Biography of Messenger Muhammad & Non-Violence [Part 2]
What would be the reaction of a leader who was told that there was an army waiting to prevent him from achieving the goal for which he set out on a journey?
Would this situation make him abandon the purpose for which he embarked on his journey?
Would this situation make him seize this opportunity and use it as a pretext to retaliate for past grievances?
Would this situation agitate him to react violently and not think of alternative courses of action that he might apply to avoid violent confrontation?
There might be causes for asking these questions and other questions if we are talking about an ordinary leader whose behavior is influenced positively or negatively by the reaction of the other party. However, we are talking about Messenger Muhammad, who never took people’s reactions personally; rather, his reactions depended on following the guidance of the Quran, which exhorts its followers to adhere to every act of kindness and patience.
Messenger Muhammad chose a non-violent peaceful solution that forced him and his companions to take another rugged rocky route to avoid confrontation with Quraysh. He gave himself and his companions the opportunity to pursue their goal as well as gave Quraysh a chance to understand that he did not come for war; rather he came to visit the Kab’a and make Umra.
Ordinary people see the outer immediate outcomes of events, but genius sees the hidden positive possible outcomes of the events.
When the she-camel of Messenger Muhammad refused to move, his companions interpreted her behavior as stubbornness. They saw only the outer immediate outcome of the event, which is a natural understanding of what they saw happening before their eyes.
Human beings mostly react positively or negatively to what their senses encounter without thinking that there may be other interpretations and understanding of the situation at hand. On the other hand, people who have high intellectual understanding and who are willing to give opportunities for whatever positive interpretations of a seemingly negative situation, do their best not to give a hasty judgment. They foresee the hidden positive possible outcomes of the events.
The reaction of Messenger Muhammad to the behavior of his she-camel stubbornness was completely the opposite of his companions’ reaction. He said, “Al-Qaswa’ has not become stubborn and it is not her habit, but it stopped her what stopped the elephant, i.e. Allah prevented her from entering Mecca as He prevented the elephant of Abraha from entering Mecca when it was brought to destroy al-Ka’ba.”
He interpreted the situation positively and saw it as a positive non-violent opportunity for a peaceful agreement. He understood the situation as a message telling him that Allah wanted to turn him from fighting with the Meccans. Therefore, he swore, “By the name of Him in whose Hands my soul is, if they, the Meccans, asked me anything that would respect the ordinances of Allah, I would grant it to them.”
Indeed, people who are committed to non-violence always find fruitful solutions for hostile situations.
Messenger Muhammad changed his way and he dismounted at the farthest end of al-Hudaybiyah. Then, Badil bin Warqa’ al-Khuza’y came with a band of men and he said, “I left the people of Ka’ba and Amir bin Lu’yy at the water of al-Hudayybiayh, and their women and children were with them. They will fight you and prevent you from visiting the Ka’ba.” Messenger Muhammad said, “We have not come to fight with anyone, but we have come to perform Umra. Indeed, war has weakened Quraysh and harmed them. If they wish, I will conclude a truce with them during which they should give me the freedom to convey the message of Islam to the people. If I become victorious, they, if they wish, can embrace Islam as the people did; otherwise, they will rest until the end of the truce. If they refuse to conclude a truce, by Allah, in Whose Hands my soul is, I will fight them, defending this cause, i.e. Islam, until I die. And Allah, indeed, will make this cause victorious.” Badil said, “I will tell them what you have said.”
Reflection: Non-Violence & Willingness to Negotiate
Non-violence is not just avoidance of violence, it also involves the willingness to tolerate differences, dialogue, and negotiate. It is an attitude of willingness to promote and defend one’s cause, expressing one’s preparedness and determination to endure difficulties until the desired goal is achieved. Moreover, non-violence involves a readiness to try to engage the opponents, and point out to their weaknesses and injustice, in a proposal that may resolve the problem using win-win strategies.
After changing his way and alighting on al-Hudayybiyah, Messenger Muhammad was informed by Badil bin Warqa’ that Quraysh was determined to prevent him from visiting the Ka’ba and performing Umra even if they were to fight him. He neither was intimidated by this news nor did he change his determination not to resort to violence. Rather, he calmly told Badil the cause of his visit and presented his perspective on the situation, considering the present status of Quraysh and expressing willingness to deal with the situation peacefully and positively.
He referred to the weakness of Quraysh, hinting at the fact that if they resort to violence by fighting him, their weakness would increase. By alluding to this fact, he was implying that violence generates weakness and increases it, which is, of course, something they would not want to happen. His referral to the fact that war weakened and harmed them also carried a subtle message of mercy and compassion since he was telling them indirectly, ‘I feel your unfavorable situation.’ Moreover, Messenger Muhammad was indirectly informing Badil, and hence informing Quraysh, that he knew about their current weak situation. Thus, telling them that the option of fighting was against their interests. This shows us that Messenger Muhammad was setting the table for a possible positive resolution for the situation.
After preparing the ground for negotiation, Messenger Muhammad explicitly presented his win-win plan for resolving the situation, i.e. concluding a truce with them.
“Typical negotiation is a win-lose proposition. In non-violence, it becomes a win-win proposition. Your goal is not to win over them but to win them over. Compromise does have a place in this, but not always. Certain moral truths cannot be compromised such as equality and justice; there was no room for compromise in segregated buses and facilities. In a moral and ethical struggle, your goal is to get your opponent to see the unjust conditions, not to beat them. Negotiation must be done out of love, not out of hate and revenge [The Six Steps of Nonviolence]. ”
If Quraysh agreed to conclude a trace with Messenger Muhammad, they would rest until it ended. Since war weakened and harmed Quraysh, this would an ideal offer, which would allow them to regain their strength, and at the same time, they would give themselves a chance to see what would happen when the Prophet would be given the freedom to convey Islamic message to people. If people followed the message of Islam and Messenger Muhammad became victorious, they would have the freedom to embrace Islam as people did. Thus, in both cases, Messenger Muhammad and they would win.
It should be noted that though Messenger Muhammad proposed a truce to Quraysh, he did not comprise regarding taking whatever necessary action to convey Islam if they refused to conclude the truce with him.
Simply, the message of Messenger Muhammad was that his desire to negotiate was out of knowledge of their unfavorable circumstance. And thus, he was telling them indirectly that he cared about their condition, to give himself and them time for achieving the hoped goals, and finally, to explicitly conveying them that he would never forsake delivering the message Allah that sent him to convey.
Badil went to Quraysh and told them what he heard from Messenger Muhammad. Upon that, Urwa bin Mas’ud suggested going to Messenger Muhammad, and discussing with him what Badil informed them, and they agreed. Urwa went to meet Messenger Muhammad and he was told the same thing as Badil was told. Throughout the meeting, Urwa noticed that the companions of Messenger Muhammad loved and revered him greatly. When he returned to his people he said, “O people! By Allah, I have been to the kings, Caesar, khosrow, and an-Nijashi. By Allah, I have never seen any king revered by his companions as much as Muhammad is revered by his companions. If he offers you an acceptable reconciliation, accept it.”
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