HOW PROPHET ﷺ ROSE ABOVE ENEMITY.. INCIDENCES FROM THE LIFE OF PROPHET ﷺ

 *HOW PROPHET ﷺ ROSE ABOVE ENEMITY.. INCIDENCES FROM THE LIFE OF PROPHET ﷺ*

*Not equal are the good deed and the bad deed. Repel evil by that which is better, and then the one who is hostile to you will become as a devoted friend.* Surah Fussilat 41:34

_Prophet ﷺ left in the pages of history a matchless legacy of forgiveness and dignified dealings with one’s enemies._

📍 *A Proud Heart Humbled*

▪ Safwân b. Umayya (ra) was a vicious antagonist of Islam from its advent. 

▪ He helped his father, Umayya b. Khalaf, torture Bilâl b. Rabâh (ra), 

▪ He participated in every battle between Quraysh and the Muslims,

▪ He sent ‘Umayr b. Wahb to assassinate the Prophet ﷺ

▪  He supplied Banu Bakr with the weaponry to attack Banu Khuzâ‘a (an ally of the Muslims), thereby nullifying the Treaty of Hudaybiya.

📌   _Therefore, it would be correct to say that Safwân was a primary reason behind the Prophet ﷺ’s decision to march into Mecca, and thus he fled Mecca at its conquest after briefly fighting, unlike the overwhelming majority who peacefully surrendered_

▪ He felt dejected and displaced, so *‘Umayr b. Wahb*—now a Muslim—asked the Prophet ﷺ to pardon Safwân’s crimes and permit his return.

▪ _*Not only did he ﷺ agree, but he even gave ‘Umayr his turban as a token of guarantee that he ﷺ personally promised this protection.*_

▪ When Safwân came forward, the Prophet ﷺ graciously gave him another four months to deliberate before accepting Islam, and showered him with heaps of gifts during this period to warm his heart towards the religion. 

▪ In the end, his proud heart melted from all this generosity, he accepted Islam, and said,

_“By God, the Prophet ﷺ gave me gifts at a point when he was the most hated of people to me. But he kept on giving to me until he became the most beloved of people to me.”_

Collected by Muslim (2313)

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*فَا صْبِرْ عَلٰى مَا يَقُوْلُوْنَ وَسَبِّحْ بِحَمْدِ رَبِّكَ قَبْلَ طُلُوْعِ الشَّمْسِ وَقَبْلَ الْغُرُوْبِ ۚ*

*"So be patient, [O Muhammad], over what they say and exalt [Allah] with praise of your Lord before the rising of the sun and before its setting,"* Qaaf 50: Verse 39)