam. He asked the Prophet for compensation for his brother’s death, and his request was granted. He stayed in Madinah for a few days, then killed the person responsible for his brother’s death, escaped to Makkah and reneged. The Prophet ordered that he be put to death, and Numaylah ibn ‘Abdullah Laythi slew him.
7. Sarah, a slave girl of ‘Ikrimah ibn Abi Jahl, revelled in pouring scorn upon the Prophet. Permission was given for her to be put to death, but she came to the Prophet and sought asylum, which was granted her, and she accepted Islam. She remained alive until the caliphate of ‘Umar.
8-9. Harith ibn Hisham and Zubayr ibn Abi Umayyah were also to be killed, but they took refuge in their relative’s house, Umm Ham bint Abi Jahl. ‘Ali followed them and swore that he would not let them live. Umm Ham blocked ‘Ali’s path and, locking the two fugitives in her house, went to see the Prophet. She told him, ‘Ali sought to kill two people to whom she had given refuge. “Whomsoever you have granted refuge, we have also granted refuge, and whomsoever you have taken into your asylum, we have also given asylum,” the Prophet told her. ‘Ali was ordered to let them go, and he did so.
10. ‘Ikrimah ibn Abu Jahl, following in his father’s footsteps, was an uncompromising opponent of Islam. Seeing that he was sure to meet his end in Makkah, he fled to Yemen. His wife, Umm Bakim bint Barith, who had accepted Islam, appealed to the Prophet for asylum on behalf of her husband. Her request was granted, and she went to Yemen to collect ‘Ikrimah. He returned with her and became Muslim at the hand of the Prophet. After his conversion, he made great personal and financial sacrifices for Islam, finally meeting his death at Ajnadin while fighting against apostates during the caliphate of Abu Bakr.
11. Habbar ibn al-Aswad, who had been responsible for the great persecution of the Muslims. When the Prophet’s daughter Zaynab, wife of Abu’l ‘As was on her way from Makkah to Madinah, he stabbed her camel’s side with a spear. The camel went into a frenzy, and Zaynab fell. She was with a child at the time. Not only did she suffer a miscarriage, but the effects of the mishap remained with her for the rest of her life. Orders were given to kill him, but he came to the Prophet and pleaded for mercy. “Prophet of God,” he said, “forgive my ignorance. Let me become a Muslim.” The Prophet forgave him.
12. Wahshi ibn Harb, who had been responsible for the death of the Prophet’s uncle Hamzah. Realizing that the Muslims would kill him if they touched him, he fled from Makkah to Ta’if. Later, he came before the Prophet in Madinah, sought forgiveness for his crime, and offered to accept Islam. The Prophet admitted him into the fold of Islam and forgave him. Then, he joined in the fight against the false prophet Musaylimah during the caliphate of Abu Bakr. He finally slew Musaylimah with the same weapon that had made a martyr of Hamzah.
13. Ka’b ibn Zuhayr, a famous poet who used to write poems abusing the Prophet. He fled from Makkah when the city was conquered, and his execution was ordered, but he came to Madinah, asked for forgiveness, and beseeched the Prophet to accept his allegiance. The Prophet did so, presenting Ka’b with his own shawl at the same time.
14. Harith ibn Talatil, a poet who used to pour scorn on the Prophet through the medium of his poetry. The Muslims were permitted to slay him, and ‘Ali did so.
15. ‘Abdullah ibn Zib’ari, yet another poet, used to express his contempt for the Prophet in verse. When the Prophet ordered him to be killed, he fled to Najran. Later, he came to the Prophet, repented, and accepted Islam. The Prophet forgave him.
16. Hubayrah ibn Abi Wahab Makhzumi, also a poet, used to deride the Prophet’s mission. He was also on the list of those to be executed. He fled to Najran, where he died an infidel.
17. Hind bint ‘Utbah, the wife of Abu Sufyan. Her hatred of Islam was so great that she extracted Hamzah’s heart in the battle of Uhud and masticated it. She was to be executed, but she came before the Prophet, sought forgiveness and accepted Islam. After the Prophet forgave her and admitted her into Islam, she broke all the idols in her house, saying: “Truly, you have misled us.”
It is clear, then, that all the seventeen men and women who were sentenced to death after the conquest of Makkah were guilty of specific crimes. Yet whichever of them sought forgiveness or had someone plead on their behalf was forgiven. None of those who appealed for clemency was killed. Eleven of the seventeen sentenced to death were forgiven directly or through a mediator. Five people who made no plea for clemency were put to death. One fled from Makkah and died a natural death in a faraway land.
In the wake of the Conquest of Makkah, how did the Prophet forgive people guilty in the sight of God? When Fatimah, who belonged to the Banu Makhzum tribe, had committed a theft, her kith and kin feared that her hand would be amputated. They approached Usamah ibn Zayd who, they thought, being a close associate of the Prophet, would be in a position to ensure that their relative escaped punishment. Usamah came to the Prophet and pleaded for clemency on behalf of Fatimah Makhzumi. The Prophet was visibly upset when he heard Usamah’s words. “Are you trying to persuade me about limits God has set down?” he asked. The Prophet then called people together and delivered an address. “By the power who controls my soul,” he said, “if my daughter Fatimah were to steal, then I would certainly amputate her hand.” Fatimah Makhzumi received her due punishment, after which she repented and became righteous and upright.
This shows that no one can forgive wrongdoers when God has prescribed punishment. How did the Prophet forgive people magnanimously after the Conquest of Makkah? The reason was that there is a difference between war crimes and crimes committed under normal conditions. People cannot be accorded remission of punishment for the latter form of crime. Crimes committed during wartime, however, can be forgiven when the perpetrators renounce their antagonism and seek clemency. Crimes committed under normal conditions are nullified when God’s punishment is meted out, while war crimes are neutralized through surrender and an appeal for mercy. The enemies of Islam in Arabia had committed the most heinous crimes against the Muslims. Even so, the Quran announced that what had gone before would be forgiven if they repented. Furthermore, if the enemy sues for peace, peace should be made, even if there is a danger of the peace terms being broken.
If they incline to peace, make peace with them, and put your trust in God. Indeed He is the Hearing, the Knowing. Should they seek to deceive you, God is all-sufficient for you. He has made you strong with His help and rallied the faithful around you.
One of those sentenced to death and subsequently forgiven was ‘Ikrimah ibn Abi Jahl. Along with his father, he had been an active opponent of Islam and had subjected the Prophet and his companions to all forms of persecution. Yet, when news came that ‘Ikrimah was coming to accept Islam, the Prophet told his companions not to insult ‘Ikrimah’s father “for abuse of the dead hurts the living.”
After the conquest of Makkah, magnanimity such as this turned Islam’s most implacable foes into staunch custodians of faith.
