How Prophet Muhammed (ﷺ) Turned Enemies to Friends
How Beloved Prophet Muhammed (ﷺ) Turned Enemies to Friends
Safwan bin Umyya opposed Prophet Muhammed ﷺ bitterly for more than twenty years. He plotted and fought against the Muslims in Badr & Uhud. He was one of the main supporters of the Makkans against the Muslims at the Battle of the Trench, and was in the opposition to Prophet Muhammed ﷺ and Muslims in the Treaty of Hudaibiyyah. He also fought Muslims in Makkah during the conquest.
His hatred for Islam was so deep that when Makkah was conquered and the Makkan Qureshis surrendered, Safwan bin Umayya fled to Jeddah, to move to Africa, despite the fact that his close friend Ikramah bin Abu Jahl ؓ and his wife had already accepted Islam.
Safwan was one of the closest friends of Sayyiduna Khalid bin Waleed ؓ , the undefeated commander who had once asked him to follow Islam, but Safwan replied: “I will never follow him (Prophet Muhammed ﷺ). However, what many influencers in his life couldn’t do, the beauty of Prophet Muhammed’s ﷺ noble character won him over.
The reality is, like most of the people who oppose Islam and Prophet Muhammed ﷺ even today, Safwan bin Umayya never attempted to know the noble Prophet ﷺ and Islam. As a child, he grew up seeing his father Umayyah, the once master of Sayyiduna Bilal ؓ, oppose the Prophet ﷺ, so the son did it too. He was only told that Islam is “against” them and is their biggest rival. Safwan not even hesitated to plot with his friend and cousin Umair, to kill the Prophet ﷺ (nauzubillah), but Umair too accepted Islam when he went to Madinah to execute the plot. That added fuel to Safwan’s fire of enmity against Prophet Muhammed ﷺ. It was a blow to Safwan’s pride as well.
However, when Makkah was conquered, Safwan thought that he would be killed. When invited, Safwan asked for two months to think, but Prophet Muhammed ﷺ gave him four months to think of his faith. Not just that, Prophet Muhammed ﷺ gave Safwan a chivalrous position along with his own companions.
Finally, when Hunain too was conquered, Prophet Muhammed gave Safwan ؓ 100 camels as spoils of war. And when Safwan ؓ went through a valley full of livestock, he wondered at it in amazement. “It’s yours” said Prophet Muhammed ﷺ smiling at Safwan ؓ , “the valley and everything in it”, without giving such a share to any of his close companions or relatives. “Does that please you?” asked Prophet Muhammed ﷺ to Safwan ؓ.
For the first time in his life, Safwan ؓ couldn’t respond. He couldn’t even look into Prophet Muhammed’s ﷺ eyes. He felt that his throat went tight, while tears flowed by his trembling lips. Twenty years of utter hatred, plots and failed attempts to kill the Prophet ﷺ, false propagandas against him ﷺ, heated exchanges, bitter opposition for over two decades, and Safwan’s ؓ reward from the Prophet ﷺ? Four months of amnesty, 100 camels, and a valley full of sheep and cattle.
While weeping, Safwan ؓ said: “I bear witness that no soul could have such goodness as this, if it were not the soul of a Prophet.” Sayyiduna Safwan ؓ thus turned to be a Sahabi!
*That’s Prophet Muhammed’s ﷺ character before the world, till the end of times! Islam prevailed with the fountains of the noble character of the Leader of the Messengers ﷺ. People today too have a chance to take a look at Prophet Muhammed’s ﷺ noble, mind-boggling, merciful and compassionate character.*
_Reference: Revelation – The Story of Muhammed ﷺ by Meraj Mohiuddin (content slightly paraphrased for easy comprehension)_
*Join us to know more about Prophet Muhammed ﷺ:* https://chat.whatsapp.com/CGXxX8pSPM2AnFsLyxIIqq
--
*Seerah of Rasoolullah ﷺ*
www.facebook.com/seerahofrasoolullah
www.youtube.com/seerahofrasoolullah
 Turned Enemies to Friends){kind=link}
0 Comments